Swamp Cat Felis chaus

The Swamp Cat is sometimes called the Jungle Cat: both unhelpful names since it is not particularly associated with water or jungle (and some other cats are), but in parts of its range it is more prevalent in wetlands, coastal areas or along rivers and in thick vegetation or bush. It has a large native range from the Nile, Turkey and Caucasus in the west via the Near and Middle East, western (Caspian) Central Asia, the whole of the Indian subcontinent and into IndoChina.

It is a little larger than a domestic cat and is tall and long-legged with slightly tufted ears. Kittens have stripes and spots but the adult coat is usually plain, unspotted/unstriped, usually greyish, sandy or light reddish, with a few stripes often on the limbs. Mainly diurnal, solitary and territorial, prey is mainly small mammals but also birds, snakes, frogs and invertebrates.

The Swamp Cat is threatened by extensive deforestation in Asia, affecting habitat and availability of prey, destruction of wetlands and killing by farmers and hunters. In some parts of their range they are now rarely encountered and are critically endangered.