What is your favorite Prionailurus species?

What is your favorite Prionailurus species?

  • Total voters
    16
CheeseChameleon1945

CheeseChameleon1945

Well-Known Member
5+ year member
Hi there! There have been lot of "whats your favorite" polls circulating around lately, and I decided to type one up of my own. I find wild small cats very enthralling, and in my opinion, some of the cutest animals on the planet. I really enjoy this specific genus of Asian cats, since it has my favorite small cat of all time, the Flat-headed cat. So, whats your favorite? You can cast a vote in the poll above. The members of the genus is from memory, so please tell me if I missed any.
 
Onychorhynchus coronatus said:
The fishing cat got my vote, definitely my favourite Prinailuros species.

I would even say it is one of my favourite small cats and felids in general.
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That's understandable, there my dads favorite too. I think they are very unique cats, due to their specialized nature in collecting fish. Not my personal number 1 favorite, but I can definitely understand why other people may have chosen it.
 
CheeseChameleon2007 said:
That's understandable, there my dads favorite too. I think they are very unique cats, due to their specialized nature in collecting fish. Not my personal number 1 favorite, but I can definitely understand why other people may have chosen it.
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I think all of the Prinailuros species are neglected to some extent or another and the ecology of most is very poorly known due to a lack of research.

They are very personable and charismatic animals, yes. Also for me part of the appeal is that aquatic lifestyle and familiarity with their conservation situation from reading papers and articles etc.

I've noticed at a few zoos in Europe that they tend to be quite popular with visitors probably because of the larger size and have a far less shy / cryptic nature than most wild cat species and are often active in front of crowds and during the day.

I think the faint resemblance to a "tabby" domestic cat helps add to the appeal for visitors too.
 
Onychorhynchus coronatus said:
I think all of the Prinailuros species are neglected to some extent or another and the ecology of most is very poorly known due to a lack of research.

They are very personable and charismatic animals, yes. Also for me part of the appeal is that aquatic lifestyle and familiarity with their conservation situation from reading papers and articles etc.

I've noticed at a few zoos in Europe that they tend to be quite popular with visitors probably because of the larger size and have a far less shy / cryptic nature than most wild cat species and are often active in front of crowds and during the day.
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Bit of an exaggeration there :p all but fishing cat are domestic-size or significantly smaller!
 
TeaLovingDave said:
Bit of an exaggeration there :p all but fishing cat are domestic-size or significantly smaller!
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Hi @TeaLovingDave, If you would comment on this thread, I would gladly like to know what your favorite member of the genus Prionailurus is. :)


I have also noticed that someone voted for the fishing cat as well, and the rusty spotted cat. I would like to know why some people chose that.
 
CheeseChameleon2007 said:
Hi @TeaLovingDave, If you would comment on this thread, I would gladly like to know what your favorite member of the genus Prionailurus is. :)


I have also noticed that someone voted for the fishing cat as well, and the rusty spotted cat. I would like to know why some people chose that.
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I assume that for the rusty spotted cat it would mostly be down to it being the smallest species of cat.
 
Onychorhynchus coronatus said:
I assume that for the rusty spotted cat it would mostly be down to it being the smallest species of cat.
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Is it though? It is super confusing. I have books that claim that the Rusty spotted cat is the smallest species of cat, but I also have books that say that the Black footed cat from a different genus is the smallest. Is there factual evidence on which is the smallest, because my literature can't decide. :p
 
CheeseChameleon2007 said:
Is it though? It is super confusing. I have books that claim that the Rusty spotted cat is the smallest species of cat, but I also have books that say that the Black footed cat from a different genus is the smallest. Is there factual evidence on which is the smallest, because my literature can't decide. :p
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There is a bit of a debate on which species is the smallest cat. Throw the kodkod in there too as it is also often cited with the other species you mention as being the smallest feline.

Personally, I'm no expert on small cats / carnivores but I would be inclined to think it is the rusty spotted cat that is on average the smallest felid.
 
Onychorhynchus coronatus said:
There is a bit of a debate on which species is the smallest cat. Throw the kodkod in there too as it is also often cited with the other species you mention as being the smallest feline.

Personally, I'm no expert on small cats / carnivores but I would be inclined to think it is the rusty spotted cat that is on average the smallest felid.
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I am a bit of a nerd when it comes to small cats, as they are easily the group of mammal that I have studied the most. When I was younger I always thought that it was the Black-footed cat. Lets just say that its all a tie for now, which I feel is a lot more possible, since I'm guessing some of these cats including the kodkod can vary in size for sure.
 
CheeseChameleon2007 said:
Well thanks for voting! But Is there a way to see Who voted? I can see the votes, but I don't know who cast those votes. Is there a way I can see it?
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You appear to have selected the option which allows this to be visible if you click the vote numbers :) so for instance, clicking on the vote number for Flat-headed Cat shows you and Dassie Rat voted for that.
 
TeaLovingDave said:
You appear to have selected the option which allows this to be visible if you click the vote numbers :) so for instance, clicking on the vote number for Flat-headed Cat shows you and Dassie Rat voted for that.
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Thanks a lot! I never even knew you could click on that! Why is the Sunda leopard cat your favorite?
 
CheeseChameleon2007 said:
I am a bit of a nerd when it comes to small cats, as they are easily the group of mammal that I have studied the most. When I was younger I always thought that it was the Black-footed cat. Lets just say that its all a tie for now, which I feel is a lot more possible, since I'm guessing some of these cats including the kodkod can vary in size for sure.
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Yes, I'm sure they vary in size which is I imagine why it is so difficult to find a conclusive / definitive answer to "what is the smallest wild cat species?".
 
As for the question of "smallest cat" it basically comes down to whether one is talking average weight (in which case rusty-spotted cat wins) or average length (in which case black-footed cat wins); kodkod comes into the question because these are intermediate in both length and weight, being shorter than Rusty-spotted Cat and lighter than Black-footed Cat, but heavier than Rusty-spotted Cat and longer than Black-footed Cat.
 
TeaLovingDave said:
As for the question of "smallest cat" it basically comes down to whether one is talking average weight (in which case rusty-spotted cat wins) or average length (in which case black-footed cat wins); kodkod comes into the question because these are intermediate in both length and weight, being shorter than Rusty-spotted Cat and lighter than Black-footed Cat, but heavier than Rusty-spotted Cat and longer than Black-footed Cat.
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So basically there will never be a definitive answer to the smallest cat then as some people will insist it is by average weight and others by average length :p
 
TeaLovingDave said:
Mostly because I think they are the most visually-appealing of those Prionailurus taxa I have seen :) and I have a soft spot for island endemics.
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Their coats are very beautiful, and Island endemics are always pretty interesting animals, since they live nowhere else on earth, and usually have some unique attributes to them. :)
 
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