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The Kid Should See This

Is this the world’s smallest wild species of cat?

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This is not an adorable kitten frolicking in the forests of Sri Lanka. This is an adorable Prionailurus rubiginosus, a rusty-spotted cat that’s almost fully grown. Despite its species’ small size, this wild creature is featured in a preview clip of a BBC program titled Big Cats. From wikipedia:

The rusty-spotted cat is the smallest wild cat in Asia and rivals the black-footed cat as the world’s smallest wild cat. It is 35 to 48 cm (14 to 19 in) in length, with a 15 to 30 cm (5.9 to 11.8 in) tail, and weighs only 0.9 to 1.6 kg (2.0 to 3.5 lb)…

Very little is known about ecology and behaviour of rusty-spotted cats in the wild. Captive ones are mostly nocturnal but also briefly active during the day. Most wild ones were also recorded after dark. Several individuals were observed hiding in trees and in caves. They feed mainly on rodents and birds, but may also hunt lizards, frogs, and insects. They hunt primarily on the ground, making rapid, darting movements to catch their prey. They apparently venture into trees to escape larger predators.

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