Felis chaus
| Jungle cat | |
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| Indian jungle cat | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Carnivora |
| Family: | Felidae |
| Genus: | Felis |
| Species: | F. chaus |
| Binomial name | |
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Felis chaus Schreber, 1777 |
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| Subspecies | |
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| Jungle cat range | |
| Synonyms | |
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The jungle cat (Felis chaus), also called the reed cat or swamp cat, is a medium-sized cat native to the Middle East, South and Southeast Asia and southern China. It is a member of the genus Felis and was first described by Johann Anton Güldenstädt in 1776. Johann Christian Daniel von Schreber gave the jungle cat its present binomial name and is therefore generally considered as binomial authority. Ten subspecies are recognised at present.
The jungle cat is a large, long-legged cat; it stands nearly 36 cm (14 in) at shoulder and weighs 2–16 kg (4.4–35.3 lb). Its sandy, reddish-brown or grey coat is uniformly coloured and without spots; melanistic and albino individuals are also known. Moults occur biannually.
Typically diurnal, the jungle cat hunts throughout the day. Solitary in nature, jungle cats do not interact appreciably except in the mating season. The only prominent interaction is the mother-kitten bond. Territories are maintained by urine spraying and scent marking. The cat is primarily a carnivore, and prefers small mammals (gerbils, hares and rodents) and birds. It hunts by stalking its prey, followed by a sprint or a leap; the sharp ears help in pinpointing the location of prey. Both sexes become sexually mature by the time they are a year old; females enter oestrus from January to March. Mating behaviour is similar to that in the domestic cat: the male pursues the female in oestrus, seizes her by the nape of her neck and mounts her. Gestation lasts nearly two months. Births take place between December and June, though this might vary geographically. Kittens begin to catch their own prey at around six months and leave the mother after eight or nine months.
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