Asian Leopard Cat Facts, by Plaud ThierryAsian leopard cats (prionailurus bengalensis) are small wild felines living throughout Asia from Russia and Japan to Indonesia. Their coat, always spotted or rosetted vary from grey to yellowish.
They have a wide range of habitat from mountains (up to 3000m elevation) to forest or grasslands, the only mandatory requirement being the presence of water.
Their taxonomy is still discussed; for some biologists there is a single specie with pronounced geographic variations, for others there are many subspecies, isolation having been long enough to warrant distinct subspecies.
They prey on rodents, birds reptiles, insects, fish and those living close to human populations often raid on poultry.
They are not considered endangered except on some Asian small islands ( CITES annex II) although like every wild felines their main threats are habitat destruction and hunting in continental China.
They also have been hybridized with domestic cats to create the bengal breed, the leopard cat himself having the reputation to be extremely difficult to socialize because of its extreme shyness.
They have a wide range of habitat from mountains (up to 3000m elevation) to forest or grasslands, the only mandatory requirement being the presence of water.
Their taxonomy is still discussed; for some biologists there is a single specie with pronounced geographic variations, for others there are many subspecies, isolation having been long enough to warrant distinct subspecies.
They prey on rodents, birds reptiles, insects, fish and those living close to human populations often raid on poultry.
They are not considered endangered except on some Asian small islands ( CITES annex II) although like every wild felines their main threats are habitat destruction and hunting in continental China.
They also have been hybridized with domestic cats to create the bengal breed, the leopard cat himself having the reputation to be extremely difficult to socialize because of its extreme shyness.
