🧬 The Felid Wiki — 3,000 research summaries

The fishing cat is a wetland specialist found in scattered populations across South and Southeast Asia, including the Indian subcontinent, Sri Lanka, and parts of Southeast Asia, with strongholds in m…

The fishing cat shows clear adaptations to a semi-aquatic life, and this overview reviews them. The species has partially webbed forefeet, a deep-chested, muscular body, a short tail that may act as a…

Much fishing cat habitat now lies within human-dominated wetlands, including rice paddies, fish farms, and the marshy fringes of villages, and this overview reviews research on these populations. Came…

The mangrove forests of the Sundarbans and other deltas hold important fishing cat populations, and this overview compiles research from these systems. Tidal mangroves offer abundant fish, crabs, and…

The flat-headed cat shows striking anatomical adaptations to aquatic foraging, and this overview reviews them. Its name comes from a flattened head and forward-set eyes suited to peering into water, w…

This overview examines the flat-headed cat absolute dependence on lowland freshwater wetlands, the factor that most defines its conservation plight. The species is tied to rivers, swamps, and marshes…

The flat-headed cat is among the most piscivorous of felids, and this overview reviews its specialized aquatic diet. Observations and morphology indicate a diet centered on fish, frogs, and crustacean…

The flat-headed cat is a highly specialized wetland felid restricted to Sundaland, occurring on Borneo and Sumatra and in parts of the Malay Peninsula and southern Thailand. This overview compiles rec…

Geoffroys cat hybridizes naturally with the southern oncilla in zones where their ranges overlap, and this overview reviews the genetic evidence and its implications. Molecular studies have detected g…

This overview examines how the jaguarundi coexists with the several other small cats that share its range, drawing on community ecology studies. Through its diurnal activity, terrestrial habits, prefe…

Dietary studies describe the jaguarundi as a terrestrial hunter taking a high proportion of birds along with small mammals, reptiles, and invertebrates. This overview synthesizes scat and observationa…

The jaguarundi is an unusual, otter-like cat ranging from the southern United States and Mexico through Central America into much of South America east of the Andes. This overview compiles records des…

Unlike most small cats, the jaguarundi is notably diurnal, and this overview reviews this distinctive trait. Camera-trap and observational studies record peak activity during daylight, often mid-morni…

The jaguarundi has an unusual appearance for a cat, with a long, slender body, short legs, small flattened head, and long tail, giving it a weasel- or otter-like look, and this overview reviews its di…

This overview compiles what is known of kodkod behavior and activity from camera-trap and telemetry studies in Chile. The species is reported to be active both by day and night, with patterns that may…

The kodkod, or guigna, is the smallest cat in the Americas and is restricted to the temperate rainforests of central and southern Chile and adjacent Argentina. This overview compiles records describin…

The kodkod is strongly tied to forest, and this overview reviews research on how forest loss and fragmentation affect it. Studies in Chile show the species using native forest, forest fragments, and f…

This overview examines leopard cat activity, which camera-trap and telemetry studies generally describe as predominantly nocturnal and crepuscular, with flexibility according to prey, season, and dist…

Dietary studies portray the leopard cat as a generalist predator with a strong reliance on small rodents, supplemented by birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, and insects. This overview synthesizes scat…

The leopard cat is the most widespread small cat in Asia, ranging from the Russian Far East and Korea through China, the Indian subcontinent, and Southeast Asia to the islands of Sundaland and the Phi…

The leopard cat is the wild ancestor of the domestic Bengal cat breed, and this overview reviews the biology and conservation implications of that connection. Hybridization between leopard cats and do…

The leopard cat has colonized many islands across its range, giving rise to distinct populations and subspecies, and this overview reviews their biology and significance. Island forms, including those…

The leopard cat is notably tolerant of agricultural landscapes, and this overview reviews research on these populations. Camera-trap and telemetry studies document the species using plantations, rice…

The marbled cat is among the more arboreal small cats, and this overview reviews the adaptations behind its climbing lifestyle. Most distinctive is its exceptionally long, thick tail, often as long as…

Information on marbled cat diet and activity is sparse, and this overview compiles the available fragments. The species is thought to hunt birds, squirrels, rodents, reptiles, and other small vertebra…

The marbled cat is a small, long-tailed arboreal felid of forests from the eastern Himalaya and northeast India through Southeast Asia to Borneo and Sumatra. This overview compiles records describing…

The margay is one of the most arboreal cats, and this overview reviews the remarkable adaptations that allow it to live in the canopy. Most notably, its hind ankles can rotate roughly one hundred eigh…

Dietary studies describe the margay as a hunter of small vertebrates taken both in the trees and on the ground, including small rodents, birds, opossums, lizards, tree frogs, and invertebrates. This o…

The margay is a small, large-eyed cat of Neotropical forests, ranging from Mexico through Central America into the Amazon basin and as far south as northern Argentina. This overview compiles records l…

This overview examines the activity patterns of the margay, which camera-trap and telemetry studies describe as predominantly nocturnal and strongly arboreal. The species hunts and travels at night th…