Marbled Cat
Encyclopedia
The Marbled Cat is a small wild cat
of South
and Southeast Asia
. Since 2002 it has been listed as vulnerable
by IUCN as it occurs at low densities, and its total effective population size is suspected to be fewer than 10,000 mature individuals, with no single population numbering more than 1,000.
The species was once considered to belong to the pantherine
lineage of "big cats". Genetic
analysis has shown that it is closely related with the Asian Golden Cat and the Bay Cat
, all of which diverged from the other felids about 9.4 million years ago.
The fur is blotched and banded like a marble
, usually compared to the markings of the much larger Indochinese Clouded Leopards or Diard's Clouded Leopards. In colour, the base fur ranges from pale yellow through to brownish grey with lighter underparts. There are dark spots on the legs, underparts, and forehead, with bands on the tail and stripes on the neck and along the middle of the back. There are also white bands on the backs of the ears.
In addition to its long tail, the marbled cat can also be distinguished by its large feet, a feature it shares with the Clouded Leopard. It also possesses unusually large canine teeth
, resembling those of the big cats, although these appear to be the result of parallel evolution
.
When standing or resting, Marbled Cats assume a characteristic position with their backs arched.
westward along the Himalayan foothills westward into Nepal
and eastward into southwest China
, and on the islands of Sumatra
and Borneo
. They are primarily associated with moist and mixed deciduous-evergreen
tropical forest.
Two subspecies
are recognized:
/ bamboo
mixed forest in Thailand's Phu Khieu Wildlife Sanctuary. This first-ever radio-tracked marbled cat had an overall home range of 5.8 square kilometre at an elevation of 1000 to 1200 m (3,280.8 to 3,937 ft) and was active primarily during nocturnal and crepuscular
time periods.
It is probable that forest canopies provide the marbled cat with much of its prey: birds, squirrels, other rodent
s and reptiles.
A few marbled cats have been bred in captivity, with gestation
estimated at between 66 and 82 days. In the few recorded instances, two kittens were born in each litter, and weighed from 61 to 85 g (2.2 to 3 oz). The eyes open at around twelve days, and the kittens begin to take solid food at two months, around the time that they begin actively climbing. Marbled cats reach sexual maturity at 21 or 22 months of age, and have lived for up to twelve years in captivity.
The only captive marbled cats registered by ISIS
are a pair kept at a breeding center in the United Arab Emirates
.
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...
of South
South Asia
South Asia, also known as Southern Asia, is the southern region of the Asian continent, which comprises the sub-Himalayan countries and, for some authorities , also includes the adjoining countries to the west and the east...
and Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...
. Since 2002 it has been listed as vulnerable
Vulnerable species
On 30 January 2010, the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species identified 9694 Vulnerable species, subspecies and varieties, stocks and sub-populations.-References:...
by IUCN as it occurs at low densities, and its total effective population size is suspected to be fewer than 10,000 mature individuals, with no single population numbering more than 1,000.
The species was once considered to belong to the pantherine
Pantherinae
Pantherinae is the subfamily of the family Felidae, which includes the genera Panthera, Uncia and Neofelis.The divergence of Pantherinae from Felinae has been ranked between six and ten million years ago. DNA analysis suggests that the snow leopard Uncia uncia is basal to the entire Pantherinae and...
lineage of "big cats". Genetic
Genetics
Genetics , a discipline of biology, is the science of genes, heredity, and variation in living organisms....
analysis has shown that it is closely related with the Asian Golden Cat and the Bay Cat
Bay Cat
The Bay Cat , also known as Bornean Cat, Bornean Bay Cat, Bornean Marbled Cat, is a wild cat endemic to the island of Borneo that appears relatively rare compared to sympatric felids, based on the paucity of historical as well as recent records...
, all of which diverged from the other felids about 9.4 million years ago.
Characteristics
The marbled cat is similar in size to a domestic cat, with a more thickly furred tail (which may be longer than the body), showing adaptation to its arboreal life-style, where the tail is used as a counterbalance. Marbled cats range from 45 to 62 cm (17.7 to 24.4 in) in head-body length, with a 35 to 55 cm (13.8 to 21.7 in) tail. Recorded weights vary between 2 and 5 kg (4.4 and 11 lb).The fur is blotched and banded like a marble
Marble (toy)
A marble is a small spherical toy usually made from glass, clay, steel, or agate. These balls vary in size. Most commonly, they are about ½ inch in diameter, but they may range from less than ¼ inch to over 3 inches , while some art glass marbles fordisplay purposes are over 12 inches ...
, usually compared to the markings of the much larger Indochinese Clouded Leopards or Diard's Clouded Leopards. In colour, the base fur ranges from pale yellow through to brownish grey with lighter underparts. There are dark spots on the legs, underparts, and forehead, with bands on the tail and stripes on the neck and along the middle of the back. There are also white bands on the backs of the ears.
In addition to its long tail, the marbled cat can also be distinguished by its large feet, a feature it shares with the Clouded Leopard. It also possesses unusually large canine teeth
Canine tooth
In mammalian oral anatomy, the canine teeth, also called cuspids, dogteeth, fangs, or eye teeth, are relatively long, pointed teeth...
, resembling those of the big cats, although these appear to be the result of parallel evolution
Parallel evolution
Parallel evolution is the development of a similar trait in related, but distinct, species descending from the same ancestor, but from different clades.-Parallel vs...
.
When standing or resting, Marbled Cats assume a characteristic position with their backs arched.
Distribution and habitat
Marbled cats are found in tropical IndomalayaIndomalaya
The Indomalaya ecozone is one of the eight ecozones that cover the planet's land surface. It extends across most of South and Southeast Asia and into the southern parts of East Asia....
westward along the Himalayan foothills westward into Nepal
Nepal
Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
and eastward into southwest China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, and on the islands of Sumatra
Sumatra
Sumatra is an island in western Indonesia, westernmost of the Sunda Islands. It is the largest island entirely in Indonesia , and the sixth largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 with a population of 50,365,538...
and Borneo
Borneo
Borneo is the third largest island in the world and is located north of Java Island, Indonesia, at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia....
. They are primarily associated with moist and mixed deciduous-evergreen
Evergreen forest
An temperate evergreen forest is a forest consisting entirely or mainly of evergreen trees that retain green foliage all year round. Such forests exist in the tropics primarily as broadleaf evergreens, and in temperate and boreal latitudes primarily as coniferous evergreens.-Tropical evergreen...
tropical forest.
Two subspecies
Subspecies
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...
are recognized:
- Pardofelis marmorata marmorata described by William Charles Linnaeus MartinWilliam Charles Linnaeus MartinWilliam Charles Linnaeus Martin was an English naturalist.-Biography:William Charles Linnaeus Martin was the son of William Martin who had published early colour books on the fossils of Derbyshire...
in 1837 — lives in Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, Borneo northward to MyanmarMyanmarBurma , officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar , is a country in Southeast Asia. Burma is bordered by China on the northeast, Laos on the east, Thailand on the southeast, Bangladesh on the west, India on the northwest, the Bay of Bengal to the southwest, and the Andaman Sea on the south....
; - Pardofelis marmorata charltoni described by John Edward GrayJohn Edward GrayJohn Edward Gray, FRS was a British zoologist. He was the elder brother of George Robert Gray and son of the pharmacologist and botanist Samuel Frederick Gray ....
in 1846 — occurs in northern Myanmar, SikkimSikkimSikkim is a landlocked Indian state nestled in the Himalayan mountains...
, Darjeeling and Nepal.
Ecology and behavior
In May 2000, a female marbled cat was trapped along an animal trail in a hill-evergreenEvergreen forest
An temperate evergreen forest is a forest consisting entirely or mainly of evergreen trees that retain green foliage all year round. Such forests exist in the tropics primarily as broadleaf evergreens, and in temperate and boreal latitudes primarily as coniferous evergreens.-Tropical evergreen...
/ bamboo
Bamboo
Bamboo is a group of perennial evergreens in the true grass family Poaceae, subfamily Bambusoideae, tribe Bambuseae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family....
mixed forest in Thailand's Phu Khieu Wildlife Sanctuary. This first-ever radio-tracked marbled cat had an overall home range of 5.8 square kilometre at an elevation of 1000 to 1200 m (3,280.8 to 3,937 ft) and was active primarily during nocturnal and crepuscular
Crepuscular
Crepuscular animals are those that are active primarily during twilight, that is during dawn and dusk. The word is derived from the Latin word crepusculum, meaning "twilight." Crepuscular is, thus, in contrast with diurnal and nocturnal behavior. Crepuscular animals may also be active on a bright...
time periods.
It is probable that forest canopies provide the marbled cat with much of its prey: birds, squirrels, other rodent
Rodent
Rodentia is an order of mammals also known as rodents, characterised by two continuously growing incisors in the upper and lower jaws which must be kept short by gnawing....
s and reptiles.
A few marbled cats have been bred in captivity, with 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 ....
estimated at between 66 and 82 days. In the few recorded instances, two kittens were born in each litter, and weighed from 61 to 85 g (2.2 to 3 oz). The eyes open at around twelve days, and the kittens begin to take solid food at two months, around the time that they begin actively climbing. Marbled cats reach sexual maturity at 21 or 22 months of age, and have lived for up to twelve years in captivity.
Conservation
It is rarely sighted in its densely forested habitat, and little studied or understood. Its population is estimated at below 10,000 mature individuals. Its forested habitats have been shrinking, accounting for its vulnerable listing in IUCN.The only captive marbled cats registered by ISIS
International Species Information System
-External links:*...
are a pair kept at a breeding center in the United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates, abbreviated as the UAE, or shortened to "the Emirates", is a state situated in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman, and Saudi Arabia, and sharing sea borders with Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Iran.The UAE is a...
.
