Rare sighting of leopard cat in Mollem forest reignites interest in small cats
Widely considered a 'secretive' animal and often neglected in favour of the fascination with big cats, a leopard cat recently captured by the lens of a Goan naturalist has left wildlife enthusiasts amazed at the rare sighting.
Gajanan Shetye was leading a herping tour for a client one night last week when he made the sighting. 'We were photographing a Malabar pit viper. Suddenly, we heard the screeching of a chicken. We thought the pit viper had made the chicken its prey. But we saw that the sound was coming from elsewhere, and it turned out to be a leopard cat. It is a very rare sighting; it is a very shy animal. Seeing us around, it did not scramble for cover.
But, holding the kill, it disappeared into the foliage shortly after,' said Shetye.
The leopard cat, or Prionailurus bengalensis, is a carnivorous animal that weighs around 3.4 kg and is known to be found along the Western Ghats. However, it is known to be secretive, which makes it one of the rarely spotted wild animals.
'Very little is known about this secretive cat in the South Indian region. It has been recorded all along the Western Ghats, pockets of foothill forests, Eastern Ghats, and even coastal mangrove habitats.
by Taboola
by Taboola
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Despite their wide distribution, seeing one in the wild is still a matter of extreme luck. Leopard cats are best identified by their slender build, long limbs, and a bold fulvous coat that sports dark spots merging into streaks near the shoulder.
Rodents and small birds form the majority of their diet,' said Shetye.
It is the most common small cat after the jungle cat. At first glance, it looks like a miniature leopard. Leopard cats are arboreal and feed on a variety of small prey, including mammals, lizards, amphibians, birds, and insects.
They are active hunters, dispatching their prey with a rapid pounce and bite.
These cats not only keep a check on small mammals, rodents, reptiles, and birds but are also indicators of population increases and declines in tiger and leopard numbers. They increase if the latter reduces and vice versa. Being secretive, they are not as well-known as their bigger cousins.
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