Marbled Cat
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Order: Carnivora
Family: Felidae
Subfamily: Felinae

[Photo] Marbled Cat (Pardofelis marmorata). Source: http://www.saxonia.com/galerie/002208.htm Author: Schleich, August (1814-1865). Date: ca. 1835. URL: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Pardofelis_marmorata.jpg

The Marbled Cat (Pardofelis marmorata) is similar in size to the Domestic Cat, with a longer, more thickly furred tail, an indicator of an arboreal life-style, where the tail is used as a counterbalance. The weight is about 4.5 kg (10 lbs), 53 cm (21 in) and the tail is 45 cm (18 in). Its fur pattern is blotched and banded like a marble, usually compared to the markings of the much larger Clouded Leopard. In colour, the base fur ranges from pale yellow through to brownish grey with lighter under parts being a lighter variation.

The Marbled Cat is closely related to the Asiatic Golden Cats (Catopuma). It has two generally recognised subspecies, P. marmorata marmorata and P. m. charltoni.

Distribution and Habitat
The range of the Marbled Cat extends from Assam in northeast India, with the P. m. chartoni subspecies in Nepal, through southeast Asia including Borneo and Sumatra, which were linked to the mainland of Asia during the Pleistocene ice ages. It is probable that the forest canopies provide the Marbled Cat with much of its prey: birds, squirrels, other rodents and reptiles; there are reports that the cat also hunts on the ground in parts of its range. It is rarely sighted in its densely forested habitat, and little studied or understood. Its population is unknown. Its forested habitats have been shrinking, accounting for its vulnerable listing in IUCN.

The only captive Marbled Cat registered by ISIS is a male kept in the Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Thailand.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marbled_Cat

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