Conservation Status: NEAR THREATENED
The marbled cat is a small wild cat that is native to regions in both South and Southeast Asia. The marbled cat’s habitat range from the eastern Himalayan foothills to tropical Indomalaya, Southwest China, and the islands of Sumatra and Borneo. They primarily live in tropical forests areas.
Although this species is similar in size to a domestic cat, it has characteristic round ears and a tail that is as long as the cat’s head and body combined. It has brownish-grey fur with black stripes on its short and round head, neck, and back. On the tail, limbs, and underbelly, it has solid spots while it has irregular dark-edged blotches that fuse to dark areas on the flanks. Such “marbled” patterns give this species the name “marbled cat”.
However, because these cats are valued for their skin, meat, and bones, the marbled cat is currently placed in the “near threatened” status. If deforestation and indiscriminate snaring continue, soon there might be no more marbled cats in the wild.
- Iucnredlist.org. Pardofelis marmorata (Marbled Cat). [online] Available at: http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/16218/0 [Accessed 5 Dec. 2016].
- Pocock, R. I. (1939). “Genus Pardofelis Severtzow”. The Fauna of British India, including Ceylon and Burma. Mammalia – Volume 1. London: Taylor and Francis.