Rusty-spotted Cat

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Rusty-spotted Cat Status Vulnerable
Scientific Classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Carnivora Family: Felidae Genus: Prionailurus Species: rubiginosus
Binomial name
Prionailurus rubiginosus

The Rusty-spotted Cat (Prionailurus rubiginosus, sometimes Felis rubiginosa) is a small wild cat of southern India and Sri Lanka. It is about 40 cm in length, plus 20 cm tail. The colour of the fur is grey, with rusty spots all over the back and the flanks. All in all this cat is quite similar to the related Leopard Cat.

The Indian populations of Rusty-spotted Cats mainly live in tropical dry forests and dry grasslands, but in Sri Lanka rainforests are the preferred habitat. The reason for this difference may be the competition with the Leopard Cat, which occupies the rainforests of the mainland, but does not live in Sri Lanka.

At night this cat hunts for rodents, birds and lizards.

There are two subspecies:

• Prionailurus rubiginosus rubiginosus, India
• Prionailurus rubiginosus phillipsi, Sri Lanka