By Jonathan Rourke
Fundamentals of Biology
Final Project - Felidae

Felidae

  • Black Footed Cat

    Felis nigripes (Black-footed Cat)

    Category:

    • Vulnerable

    Location:

    • Found in South Africa, Angola, Namibia, marginally in Zimbabwe and historical records show residence in Botswana

    Population Trend:

    • Decreasing

    Habitat and Ecology:

    • Resides in dry, open savana, grasslands and semi-desert. Best fit in short grass areas where there's an abundance of ground-roosting birds and small rodents. One of the world's smallest cats.
  • Guina

    Leopardus guigna (Guiña)

    Category:

    • Vulnerable

    Location:

    • Found in central and southern Chile as well as in neighboring areas of Argentina

    Population Trend:

    • Decreasing

    Habitat and Ecology:

    • The Guiña is associated with moist temperate mixed forests of the southern Andean and Coastal ranges. Frequently eat birds, but primarily fead on small mammals (especially rodents). They scavenge at times.
  • Andean Cat

    Leopardus jacobita (Andean Cat)

    Category:

    • Vulnerable

    Location:

    • Found in Argentina, Chile, Peru and Bolivia as well as in higher elevations of the Andes mountains.

    Population Trend:

    • Decreasing

    Habitat and Ecology:

    • Resides in te most rocky and steep terrain in the Andes above the timberline. Found to be nocturnal with a major prey of Yensen and Seymour.
  • Oncilla

    Leopardus tigrinus (Oncilla)

    Category:

    • Vulnerable

    Location:

    • Distributed from North Costa Rica to southern Brazil and Northeast Argentina. Despite records from the Amazon basin, distribution could be patchy and discontinuous, thus leading to a possible extremely rare residence in this area.

    Population Trend:

    • Decreasing

    Habitat and Ecology:

    • Associated with denser cover. Almost entirely resides in dense forests in areas of higher altitude, roughly 1,000m and up. Small in size and prey consists of mostly small birds and lizards.
  • Lion

    Panthera leo (Lion)

    Category:

    • Vulnerable

    Location:

    • Found throughout sub-Saharan Africa

    Population Trend:

    • Decreasing

    Habitat and Ecology:

    • Most social cats. Mainly hunt large ungulates (including antelopes, wildebeest and zebra), but are known to hunt almost any animal, from rhino to rodents. At times, they also scavenge.
  • Tiger

    Panthera tigris (Tiger)

    Category:

    • Endangered

    Location:

    • Tigers are found in thirteen Asian countries: Vietnam, Thailand, Russia, Nepal, Myanmar, Malaysia, Lao PDR, Indonesia, India, China, Cambodia, Bhutan and Bangladesh.

    Population Trend:

    • Decreasing

    Habitat and Ecology:

    • Tiger population is estimated to be from 3,000-5,000 tigers globally. With 93% of original habitat removed, tigers now reside in the tropics of Asia. Tigers prey mainly on wild pigs and various deer species, but will also hunt birds, fish, rodents, amphibians, reptiles, insects and also other mammals such as porcupines and primates. Studies show tigers need to kill 50 large prey animals per year to survive. Tigers are more abundant where prey is abundant.
  • Snow Leopard

    Panthera uncia (Snow Leopard)

    Category:

    • Endangered

    Location:

    • Restricted to high mountains of Central Asia

    Population Trend:

    • Decreasing

    Habitat and Ecology:

    • Closely associated with alpine and sub-alpine ecological zones, having favor in ridges, gullies, rocky outcrops and cliffs. The main prey of the Snow Leopard consists of blue sheep and ibex. They also hunt marmot, pika, hares, game birds and small rodents. Distribution of Snow Leopard coincides closely with its prey. Snow Leopards hunt roughly 20 to 30 adult blue sheep per year.
  • Borneo Bay Cat

    Pardofelis badia (Borneo Bay Cat)

    Category:

    • Endangered

    Location:

    • Native to Indonisia and Malaysia, but currently found on the island of Borneo.

    Population Trend:

    • Decreasing

    Habitat and Ecology:

    • The Borneo Bay Cat has been found in hill and lowland forest along with swamp forest, so these cats seem to be forest dependent. Diet is unknown.
  • Marbled Cat

    Pardofelis marmorata (Marbled Cat)

    Category:

    • Vulnerable

    Location:

    • Found in tropical Indomalaya westward into Nepal, Southwest China, along the Himalayan foothills and on the islands of Borneo and Sumatra.

    Population Trend:

    • Decreasing

    Habitat and Ecology:

    • The Marbled cat is associated with evergreen tropical forest and might prefer hill forest. A few sightings have been made in secondary forest or cleared areas near forest, but it is mainly forest dependent. Diet possibly consists primarily on rodents and birds.
  • Flat-headed Cat

    Prionailurus planiceps (Flat-headed Cat)

    Category:

    • Vulnerable

    Location:

    • Found only in the Malayan peninsula, Borneo and Sumatra. Known as a lowland species strongly associated with wetlands.

    Population Trend:

    • Decreasing

    Habitat and Ecology:

    • Strongly associated with wetlands, such as swampy areas, lakes and streams and riverine forest. They prey primarily on fish.

  • Bibliography

    • The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. <http://www.iucnredlist.org>.
    • Shorter, C.M. "Bornean Bay Cat - Catapuma badia". <http://www.tigerhomes.org/wild-cats/wc-bornean-bay-cat.cfm>.
    • Wilson & Reeder. "Mammal Species of the World Third Edition". <http://www.bucknell.edu/msw3/browse.asp?s=y&id=14000198>.
    • Snow Leopard Trust. "About Snow Leopards". <http://www.snowleopardtrustuk.org/snow-leopards.htm>.
    • Sanderson, Jim. "Sacred Cat of the Andes". <http://www.gatoandino.org/archivos/Sanderson_Villalba.pdf>.