RUSTY SPOTTED CAT  
Prionailurus rubiginosus

The Rusty Spotted Cat, along with the Black-Footed Cat may well be the two smallest wild cat species alive today. Adult female Rusty Spotted Cats reach a whopping 2 pounds! This is an extremely vulnerable wild cat, which is native to southern India and Sri Lanka. The color of the fur is grey, with rusty spots all over the back and the flanks, while the underbelly is white with large dark spots. The tail is quite thick, about half the length of the body, and is darker in color than the body itself with less distinct spots. The Rusty Spotted Cat is quite similar in appearance to its closely related cousin the Asian Leopard Cat Prionailurus bengalensis with whom it shares much of its rainforest territory in mainland India.

RETURN to HDW's Wild Cats Portrait Gallery