About Prionailurus bengalensis javanensis (Desmarest, 1816)
Prionailurus bengalensis javanensis, the Javan leopard cat, is a subspecies of leopard cat that is roughly the size of a domestic cat, but more slender. It has longer legs, with well-defined webbing between its toes. Its small head has two prominent dark stripes, and a short, narrow white muzzle. Two dark stripes run from the eyes to the ears, and smaller white streaks run from the eyes to the nose. The backs of its moderately long, rounded ears are black, each with a central white spot. The cat's body and limbs are marked with black spots of varying size and colour, and 2 to 4 rows of elongated spots run along its back. Its tail is about half the length of its head and body combined, is spotted, and has a few faint rings near its black tip. The background colour of its spotted fur is tawny, while the chest and belly are white. Across the leopard cat's large range, it varies greatly in fur colouration, spot size, body size, and weight; this variation was so pronounced that early naturalists initially classified these populations as multiple separate species. Southern populations have yellowish brown fur, while northern populations have pale silver-grey fur. Black markings can be spotted, rosetted, or form dotted streaks, depending on the subspecies. In tropical regions, leopard cats weigh 0.55–3.8 kg (1.2–8.4 lb), have head-body lengths of 38.8–66 cm (15.3–26.0 in), and tails that measure 17.2–31 cm (6.8–12.2 in) long. In northern China and Siberia, individuals can reach up to 7.1 kg (16 lb) in weight, and up to 75 cm (30 in) in head-body length. Generally, individuals gain weight before winter, and become thinner again by spring. Average shoulder height is around 41 cm (16 in). The leopard cat is the most widely distributed small wild cat in Asia. Its range stretches from eastern Afghanistan, northern Pakistan, and most of the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia, all the way to the Russian Far East. It lives in tropical evergreen rainforests and plantations at sea level, as well as in subtropical deciduous and coniferous forests in the Himalayan foothills, at elevations above 1,000 m (3,300 ft). It can tolerate human-modified landscapes with some vegetation cover, and lives in agricultural areas such as oil palm and sugar cane plantations. In Afghanistan, the species was reported in the 1970s from Jalalkot and Norgul in the Kunar Valley, and the Waygul forest of Dara-I-Pech District. It is rare in arid, treeless areas of Pakistan. In 2009, a camera trap recorded a leopard cat in Nepal's Makalu-Barun National Park at 3,254 m (10,676 ft) elevation. At least six individuals live in this survey area, which is dominated by rhododendron, oak, and maple plant communities. The highest recorded elevation for the species was recorded in September 2012, at 4,474 m (14,678 ft) in the Kanchenjunga Conservation Area. Between 1999 and 2003, 20 leopard cats were radio-collared in Thailand's Phu Khiao Wildlife Sanctuary. Male home ranges measured from 2.2 km² (0.85 sq mi) to 28.9 km² (11.2 sq mi), while the home ranges of six collared females measured from 4.4 km² (1.7 sq mi) to 37.1 km² (14.3 sq mi). Between 2002 and 2008, the species was recorded in China's Changqing National Nature Reserve in the Qinling Mountains, Tangjiahe National Nature Reserve in the Min Mountains, Wolong Nature Reserve, and other protected areas in the Qionglai Mountains and Daliang Mountains. In far eastern Russia, it lives near rivers, valleys, and ravine forests, and avoids areas with more than 10 cm (3.9 in) of snowfall. In the Japanese archipelago, the leopard cat is currently found only on the islands of Iriomote and Tsushima. Excavated Pleistocene fossils indicate the species had a broader distribution across the archipelago in the past. Leopard cats are solitary except during the breeding season. While some individuals are active during the day, most hunt at night, and prefer to stalk murids, tree shrews, and hares. They are agile climbers and often spend time in trees. They rest in trees, and also hide in dense thorny undergrowth on the ground. In these ground-level hiding habitats, leopard cats eat a larger proportion of rats than they do in forested areas. They can swim, but rarely do so. They produce a similar range of vocalisations to domestic cats. Both males and females scent mark their territory by spraying urine, leaving faeces in exposed locations, head rubbing, and scratching. Leopard cat breeding season varies with climate. In tropical habitats, kittens are born year-round. In colder northern habitats, females give birth in spring. Their gestation period lasts 60 to 70 days. Litter size is between two and three kittens. Captive-born kittens weigh 75 to 130 grams (2.6 to 4.6 oz) at birth, and open their eyes by 15 days of age. They double their weight within two weeks, and reach four times their birth weight by five weeks of age. Permanent canines erupt at four weeks old, when kittens also begin eating meat. Captive females reach sexual maturity as early as one year old, and have their first litter when they are 13 to 14 months old. Captive leopard cats can live up to thirteen years. The estrus period lasts five to nine days.
