Jungle cat
Felis chaus
Uday Agashe · Sundarbans
Key facts in one look
- Size
- 59–76 cm body
- Diet
- Carnivore
- Status in Georgia
- Resident, declining
- Habitat
- Floodplain reeds and scrub
- Family
- Felidae
- Conservation
- LC / VU
The jungle cat (Felis chaus) is the largest species in the genus Felis. Long legs, a short tail and black ear tufts give it a lynx-like look, while its coat is plain sandy, reddish-brown or grey, without spots. In Georgia it lives in the floodplains of the Iori, Alazani, Mtkvari and Khrami rivers and around Lake Jandari, in dense reeds and scrub close to water. In the Caucasus it has declined sharply over recent decades. Georgia's Red List lists it as Vulnerable (VU), while globally it is Least Concern (LC). From a distance it is easily confused with the European wildcat, but the wildcat has a striped coat and a bushy, black-ringed tail. If you see a large, plain-coloured cat in the reeds by the water, watch from a distance and do not set a dog on it.
Identification
Jungle cat: how to identify it
The jungle cat is larger and more slender than a house cat, stands on long legs and has a short tail. Its coat is plain, without spots or stripes, and its large, pointed ears carry small black tufts. The last third of the tail has two or three dark rings and a black tip. It is most often confused with the European wildcat, which has a striped coat and a longer, bushy tail.
The head and body measure 59–76 cm, the shoulder height is about 36 cm, and weight ranges from 2 to 16 kg. Males are larger than females. The tail is 21–36 cm, short for the body. Long legs and a short tail give it a lynx-like build.
The coat is plain sandy, reddish-brown or grey, without spots. The muzzle is white, dark lines run from the corners of the eyes down the sides of the nose, and the eyes are yellow. The ears are large, pointed and set close together, reddish-brown on the back, with a black tuft about 15 mm long at the tip. The last third of the tail has two or three dark rings and a black tip. The inside of the forelegs shows four or five rings. Kittens are striped and spotted, and adults sometimes keep part of these markings.
The European wildcat is the closest lookalike. Its coat is striped, with a dark stripe along the back, and its tail is thick and bushy, with 3–8 black rings and a blunt black tip. The jungle cat is plain, longer-legged, and its tail is ringed only towards the end. The place helps too: the jungle cat lives in floodplain reeds, the wildcat mainly in forest, although it also enters floodplain reedbeds.
The Eurasian lynx also has tufted ears and a short tail, but it is much larger: its body is 90–120 cm long and it weighs 17–25 kg. The lynx's tail tip is entirely black, without rings. Compared with a house cat, the jungle cat is large, slender and long-legged, with a short tail. Do not rely on one feature: look at size, tail and ears together.
Often confused with
The jungle cat depends on dense vegetation and water: it lives in reeds, cane and thorny scrub on the low banks of rivers, lakes and seas. It avoids open ground. In the mountains it does not go above 800 m, it copes poorly with cold climates and is rare where snow lies often. In winter and spring it also visits farmland. In Georgia it occurs in the floodplains of the Iori, Alazani, Mtkvari and Khrami rivers and around Lake Jandari. Its extent of occurrence in the country is about 15,500 km², and its area of occupancy about 9,400 km².
The jungle cat feeds above all on rodents, gerbils and hares. It also eats birds, fish, frogs, insects and small snakes. Its prey usually weighs less than 1 kg. It stalks its prey and then catches it with one fast sprint or leap, and it leaps into the air to catch birds. It is partly omnivorous: in winter it also eats fruit.
The jungle cat is active mainly by day and slows down in the midday heat. It lives alone, except in the mating season and when a mother is with her kittens. It marks its territory with urine, scent marks and cheek rubbing. At night it covers 3–6 km. It swims well, up to 1.5 km, dives into water to catch fish, and climbs trees well. Mating takes place in February–March, when males fight each other noisily. Gestation lasts about 66 days. A female has one to five kittens, usually two or three. Kittens open their eyes at 10–13 days, are weaned at three months and leave their mother at 8–9 months. In captivity it lives 15–20 years.
Globally the jungle cat is Least Concern (LC, 2016). It is listed in Appendix II of CITES. In the Caucasus and along the Caspian coast, however, it has declined rapidly since the 1960s, and only small populations remain. Russia has about 500 animals, and the species is on the red lists of Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia. Georgia's 2014 Red List lists it as Vulnerable (VU) because its range has shrunk. The 2021 national assessment also rates it Vulnerable (VU), with a declining population. The main threat is the destruction of wetlands and floodplain reedbeds through drainage, dams, pollution and the spread of settlements. Poaching and poisoning also threaten it.
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In the floodplains of the Iori, Alazani, Mtkvari and Khrami rivers and around Lake Jandari. It chooses dense reeds and scrub near water and avoids open ground. In the mountains it does not go above 800 m. It is rare where snow lies often.
By its coat and tail. The jungle cat is plain, without spots or stripes, its tail is short and the rings sit only on the last third. The wildcat has a striped coat, a dark stripe along the back and a thick, bushy tail with 3–8 black rings. The jungle cat also has black ear tufts and longer legs.
The jungle cat is larger, more slender and longer-legged than a house cat. Its tail is short, with dark rings towards the end and a black tip, and its large, pointed ears carry black tufts. The coat is plain sandy, reddish-brown or grey. Seen together, these features make it hard to confuse with a house cat.
The head and body measure 59–76 cm, the shoulder height is about 36 cm and the tail 21–36 cm. Weight ranges from 2 to 16 kg, and males are larger than females. It is the largest species in the genus Felis. It is still much smaller than a lynx.
Mainly rodents, gerbils and hares. It also eats birds, fish, frogs, insects and small snakes, and in winter fruit as well. Its prey usually weighs less than 1 kg. It even dives into water to catch fish.
No. The jungle cat is not venomous and keeps away from people. It is a wild animal, so do not try to catch it or pick it up. Watch from a distance and do not set a dog on it.
Yes. Georgia's 2014 Red List lists it as Vulnerable (VU) because its range has shrunk, and the 2021 assessment found its numbers still declining. Globally it is Least Concern (LC). The main threat is the destruction of floodplain reedbeds and wetlands.
References
What this profile is based on
Species profiles are compiled from peer-reviewed literature and established biodiversity databases, and are reviewed as new taxonomic and conservation data become available.
Prepared by the Reptiles.ge editorial team from the sources listed here.
