Geographic Range
Rusty-spotted cats,
Prionailurus rubiginosus
, are found only in India and Sri Lanka. New localities that host this species are
found with more research, increasing the known range of the species. The northern
most location where the species has been sighted is in the Pilibhit forest division,
which is in the Indian Terai region in the state of Uttar Pradesh. The first sighting
of the animal in Central India was in the Nagzira Wildlife Sanctuary in Maharastra;
the animal has since been spotted in many parts of Maharastra, including West Maharastra
where a breeding population was identified alongside agricultural and human dominated
landscapes. The species is also found in the Varushanad Valley, Western Ghats, part
of a biodiversity hotspot. Rusty-spotted cats also live in the state of Gujarat, where
they occur in semi-arid, dry, tropical, and deciduous forests in the center of the
state and also in the city of Navagam. These cats inhabit the the Nugu Wildlife Sanctuary,
state of Karnataka, the Nagarjunasagar-Srisailam Tiger Reserve in Andhra Pradesh,
and other parts of Andhra Pradesh, such as the Nellore district.
Habitat
Rusty-spotted cats inhabit mainly dry forest areas, but within the last few years
a breeding group was found living in a human inhabited agricultural area in West Maharashtra,
India. This species, along with other small cat species in the oriental region, may
be surviving in agricultural areas because of large rodent populations. In southern
India, the species is being found in rafters of abandoned houses in areas a considerable
distance away from forests. Some rusty-spotted cat habitat is in semi-arid and tropical
climates.
- Habitat Regions
- temperate
- tropical
- terrestrial
- Terrestrial Biomes
- forest
- Other Habitat Features
- agricultural
Physical Description
The fur of rusty-spotted cats is short and brownish gray in color with a rusty tinge.
The coat of the Sri Lankan subspecies is less gray and has more of a russet color.
The underside and throat are white with darker spots and stripes. The back and sides
are covered by rusty brown spots. There are four dark stripes running from above the
eyes, between the ears and onto the shoulders. The cheeks of the face are marked by
two streaks of darker fur and the ears are small and rounded. The soles of the feet
are black and the tail is about half the length of the head and body. At about half
the size of a domestic cat, this is considered the smallest
cat
species. Full grown females can weigh up to 1.4 kg and full grown males reach up
to 1.7 kg. For about the first 100 days of development, males are smaller in size
than females, but after that time, males have a greater average body weight.
- Other Physical Features
- endothermic
- bilateral symmetry
- Sexual Dimorphism
- male larger
Reproduction
Though the mating system of rusty-spotted cats has not been explicitly studied, data
available from their close relatives,
leopard cats
, suggests that this species may be polygynous. One male leopard cat's territory overlaps
with several female territories, but territories of two females or two males never
overlap. A territorial male can mate with all females within his territory. However,
in zoos rusty-spotted cat males have been allowed to stay with females after mating
and after the birth of kittens. The West Berlin Zoo recorded a male protecting young
from zoo keepers and bringing meat to the kittens. These behaviors suggest their mating
system may be monogamous.
Rusty-spotted cats mate year-round. Data indicate that 50% of young are born between
July and October, which is not enough to consider rusty-spotted cats seasonal breeders.
Captive individuals are recorded to begin mating activity at anywhere from 1 to 72
days after introduction (on average 7.8 days). In 49% of first introductions, mating
occurred within 4 days. There is no evidence that the time between introduction of
the male and mating has anything to do with the age of the female, time elapsed from
the weaning, physical characteristics of the male, or the season. As in other small
cats, mating includes a nape bite and straddling. Males average 7.64 mounts per hour,
with each mount less than a minute long. Mating activity lasts from 1 to 11 days.
The gestation period lasts between 67 to 71 days. In Sri Lanka, females were observed
to give birth in hollow trees or under rock cliffs. Females in the Frankfurt Zoo repeatedly
chose birthing spots that were on the ground. Birthing boxes were offered in both
low and higher level areas, but the lower boxes were used. Each litter has from 1
to 3 offspring.
- Key Reproductive Features
- iteroparous
- year-round breeding
- gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate)
- sexual
- fertilization
- viviparous
Within an hour after birth, the mother leaves her young where she birthed them to
eat and defecate. Mothers are not known to translocate their young or to carry food
to them. The young start to come and go from the birth site between 28 and 32 days,
and at least initially, their mother continues to remove their feces from the den.
When the young emerge, they already have well-developed locomotion abilities, as reflected
in their climbing onto and jumping down from wooden posts in the Frankfurt Zoo. Between
35 and 42 days of age, the young can climb downwards head first from steep branches.
In one case a mother died when her offspring was only 5 weeks old, but the kitten
never learned to climb downwards headfirst and continued to climb down backwards indicating
extended juvenile learning periods occur. Between 47 and 50 days of age, the young
can jump about 50 cm from a height of about 2 m. The young appear to tire quickly
even when the mother remains active. At first, young sleep near or on their mother,
retreating to where the mother lies down after her activity period. As they get older,
they sleep on high ledges alone. Play was observed between siblings and between the
young and mother, which appears crucial to locomotion development. Most interactions
between mother and young are play oriented. In the Frankfurt Zoo, the young were removed
from their mother between 3 and 9 months, but late removal never resulted in aggression
between mother and offspring. Weaning starts between day 35 and 42. The young start
to eat meat at around 40 days of age. Suckling was still observed up to day 60.
- Parental Investment
- precocial
- female parental care
- extended period of juvenile learning
Lifespan/Longevity
The longest lifespan recorded was at the Frankfurt zoo with a rusty-spotted cat reaching
18 years of age.
Behavior
Rusty-spotted cats are solitary animals, living alone in forests, and more recently
in human dominated agricultural areas. The species is considered terrestrial, but
has arboreal tendencies. When rusty-spotted cats were first brought to the Frankfurt
Zoo, they were presumed to be nocturnal because most sightings had been at night or
at early dawn and late evening. They were then placed in a nocturnal environment in
the zoo, but after monitoring the behavior of the cats, it was shown that the species
may not be strictly nocturnal or crepuscular. Sexually active animals were more active
during daylight hours.
- Key Behaviors
- terricolous
- nocturnal
- crepuscular
- motile
- solitary
- territorial
Home Range
The home range of rusty-spotted cats has not been determined. But in a related species
of similar size,
iriomote cat
, females have home ranges of about 1.8 sq km, while males control a territory of
around 3.0 sq km.
Communication and Perception
Communications between rusty-spotted cats are scent oriented. Both males and females
spray urine for scent-marking.
- Communication Channels
- chemical
- Other Communication Modes
- scent marks
Food Habits
The Sri Lankan subspecies of rusty-spotted cats (
Prionailurus rubiginosus phillipsi
) as adults in the wild eat birds and mammals and will occasional catch a domestic
chicken. An adult in the Frankfurt Zoo is fed a daily diet consisting of beef muscles
in large chunks and small strips, beef heart, two day-old chicks, one mouse and 2.5
grams of carrot, apple, boiled egg and cooked rice. In the zoo, the animals are also
given mineral supplements daily, multivitamins weekly, and vitamins k and b are added
to the diet twice per week. The animals are occasionally fed banana, germinated wheat
or fish. On one occasion, a male adult cat at the zoo killed a rabbit weighing 1.77
kg. The cat at the time weighed 1.6 kg and the night after the killing ate 320 grams
of the muscle meat. Wild caught kittens in the zoo were fed protein-rich mash and
mice, rats and minced beef muscle and heart at 7 weeks old. The kittens at this time
rejected the day old chicks that were offered. Rusty-spotted cats in human populated
and agricultural areas are hypothesized to be successful because of their high numbers
and the availability of rodents.
- Animal Foods
- birds
- mammals
- fish
- eggs
- Plant Foods
- roots and tubers
- seeds, grains, and nuts
- fruit
Predation
There are no known wild predators to rusty-spotted cats. However, because of its
small size, some speculate that they might be eaten by larger predators. It is further
speculated that mating activity could increase their vulnerability, selecting for
brief copulations.
Ecosystem Roles
Rusty-spotted cats are largely carnivorous and likely play a role in controlling populations
of small vertebrates. If individuals in the wild eat fruits, as is observed in the
zoo setting, then rusty-spotted cats might benefit plants through the distribution
of their seeds in fecal matter.
- Ecosystem Impact
- disperses seeds
- none
- Nematoda
- Toxascaris leonina
- Trichuris spp.
- Ancylostoma spp.
Economic Importance for Humans: Positive
There are no known benefits of rusty-spotted cats to humans.
Economic Importance for Humans: Negative
At least in India, rusty-spotted cat deaths have occurred because the species is vulnerable
to vehicular slaughter. However, the economic impact and number of cat deaths are
minimal at only 2.8% occurrence of all vehicular mammal deaths observed.
Conservation Status
The CITES Appendix 1 rating is only for the population of rusty-spotted cats in India.
According to IUCN Red List, rusty-spotted cats have an estimated combined population
total in India and Sri Lanka of under 10,000 mature individuals. There is no subpopulation
with more than 1000 breeding individuals. The declining trend is due to habitat loss
characterized by a decline in natural forest environments and an increase in agricultural
areas.
Additional Links
Contributors
Danielle Miles (author), Michigan State University, Barbara Lundrigan (editor), Michigan State University.
- oriental
-
found in the oriental region of the world. In other words, India and southeast Asia.
- native range
-
the area in which the animal is naturally found, the region in which it is endemic.
- temperate
-
that region of the Earth between 23.5 degrees North and 60 degrees North (between the Tropic of Cancer and the Arctic Circle) and between 23.5 degrees South and 60 degrees South (between the Tropic of Capricorn and the Antarctic Circle).
- tropical
-
the region of the earth that surrounds the equator, from 23.5 degrees north to 23.5 degrees south.
- terrestrial
-
Living on the ground.
- forest
-
forest biomes are dominated by trees, otherwise forest biomes can vary widely in amount of precipitation and seasonality.
- agricultural
-
living in landscapes dominated by human agriculture.
- iteroparous
-
offspring are produced in more than one group (litters, clutches, etc.) and across multiple seasons (or other periods hospitable to reproduction). Iteroparous animals must, by definition, survive over multiple seasons (or periodic condition changes).
- year-round breeding
-
breeding takes place throughout the year
- sexual
-
reproduction that includes combining the genetic contribution of two individuals, a male and a female
- fertilization
-
union of egg and spermatozoan
- viviparous
-
reproduction in which fertilization and development take place within the female body and the developing embryo derives nourishment from the female.
- young precocial
-
young are relatively well-developed when born
- female parental care
-
parental care is carried out by females
- nocturnal
-
active during the night
- crepuscular
-
active at dawn and dusk
- motile
-
having the capacity to move from one place to another.
- solitary
-
lives alone
- territorial
-
defends an area within the home range, occupied by a single animals or group of animals of the same species and held through overt defense, display, or advertisement
- chemical
-
uses smells or other chemicals to communicate
- scent marks
-
communicates by producing scents from special gland(s) and placing them on a surface whether others can smell or taste them
- visual
-
uses sight to communicate
- tactile
-
uses touch to communicate
- acoustic
-
uses sound to communicate
- chemical
-
uses smells or other chemicals to communicate
- carnivore
-
an animal that mainly eats meat
- herbivore
-
An animal that eats mainly plants or parts of plants.
- granivore
-
an animal that mainly eats seeds
- omnivore
-
an animal that mainly eats all kinds of things, including plants and animals
- endothermic
-
animals that use metabolically generated heat to regulate body temperature independently of ambient temperature. Endothermy is a synapomorphy of the Mammalia, although it may have arisen in a (now extinct) synapsid ancestor; the fossil record does not distinguish these possibilities. Convergent in birds.
- bilateral symmetry
-
having body symmetry such that the animal can be divided in one plane into two mirror-image halves. Animals with bilateral symmetry have dorsal and ventral sides, as well as anterior and posterior ends. Synapomorphy of the Bilateria.
References
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