Forget the lions and tigers, these prowling felines have much more to tell us about the natural world
By
Brian Switek
smithsonian.com
Big cats get the lion’s share of our attention. We admire their
power, felicity of movement, and striking coats of spots and stripes.
But the majority of cat species alive today are small – there are more
than thirty species of little cats that prowl landscapes from the Sahara
Desert to Siberian forests. And while they might look like the moggies
that purr and cuddle on our laps at home, these cats are wildly
different, adapted to mimic the calls of their prey, spring astounding
distances into the air, and blend into the jungle so thoroughly that
even scientists have trouble finding them. Here’s a look at some of the
world’s cats that are smaller, but in no way lesser:
Southern Tigrina, Leopardus guttulus
Researchers didn’t even know this species existed until last year. Genes were key to detecting the cat’s existence. Found in the tropical rainforest of southern Brazil, Leopardus guttulus was thought to be a population of a particularly adorable feline named the oncilla. But a study of the cat’s genetics
showed that it wasn’t interbreeding with oncilla populations and had
become genetically distinct despite looking quite similar. Leopardus guttulus is a “cryptic species” given away by DNA.
Margay
The margay is among the many small, spotted cats of
Central and South America, but this nocturnal hunter has a clever
ability that hasn’t yet been seen in any of its neighbors.
Margays are adept at hunting among the rainforest trees, where they try to nab anything from frogs to squirrels. But the cat is also capable of setting a trap. A 2009 study reported that a margay mimicked the call of a small monkey called a pied tamarin to lure the primate closer. The cat’s attempt was foiled that time, but the fact that the margay tried to fool the monkeys shows that it’s a very clever kitty.
Margays are adept at hunting among the rainforest trees, where they try to nab anything from frogs to squirrels. But the cat is also capable of setting a trap. A 2009 study reported that a margay mimicked the call of a small monkey called a pied tamarin to lure the primate closer. The cat’s attempt was foiled that time, but the fact that the margay tried to fool the monkeys shows that it’s a very clever kitty.
Bay Cat
Borneo’s bay cat is so elusive that it took over a century
before researchers got a chance to study a live one in detail. Covered
in striking, rust-red fur with white under the tail and face stripes,
this cat was officially named in 1874
on the basis of a skull and torn skin sent to England by the famous
naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace. Naturalists didn’t have a chance to
study a live one until a bay cat was captured in 1992, and the cat
remains so difficult to find that researchers know very little about how
this secretive cat actually lives. The fact that the cat is so
difficult to find is all the more frustrating because conservationists
list the felid as endangered. The deforestation of Borneo may wipe out
the bay cat before scientists get a chance to find out more about it.
Serval
Found among the grasslands of sub-Saharan Africa, the serval
looks like a cat on stilts. Immediately recognizable by its long legs
and large, rounded ears, this graceful felid’s stretched-out look is
perfectly suited to detecting and pouncing on prey in the tall grass.
Capable of jumping 12 feet into the air, servals can nab fleeing birds
in mid-air and get the drop of scurrying small mammals. And this cat’s
genetic legacy isn’t restricted to the savannah. Cat breeders have
created a domestic cat-serval cross called the Savannah cat, and they’ve
become accepted enough that The International Cat Association now
recognizes them as a championship breed.
Pallas’ Cat
These felines are the original grumpy cats. Found over a wide
swath of central Asia, Pallas’ cats have short ears and fluffy faces
that give them a perpetually miffed look. That’s befitting their
temperament – like many other small felids, Pallas’ cats are mainly
solitary hunters that wait in ambush until an unwary pika or partridge
comes within pouncing range. Sadly, though, these puffy cats are coming
under increasing threat. While currently listed as near threatened,
continued hunting, accidental poisoning, and habitat degradation
complicate the Pallas’ cat’s future.
Jaguarundi
Small, it may be, but the jaguarundi has a close connection
to bigger cats. Genetic clues indicate that this cat’s ancestor arrived
in the Americas sometime between 8 and 8.5 million years ago. That
ancestral species kicked off an explosive radiation of New World cats,
including the genus Puma – the genus to which the Jaguarundi belongs. If
that name sounds familiar, it’s because the wide-ranging cougar belongs
to the same genus and is the jaguarundi’s closest living relative. The
family connection isn’t quite so apparent at a glance, though. Found in
grasslands and forests from Texas to Argentina, the jaguarundi only gets
to be about 30 inches long and sports coats of either rust red or
gray.
Flat-headed Cat
Southeast Asia’s flat-headed cat is one of the oddest looking
felids. The combination of big eyes and little ears give this
multi-colored cat a civet-like appearance, but that cute muzzle also
hides a set of conical canines much longer than would be expected for
such a small cat. The felid puts those teeth to work on wriggling fish
and other slippery aquatic prey in the forests of Sumatra, Borneo, and
the Malay Peninsula, although how long it may keep doing so is unclear. A
2010 assessment of the cat’s chance at survival noted that over 70
percent of its habitat has been destroyed by human settlement and
agriculture, and researchers expect that the cat’s populations will keep
shrinking as development continues. If the flat-headed cat is to be
saved, conservationists have little time left.
Iriomote Cat
While technically a subspecies of Asia’s leopard cat, the
Iriomote cat is peculiar in that it is only found on the Japanese island
of the same name. At 109 square miles around, the island offers limited
space for the solitary, brown- and gray-mottled cats. That presents
conservationists with a frustrating problem. The Iriomote cat is
currently listed as critically endangered, with less than 250 of these
unique cats still in the wild. Separated from other leopard cat
populations by the sea, the challenge is to find a place for these rare
felids to survive in the forested hills of their home.
Sand Cat
The sand cat is certainly a contender for the most extreme
little felid. Rather than inhabiting forest or grassland, these tawny
cats inhabit arid deserts in northwestern Africa and southwest Asia. And
befitting such harsh environments, the sand cat has some peculiar
adaptations that it allow it to live where other cats could not. In
addition to a dense coat of fur that insulates them from chilly
nighttime temperatures, the sand cat has peculiar strands of black hair
on their paws to protect their toes from searing sands. Their special
feet can frustrate researchers, though. In addition to keeping their
feet safe, the special hairs make the sand cat’s tracks nearly
invisible.
Wildcat
Compared to other small cats around the world, the wildcat
looks rather plain. They’re not so different from the purring felines
that live in our homes. There’s a good reason for that. Wildcats are the
probable ancestors of the housecats, with the genetic trail for the
split between wild and domestic cats going back to about 10,000 years
ago in the Fertile Crescent. The cats live elsewhere – from western
Europe through southern Africa and Asia. Wildcats are a little larger,
are stockier, and have longer tails than their domestic descendants, but
they are the recognizable template from which our domestic moggies
descended.
source
source
No comments:
Post a Comment