Marbled Cat Pardofelis marmorata
Credit:HDW Enterprises

Despite the small size the marbled cat is closely related to the big cats of the Pantherinae group and is classified in a separate genus - Pardofelis. It can grow to 45-60cm and can weight 4-7kg. The tail is extremely long and bushy, often equaling the body length - this is help in cat's arboreal life.

In appearance it resembles the clouded leopard but the cat has less distinctive large mottled blotches and smaller dark spots on its underside. The base fur coloration ranges from pale yellow to brownish gray with lighter undersides.

The marbled cat is spreaded from north east of India through East Asia to Borneo and Sumatra. It can be found from high mountain forested areas as these in Nepal to the dense lowland forests of Borneo. The two subspecies inhabit Nepal (P.m. charltoni) and S.E. Tropical Asia (P.m.marmorata).

The cat is generally arboreal though it may hunt on the ground in parts of its range. It prays mainly birds, squirrels and reptiles.

Little is known about the cat's lifestyle. The litter comprises 1-4 kittens. They live up to 12 years of age.

The marbled cat is rare and is not well studied. The total number of the specimen is unknown but the cat is considered to be endangered and is listed in CITES Appendix 1.