Asian Golden Cat
Conservation status
Vulnerable (IUCN) [1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Carnivora Family: Felidae Genus: Catopuma Species: C. temminckii
Binomial name
Catopuma temminckii (Vigors & Horsfield, 1827)

The Asian Golden Cat (Catopuma temminckii, previously been placed in genera Profelis and Felis), also called the Asiatic Golden Cat and Temminck's Golden Cat, is a medium-sized wild cat (length 90 cm, plus 50 cm tail) weighing from 12 to 16 kilograms. In captivity this species can live up to 20 years, but its average lifespan in the wild is likely far shorter. While the fur is mostly foxy red or golden brown, black or grey colour variants may also be found. Normally, the coat is plain, save for some spots on the underside, and sometimes very faint spotting on the rest of the coat. However, in China there is a colour variant with leopard-like spots, which resembles a Leopard Cat. This spotted fur is a recessive characteristic, i.e. when a spotted and a plain cat interbreed, the young get plain fur. Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 600 × 600 pixel Image in higher resolution (1000 × 1000 pixel, file size: 686 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) ja:アジアゴールデンキャット en:Asiatic Golden Cat Species Catopuma temminckii Familia Felidae Source http://opencage. ... The conservation status of a species is an indicator of the likelihood of that species continuing to survive either in the present day or the future. ... Image File history File links Status_iucn3. ... This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it. ... The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (also known as the IUCN Red List and Red Data List), created in 1963, is the worlds most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of plant and animal species and can be found here. ... Scientific classification or biological classification is a method by which biologists group and categorize species of organisms. ... Digimon, the only known animals. ... Typical Classes See below Chordates (phylum Chordata) are a group of animals that includes the vertebrates, together with several closely related invertebrates. ... Subclasses Allotheria* Order Multituberculata (extinct) Order Volaticotheria (extinct) Order Palaeoryctoides (extinct) Order Triconodonta (extinct) Prototheria Order Monotremata Theria Infraclass Marsupialia Infraclass Eutheria The mammals are the class of vertebrate animals characterized by the production of milk in females for the nourishment of young, from mammary glands present on most species... Families 17, See classification The diverse order Carnivora IPA: (from Latin carō (stem carn-) flesh, + vorāre to devour) includes over 260 placental mammals. ... Subfamilies Felinae Pantherinae †Machairodontinae The Felidae family includes the Lion, the Tiger, the Domestic Cats, and other felines as its members. ... A golden cat is a medium-sized wild cat belonging to either the genus Catopuma or Profelis. ... In biology, binomial nomenclature is the formal method of naming species. ... Nicholas Aylward Vigors (1785 – October 26, 1840) was an Irish zoologist and politician. ... Thomas Horsfield, M. D., (1773 - 1859) was an American physician and naturalist. ... Subfamilies Felinae Pantherinae †Machairodontinae The Felidae family includes the Lion, the Tiger, the Domestic Cats, and other felines as its members. ... Binomial name Panthera pardus Linnaeus, 1758 Synonyms Felis pardus Linnaeus, 1758 The Leopard (Panthera pardus) is one of the four big cats of the genus Panthera. ... Binomial name Felis bengalensis (Kerr, 1792) The Leopard Cat (Felis bengalensis) is a small wild cat of Southeast Asia. ... Mendelian inheritance (or Mendelian genetics or Mendelism) is a set of primary tenets relating to the transmission of hereditary characteristics from parent organisms to their children; it underlies much of genetics. ...

Distribution and habitat

The Asian Golden Cat lives throughout Southeast Asia, ranging from Tibet and Nepal to Southern China, India, and Sumatra. It prefers forest habitats interspersed with rocky areas, and is found in deciduous, subtropical evergreen, and tropical rainforests. The Asian Golden Cat is occasionally found in more open terrain. It ranges from the lowlands to altitudes of up to 3000 meters in the Himalayas. Location of Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is a subregion of Asia. ... Tropical rainforests are rainforests which are generally found near the equator. ... Perspective view of the Himalayas and Mount Everest as seen from space looking south-south-east from over the Tibetan Plateau. ...

Behavior

Not much is known about this rather elusive predator, and most of what is known about it has been found out in captivity. Previous observations suggested that it is primarily nocturnal, but a recent study on two golden cats showed arrythmic activity patterns.^[2] It is thought to be primarily solitary. As far as vocalizations go, it can hiss, spit, meow, purr, growl, and gurgle. Other methods of communication observed in captive golden cats include scent marking, urine spraying, raking trees and logs with claws, and rubbing of the head against various objects. A nocturnal animal is one that sleeps during the day and is active at night - the opposite of the human (diurnal) schedule. ...

Hunting habits

The Asian Golden Cat prefers to hunt on the ground, but does climb when it needs to. When hunting, it uses a stalk and rush method typical of felines. It is known to hunt birds, lizards, rodents, other small mammals, and the occasional small or young deer, and seems to be fairly adaptable in its diet. The Asian Golden Cat has been reported to hunt in pairs when pursuing larger animals. In captivity, it plucks the feathers of larger birds before eating them. There have been reports of the Asian Golden Cat scavenging, a behavior not commonly seen in felines. Rarely, it hunts near human settlements or prey on livestock. “Aves” redirects here. ... Families Many, see text. ... Suborders Sciuromorpha Castorimorpha Myomorpha Anomaluromorpha Hystricomorpha Rodentia is an order of mammals also known as rodents. ... Subclasses Allotheria* Order Multituberculata (extinct) Order Volaticotheria (extinct) Order Palaeoryctoides (extinct) Order Triconodonta (extinct) Prototheria Order Monotremata Theria Infraclass Marsupialia Infraclass Eutheria The mammals are the class of vertebrate animals characterized by the production of milk in females for the nourishment of young, from mammary glands present on most species... “Fawn” redirects here. ...

Reproduction

Everything known about Asian Golden Cat reproduction has been figured out from observations of them in captivity. It becomes sexually mature at anywhere from eighteen to twenty-four months of age. Its gestation period lasts about 80 days; litters usually consist of only one kitten. Kittens are born in the hollows of trees, rock crevices, and possibly in hollows and other sheltered places on the ground. The pelts of kittens are thicker and slightly darker, but with the pattern they will keep for their entire life. Based on what has been seen in captivity, it is thought that males take an active role in rearing the young.

Mythology

In some regions of Thailand the Asian Golden Cat is called Seua fai ("fire tiger"). According to a regional legend the burning of an Asian Golden Cat's fur drives tigers away. Eating the flesh is believed to have the same effect. The Karen tribe believes that simply carrying a single hair of the cat will be sufficient. Many indigenous people believe this cat to be fierce, but in captivity it has been known to be very docile and tranquil. Binomial name Panthera tigris (Linnaeus, 1758) Distribution of tigers in 1900 (red) and 1990 (green) Synonyms Felis tigris Linnaeus, 1758 Tigris striatus Severtzov, 1858 Tigris regalis pink, 1867 Tigers (Panthera tigris) are mammals of the Felidae family and one of four big cats in the Panthera genus. ...

Subspecies and conservation

The exact population of the Asian Golden Cat is unknown, but it is listed on "CITES: Appendix I" and as "Lower Risk/Near Threatened" by the IUCN. It is hunted for its fur and, increasingly, for its bones in traditional Chinese medicine. However, the greatest risk posed towards the species is habitat destruction. There are few of these felines in zoos, and they do not breed well in captivity. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) is an international agreement between Governments, drafted as a result of a resolution adopted in 1963 at a meeting of members of the World Conservation Union (IUCN). ... The World Conservation Union or International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) is an international organization dedicated to natural resource conservation. ... Traditional Chinese medicine shop in Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong. ...

There are three known subspecies:

• Catopuma temminckii temminckii, Himalaya, Southeast Asian mainland, Sumatra
• Catopuma temminckii dominicanorum, southeast China
• Catopuma temminckii tristis, southwest China

Perspective view of the Himalaya and Mount Everest as seen from space looking south-south-east from over the Tibetan Plateau. ... Location of Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is a subregion of Asia. ... Sumatra (also spelled Sumatera) is the sixth largest island of the world (approximately 470,000 km²) and is the largest island entirely in Indonesia (two larger islands, Borneo and New Guinea, are partially in Indonesia). ...

See also

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Catopuma temminckii

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Catopuma temminckii

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References