Wildlifeof Nepal
Leopard Cat
Cats
Photo: Ramnarayan K · CC-BY
Prionailurus bengalensis
Basic stats
Diet
Small mammals (especially rodents), lizards, amphibians, birds and insects
Habitat
Tropical evergreen and subtropical forest up to 4,474m in the Himalayas
Range
Across South, Southeast and East Asia; in Nepal recorded in Makalu-Barun National Park
Size
Head and body 38.8–66cm in the tropics; tail 17.2–31cm
Weight
0.55–3.8kg in the tropics
The leopard cat is a small cat with dark spots on a tawny body and limbs. Two dark stripes run from the eyes to the ears, white streaks run from the eyes to the nose, and two to four rows of elongated spots follow the back. The tail is about half the length of the head and body, and the backs of the rounded ears are black with a central white spot (Wikipedia, general species account).
Leopard cats are solitary outside the breeding season. A few are active by day but most hunt at night, stalking rodents, tree shrews and hares, and they are agile climbers. They dispatch prey with a quick pounce and bite. In Nepal, one was recorded by camera trap in 2009 in Makalu-Barun National Park at 3,254m. Nationally Vulnerable (Nepal National Red List 2011).
Quick answers
- What does the Leopard Cat eat?
- Small mammals (especially rodents), lizards, amphibians, birds and insects
- What habitat does the Leopard Cat live in?
- Tropical evergreen and subtropical forest up to 4,474m in the Himalayas
- Where is the Leopard Cat found?
- Across South, Southeast and East Asia; in Nepal recorded in Makalu-Barun National Park
- How big is the Leopard Cat?
- Head and body 38.8–66cm in the tropics; tail 17.2–31cm
- How much does the Leopard Cat weigh?
- 0.55–3.8kg in the tropics