Attracted by the abundance and the variety of the herbivores, many cat-likes, among which the Clouded Leopard (in top), the Tiger Cat (in bottom), joined the mountains of Central Asia.The Clouded Leopard (Panthera nebulosa, or Neofelis nebulosa) is a creature with a slender body, with short and powerful legs, with a very long tail and an admirably drawn dress.

Clouded Leopard

Clouded Leopard

It haunts the jungle, the steppes and even the marshy zones of Nepal and Sikkim, until the south of China, Hai-nan, Formosa, Sumatra, Borneo and Malaysia. The flexibility and the address of this animal are proverbial.

The Rusty-Spotted Cat (Felis rubiginosa) looks like a smaller edition of the Leopard Cat. This tiny species, with its rusty-coloured spots, is found in forest and scrubland, hunting for small birds and mammals at night and retreating during the day into dens in hollow logs or bushy thickets. It is not quite as big as a domestic cat, but is more agile when climbing.

Rusty-Spotted Cat

The bigger Leopard Cat, which has a wide range throughout southern Asia, is replaced by the Rusty-spotted Cat as one travels south through India. It seems to have adapted to more arid conditions, in dry grasslands and open dry forests. Strangely, however, in Sri Lanka, where the Leopard Cat is absent, the Rusty-spotted species prefers the more humid regions of the south and ignores the drier north. It is said that this species will hybridize with local domestic cats.

Fishing Cat

The Fishing Cat is one of the most mysterious predators of the Eastern area. Very adaptable, it frequents especially the marshes of mangroves, but one also meets it in the Indian mountains. In the water, the Fishing Cat can swim strongly, not only on the surface, but also submerged, with its eyes open. It uses this last ability to enable it to approach waterfowl, especially ducks, and grab them from below. It also lives up to its name by occasionally catching fish. In addition, it is believed to eat snakes, frogs and crustaceans.

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