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865 Featured Specimen
Chinese mountain cat

Details

Chinese mountain cat

Felis bieti

Size
69–84 cm · 4.5–9 kg
Diet
Carnivore
Activity
Nocturnal
Sociality
Solitary
Lifespan

Chinese mountain cat is a rare cat of the eastern Tibetan Plateau and neighboring Chinese highlands. Poisoning campaigns and highland grassland change can affect it through prey loss.

Range

Habitat range map
Native range Occasional / Transient

Map: Ecoregions 2017 © RESOLVE (CC BY 4.0) · Natural Earth (PD)

Details

Habitat

It inhabits highland grassland, shrubland, mountain margins, and semi-desert in western China. Main habitat types in this guide are grassland, mountain, desert.

Appearance

Typical length 69-84 cm, weight 4.5 kg-9 kg. Sandy fur, black rings on the thick tail, a broad face, and short ear tufts are typical.

Behavior

It is nocturnal and usually solitary. It hunts pikas and rodents at night and rests in burrows or rock crevices.

Feeding

It is carnivorous. Pikas, voles, and birds are common prey.

Reproduction

Breeding is poorly known, but small litters are raised in dens.

Notes

Habitat loss and human pressure make conservation attention important. Poisoning campaigns and highland grassland change can affect it through prey loss.