Iriomote cat
Encyclopedia
The Iriomote cat is a wild cat
about the size of a domestic cat that lives exclusively on the Japan
ese island of Iriomote
. It is considered a "living fossil
" by many biologists because it has not changed much from its primitive form. The Iriomote cat is one of the most threatened species of cat (sometimes considered a subspecies of the leopard cat
), with an estimated population of fewer than 100 individuals. It has dark brown fur and a bushy tail, and it is not able to sheathe its claw
s.
of the leopard cat
, before being elevated to the species level again within the same genus of the leopard cat, Prionailurus
. This view is still being discussed: some authorities still claim to classify the Iriomote cat as a separate species, since it looks quite different from the mainland leopard cat. It is known in Ryukyan
as Yamamayaa (やままやー, "mountain cat"), Yamapikaryaa ("mountain sparkling-eyed cat") or Pingiimayaa ("escaped cat") to the islanders of Iriomote. Its Japanese name is Iriomote-yama neko (イリオモテヤマネコ), with the same meaning as the English name.
Females average body size is 48 cm (19 in) excluding the tail and males are slightly larger at 53–56 cm (21–22 in) excluding the tail. Both sexes are otherwise the same, with overall head and body length range of 38–65 cm (15–26 in). Height at shoulders is 25 cm (10 in), tail length averages 16–45 cm (6.3–18 in) and weight averages 3–7 kg (6.6–15.5 lb).
Hunting day and night both in trees and on the ground, the Iriomote cat is an opportunistic generalist predator. It is said to be more nocturnal
in summer than winter. During the day it will hide in rock crevices or tree cavities, leaving to hunt at dusk. In captivity, it is an enthusiastic swimmer, playing in the water. Known to cross river
s in the wild, it probably also catches fish and crab
s in the water. Hunting is usually a slow stalk finishing with a quick rush to kill.
animals lose weight in winter and spend more time urine
marking. This is seen as preparation for mating. They are more frequently seen in pairs in winter and often heard to vocalize. Males often fight. They meow and howl like domestic cats. Mating is believed to occur in February/March and September/October.
After a gestation
of about 60 days, two to four kittens are born in a den in a rock crevice or hollow tree. The kittens mature much more rapidly than domestic cats, being left on their own when they are about three months old.
In 1999, a special study was published about the Iriomote cat's reproduction.
s taken. Numerically, insects are important, making up one third of the total number of items found in scats with 39 species of beetle identified in them. The Iriomote cat is known to take fruit bat
s, black rats, wild boar, night heron
s, quail
, rail
s, pigeons, dove
s, frogs, scops-owls, kingfisher
s, robins
, thrushes
, crow
s, and skink
s. More than 95 species of animal have been identified from its feces.
, which are 200 km (125 mi) east of Taiwan (24° 15´–25´ north Latitude and 123° 40´–55´ east Longitude). The island is mountainous and covered in broadleaf, evergreen, subtropical rainforest with dense mangroves along the estuaries. The highest mountain is only 470 m (1540 ft).
This endemic cat is found, near water, all over the island, including beaches and cultivated land. It only avoids the most heavily populated areas. Unfortunately, it shows a preference for the coastal forest areas which are mostly outside the protected area of the island and through which the island's road has been constructed.
edges, coast
al areas and lowlands, most of which are outside the protected areas.
There is no captive breeding population.
The International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) has listed the Iriomote cat as Critically Endangered
, on the verge of extinction. As the cat is not substantially traded, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) has only declared that international commerce must be strictly regulated, and has placed it on Appendix II.
Feral domestic cats compete with the Iriomote cat for food, but at the moment there appears to be no problem with the two species interbreeding. Hybridization would dilute the gene pool of the Iriomote cat and could be a disastrous long-term threat to the integrity of the species. Proposals have been made to eradicate all feral cats on the island.
The Japanese Environmental Agency set up feeding programmes for the native cat. Since 1979, domestic chickens have been provided at 20 feeding sites. However, this has caused problems as the cats now regard farmer's flocks as a natural food resource. In 1983, the Iriomote cat began to attack domestic chickens at village houses. A significant number have also been killed on the roads. Despite these problems, many of the inhabitants of Iriomote are proud of "their" cat.
, under the direction of Prof. Masako Izawa, who has been studying the cat since 1982.
Felidae
Felidae is the biological family of the cats; a member of this family is called a felid. Felids are the strictest carnivores of the thirteen terrestrial families in the order Carnivora, although the three families of marine mammals comprising the superfamily pinnipedia are as carnivorous as the...
about the size of a domestic cat that lives exclusively on the Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese island of Iriomote
Iriomote
Iriomote is the largest of the Yaeyama Islands and the second largest in Okinawa Prefecture after Okinawa Island itself....
. It is considered a "living fossil
Living fossil
Living fossil is an informal term for any living species which appears similar to a species otherwise only known from fossils and which has no close living relatives, or a group of organisms which have long fossil records...
" by many biologists because it has not changed much from its primitive form. The Iriomote cat is one of the most threatened species of cat (sometimes considered a subspecies of the leopard cat
Leopard Cat
The leopard cat is a small wild cat of South and East Asia. Since 2002 it has been listed as Least Concern by IUCN as it is widely distributed but threatened by habitat loss and hunting in parts of its range...
), with an estimated population of fewer than 100 individuals. It has dark brown fur and a bushy tail, and it is not able to sheathe its claw
Claw
A claw is a curved, pointed appendage, found at the end of a toe or finger in most mammals, birds, and some reptiles. However, the word "claw" is also often used in reference to an invertebrate. Somewhat similar fine hooked structures are found in arthropods such as beetles and spiders, at the end...
s.
Nomenclature
When it was discovered in 1965, it was regarded as a survivor of an extinct line of felines and placed in a separate genus Mayailurus as Mayailurus iriomotensis. It was then assigned as a subspeciesSubspecies
Subspecies in biological classification, is either a taxonomic rank subordinate to species, ora taxonomic unit in that rank . A subspecies cannot be recognized in isolation: a species will either be recognized as having no subspecies at all or two or more, never just one...
of the leopard cat
Leopard Cat
The leopard cat is a small wild cat of South and East Asia. Since 2002 it has been listed as Least Concern by IUCN as it is widely distributed but threatened by habitat loss and hunting in parts of its range...
, before being elevated to the species level again within the same genus of the leopard cat, Prionailurus
Prionailurus
Prionailurus is a genus of four species of small, spotted wild cats found in Asia. They are typically forest-dwelling. Most are able to swim well; some species are actually semi-aquatic and feed mainly on fish and other aquatic animals....
. This view is still being discussed: some authorities still claim to classify the Iriomote cat as a separate species, since it looks quite different from the mainland leopard cat. It is known in Ryukyan
Ryukyuan languages
The Ryukyuan languages are spoken in the Ryukyu Islands, and make up a subgroup of the Japonic, itself controversially a subgroup of Altaic....
as Yamamayaa (やままやー, "mountain cat"), Yamapikaryaa ("mountain sparkling-eyed cat") or Pingiimayaa ("escaped cat") to the islanders of Iriomote. Its Japanese name is Iriomote-yama neko (イリオモテヤマネコ), with the same meaning as the English name.
Description
The Iriomote cat has dusky or greyish brown, dark spots in dense longitudinal rows that mark its body. The spots tend to coalesce into bands. Five or seven dark stripes run along its neck, and two white lines run from the corners of each eye across the cheeks. Thick and bushy, the tail is relatively short; spotted near the base it is ringed toward the tip. The backs of the rounded ears are dark with white central spots. The anterior upper premolar is absent. Approximately the same size as a domestic cat, the Iriomote cat has the characteristic elongated body, short legs and low-slung build of a predator which forages in thick undergrowth.Females average body size is 48 cm (19 in) excluding the tail and males are slightly larger at 53–56 cm (21–22 in) excluding the tail. Both sexes are otherwise the same, with overall head and body length range of 38–65 cm (15–26 in). Height at shoulders is 25 cm (10 in), tail length averages 16–45 cm (6.3–18 in) and weight averages 3–7 kg (6.6–15.5 lb).
Behavior
The Iriomote cat is solitary but home ranges of individuals overlap. Male home ranges vary from 2.1 to 4.7 km², and those of females 0.95 to 1.55 km².Hunting day and night both in trees and on the ground, the Iriomote cat is an opportunistic generalist predator. It is said to be more nocturnal
Nocturnal animal
Nocturnality is an animal behavior characterized by activity during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal"....
in summer than winter. During the day it will hide in rock crevices or tree cavities, leaving to hunt at dusk. In captivity, it is an enthusiastic swimmer, playing in the water. Known to cross river
River
A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...
s in the wild, it probably also catches fish and crab
Crab
True crabs are decapod crustaceans of the infraorder Brachyura, which typically have a very short projecting "tail" , or where the reduced abdomen is entirely hidden under the thorax...
s in the water. Hunting is usually a slow stalk finishing with a quick rush to kill.
Reproduction
CaptiveCaptivity (animal)
Animals that live under human care are in captivity. Captivity can be used as a generalizing term to describe the keeping of either domesticated animals or wild animals. This may include for example farms, private homes and zoos...
animals lose weight in winter and spend more time urine
Urine
Urine is a typically sterile liquid by-product of the body that is secreted by the kidneys through a process called urination and excreted through the urethra. Cellular metabolism generates numerous by-products, many rich in nitrogen, that require elimination from the bloodstream...
marking. This is seen as preparation for mating. They are more frequently seen in pairs in winter and often heard to vocalize. Males often fight. They meow and howl like domestic cats. Mating is believed to occur in February/March and September/October.
After a gestation
Gestation
Gestation is the carrying of an embryo or fetus inside a female viviparous animal. Mammals during pregnancy can have one or more gestations at the same time ....
of about 60 days, two to four kittens are born in a den in a rock crevice or hollow tree. The kittens mature much more rapidly than domestic cats, being left on their own when they are about three months old.
In 1999, a special study was published about the Iriomote cat's reproduction.
Diet
In one study 50% of the prey biomass was identified as mammalian in origin, with about 25% of the mass bird and 20% reptilian. In summer, the cat's emphasis on mammalian prey seems to change, with more birds and reptileReptile
Reptiles are members of a class of air-breathing, ectothermic vertebrates which are characterized by laying shelled eggs , and having skin covered in scales and/or scutes. They are tetrapods, either having four limbs or being descended from four-limbed ancestors...
s taken. Numerically, insects are important, making up one third of the total number of items found in scats with 39 species of beetle identified in them. The Iriomote cat is known to take fruit bat
Fruit Bat
Fruit Bat can refer to:* Megabats, a species of bat which eats fruit* Les "Fruitbat" Carter, guitarist of Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine* Fruit Bats , an American band...
s, black rats, wild boar, night heron
Night heron
The night herons are medium-sized herons in the genera Nycticorax, Nyctanassa and Gorsachius. The genus name Nycticorax derives from the Greek for “night raven” and refers to the largely nocturnal feeding habits of this group of birds, and the croaking crow-like call of the best known species, the...
s, quail
Quail
Quail is a collective name for several genera of mid-sized birds generally considered in the order Galliformes. Old World quail are found in the family Phasianidae, while New World quail are found in the family Odontophoridae...
, rail
Rail
Rail or rails may refer to:Railway transportation* A generic term for railroads, railways, rail transport, and related matters* Rail tracks, or railway lines, the running surface of a railway...
s, pigeons, dove
Dove
Pigeons and doves constitute the bird family Columbidae within the order Columbiformes, which include some 300 species of near passerines. In general terms "dove" and "pigeon" are used somewhat interchangeably...
s, frogs, scops-owls, kingfisher
Kingfisher
Kingfishers are a group of small to medium sized brightly coloured birds in the order Coraciiformes. They have a cosmopolitan distribution, with most species being found in the Old World and Australia...
s, robins
Japanese Robin
The Japanese Robin or komadori is a songbird. Recent research suggests that the East Asian robins belong into a new genus uniting them with some East Asian Luscinias such as the Siberian Blue Robin.The name "Japanese Robin" is also sometimes used for the Red-billed Leiothrix .The specific name...
, thrushes
Thrush (bird)
The thrushes, family Turdidae, are a group of passerine birds that occur worldwide.-Characteristics:Thrushes are plump, soft-plumaged, small to medium-sized birds, inhabiting wooded areas, and often feed on the ground or eat small fruit. The smallest thrush may be the Forest Rock-thrush, at and...
, crow
Crow
Crows form the genus Corvus in the family Corvidae. Ranging in size from the relatively small pigeon-size jackdaws to the Common Raven of the Holarctic region and Thick-billed Raven of the highlands of Ethiopia, the 40 or so members of this genus occur on all temperate continents and several...
s, and skink
Skink
Skinks are lizards belonging to the family Scincidae. Together with several other lizard families, including Lacertidae , they comprise the superfamily or infraorder Scincomorpha...
s. More than 95 species of animal have been identified from its feces.
Distribution and habitats
The 292 km² island of Iriomote is at the southern end of the Japanese Ryukyu IslandsRyukyu Islands
The , also known as the , is a chain of islands in the western Pacific, on the eastern limit of the East China Sea and to the southwest of the island of Kyushu in Japan. From about 1829 until the mid 20th century, they were alternately called Luchu, Loochoo, or Lewchew, akin to the Mandarin...
, which are 200 km (125 mi) east of Taiwan (24° 15´–25´ north Latitude and 123° 40´–55´ east Longitude). The island is mountainous and covered in broadleaf, evergreen, subtropical rainforest with dense mangroves along the estuaries. The highest mountain is only 470 m (1540 ft).
This endemic cat is found, near water, all over the island, including beaches and cultivated land. It only avoids the most heavily populated areas. Unfortunately, it shows a preference for the coastal forest areas which are mostly outside the protected area of the island and through which the island's road has been constructed.
Conservation status
Barely 100 individuals survive due to habitat destruction and persecution/over-hunting. Although in 1977 the Iriomote cat was declared a National Japanese Treasure, pressures of development pose a very serious threat. One third of the island has been declared a reserve where the trapping of the cat for any reason is strictly prohibited. However, the species continues to decline. Izawa (1990) reported that the density of the cats was relatively low inside the National Park because they prefer forestForest
A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...
edges, coast
Coast
A coastline or seashore is the area where land meets the sea or ocean. A precise line that can be called a coastline cannot be determined due to the dynamic nature of tides. The term "coastal zone" can be used instead, which is a spatial zone where interaction of the sea and land processes occurs...
al areas and lowlands, most of which are outside the protected areas.
There is no captive breeding population.
The International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) has listed the Iriomote cat as Critically Endangered
Critically Endangered
Critically Endangered is the highest risk category assigned by the IUCN Red List for wild species. Critically Endangered means that a species' numbers have decreased, or will decrease, by 80% within three generations....
, on the verge of extinction. As the cat is not substantially traded, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) has only declared that international commerce must be strictly regulated, and has placed it on Appendix II.
Feral domestic cats compete with the Iriomote cat for food, but at the moment there appears to be no problem with the two species interbreeding. Hybridization would dilute the gene pool of the Iriomote cat and could be a disastrous long-term threat to the integrity of the species. Proposals have been made to eradicate all feral cats on the island.
The Japanese Environmental Agency set up feeding programmes for the native cat. Since 1979, domestic chickens have been provided at 20 feeding sites. However, this has caused problems as the cats now regard farmer's flocks as a natural food resource. In 1983, the Iriomote cat began to attack domestic chickens at village houses. A significant number have also been killed on the roads. Despite these problems, many of the inhabitants of Iriomote are proud of "their" cat.
Recent study
The Iriomote cat was first identified in 1967, by biologist Imaizumi. A new study focusing on the Iriomote cat is currently underway at the University of the RyukyusUniversity of the Ryukyus
The , abbreviated to Ryūdai , is a national university of Japan. It is located in the town of Nishihara on Okinawa Honto in Okinawa Prefecture. There are also campuses in Nakagusuku and Ginowan. It is the westernmost national university of Japan and the largest public university in Okinawa Prefecture...
, under the direction of Prof. Masako Izawa, who has been studying the cat since 1982.
Cultural
The Iriomote Cat has been designated by the government of Japan as a Special Natural Monument (see List of Special Places of Scenic Beauty, Special Historic Sites and Special Natural Monuments) under criteria 1.1: "well-known animals peculiar to Japan and their habitat".External links
- BBC's article on the Iriomote
- More information on Iriomotes
- New York Times article on the Iriomote and development threats
- National Georaphic : Rare Japanese Wildcat Edging Closer to Extinction - (content not yet include in this wiki article)
- Google Scholar: Iriomote cat, Izawa.