Cats of Africa
Jungle Cat
Felis chaus
Africa has only about 100,ooo jungle cats left and thier population is decreasing, but they're listed as "least concern" on conservation status (the lowest an animal can get).
The jungle cat is actually more widespread in Asia than in Africa.
Jungle cats feed on a wide variety of prey species reflecting a variety of habitats, but small rodents are the main prey. A field study in India estimated one cat could catch 3 to 5 rodents per day, with birds ranking second in importance. They were also seen scavenging kills of large predators.
After a gestation of 63-68 days, females produce a litter of 1-6 kittens.
The kittens weigh around 4.5 ounces at birth and gain an average of .77 ounces per day. Their eyes open between 10-12 days, they are weaned at 3 months, stalk and kill prey and reach independence by 5-6 months
The greatest threat facing this cat is reclamation and destruction of natural wetlands. Also, they are killed by farmers because of their taste for domestic poultry, and sportsmen don’t like them because their prey base is the sportsman’s game species.
Their preferred habitat is the tall grasses, reed beds or thick brush surrounding wetlands which is prime rodent habitat. These areas are found in a variety of ecosystems including desert oases or along riverbeds in grasslands, scrub or deciduous forests.
