Leopard cat is a small predator

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

Far Eastern, Amur, forest, leopard cat are subspecies of the Bengal cat. Outwardly, the animal is very reminiscent of a miniature leopard, although the family ties that exist between them are very weak.

The leopard cat is little more than a domestic cat. The size of the animal depends on the habitat. In the tropics, its body length ranges from 38 to 65 centimeters, and its weight is approximately 3.5 kg. In the north of China, the weight of these cats reaches 7 kg, and the body length reaches 85 cm. This large animal is called the Far Eastern forest cat. The animal gains the greatest weight in the fall. By spring, the little predator is significantly thinner, as it becomes more difficult for him to get food.

The leopard cat lives in the Amur region, on the Korean Peninsula, almost throughout China. In addition, the animal feels very comfortable in India, is found in Pakistan, the Sunda Islands, Indonesia and the Philippines.

The leopard cat chooses evergreen forests at sea level to live. It can be found in the foothills of the Himalayas. In Russia, he prefers to settle in wooded river valleys, and very skillfully chooses territories where the snow cover does not exceed 10 cm.a representative of the subspecies has its own territory, which averages three and a half square kilometers.

The leopard cat has a very conspicuous appearance. Small head, short muzzle, long legs. Thick, soft and fluffy coat. Two black stripes are clearly visible on the head, which stretch from the eyes to the very back of the head. Thinner white stripes run from the eyes to the nose. Rounded ears of medium size. Large eyes, white lower muzzle.

The hair on the body and limbs is covered with dark spots of different sizes and shades. There are several incomplete dark rings on the tail. The general coloration is yellowish brown, while in animals living in the north, the fur is silvery gray.

An elegant and graceful animal lives in the south of Asia - the Asian leopard cat. It got its name from the incredible resemblance to a leopard, despite the fact that their relationship is very relative.

Day leopard cat (you can see his photo in our article) prefers to spend in shelter - in hollows of trees and caves, and at night goes hunting. It should be noted that these animals are excellent swimmers, and in addition, they move well in mountainous areas. A leopard cat is a loner, but he chooses his life partner only once. A feature of this breed is that the male and female kittens are raised together. This continues for 7-10 months.

The mating season of these animals lasts from five to nine days, the pregnancy of a cat is nine or ten weeks. A cat has two to four kittens. The weight of newborns ranges from 80 g to 130 g. The eyes of the cubs open on the tenth day. On the 23rd day of life, they are already able to eat food brought by caring parents.

Leopard cats are predators. They feed on small animals, amphibians, birds, and will not refuse reptiles. Sometimes they eat eggs, fish and grass.