Borneo Bay Cat (Catopuma badia) - Bay Cat Lineage
A captive Bay Cat in Sarawak 2005 by Jim Sanderson [CC BY-SA 3.0] via Wikimedia Commons

The rare Borneo Bay Cat (Catopuma badia) is endemic to Borneo where few sightings have been recorded, even during research studies focused on felids.

The Bay Cat appearance is similar to the Asiatic Golden Cat, with variable plain coat colors and facial markings, just smaller in size.

The species is also likely dependent on forest habitat and thus threatened primarily by increasing deforestation on the island. Other threats include poaching for the wildlife and pet market due to the cat's rarity.

Bay Cat Lineage

1. Asiatic Golden Cat (Catopuma temminckii)

2. Borneo Bay Cat (Catopuma badia)

3. Marbled Cat (Pardofelis marmorata)

Key Facts about Borneo Bay Cats

~ Very rare - only occurs on Borneo ~

~ Endangered status ~

~ Similar to Asiatic Golden Cat ~

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Borneo Bay Cat (Catopuma badia) Classification

The Borneo Bay Cat belongs to the genus Catopuma and the full taxonomy, scientific classification or higher classification of the Borneo Bay 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 badia (Borneo Bay Cat)

Subspecies: none

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
Borneo Bay Cat Classification Diagram
Click chart to download.
Permission to use for personal or educational use.
Credit: www.wildcatfamily.com.

Borneo Bay Cat (Catopuma badia) Subspecies

The Borneo Bay Cat has been described as a monotypic species (no subspecies) in the past and the last Felidae taxonomic revision in 2017 continues with this classification. At times this cat has been classified under the Pardofelis genus as Pardofelis badia.

Borneo Bay Cat Conservation

The global conservation status for the Borneo Bay Cat is Endangered (EN) and the population is 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 (USA) - Global small cat conservation

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


Past Projects:

 

Male Borneo Bay Cat (Pardofelis badia)

Borneo Bay Cat Facts and Information

The following websites have well researched and authoritative information on Borneo Bay Cats:

Borneo Bay Cat (Catopuma badia) Research

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

View more articles on Catopuma badia 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.