More Information

Additional Information

Catopuma badiabay cat

By Adrienne Davis

Geographic Range

Catopuma badia is endemic to the island of Borneo. (Nowak, 1991)

Habitat

Catopuma badia inhabits dense primary forests and area of rocky limestone. Catopuma badia has also been seen in highland areas and near rivers. (The World Conservation Union, 1996)

Physical Description

Catopuma badia occurs in two different colors, chestnust red, which is more common, and gray. Catopuma badia has dark colored, rounded ears, and a whitish stripe that runs down the ventral side of the body. Catopuma badia weighs between three and five kilograms, and is between 530 and 700 mm in length. (Sunquist et al. 1994)

  • Range mass
    3 to 5 kg
    6.61 to 11.01 lb
  • Range length
    530 to 700 mm
    20.87 to 27.56 in

Reproduction

  • Key Reproductive Features
  • gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate)
  • sexual

Behavior

Some data suggest that Catopuma badia is nocturnal and hunts at night from the ground. (Cannon)

Communication and Perception

Food Habits

The foods of this species include small rodents and birds, carrion, and even monkeys. While this cat is very small and rare, Catopuma badia can be extremely vicious, and it attack animals much bigger than itself. (Postanowicz, 2001)

  • Primary Diet
  • carnivore
    • eats terrestrial vertebrates
  • Animal Foods
  • birds
  • mammals
  • carrion

Conservation Status

Catopuma badia is very rare, and little is known about it. Catopuma badia is protected in all environments where it is thought to be located (Rang, 2000).

Other Comments

Catopuma badia is a very rare species of Felidae. The entire knowledge of Catopuma badia is based on only 7 specimens. The first six were collected between 1855 and 1928. The seventh specimen was collected in 1992 (Nowak, 1991). Recently, there have been a few sightings of Catopuma badia.

Catopuma badia is most closely related to the Asian golden Cat. This relation is based on both appearance and molecular evidence (Rang).

Catopuma badia has a distinct feature in its dentition. The first upper pre-molar is smaller than normal, has a short, rounded head, and only one root (The World Conservation Union, 2001).

Contributors

Adrienne Davis (author), University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, Kate Teeter (editor), University of Michigan-Ann Arbor.

Glossary

altricial

young are born in a relatively underdeveloped state; they are unable to feed or care for themselves or locomote independently for a period of time after birth/hatching. In birds, naked and helpless after hatching.

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.

carnivore

an animal that mainly eats meat

carrion

flesh of dead animals.

chemical

uses smells or other chemicals to communicate

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.

island endemic

animals that live only on an island or set of islands.

motile

having the capacity to move from one place to another.

native range

the area in which the animal is naturally found, the region in which it is endemic.

nocturnal

active during the night

oriental

found in the oriental region of the world. In other words, India and southeast Asia.

World Map

sexual

reproduction that includes combining the genetic contribution of two individuals, a male and a female

solitary

lives alone

tactile

uses touch to communicate

References

Cannon, P. "Bay Cat" (On-line). Accessed November 15, 2001 at http://www.lam.mus.ca.us/~pcannon/cats/baycat.html.

Nowak, R. 1991. Walker's Mammals of the World V.1. Baltimore: John Hopkin's University Press.

Postanowicz, R. "Bay Cat (*Felis badia*), Lioncrusher" (On-line). Accessed November 15,2001 at http://www.lioncrusher.com/felidae/bay_cat.htm.

Rang, J. "Bay Cat (*Catopuma badia*), CyberZoomobile" (On-line). Accessed November 15, 2001 at http://www.primenet.com/~brendel/baycat.html.

Sunquist, M., C. Leh, F. Suquist, D. Hills, R. Rajaratnam. 1994. Rediscovery of the Bornean Bay Cat. Oryx, 28(1): 67-70.

The World Conservation Union, 1996. "Bornean Bay Cat (*Catopuma badia*)" (On-line). Accessed November 13, 2001 at http://lynx.uio.no/catfolk/badia01.htm.

Search

Navigation Links

Information
Classification

Classification