Leopard cats are one of the most common small cats around (in the wild, though also a fair number in captivity, but not as many in the U.S. these days). They have a huge geographic distribution across Asia and from one researcher I spoke with (working in Thailand) the only one that people actually see with any regularity. They are also the originators of the bengal cat breed of domestic cat (from crossbreeding a domestic cat with a leopard cat).
All the leopard cat subspecies living in the north of Qinling Mountain (including north China, Korea and Russia) are grey-colored like this one, and almost all the subspecies living in the south of Qinling Mountian (including south China and southeast Asia) are yellow-colored.
The head markings are very much like the Fishing Cat, it is interesting that the coat does not have any obvious spotting markings as would be seen in many Leopard Cat species.
The head markings are very much like the Fishing Cat, it is interesting that the coat does not have any obvious spotting markings as would be seen in many Leopard Cat species.
Leopard Cat is a species that almost invites splitting. The big animals of the Russian Far East look so very different to those from India or South-East Asia that it's very hard to believe that they're the same form. Indeed, I'm reliably informed that that taxon (euptilura) has been labelled in German zoos as being a good species.
