Bay Cat

Taxobox
name = Bay CatMSW3 Wozencraft | pages = 542]


image_width = 250px
status = EN
trend = down
status_system = iucn3.1
status_ref = IUCN2006|assessors=Cat Specialist Group|year=2002|id=4037|title=Catopuma badia|downloaded=11 May 2006 Database entry includes justification for why this species is endangered]
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Mammalia
ordo = Carnivora
familia = Felidae
genus = "Pardofelis"
species = "P. badia"
binomial = "Pardofelis badia"

The Bay Cat ("Pardofelis badia", other genus names in use are "Felis", "Profelis", "Catopuma" or "Badiofelis") is also known as Bornean Cat, Bornean Red Cat or Bornean Bay Cat, since it is endemic to the island of Borneo.

There is not much known about the Bay Cat due to its rarity. Until 1998, live specimens of this species had not even been caught on camera.

Appearance

The Bay Cat's fur is usually reddish brown, but there is also a grey colour variant. While molecular analyses reveal it to be related to the Asian Golden Cat, it has a different skull structure and is much smaller. The Bay Cat has a length of 55 cm (22 in), plus a 35 cm (14 in) tail. The weight is only about 2.3 to 4.5 kg (5 to 10 lbs).

Diet

This wild cat hunts at night for birds and rodents, and allegedly for monkeys.

Habitat

The Bay Cat is a dweller of dense rainforests and rocky outcroppings. Almost all the historical and recent records are from close proximity to water bodies such as rivers and mangroves, suggesting that the bay cat may be closely associated with such habitat. It has been found in Kalimantan (Borneo), Sabah and Sarawak [ J.Mohd-Azlan and J.Sanderson, Geographic distribution and conservation status of the bay cat Catopuma badia, a Bornean endemic, Oryx Vol 41 No 3 July 2007] .

References