Bay cat

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Bay cat
Bay cat 1 Jim Sanderson-cropped.jpg
CITES Appendix II (CITES) [1]
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Suborder: Feliformia
Family: Felidae
Subfamily: Felinae
Genus: Catopuma
Species:
C. badia
Binomial name
Catopuma badia
(Gray, 1874) [1]
BayCat distribution.jpg
Distribution of bay cat (2016) [1]
Synonyms
  • Felis badia Gray, 1874
  • Pardofelis badia (Gray, 1874)

The bay cat (Catopuma badia), also known as the Bornean bay cat, is a small wild cat endemic to the island of Borneo that appears to be relatively rare compared to sympatric wild cats, based on the paucity of historical, as well as recent records. Since 2002, it has been listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List because it is estimated that fewer than 2,500 mature individuals exist, and that the population declined in the past. [1] The bay cat has been recorded as rare and seems to occur at relatively low density, even in pristine habitat. [2]

Taxonomy and evolution

Felis badia was the scientific name proposed by John Edward Gray in 1874, who first described a bay cat skin and skull collected by Alfred Russel Wallace in 1856 in Sarawak. This cat was first thought to be a kitten of an Asian golden cat. [3] In 1932, Reginald Innes Pocock placed the species in the monotypic genus Badiofelis. [4] In 1978, it was placed in the genus Catopuma. [5]

Tissue and blood samples were acquired only in late 1992 from the female brought to the Sarawak Museum. [6] Morphological and genetic analysis confirmed the close relationship with the Asian golden cat, and that the two species had been separated from a common ancestor for 4.9 to 5.3 million years, long before the geological separation of Borneo from mainland Asia. [7]

The bay cat's classification as Catopuma was widely recognized until 2006. [8] Because of the evident close relationship of the bay cat and the Asian golden cat with the marbled cat, all three species were suggested in 2006 to be grouped in the genus Pardofelis . [9]

Characteristics

Illustration of a bay cat Chat Bai 1874.jpg
Illustration of a bay cat

The bay cat's fur is of a bright chestnut colour, but paler beneath, the limbs and the tail being rather paler and more reddish. The ears are rounded, covered with a short blackish-brown fur at the outer side, paler brown within and with a narrow brown margin. The tail is elongated and tapering at the end, with a white central streak occupying the rear half of the lower side, gradually becoming wider and of a purer white towards the tip, which has a small black spot at its upper end. [3]

Its short, rounded head is dark greyish-brown with two dark stripes originating from the corner of each eye, and the back of the head has a dark M-shaped marking. The backs of the ears are dark greyish without any white spot. The underside of the chin is white, and two faint brown stripes are on the cheeks. [10] In the years between 1874 and 2004, only 12 specimens were measured. Their head-to-body length varied from 49.5–67 cm (19.5–26.4 in) with 30–40.3 cm (11.8–15.9 in) long tails. [11] They were estimated to have an adult weight of 3–4 kg (6.6–8.8 lb), but too few living specimens have been obtained to allow a more reliable estimate. [6]

Distribution and habitat

In the 19th century, only seven bay cat skins surfaced, and the first live female caught in 1992 on the Sarawak–Indonesian border was brought to the Sarawak Museum on the verge of death. [6] In the mid-1990s, the most reliable sightings have been reported in Gunung Palung National Park and the upper Kapuas River in West Kalimantan. Two concentrations were reported in the island's interior at the time, in habitat types varying from swamp forests, lowland dipterocarp forest to hill forests up to at least 500 m (1,600 ft). [12] One unconfirmed sighting occurred at 1,800 m (5,900 ft) on Mount Kinabalu. [13] It inhabits dense tropical forests, and has been observed in rocky limestone outcrops and in logged forest, and close to the coast. At least three specimens were found near rivers, but this was probably due to collector convenience rather than evidence of habitat preference. In 2002, a bay cat was photographed in Sarawak's Gunung Mulu National Park. [14] From 2003 to 2005, 15 single bay cats were observed in Sarawak, Sabah and Kalimantan, but none in Brunei. Almost all the historical and recent records are from close proximity to water bodies such as rivers and mangroves, suggesting the bay cat may be closely associated with such habitats. [11]

In central Sarawak, only one individual was recorded in more than a year of camera trapping between August 2010 and November 2011 in an area that was regenerating from logging. [15] Most records of the bay cat obtained in Sarawak between 2003 and 2018 were located in lowland riverine and montane forests below 700 m (2,300 ft); its occurrence increased at a distance of 10 km (6.2 mi) away from roads. [16]

In Sabah, a camera trapping survey from July 2008 to January 2009 in the northwestern part of Deramakot Forest Reserve yielded one photo of a male bay cat in an area of about 112 km2 (43 sq mi) in a total survey effort of 1916 camera trap nights. This record expanded the known range of the bay cat to the north. [17] Between May and December 2011, it was also recorded in the Kalabakan Forest Reserve, a highly-disturbed commercial forest reserve that had been logged between 1978 and the early 2000s; natural forest remains in an area of 2,240 km2 (860 sq mi), and large terrain is covered by an oil palm plantation and access roads. The bay cat was photographed off-trail in seven of eight records, indicating that it tends to avoid logged areas. [18] A repeated survey in Kalabakan Forest Reserve in 2018 yielded records in just eight of 74 locations during more than 7,200 camera trap days. [19] One individual was recorded in Danum Valley Conservation Area. [20]

In Kalimantan, it was recorded in at elevations from 69 to 400 m (226 to 1,312 ft) in Kutai National Park, Wehea Protection Forest and Sungai Wain Protection Forest during surveys in 2012 and 2013. [21] In Central Kalimantan, a single bay cat was recorded in a mosaic of heath and peat swamp forest in the Rungan River catchment area during surveys between 2016 and 2018. [22]

Behavior and ecology

The bay cat's secretive and nocturnal behavior, and possibly the low population density, was thought to an important cause for the rarity of sightings. [12] Nothing is known about its feeding ecology and reproductive behavior. [10] [17] [23] Camera trapping surveys during 2003–2006 yielded only one photo of a bay cat in 5,034 trap nights. According to unconfirmed anecdotal records from Sarawak, a bay cat was observed on a branch 1 m (3 ft 3 in) from the ground close to the river during a night hunting expedition. A local animal collector near Lachau, Sarawak, claimed he accidentally trapped two bay cats on separate occasions in December 2003. He reported the bay cats entered his aviary and attacked his pheasants. One cat died in captivity, and the other was released. [11] Bay cats recorded in nine study areas in both protected and non-protected areas in Sarawak exhibited a foremost diurnal activity. [16]

Threats

Satellite photo of Borneo showing smoke from burning peat swamp forests Borneo fires and smoke, 2002.jpg
Satellite photo of Borneo showing smoke from burning peat swamp forests

The bay cat is forest-dependent and increasingly threatened by habitat destruction following deforestation in Borneo. Habitat loss due to commercial logging and conversion to oil palm plantations pose the greatest threat to the bay cat. Oil palm plantations are likely to expand in the future as a result of the push for biofuels. [1] Borneo has one of the world's highest deforestation rates. While in the mid-1980s, forests still covered nearly three-quarters of the island, by 2005 only 52% of Borneo was still forested. Both forests and land make way for human settlement. [24] Less than 6% of Indonesia's and Malaysia's land region is protected. [18]

Poaching for the illegal wildlife trade also poses a significant threat. Bay cats have been captured in the wild for the trade as pets and skins. [1]

Conservation

The bay cat is listed on CITES Appendix II. It is fully protected by national legislation across most of its range. Hunting and trade are prohibited in Kalimantan, Sabah, and Sarawak. The bay cat remains one of the least studied of the world's wild cats, hampering the development of conservation actions. [1] [21]

Related Research Articles

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The Asian golden cat is a medium-sized wild cat native to the northeastern Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia and China. It has been listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List since 2008, and is threatened by poaching and habitat destruction, since Southeast Asian forests are undergoing the world's fastest regional deforestation.

<i>Catopuma</i> Genus of carnivores

Catopuma is a genus of the Felidae containing two small cat species native to Southeast Asia, the Asian golden cat and the bay cat . Both have similar pelage, with solid reddish brown coloration on their backs and darker markings on the head. They also exhibit colour morphs ranging from various browns to gray to black. The Asian golden cat occurs from northeast India to Sumatra, and the bay cat lives only on Borneo. Both inhabit forested areas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rusty-spotted cat</span> Small wild cat species

The rusty-spotted cat is one of the cat family's smallest members, of which historical records are known only from India and Sri Lanka. In 2012, it was also recorded in the western Terai of Nepal. Since 2016, the global wild population is listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List as it is fragmented and affected by loss and destruction of its prime habitat, deciduous forests.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flat-headed cat</span> Small wild cat

The flat-headed cat is a small wild cat with short reddish-brown fur. Its head is elongated, and its ears are rounded. Its slender body is 41 to 50 cm long with a tail of 13 to 15 cm, and it weighs 1.5 to 2.5 kg.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marbled cat</span> Small wild cat

The marbled cat is a small wild cat native from the eastern Himalayas to Southeast Asia, where it inhabits forests up to an elevation of 2,500 m (8,200 ft). As it is present in a large range, it has been listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List since 2015.

<i>Pardofelis</i> Genus of carnivores

Pardofelis is a genus of the cat family Felidae. This genus is defined as including one species native to Southeast Asia: the marbled cat. Two other species, formerly classified to this genus, now belong to the genus Catopuma.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Otter civet</span> Species of carnivore

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bornean ferret badger</span> Species of carnivore

The Bornean ferret badger, also known as Everett's ferret badger or the Kinabalu ferret badger, is a small, nocturnal and omnivorous mammal that is endemic to the island of Borneo. It is a member of the family Mustelidae and is one of six species of the genus Melogale. It is listed as endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species due to its small distribution range, which includes Kinabalu National Park and Crocker Range National Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hose's palm civet</span> Species of carnivore

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Borneo elephant</span> Subspecies of elephant

The Borneo elephant, also called the Bornean elephant or the Borneo pygmy elephant, is a subspecies of Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) that inhabits northeastern Borneo, in Indonesia and Malaysia. Its origin remains the subject of debate. A definitive subspecific classification as Elephas maximus borneensis awaits a detailed range-wide morphometric and genetic study. Since 1986, the Asian elephant has been listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List as the population has declined by at least 50% over the last three generations, estimated to be 60–75 years. It is pre-eminently threatened by loss, degradation and fragmentation of habitat.

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References

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  11. 1 2 3 Mohd-Azlan, J. & Sanderson, J. (2007). "Geographic distribution and conservation status of the bay cat Catopuma badia, a Bornean endemic". Oryx. 41 (3): 394–397. doi: 10.1017/S0030605307000516 .
  12. 1 2 Meijaard, E. (1997). "The bay cat in Borneo". Cat News (27): 21–23.
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  20. ↑ Nakabayashi, M.; Kanamori, T.; Matsukawa, A.; Tangah, J.; Tuuga, A; Malim, P.T.; Bernard, H.; Ahmad, A.H.; Matsuda, I. & Hanya, G. (2021). "Temporal activity patterns suggesting niche partitioning of sympatric carnivores in Borneo, Malaysia". Scientific Reports. 11 (1): 19819. doi: 10.1038/s41598-021-99341-6 .
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  22. ↑ Jeffers, K. A.; Adul & Cheyne, S. M. (2019). "Small cat surveys: 10 years of data from Central Kalimantan, Indonesian Borneo". Journal of Threatened Taxa. 11 (4): 13478–13491. doi: 10.11609/jott.4466.11.4.13478-13491 .
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  24. ↑ Rautner, M.; Hardiono, M. & Alfred, R. J. (2005). Borneo: Treasure Island at Risk. Status of Forest, Wildlife, and related Threats on the Island of Borneo (PDF) (Report). Frankfurt am Main: WWF Germany.
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