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WILD CAT POPULATION SIZE UPDATES

Written by Lynx

Image source: [x]

It’s that time of year! Censuses for many endangered species are wrapping up, and with that has come updated population sizes for many wild cats. The IUCN has also updated their Red List of endangered species, and below, we’ll tell you all you need to know about the current status of felids in the wild!

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The Endangerment of the Asian Caracal

Written by Lynx || [Photo source]

The caracal (Caracal caracal) is one of the few wild cat species that is believed to generally have a healthy population. They are listed as Least Concern by the IUCN, alongside only one third of all members of the felidae family. Due to being seen as a threat to livestock, they are commonly hunted in South Africa and Namibia, though appear to remain resilient in both countries despite this.

However, not all is well for the caracal. From Israel to India lives an elusive subspecies, C. c. schmitzi. They are also known as the Asian caracal, Arabian caracal, or Schmitz’s caracal. These cats once thrived, even being used as hunting companions in India, like cheetahs.

Now, things are looking grim for the Asian caracal. In many ways, they once again draw eerie parallels to the Asiatic cheetah; disappearing before our very eyes, and with hardly enough effort put towards their conservation.  In several countries such as Saudi Arabia and Turkey, the caracal is now believed to be either extremely rare or extinct.

In India, the situation is especially dire. There are an estimated 200 individuals remaining in the country today, and that number is swiftly falling. The main threat to these caracals is loss of habitat, and they are now are mostly confined to two tiger reserves; Sariska Tiger Reserve, and Ranthambore National Park. Due to development and alteration within these reserves, the caracal is threatened with being pushed out of it’s last safe haven within India.

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What Makes the Cheetah Unique?

Photo source: [x]

Written by Lynx

The cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) is arguably one of the most unique wild cats; from their speed, to their black tear marks. Each of these characteristics developed over time, allowing the cheetah to have an edge over other animals.

Cheetahs are most commonly known for their speed. They are capable of sprinting up to 70 - 75 mph in short bursts, making them the world’s fastest land animal. They can accelerate from 0 to 62 mph in three seconds; faster than a Ferrari!

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Subspecies Spotlight #04: Otocolobus manul  ferruginea

Photo source: [x]

O. m. ferruginea, also known as the Persian Pallas cat, is an endangered subspecies of Pallas cat inhabiting Turkmenistan, northern Iran, south-western Turkestan, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. In 2009, Afghanistan banned all hunting and trading fur or other parts of this cat.  They are most commonly known for their unique, reddish coat.

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Subspecies spotlight #03:  Schmitz’s Caracal

Photo source: [1] [2]

Written by admin Lynx

Schmitz’s Caracal (C. c. schmitzi) is a subspecies of caracal that has a broad range from India to Israel. They are commonly believed to be the only endangered subspecies of caracal, though this remains unconfirmed due to insufficient research.

Their appearance and coat color ranges greatly in comparison to other subspecies. Some populations are known for having a grey-tinted coat. One captive caracal whom resided at the Melbourne Zoo was occasionally labeled as melanistic, though the zoo believes his unique coloration was simply due to the subspecies he belonged to; c. c. schmitzi [x].

There is slight confusion surrounding Schmitz’s caracal and a now-disproved subspecies, C. c. michaelis. C. c. michaelis is an outdated scientific name for caracals inhabiting Turkmenistan; it is now a synonym used for C. c. schmitzi.  

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Species Spotlight #03: Bay Cat 

Photo source: [x]

Written by admin Lynx

The bay cat (Pardofelis badia), also known as the Bornean bay cat, is a small and elusive species of wild cat, exclusively inhabiting the island of Borneo. They are classified as Endangered by the IUCN, with less than 2,500 individuals remaining in the wild.

They are around the size of a small house cat, although exact weight of the bay cat remains unconfirmed due to so few living specimens being studied; researchers estimate 5 to 10 lb. Their fur is either a bright chestnut color, or a mixture of grey and red.  They have faint stripe-like markings on their face, and white fur on their underside.

Very little is known about their behavior, though they are believed to be mostly nocturnal. This may be a factor in why sightings of these cats are so rare. They live in the highlands, around 1460 meters (4,800 feet), and occur at a low density in comparison to other felids species.

The deforestation in Borneo from commercial logging and palm oil plantations is one of the major threats posed to bay cats.  The IUCN projects a 20% decline of population size over the next 12 years. Ironically, zoos and breeding facilities will pay large amounts of money for live bay cats. This creates a high demand for them, and most end up dying shortly after being trapped.

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King Cheetahs: Is their beauty worth the consequences?

written by admin Lynx

The king cheetah is a color mutation of the cheetah, causing blotches and stripes in place of their usual, uniform spots. Sometimes, they even have small “manes,” with the fur on the back of their neck and shoulder blades being longer than they tend to be on the average cheetah. At one point, they were classified as their own species, Acinonyx rex, though this was disproved in 1981 when two spotted female cheetahs gave birth to king cheetah cubs at the De Wildt Cheetah and Wildlife Centre in South Africa.

The king tabby mutation is recessive, meaning that both parents must possess the gene for it to show on the coat of their offspring. Due to this, only a handful are believed to exist in the wild. But of course, it did not take long for humans to take notice of these unique cheetahs and exploit them.

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Jaguarundi Color Phases

written by admin Lynx
sources: [x] [x] [?] [Alena Houšková]

The Jaguarundi (Puma yagouaroundi) comes in three main color phases; grey, red, and a greyish brown. These are natural variations within the species - not color mutations/morphs such as leucism, albinism, etc. There is a common misconception that greyish brown individuals are melanistic, but this can be disproven by observing the brown coloration on their face and neck.
Interestingly, the red and grey color phases were once believed to be two separate species - red being the eyra cat, and grey being the jaguarundi. Since then, however, this theory has been disproved.

Asiatic Cheetah couple, Koushki and Delbar, transferred to Tehran for conservation program

Eight years ago, a male Asiatic cheetah cub was brought to the Miandasht Wildlife Refuge after his mother had been killed by a poacher. He was named ‘Koushki’, after the man who had initially brought him to the reserve.  
Now, he has been paired up with a female Asiatic cheetah named Delbar. The two have been transferred to a new location in Tehran in hopes that they will reproduce. This is truly a unique occasion - they are currently the only known Asiatic cheetah couple kept in captivity. 

[Read more here, here, and here.]

Please consider donating to the Iranian Cheetah Society, a group dedicated to Asiatic cheetah conservation!

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Species Spotlight #01: Andean Mountain Cat

written by admin Lynx.

photos by Felidae Fund

The Andean Mountain Cat (Leopardus jacobita) is a small and elusive wild cat, believed to only live in Peru, Bolivia, Chile, Argentina. They inhabit elevations as high as 5,100 meters, thriving in rocky, steep terrain.

They are listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN, less than 2,500 individuals are believed to exist in the wild. Currently, few to none are kept in captivity. They are very rarely sighted - the main indication that they have not yet become extinct is their pelts periodically appearing in fur markets. In fact, the little information known about Andean cats has been obtained through pelts, bones, and only a small handful of sightings in the wild.

The main threats to Andean cats are prey reduction, disease, illegal hunting, habitat degradation/loss, and - interestingly - hybridization with the Pampas cat (L. colocolo). They are also noted to have very low genetic variability.

Sub-populations of Andean cat are separated by deep, human-inhabited valleys. No sub-population is believed to consist of any more than 250 individuals, which makes conservation efforts even harder.

However, the IUCN reports that there has been a substantial increase of research efforts as of late. Organizations such as the Andean Cat Alliance and Small Cat Conservation Alliance are actively engaged in Andean cat conservation.