Marbled Cat(Pardofelis marmorata)
The marbled cat is similar in size to a domestic cat, but has rounded ears and a very long tail that is as long as the cat's head and body. The ground colour of its long fur varies from brownish-grey to ochreous brown above and greyish to buff below. It is patterned with black stripes on the short and round head, on the neck and back. On the tail, limbs and underbelly it has solid spots. On the flanks it has irregular dark-edged blotches that fuse to dark areas and look like a 'marbled' pattern.
Its paws are webbed between the digits and are completely sheathed. Its coat is thick and soft. Spots on the forehead and crown merge into narrow longitudinal stripes on the neck, and irregular stripes on the back. The legs and underparts are patterned with black dots, and the tail is marked with black spots proximally and rings distally. It has large feet and unusually large canine teeth, resembling those of the big cats, although these appear to be the result of parallel evolution. Marbled cats range from 45-62 cm in head-body length with a 35-55 cm long and thickly furred tail that indicates the cat's adaptation to an arboreal lifestyle, where the tail is used as a counterbalance. Recorded weights vary between 2-5 kg.
At present, two subspecies are recognised as valid:
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P. marmorata marmorata – from the Malay Peninsula to Sumatra and Borneo
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P. marmorata longicaudata – from Nepal to north of the Isthmus of Kra
Habitat
Marbled cats live in Nepal and northern India, south-eastern Asia, Borneo and Sumatra. They occur in mixed deciduous-evergreen forest, clearings, secondary forest, rocky scrub and six-year-old logged forest.
Diet
Marbled cats primarily prey on birds and small arboreal mammals. Mammals they eat include tree squirrels, tree shrews, mice and rats, fruit bats and small primates. Their primary prey is thought to be birds up pheasant size. They also eat lizards, frogs, and insects.
Breeding
Marbled cats are polygynous, which means that one male mates with multiple females. A breeding season has not been reported, and it may vary from region to region. After a gestation period of 81 days, a female produces a litter of 1-4. By 16 days the kittens’ eyes will be fully open, and they can walk by around 22 days. Kittens in captivity can eat solid food by the age of 59 days, which may be when weaning begins in the wild. Females invest heavily in their offspring through the periods of gestation and lactation, and they also put in significant time with care post-weaning, as well as teaching. A marbled cat reaches maturity at about 21 months.
Population
According to the IUCN Red List, the global population size of Marbled cat has not been quantified, but it is likely that it numbers over 10,000 mature individuals. This species' numbers are decreasing today and it is classified as Near Threatened (NT) on the IUCN Red List.
Threats
The Marbled Cat is forest dependent and forest loss and degradation is continuing across its range from logging and expansion of human settlements and agriculture, including oil palm plantations. The Marbled Cat is valued for skin, meat and bones, although it is infrequently observed in the wildlife trade. However, it is possible that illegal killing and trade is underreported compared to other species. Targeted and indiscriminate snaring are prevalent throughout much of the range and likely to pose a significant threat. They have been reported as poultry pests which also results in retaliatory killing. Records of hunting and skins are known from several areas in the state of Arunachal Pradesh, north-east India - Vijaynagar-Gandhigram in Changlang district, West Kameng district, Pakke Kessang, East Kameng district, Ziro valley, Lower Subansiri and from Khonoma in Nagaland.
Conservation
The Marbled Cat is listed on CITES Appendix I and is protected by national legislation across most of its range. Hunting is prohibited in Bangladesh, Cambodia, China (Yunnan only), India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal and Thailand. Hunting regulations are in place in Lao PDR and Singapore. It occurs in many protected areas, but levels of active protection for wildlife vary widely between countries and also between protected areas within countries; it also occurs in unprotected places. However, to better understand its conservation needs and to realize a better assessment in the future, further research is needed into Marbled Cat ecology, distribution and status. More information is especially required regarding the population density, the effects that habitat degradation has on population density and distribution, the extent of hunting and the frequency at which Marbled Cats appear in illegal trade.