Asiatic Golden Cat (Catopuma temminckii) - Bay Cat Lineage
Asian Golden cat By Karen Stout (originally posted to Flickr as Asian Golden cat) [CC BY-SA 2.0] via Wikimedia Commons

The medium sized Asiatic Golden Cat (Catopuma temminckii) occurs across a vast range in Asia yet density is poorly known and occurrence is likely patchy. The Asiatic Golden Cat, also called the Asian Golden Cat, is typically golden reddish (hence the name) but the species varies considerably in size, coat patterns and coloration across its range. As a forest dependent specialist, deforestation within the region is a major threat, and poaching appears to be increasing with reports of this cat being substituted for tiger pelt and bones.

Bay Cat Lineage

1. Asiatic Golden Cat (Catopuma temminckii)

2. Borneo Bay Cat (Catopuma badia)

3. Marbled Cat (Pardofelis marmorata)

Key Facts about Asiatic Golden Cats

~ Highly variable coat color ~

~  Forest habitat dependent ~

~ Striking facial markings ~

Asiatic Golden Cat (Catopuma temminckii) Classification

The Asiatic Golden Cat belongs to the genus Catopuma and the full taxonomy, scientific classification or higher classification of the Asiatic Golden Cat species is:

Kingdom: Animalia (animals)

Phylum: Chordata (vertebrates)

Class: Mammalia (mammals)

Order: Carnivora (carnivores)

Suborder: Feliformia (cat-like)

Family: Felidae (cats)

Subfamily: Felinae (small cats)

Genus: Catopuma

Species: Catopuma temminckii (Asiatic Golden Cat)

Subspecies:

C.t. temminckii

C.t. moormensis

Asiatic Golden Cat stickers, magnets and pins
Asiatic Golden Cat
Borneo Bay Cat stickers, magnets and pins
Borneo Bay Cat
Marbled Cat stickers, magnets and pins
Marbled Cat
Asiatic Golden Cat Classification Diagram
Click chart to download.
Permission to use for personal or educational use.
Credit: www.wildcatfamily.com.

Asiatic Golden Cat (Catopuma temminckii) Subspecies

Up to five subspecies of the Asiatic Golden Cat have been described in the past:

  • Catopuma temminckii temminckii
  • Catopuma temminckii dominicanorum
  • Catopuma temminckii tristis
  • Catopuma temminckii bainesi
  • Catopuma temminckii moormensis

However based on recent genetic studies the last Felidae taxonomic revision in 2017 proposed only two subspecies, with the other three being color variants of C.t. moormensis:

  • Catopuma temminckii temminckii - Sumatra and Malay Peninsula - smaller size, reddish coloration.
  • Catopuma temminckii moormensis - Nepal to north Burma, China, Tibet and south-east Asia - larger size, variable patterns and coloration.

Asiatic Golden Cat Conservation

The global conservation status for the Asiatic Golden Cat is Near Threatened (NT) and populations are declining.

At this time there appears to be no active projects focused on this species, however the following organizations are dedicated to research and conservation in the region and other small cats:

South East Asia Projects - Chester Zoo (UK)

Small Wild Cat Conservation Foundation SWCCF - Global small cat conservation

Please support these organizations with their important work if you can. No matter the size of your contribution, every bit helps!

 

Asiatic golden cat (Pardofelis temminckii)

Asiatic / Asian Golden Cat Facts and Information

The following websites have well researched and authoritative information on Asiatic Golden Cats, also known as Asian Golden Cats:

Asiatic Golden Cat (Catopuma temminckii) Research

Here is a list of papers published on Asiatic Golden Cats. Click on the title bar to view the abstract and the link to the article.

View more articles on Catopuma temminckii in the IUCN Cat Specialist Group database (scroll down once the library page is loaded to see the list).

Consider joining the Friends of the Cat Specialist Group to access the full articles and receive their journal Cat News covering the latest wild cat research.