They are similar in size to a domestic cat. Its
head and body length is 18 to 24 inches and it weighs 10 to
14 lbs. Its tail is extremely long and bushy. The background
color of its fur varies from dark gray-brown through
yellowish gray to red-brown. The flanks and back are
strikingly marked with large, irregular, dark-edged
blotches. The legs and underparts are marked with black
dots, and the tail is marked with black spots and rings.
There are spots on the forehead and crown, which merge into
narrow longitudinal stripes on the neck and irregular
stripes on the back. Their face sports a well defined line
stripe extending from the corner of each eye and jutting
back over the forehead. Eyes are amber or golden in color
and ears are small, rounded and have prominent white spots
on the backs. Legs break the marbled pattern where they are
instead speckled with an irregular shaped dark spot pattern.
Face muzzle has three distinct lines on each side of the
nose and they have a light grey to white underside. Coat is
extremely thick and soft with substantial underfur and they
have a very long thick tail, tipped in black.
Marbled cats are carnivorous. The diet consists primarily of
birds, but also includes squirrels, rats and other small
rodents, lizards, insects, and frogs. Marbled cats hunt
mostly in trees. In Borneo they may be more terrestrial and
forage on the ground.
Four kittens were reported to have been born to one captive
female. Only one was seen by her keepers, so she may
have eaten the rest. Most
litters seem to be of two kittens, born after gestation
periods of 66 to 82 days. In captivity, oestrus is reported
to occur in any month. A kitten’s eyes will be fully opened
by about 16 days, and they will be able to walk at 22 days.
Less than 100 grams when born, they develop quickly and have
a full set of teeth. The coat of the kittens is mottled
rather than distinctly patterned.
Marbled cats have been found in tropical forests
from Nepal through southeast Asia to Borneo and Sumatra, but
its presence in parts of the area is known only from single
observations. It is thought to spend a lot of its time in
trees where it is difficult to see and it may be more widely
distributed than is at present known. They are mainly
arboreal, relying on the treetop canopy for both shelter and
food. In this regard, they are very dependent on the forest
cover and suffer greatly from deforestation of their
habitat. Range covers Asia, India through Sumatra, Borneo,
Malaysia through Indochina. Blood serum analysis shows they
are indeed related to the other big cats. Perhaps their size
decreased is a way for nature to compensate, allowing them
to coexist with the larger cats occupying this same
territory such as the Clouded Leopard, Fishing Cat and
Jungle Cat. These rare felines prefer prey that also
occupies the treetop canopy such as squirrels, fruit bats,
birds, mice and rats. They may also feed on fish, reptiles,
frogs and insects.
Throughout its range it is thought to be rare,
although it has also been suggested that the perception of
the marbled cat's rarity may be caused by its secretive
nature and its preference for remote forest areas. Because
of its dependence on forest habitat, the major threat to the
marbled cat is habitat destruction caused by felling of
trees and the traditional, shifting, method of local
cultivation. The marbled cat is also thought to be
intolerant of human disturbance, abandoning a forest that is
even moderately disturbed. Poaching for skins, bones and
meat
may also be a threat. It is is protected in India
and Thailand and, due to their secretive nature, they are
not targeted for the Asian fur trade although pelts do occur
in the illegal markets. Marbled Cats are seldom kept in
captivity and are poor breeders in Zoos with offspring
usually hand-reared. Destruction of their forest habitat
throughout Southeast Asia is occurring at an alarming rate
almost parallel to that of the habitat loss in the Amazon
Rainforest basin. Still they are offered protection in only
part of their range, dwindling populations have placed them
on CITES Appendix I.
ome to the
extremely secretive and elusive marbled cat. They have are
often compared to clouded leopards. One character which they
share with the clouded leopard is very long canine teeth.
Both bear distinctive marbling pattern on their coats, with
the combination of large, irregular shaped dark blotches,
outlined with black. Rarely seen or photographed in the
wild, they are thought to be the Old World counterpart to
the South American Margay. But genetic studies of this cats
blood serum, shows that it shares an identical karyotype
with Lynx, Panthera and Uncia, leaving this cats
evolutionary history somewhat of a taxonomic puzzle.