Flat head cat
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Flat head cat ( Prionailurus planiceps ) |
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| Prionailurus planiceps | ||||||||||||
| ( Vigors & Horsfield , 1827) |
The flat-headed cat ( Prionailurus planiceps ) is a wild cat of Southeast Asia that is quite different in shape and is closely related to the Bengal cat . Because of its peculiarities, it was occasionally assigned to its own genus Ictailurus .
The flat-headed cat has been considered extinct since 1985 but was rediscovered in the 1990s. The population is still only estimated at a few thousand animals, the range of which is also very fragmented . Due to the steady decline in their habitat, it is feared that the number of flat-headed cats will continue to decline.
features
Flat-headed cats are significantly smaller than house cats : their head body length is 45 cm, plus 15 cm of tail. The body weight is between 1.5 and 2.5 kg. Its name-giving head shape, the small ears on the sides of the head and the short legs are characteristic. With this and the oversized eyes, she doesn't look like a typical cat.
The fur is red-brown. Since the hair has white ends, the fur appears to be tinged with silver. A mark on the body is only sometimes indistinctly visible; on the other hand, there are always pale stripes that run on the head from the eyes to the ears. Flat-headed cats have webbed feet between their toes, which make it easier for them to hunt fish and crabs in water.
Habitat and Distribution
The flat-headed cat was once widespread in Thailand and Malaysia as well as on Sumatra and Borneo . It was declared extinct in 1985 but rediscovered in the 1990s. It seems to be native to Sumatra as well as to mainland Malay today, the IUCN estimates the total population at around 2500 animals, whereby none of the subpopulations comprises more than 250 animals. The most common current evidence comes from the area of the Kinabatangan River in northern Borneo, where the animals occur in the Kinabatangan Game Reserve, for example.
The habitat of the flat-headed cat is the tropical rainforest , where the flat-headed cat prefers to live in swamps and along river and lake banks. However, since these natural areas are in decline, the flat-headed cat evidently moves into the highlands, where most of the protection zones are located. There she finds refuge, but only a conditionally suitable living space.
Way of life
Because of its extreme rarity, the flat-headed cat has been little researched. There is therefore little and contradicting knowledge about their way of life. Much speaks for parallels to the fish cat , since the flat head cat also has a morphology adapted to a semi-aquatic life. According to this, it hunts for fish and frogs in the water and for mice and birds on land. Allegedly she even feeds on fruits.
supporting documents
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Prionailurus planiceps in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2006. Posted by: Cat Specialist Group, 2002. Accessed on March 18 of 2010.
- ↑ Charles M. Francis: A Photographic Guide to Mammals of South-east Asia including Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Java, Sumatra, Bali and Borneo. New Holland Press, London 2001, ISBN 1-85974-507-5 .
- ↑ a b Andreas Wilting et al .: Modeling the Species Distribution of Flat-Headed Cats ( Prionailurus planiceps ), an Endangered South-East Asian Small Felid. In: PLOS ONE 5, No. 3, March 2010.
literature
- Andreas Wilting et al .: Modeling the Species Distribution of Flat-Headed Cats ( Prionailurus planiceps ), an Endangered South-East Asian Small Felid. In: PLOS ONE 5, No. 3, March 2010, doi : 10.1371 / journal.pone.0009612 .
Web links
- Species profile flat-headed cat; IUCN / SSC Cat Specialist Group in English
- Prionailurus planiceps in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2006. Posted by: Cat Specialist Group, 2002. Accessed on March 18 of 2010.