Jungle cat - Jungle cat (English spelling)

It is a member of the order Carnivora and family Felidae. It inhabits waterside thickets, shrubs and grasslands from Vietnam through India to Asia Minor and Egypt. Its body length is 60-75cm, its tail length 25-35cm, and it weighs 5-6kg. Its body is gray-brown to gray-yellow, with almost no markings. It lives alone, is mainly active during the day, and preys on mice, frogs and birds. It is also good at climbing trees. Its breeding season is irregular in tropical regions, but usually occurs between February and April. After a gestation period of about 66 days, it gives birth to 2-5 pups. Its lifespan is about 8 years in captivity. Its closely related species are the black-footed cat F. nigripes , which lives in the arid regions of southern Africa, the desert cat F. margarita , which lives in the deserts of the Sahara and Arabia, and the grey cat F. bieti , which lives in the deserts of Mongolia.

[Tadaaki Imaizumi]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

哺乳(ほにゅう)綱食肉目ネコ科の動物。ベトナムからインドを経て小アジア、エジプトまでの水辺のやぶや低木林、草原に生息する。体長60～75センチメートル、尾長25～35センチメートル、体重5～6キログラム。体は灰褐色から灰黄色で、斑紋(はんもん)はほとんどない。単独で生活し、おもに日中活動し、ネズミやカエル、鳥を捕食する。木登りもうまい。繁殖期は熱帯地方では不定であるが、普通は2～4月で、約66日の妊娠期間ののちに1産2～5子を産む。寿命は飼育下で約8年。近縁種にアフリカ南部の乾燥地帯にすむクロアシネコF. nigripes、サハラやアラビアの砂漠にすむサバクネコF. margarita、モンゴルの砂漠にすむハイイロネコF. bietiがある。

［今泉忠明］

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