The Asiatic Golden Cat (Catopuma temminckii, or Profelis temminckii, or Felis temminckii), also called 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 golden cats can live up to 20 years, but their 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. Jump to: navigation, search Scientific classification or biological classification is how biologists group and categorize extinct and living species of organisms. ... Jump to: navigation, search Phyla Porifera (sponges) Ctenophora (comb jellies) Cnidaria Placozoa Subregnum Bilateria  Acoelomorpha  Orthonectida  Rhombozoa  Myxozoa  Superphylum Deuterostomia     Chordata (vertebrates, etc. ... Jump to: navigation, search Typical Classes Subphylum Urochordata - Tunicatas Ascidiacea Thaliacea Larvacea Subphylum Cephalochordata - Lancelets Subphylum Myxini - Hagfishes Subphylum Vertebrata - Vertebrates Petromyzontida - Lampreys Placodermi (extinct) Chondrichthyes - Cartilaginous fishes Acanthodii (extinct) Actinopterygii - Ray-finned fishes Actinistia - Coelacanths Dipnoi - Lungfishes Amphibia - Amphibians Reptilia - Reptiles Aves - Birds Mammalia - Mammals Chordates (phylum Chordata) include... Jump to: navigation, search Orders Subclass Multituberculata (extinct) Plagiaulacida Cimolodonta Subclass Palaeoryctoides (extinct) Subclass Triconodonta (extinct) Subclass Placentalia Afrosoricida Artiodactyla Carnivora Cetacea Chiroptera Cimolesta (extinct) Creodonta (extinct) Condylarthra (extinct) Dermoptera Desmostylia (extinct) Embrithopoda (extinct) Hyracoidea Insectivora Lagomorpha Litopterna (extinct) Macroscelidea Mesonychia (extinct) Notoungulata (extinct) Perissodactyla Pholidota Plesiadapiformes (extinct) Primates Proboscidea... Jump to: navigation, search Families Ailuridae Amphicyonidae † Canidae Felidae Herpestidae Hyaenidae Mephitidae Miacidae † Mustelidae Nandiniidae Nimravidae † Odobenidae Otariidae Phocidae Procyonidae Ursidae Viverravidae † Viverridae The diverse order Carnivora includes over 260 placental mammals. ... Jump to: navigation, search Subfamilies Felinae Pantherinae Acinonychinae Machairodontinae (extinct) Cats are members of the family Felidae. ... A golden cat is a medium-sized wild cat belonging to either the genus Catopuma or Profelis. ... In biology, binomial nomenclature is a standard convention used for 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. ... 1827 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Jump to: navigation, search Subfamilies Felinae Pantherinae Acinonychinae Machairodontinae (extinct) Cats are members of the family Felidae. ... Jump to: navigation, search Binomial name Panthera pardus (Linnaeus, 1758) Leopards (Panthera pardus) are one of the four big cats of the genus Panthera. ... Binomial name Prionailurus bengalensis (Kerr, 1792) The Leopard Cat (Prionailurus bengalensis, sometimes Felis bengalensis) or Bengal Cat is a small wild cat of Asia. ... Mendelian inheritance (or Mendelian genetics or Mendelism) is a set of primary tenets that underlie much of genetics developed by Gregor Mendel in the latter part of the 19th century. ...

Distribution & Habitat

Asiatic Golden Cats live throughout Southeast Asia, ranging from Tibet and Nepal to Southern China and Sumatra. It prefers forest habitats interspersed with rocky areas, and is found in deciduous, subtropical evergreen, and tropical rainforests. Golden cats occasionally are occasionally found in more open terrain. They range 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 and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, also known as tropical rain forests, are a tropical and subtropical biome. ... Jump to: navigation, search The Himalaya is a mountain range in Asia, separating the Indian subcontinent from 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 golden cats are primarily nocturnal, but a recent study [1] on two golden cats showed arrythmic activity patterns. They are thought to be primarily solitary. As far as vocalizations go, they 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 their heads 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 Golden Cat prefers to hunt on the ground, but does climb when it needs to. When hunting, they use 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 Golden Cat has been reported to hunt in pairs when pursuing larger animals. In captivity, they pluck the feathers of larger birds before eating them. There have been reports of the Golden Cat scavenging, a behavior not commonly seen in felines. Rarely, they hunt near human settlements or prey on livestock. Jump to: navigation, search Orders Many - see section below. ... Families Many, see text. ... Jump to: navigation, search Families See Classification Section The order Rodentia is the most numerous of all the branches on the mammal family tree. ... Jump to: navigation, search Orders Subclass Multituberculata (extinct) Plagiaulacida Cimolodonta Subclass Palaeoryctoides (extinct) Subclass Triconodonta (extinct) Subclass Placentalia Afrosoricida Artiodactyla Carnivora Cetacea Chiroptera Cimolesta (extinct) Creodonta (extinct) Condylarthra (extinct) Dermoptera Desmostylia (extinct) Embrithopoda (extinct) Hyracoidea Insectivora Lagomorpha Litopterna (extinct) Macroscelidea Mesonychia (extinct) Notoungulata (extinct) Perissodactyla Pholidota Plesiadapiformes (extinct) Primates Proboscidea... Jump to: navigation, search Subfamilies Capreolinae Cervinae Hydropotinae Muntiacinae Defined strictly, a deer is a ruminant mammal belonging to the family Cervidae. ...

Reproduction

Everything known about Golden Cat reproduction has been figured out from observations of them in captivity. They become sexually mature at anyhere from eighteen to twenty-four months of age. Their 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 Golden Cat is called Seua fai ("fire tiger"). According to a regional legend the burning of a Golden Cat's fur drive tigers away. Eating the flesh shall have the same effect. The Karen tribe believes that simply carrying a single hair of the cat will be sufficient. Many indigneous people believe this cat to be fierce, but in captivity it has been known to be very docile and tranquil. Jump to: navigation, search Tigers (Panthera tigris) are mammals of the Felidae family and one of four big cats in the Panthera genus. ...

Subspecies & Conservation

The exact population of the Golden Cat is unknown, but they are listed on "CITES: Appendix I" and as "Lower Risk/Near Threatened" by 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. ... Jump to: navigation, search Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) also known simply as Chinese medicine (Chinese: 中醫學, zhōngyī xué, or 中药学, zhōngyaò xué) is the name commonly given to a range of traditional medical practices used in China that have developed over the course of several thousand years of history. ...

There are three known subspecies:

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