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| Flat-headed Cat - Prionailurus planiceps | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Jan 7 2012, 08:13 PM (2,390 Views) | |
| Taipan | Jan 7 2012, 08:13 PM Post #1 |
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Flat-headed Cat - Prionailurus planiceps![]() Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Carnivora Family: Felidae Genus: Prionailurus Species: Prionailurus planiceps The Flat-headed Cat (Prionailurus planiceps) is a small wild cat from forested areas, mainly near water, in Peninsular Thailand, Malaysia (both East and West), Brunei, and Indonesia (Kalimantan and Sumatra). It is considered endangered by IUCN due to habitat loss and pollution. It is very rare in captivity, with only two individuals - both in zoos in Malaysia - recorded by ISIS in early 2008. Like some other small cats, it was originally placed in the genus Felis, but is now considered one of the five species in Prionailurus. ![]() Description It has a head-and-body length of 41-50 cm (16-20 in), and a short tail of 13-15 cm (5-6 in). It weighs 1.5-2.5 kg (3.5-5.5 lbs). The thick fur is generally dark reddish-brown tinged grey, with a more reddish head and whitish underparts. Except for the relatively faint facial streaks, it is rather unpatterned. The legs are fairly short, and the ears are short and round. The inter-digital webs on its paws help the cat gain better traction in muddy environments and water, and are even more pronounced on this cat than those on the paws of the Fishing Cat. The shape of the head is atypical for a cat; the skull is fairly long, while the skull roof, as suggested by both its common and scientific name, is rather flat. ![]() Behavior and habitat It occurs in both secondary and primary forest, and most records are from near water. It mostly hunts for frogs, fish and crustaceans, but will also catch rats and chickens. It has relatively long premolars, and is one of the few cats that is unable to retract its claws (the others being the cheetah, fishing cat, and the Iriomote cat). These adaptions combined with its behavior have resulted in comparisons with semi-aquatic mustelids, and it is known for readily entering water. Overall, however, little is known about its wild behavior, but a gestation period of about 56 days, and a litter size of 1-2 kittens have been reported in captivity. Captive individuals have lived for 14+ years. It is generally considered a nocturnal animal, but observations of captives suggests it is crepuscular. ![]() Status The Flat-headed Cat is considered endangered by IUCN and listed on appendix 1 by CITES. The total population is believed to be less than 10,000 adults, with no single sub-population containing more than 1000 adults. While habitat loss and water pollution are serious threats, sightings from oil palm plantations suggests it is less specialized than generally believed. The Flat-headed Cat is fully protected throughout its natural range, except in Brunei, where this species lacks legal protection. Sightings are generally very rare.
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| Taipan | Jan 10 2012, 01:50 PM Post #2 |
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Cat With Flat Head and Webbed Feet Losing Habitat By Jeanna Bryner, LiveScience Managing Editor posted: 18 March 2010 10:02 am ET A tiny flat-headed cat with webbed feet has lost much of its historical rain-forest habitat in South-East Asia, a new study finds. Called Prionailurus planiceps, the flat-headed cat weighs as little as 3.5 pounds (1.59 kg) and has webbed feet thought to be a unique adaptation allowing the animal to hunt fish and crabs along lowland river banks and flooded peat forests. The wild cat is one of the world's least known feline species, found only in tropical rain forests in southern Thailand, Peninsular Malaysia, parts of Indonesia including Sumatra and Borneo. In 2008 the animal was listed as an endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Until now, there have been no studies of the cats in the wild, so little is known about its historical and current range, what makes a suitable home for the animal, and what can be done to ensure its survival.In fact, nobody even knows how many of the cats remain in the wild. "At the current stage, we cannot even do any guesstimates, because we have no idea in which densities the species occurs," said study researcher Andreas Wilting of the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Berlin, Germany. "I hope that with further field research in ten years we might be able to provide the first estimations." To make some headway, an international team of scientists collected historical and recent records along with other scattered information on the cat, finding the animal spends its time mainly in lowland or coastal swampy forests close to freshwater sources. "With this information we developed a computer model to predict its historical and current distribution," Wilting said. The team also used the model to determine factors needed to make an area a sufficient home for the cat. With that information, they identified 19 key spots throughout the cat's distribution range that were considered suitable habitat and important for the long-term survival of the rare species. These localities included: Toh Daeng Peat Swamp in Thailand, the Way Kambas National Park and the Hutan Lunang Nature Reserve in Sumatra, and Borneo's Maludam National Park and the Samusam Wildlife Sanctuary. They found a link between freshwater sources and the occurrence of flat-headed cats, with more than 70 percent of the records (sightings and photographs) occurring less than 1.9 miles (3 kilometers) away from a major river or lake. Precipitation during the driest month and altitude were also important habitat factors. Nearly 70 percent of the area which historically provided good habitats for the flat-headed cat has been converted into plantations, creating a landscape in which the cats are unable to live, the models showed. The remaining cat-friendly land is highly fragmented and 16 percent is fully protected according to the criteria of the IUCN. Most large national parks in South-East Asia are located at higher elevations, where the flat-headed cat, with its restriction to lowland and coastal swampy forests, rarely occurs. "For me the most important message of our paper is not that we predicted the extent of habitat loss, much more important is that we predicted localities where we most likely still find stable populations of this threatened species," Wilting told LiveScience. "Only with this information we can do the next step and work on the protection of these areas." Wilting and colleagues detail their findings in a recent issue of hte journal PLoS ONE. ![]() The tiny flat-headed cat (shown here in Tangkulap Forest Reserve, Sabah, Malaysia, in March 2009) has webbed feet, believed to be a unique adaptation to enable it to hunt fish and crabs within wetland habitats. http://www.livescience.com/animals/flat-headed-cat-habitat-loss-100318.html Edited by Taipan, May 22 2012, 08:30 PM.
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| Inhumanum Rapax | Sep 13 2014, 05:57 PM Post #3 |
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Parabola Vita
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it seems to have a relatively large head compared to other small wild cats |
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| Deleted User | Oct 15 2014, 06:21 PM Post #4 |
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And a thicker tail. |
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| maker | Dec 16 2014, 08:06 PM Post #5 |
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Apex Predator
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First Photographic Evidence of Flat-Headed Cats (Prionailurus planiceps) in Pasoh Forest Reserve, Peninsular Malaysia |
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