10 {important} facts about the world {smallest} Rusty spotted cat.

10 {important} facts about the {smallest} Rusty spotted cat.

Rusty spotted cats (Prionailurus rubiginosus) live in Sri Lanka. This miniature predator, is the world's smallest cat… weighing little more than a kilo, 200 times lighter than a lion.

Scientific name: Prionailurus rubiginosus

Length: 41 cm (Adult) 

Mass: 1.4 kg (Adult)

Conservation status: Vulnerable (Population decreasing) 

Higher classification: prionailurus

Trophic level: Carnivorous .

1} The Rusty Spotted Cat is the world's smallest cat and is endangered in its homelands of Sri Lanka and India. It is shy, agile and an excellent climber. It is one of the world's rarest cats. While it may look cute, they are wild animals and are not suitable to be kept as pets.

2} The latest research is revealing that it's their extraordinary manoeuvrability that really gives them the killer edge. They can run faster, brake harder and turn quicker than any other predator on land. They have been recorded running at speeds as fast as 96 kmph.

3} Hunting and Diet: The primary diet of this cat consists of rodents, frogs, and domestic poultry. It is also believed to include small mammals and birds.

4} The Rusty-Spotted Cat, known as the “hummingbird of the cat family”, is only found in India and Sri Lanka. There are 10,000 Rusty-Spotted Cats in the wild and the species is listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN.

5} Habitat loss, hunting because of their meat and interbreeding with domestic cats are major threats for the survival of rusty-spotted cats in the wild. ... Rusty-spotted cat is listed as vulnerable it may become endangered in the near future. There are 10,000 Rusty-Spotted Cats in the wild and the species is listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN. Like other wild cats, the Rusty-Spotted Cat is on the decline mostly due to habitat loss and hunting pressures (for their coat and even for food in some parts of their range).

6} They're not an easy species to breed - compared to the domestic cat's estrous cycle (when the cats are 'on heat' and ready to mate) of 14 to 21 days during breeding season in spring, the rusty-spotted cat's estrous lasts just five days.

7} No; It Absolutely is not. If they were domesticated at least they wouldn't go extinct. There would be a new breed, one mixed with already domesticated cats. The rusty spotted cat would still be risking exticntion.

8} The rusty spotted cat is a nocturnal animal and will hunt for food at night. During the day it will find somewhere to sleep that is undercover. This may be in a hollow log or underneath some dense vegetation. It may have some periods of activity during the day but these will be very brief. The fact that it is nocturnal means that it is easier for it to hunt prey. It can make its attack when its prey is asleep and this reduces the likelihood that the prey will be able to escape.

9} Rusty-spotted cats have lived for twelve years in captivity, but their lifespan in the wild is unknown.

10} At maturity, the rusty-colored coat appears. Between the ages of 47 and 50 days, kittens are able to jump around 50 cm from the height of around 2 m.

           

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