Wildlifeof Sri Lanka
Rusty-spotted Cat
Cats
Photo: Ashwin Viswanathan · CC BY 4.0 (May be cropped or resized)
Prionailurus rubiginosus
Basic stats
Diet
Small mammals such as rodents, and birds; also insects, lizards and frogs
Habitat
Moist and dry forests, scrub, grassland and rocky areas, preferring dense vegetation
Range
Sri Lankan subspecies phillipsi: wet forest zone, also lowland dry, intermediate wet and sub-montane wet zones
Litter size
1-3 kittens
Gestation period
65-69 days
Size
35-48cm body, 20-25cm tail
Weight
1-2kg
This is a small cat weighing 1 to 2 kg, with a body length of 35 to 48 cm and a tail of 20 to 25 cm. The coat is fawn-grey with a rufous tinge, and red-brown blotches on the back and sides merge into lines. The head is rounded, with large eyes marked by a white streak along the inner edge, and two dark streaks on each cheek and four dark stripes running back over the head. The underside is white with large dark spots and bars (Cat Specialist Group).
In Sri Lanka the cat has been recorded from the Central Highlands to the southern rainforests, and it is described as having strong arboreal tendencies (Small Cat Advocacy and Research). At Horton Plains National Park a camera-trap study logged it on 15 occasions over 5,538 trap days, by day and by night, including cubs (Nimalrathna et al. 2019). Habitat loss from cultivation is the main threat. Nationally Endangered (Sri Lanka National Red List 2012).
Quick answers
- What does the Rusty-spotted Cat eat?
- Small mammals such as rodents, and birds; also insects, lizards and frogs
- What habitat does the Rusty-spotted Cat live in?
- Moist and dry forests, scrub, grassland and rocky areas, preferring dense vegetation
- Where is the Rusty-spotted Cat found?
- Sri Lankan subspecies phillipsi: wet forest zone, also lowland dry, intermediate wet and sub-montane wet zones
- What is the litter size of the Rusty-spotted Cat?
- 1-3 kittens
- How long is the gestation period of the Rusty-spotted Cat?
- 65-69 days
- How big is the Rusty-spotted Cat?
- 35-48cm body, 20-25cm tail
- How much does the Rusty-spotted Cat weigh?
- 1-2kg