Asiatic wildcat
| Asiatic wildcat | |
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| Subspecies: | F. s. ornata
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| Felis silvestris ornata Gray, 1830–1832
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The Asiatic wildcat (Felis silvestris ornata) is a wildcat subspecies that occurs from the eastern Caspian into western India, and north to Kazakhstan, and into western China and southern Mongolia.[2] The status Least Concern in the IUCN Red List is attributed to the species, including all subspecies of wildcats. There is no information on current status or population numbers of F. s. ornata for its entire range, but populations are thought to be declining.[1]
It is also known as the Asian steppe wildcat and Indian desert cat.[3]
Characteristics
The Asian wildcat has a long, tapering tail, always with a short black tip, and with spots at the base. The forehead has a pattern of four well-developed black bands. A small but pronounced tuft of hair up to one cm long grows from the tip of each ear. Paler forms of Asian wildcat live in drier areas and the darker, more heavily spotted and striped forms occur in more humid and wooded areas. The throat and ventral surfaces are whitish to light grey to cream, often with distinct white patches on the throat, chest and belly. Throughout its range the Asian wildcat’s coat is usually short, but the length of the fur can vary depending on the age of the animal and the season of the year. Compared to the domestic cat, Asian wildcats have relatively longer legs. Males are generally heavier than females.[3]
In Pakistan and India, wildcats have pale sandy yellow coats, marked with small spots that tend to lie in vertical lines down the trunk and flanks.[4] The wildcats of Central Asia have a more greyish-yellow or reddish background color, marked distinctly with small black or red-brown spots. The spots are sometimes fused into stripes, especially in the Central Asian regions east of the Tian Shan Mountains.[5]
They weigh about 3 to 4 kg (6.6 to 8.8 lb).[6][7]
Distribution and habitat
The Caucasus is the transitional zone between the European wildcat to the north and west, and the Asiatic wildcat to the south and east. In this region, European wildcats are found in montane forest, and Asiatic wildcats are found in the low-lying desert and semi-desert areas adjoining the Caspian sea. They usually occur in close proximity to water sources, but are also able to live year-round in waterless desert. They range up to 2,000 to 3,000 m (6,600 to 9,800 ft) in mountain areas with sufficient dense vegetation. Snow depth limits the northern boundaries of their range in winter.[8]
In Afghanistan, Asiatic wildcats have been recorded prior to 1973 from the central Hazarajat mountains and the steppe region, from Shibar Pass, near Herat and in Bamyan Province.[9]
Within China, the Asian wildcat is distributed in Xinjiang, Qinghai, Gansu, Ningxia, Shaanxi, and Inner Mongolia. Records from northern Tibet as well as Sichuan are questionable.[10] Its recent status in China is unknown, but it is assumed to be rare and, according to the China Species Red List, the population is declining.[11]
In India, Asiatic wildcats are most typically associated with scrub desert.[12] In 1999, they were still reported as present in the Rajasthani districts of Bikaner, Barmer, Jaisalmer, Pali and Nagaur.[13]
They inhabit the Rajasthan Desert and Rann of Kutch including the adjoining Banni grasslands in India and the desert areas of Sindh in Pakistan. The Jalore Wildlife Sanctuary, located near Jalore in Rajasthan is one of the only accessible wildlife areas where Asiatic wildcats are present in sizeable numbers.[citation needed]
Ecology and behaviour
Asiatic wildcats are frequently observed in the daytime. They frequently use rock crevices or burrows dug by other animals.[8]
In the scrub habitat of western Rajasthan, they live largely on desert gerbils, but also hunt hares, rats, doves, gray partridges, sandgrouses, peafowl, bulbuls, sparrows and eat eggs of ground birds. They have also been observed killing cobras, saw-scale vipers, sand boas, geckos, scorpions and beetles.[12]
Threats
Female Asiatic wildcats mate quite often with domestic males, and hybrid offspring are frequently found near villages where wild females live.[8] They have been hunted at large in Afghanistan; in 1977 over 1200 pelts manufactured into different articles were on display in Kabul bazaars.[9]
Conservation
Felis silvestris is included on CITES Appendix II. In Afghanistan the species is legally protected, has been placed on the country's first Protected Species List in 2009, banning all hunting and trading within the country, and is proposed as a priority species for future study.[2]
References
- ^ a b Jutzeler, E., Xie, Y. Vogt, K. (2010) Asian wildcat. CATnews Special Issue 5 Autumn 2010: 42–43.
- ^ a b Template:IUCN
- ^ a b Nowell, K., Jackson, P. (1996) Asiatic Wildcat Felis silvestris, ornata group (Gray 1830) In: Wild Cats: status survey and conservation action plan. IUCN/SSC Cat Specialist Group, Gland, Switzerland
- ^ Sunquist, M., Sunquist, F. 2002. African-Asian wildcat Felis silvestris lybica and Felis silvestris ornata. In: Wild Cats of the World. The University of Chicago Press. ISBN 0-226-77999-8. Pages 92–98.
- ^ Groves, C. P. 1980. The Chinese mountain cat (Felis bieti). Carnivore 3(3):35–41.
- ^ Schaller, G. B. 1967. The deer and the tiger. Chicago University Press, Chicago.
- ^ Roberts, T. J. 1977. The Mammals of Pakistan. Ernest Benn, London.
- ^ a b c Geptner, V.G., Sludskii, A. A. 1972. Mlekopitaiuščie Sovetskogo Soiuza. Vysšaia Škola, Moskva. (In Russian; English translation: Heptner, V.G.; Sludskii, A.A.; Bannikov, A.G.; (1992) Mammals of the Soviet Union. Volume II, Part 2: Carnivora (Hyaenas and Cats). Smithsonian Institute and the National Science Foundation, Washington DC). Pages 398–497.
- ^ a b Habibi, K. 1977. The mammals of Afghanistan: their distribution and status. Unpublished report to the UNDP, FAO and Ministry of Agriculture, Kabul.
- ^ Smith, A. T., Xie, Y. 2008. A guide to the Mammals of China. Princeton University Press, New Jersey
- ^ Wang, S. 1998. China Red Data Book of Endangered Animals – Mammalia. Science Press, Beijing.
- ^ a b Sharma, I. K. 1979. Habits, feeding, breeding and reaction to man of the desert cat Felis libyca (Gray) in the Indian Desert. Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society 76(3): 498–499.
- ^ Sharma, S., Sharma, S. K., Sharma, S. 2003. Notes on mammalian fauna in Rajasthan. Zoos' Print Journal 18(4): 1085–1088.
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