Asiatic golden cat

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Asiatic golden cat
Asian Golden cat.jpg

Asiatic golden cat ( Catopuma temminckii )

Systematics
Order : Predators (Carnivora)
Subordination : Feline (Feliformia)
Family : Cats (Felidae)
Subfamily : Small cats (Felinae)
Genre : Asiatic golden cats ( Catopuma )
Type : Asiatic golden cat
Scientific name
Catopuma temminckii
( Vigors & Horsfield , 1827)
Distribution of the Asiatic Golden Cat

The Asian golden cat ( Catopuma temminckii , Syn . : Pardofelis temminckii ) is a medium-sized cat that is found in Southeast Asia . Since 2008 it has been listed on the IUCN Red List as a kind of warning list ("near threatened"). The IUCN assumes that it is approaching the status endangered ("vulnerable") due to increasing hunting and continued loss of habitat , since the forests of Southeast Asia are currently being destroyed the fastest in the world.

It used to be included in the now dissolved genus of the golden cats , but is not closely related to the African golden cat . Catopuma temminckii was named after the Dutch zoologist Coenraad Jacob Temminck .

features

The Asian golden cat is more than twice as big as the domestic cat and weighs 9-16 kg. Their shoulder height is 56 cm with a head-trunk length of 66-105 cm and a tail about 40-57 cm long. The dense fur is uniformly colored, but individually very different from red to golden brown, dark brown to cinnamon, but also grayish to black. In some regions, Asian golden cats have more or less visible spots or stripes on their fur. Black and white lines run down the cheeks to the top of the head. The ears are black behind with a central gray spot.

In the People's Republic of China , golden cats have been spotted with spots such as leopards , which resemble large bengal cats . Such a spotted coat is inherited recessively .

distribution and habitat

Asian golden cats are found in Southeast Asia from Tibet , Nepal , Bhutan , India and Bangladesh to Myanmar , Thailand , Malaysia , Cambodia , Laos , Vietnam, as well as in southern China and Sumatra . They live primarily in dry, deciduous , subtropical evergreen forests and in tropical rainforests . But they have also been spotted in more open areas such as the grasslands of Manas National Park in Assam . In the Himalayas they occur from the lowlands to heights of over 3,000 m. In Jigme Singye Wangchuk National Park in Bhutan, they were photographed by camera traps at an altitude of 3,738 m. In Laos they also live in bamboo plantations and in degraded forests from the Mekong plains to an altitude of 1,000 m.

Since the British envoy Brian Houghton Hodgson described an Asiatic golden cat in Nepal in 1831 , it has been believed that the country represents the most westerly distribution of the species. But it wasn't until May 2009 that the first photographic evidence of a melanistic Asian golden cat in the Makalu-Barun National Park was obtained with the help of a camera trap .

Subspecies and distribution

Three subspecies of the Asian golden cat are recognized as valid in the zoological reference work Mammal Species of the World and in the multi-volume encyclopedia Handbook of the Mammals of the World :

  • Catopuma temminckii temminckii - lives in the Himalayas , Southeast Asia and Sumatra
  • Catopuma temminckii dominicanorum - lives in southeastern China
  • Catopuma temminckii tristis - lives in southwest China

However, a phylogeographic study published in 2014 showed that five species of cats, including the Asiatic golden cat, can be divided into an Indochinese and a Sunda clade, using the Isthmus of Kra on the Malay Peninsula as the border. In a revision of the cat system published in January 2017 by the Cat Specialist Group of the IUCN , the Asian golden cat is therefore divided into the following two subspecies.

  • Catopuma temminckii temminckii - lives on Sumatra and on the Malay Peninsula south of the Isthmus of Kra , is relatively small with a reddish fur. There is also a melanistic morph.
  • Catopuma temminckii moormensis - occurs from eastern Nepal via mainland Southeast Asia to China, is larger and has a variable coat that can be spotted or more or less monochrome dark gray, blackish, brown or reddish.

Catopuma temminckii dominicanorum and C. t. tristis are considered to be the color morphs of Catopuma temminckii moormensis .

Way of life

Asiatic golden cat with food

Asiatic golden cats are shy and solitary. For a long time they were thought to be nocturnal , but a field study on two individuals has shown that they are primarily active at dusk and during the day. A kuder had an area of ​​47.7 km², which he expanded by about 15% during the rainy season . The cat's territory was 32.6 km². Both covered between 55 m and over 9 km a day and were more active in the rainy season than in spring.

They can climb very well, but still mostly move on the ground. They hunt rodents , birds , small reptiles and small ungulates such as muntjacs and young sambar deer . But they can also kill prey that are much larger than they are, such as water buffalo calves . They also prey on gorals in the mountains of Sikkim .

Reproduction

Very little is known about the reproductive biology of Asiatic golden cats, and most of it has been observed in individuals that have been kept in captivity. The sexual cycle is estimated to be 93 days, the oestrus lasts about six days. The wearing time is probably 78 to 80 days. Young animals are born all year round. The typical litter consists of only one young animal, even if births of up to three young animals occasionally occur. Newly born kittens usually weigh between 220 and 250 grams. They open their eyes between the sixth and twelfth days of life and double their weight in the first three weeks of life. At just under ten weeks old, they weigh 1.3 kilograms. Asian golden cats become sexually mature between their 18th and 24th month of life. A female reared in captivity had offspring for the first time at 25 months. The oldest Asian golden cat was 17 years old.

threat

Asiatic golden cats are found in developing countries where their habitat is being destroyed by rapidly advancing deforestation . This also leads to a decrease in the number of ungulates , which are an important source of food. Another serious threat is hunting for the illegal wildlife trade , which has the greatest potential to cause maximum damage in the shortest possible time.

Illegal trade in fur

Asian golden cats are poached mainly for their fur. Between 1991 and 2006, surveys in four markets in Myanmar recorded 111 body parts from at least 110 individuals. Among the Asiatic golden cat skins was one with ocelot- like rosettes of the rare subspecies tristis . The number of skins of endangered species was significantly greater than that of non-endangered species. Three of the markets examined are located near international borders between China and Thailand and target international buyers. While the Asian golden cat is extensively protected by Myanmar's national legislation, enforcement of these laws and the enforcement of the Washington Convention on Endangered Species are considered inadequate.

natural reserve

The Asian golden cat was previously considered an endangered species , but research a few years ago in Sumatra and northern Laos suggested that it is more common than other small sympatric cats . Investigations in Thailand , Myanmar and the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh , however, revealed a lower number. They are everywhere in their area of distribution under nature conservation , except in Bhutan where they stand within the boundaries of protected areas under protection.

Keeping in zoos

Asiatic golden cat at Edinburgh Zoo

The European Endangered Species Program (EEP) for the Asian golden cat, started in 1993, is coordinated from Heidelberg Zoo , which has many years of experience in keeping and breeding golden cats. In December 2008, 20 Asian golden cats lived in European zoos that participate in the EEP. In Zoo Wuppertal 2007 a cub was born, and in July 2008 twins. A young female was born in 2008 in the French Parc des Félins in Lumigny . After the world's first artificial insemination, twins were born on April 7, 2013 in the Allwetterzoo Münster ; a male was born on February 11, 2015 at Wuppertal Zoo, but died of kidney failure on March 2, 2016.

mythology

In Thailand there are regional legends about the golden cat. In the fable she is described as wild and brave, here she faces the tiger and defeats it. Burning the fur of a golden cat is said to drive away the surrounding tigers. To carry a single golden cat hair with you is believed to protect against a tiger attack.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b J. Sanderson, S. Mukherjee, A. Wilting, S. Sunarto, A. Hearn, J. Ross, JA Khan: Pardofelis temminckii. (2008). In: IUCN 2011. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2010.4.
  2. ^ A b c Mel Sunquist, Fiona Sunquist: Wild Cats of the World. The University of Chicago Press, Chicago 2002, ISBN 0-226-77999-8 , pp. 52-56.
  3. ↑ GM Allen: The mammals of China and Mongolia. American Museum of Natural History, New York 1938.
  4. ↑ a b c K. Nowell, P. Jackson: Asiatic golden cat Catopuma temminckii. In: Wild Cats: status survey and conservation action plan. IUCN / SSC Cat Specialist Group, Gland, Switzerland 1996.
  5. ^ A. Choudhury: Sighting of Asiatic golden cat in the grasslands of Assam's Manas National Park. In: Cat News. 47, 2007, p. 29.
  6. ^ HS Baral, KB Shah: Wild Mammals of Nepal. Himalayan Nature, Kathmandu 2008.
  7. ^ A b S. W. Wang: A rare morph of the Asiatic golden cat in Bhutan's Jigme Singye Wangchuk National Park. In: Cat News. 47, 2007, pp. 27-28.
  8. ↑ JW Duckworth, RE Salter, K Khounboline: Wildlife in Lao PDR: 1999 Status Report. (PDF; 6.0 MB). IUCN - The World Conservation Union / Wildlife Conservation Society / Center for Protected Areas and Watershed Management, Vientiane 1999.
  9. ^ BH Hodgson: Some Account of a New Species of Felis. In: Gleanings in Science. Volume III, 1831, pp. 177-178.
  10. ^ JR Ellerman, TCS Morrison-Scott: Checklist of Palaearctic and Indian mammals 1758 to 1946. 2nd edition. London 1966.
  11. ↑ Y. Ghimirey, P. Pal: First camera trap image of Asiatic golden cat in Nepal. In: Cat News. 51, 2009, p. 17.
  12. ^ DE Wilson, DM Reeder (Ed.): Catopuma temminckii. ( Memento from June 4, 2010 in the Internet Archive ). In: Mammal Species of the World. A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference. 3. Edition. Johns Hopkins University Press, 2005.
  13. ^ ME Sunquist, FC Sunquist: Family Felidae (Cats) ; in: Don E. Wilson, Russell A. Mittermeier (Eds.): Handbook of the Mammals of the World , Volume 1: Carnivores ; Lynx Edicions, 2009; ISBN 978-84-96553-49-1 ; P. 141.
  14. ↑ Shu-Jin Luo, Yue Zhang, Warren E. Johnson, Lin Miao, Paolo Martelli, Agostinho Antunes, James ID Smith and others. Stephen J. O'Brien: Sympatric Asian felid phylogeography reveals a major Indochinese-Sundaic divergence. Molecular Ecology 23, 2072-2092. DOI: 10.1111 / mec.12716
  15. ^ A b AC Kitchener, C. Breitenmoser-Würsten, E. Eizirik, A. Gentry, L. Werdelin, A. Wilting, N. Yamaguchi, AV Abramov, P. Christiansen, C. Driscoll, JW Duckworth, W. Johnson, S.-J. Luo, E. Meijaard, P. O'Donoghue, J. Sanderson, K. Seymour, M. Bruford, C. Groves, M. Hoffmann, K. Nowell, Z. Timmons, S. Tobe: A revised taxonomy of the Felidae . The final report of the Cat Classification Task Force of the IUCN / SSC Cat Specialist Group. In: Cat News. Special Issue 11, 2017, pp. 36–37.
  16. ^ LI Grassman Jr., ME Tewes, NJ Silvy, K. Kreetiyutanont: Ecology of three sympatric felids in a mixed evergreen forest in North-central Thailand. (PDF; 3.1 MB). In: Journal of Mammalogy . 86, 2005, pp. 29-38.
  17. ↑ Tun Yin: Wild animals of Burma. Rangoon Gazette, Rangoon 1967.
  18. ^ B. Biswas, RK Ghose: Progress report 1 on pilot survey of the WWF-India / Zoological Survey of India collaborative project on the status survey of the lesser cats in eastern India. In: Zoological Survey of India. Calcutta 1982.
  19. ↑ a b A. J. Lynam, P. Round, WY Brockelman: Status of birds and large mammals of the Dong Phayayen-Khao Yai Forest Complex, Thailand. Biodiversity Research and Training Program and Wildlife Conservation Society, Bangkok, Thailand 2006. (PDF) ( Memento from July 27, 2011 in the Internet Archive )
  20. ^ CR Shepherd, V. Nijman: The wild cat trade in Myanmar. TRAFFIC Southeast Asia, Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia 2008. (pdf)
  21. ^ J. Holden: Small cats in Kerinci Seblat National Park, Sumatra, Indonesia. In: Cat News. 35, 2001, pp. 11-14.
  22. ↑ A. Johnson, C. Vongkhamheng, T. Saithongdam: The diversity, status and conservation of small carnivores in a montane tropical forest in northern Laos. In: Oryx. 43, 2009, pp. 626-633. doi: 10.1017 / S0030605309990238 .
  23. ^ M. Rao, T. Myint, T. Zaw, S. Htun: Hunting patterns in tropical forests adjoining the Hkakaborazi National Park, north Myanmar. In: Oryx. 39 (3), 2005, p. 292.
  24. ↑ C. Mishra, MD Madhusudan, A. Datta: Mammals of the high altitudes of western Arunachal Pradesh, eastern Himalaya: An assessment of threats and conservation needs. In: Oryx. 40, 2006, pp. 29-35.
  25. ↑ a b EAZA Felid TAG: EAZA Felid TAG Annual Report 2007–2008. In: EAZA Yearbook 2007/2008. European Association of Zoos and Aquaria, 2009. PDF ( Memento of May 21, 2014 in the Internet Archive ).
  26. ↑ Gold kitten "Cat Ba" thrives splendidly thanks to foster mom. In: Westfälische Nachrichten . 17th April 2013.
  27. ↑ Goldcats offspring in the zoo. ( Memento from March 1, 2017 in the Internet Archive ) Press release from the city of Wuppertal, March 26, 2015.
  28. ↑ Zoo Wuppertal: Gold Boots "Fu" is dead. In: RP-Online. accessed on March 8, 2016.

Web links

Commons : Pardofelis temminckii  - album with pictures, videos and audio files