Marbled Cat (Pardofelis marmorata) - Bay Cat Lineage
The Marbled Cat: this species has never been fully studied. Very little is known of its ecology.
Copyright: Global Canopy Programme. Photo by: Jo Ross and Andrew Hearn. (with permission)

The beautifully marked Marbled Cat (Pardofelis marmorata) is another of the secretive cats of South East Asia, that are difficult to observe and little studied. The cat's appearance is similar to the Clouded Leopard, with blotched markings, large canines and a long tail, just smaller in size. As are many of the tropical cats, Marbled Cats are forest dependent and thus threatened by the rapid deforestation taking place across Asia. Basic research on this wild cat's biology and ecology is needed to help inform conservation planning.

Bay Cat Lineage

1. Asiatic Golden Cat (Catopuma temminckii)

2. Borneo Bay Cat (Catopuma badia)

3. Marbled Cat (Pardofelis marmorata)

Key Facts about Marbled Cats

~ Very long, bushy tail ~

~ Blotched, 'marbled' coat pattern ~

~ Forest dependant ~

Marbled Cat (Pardofelis marmorata) Classification

The Marbled Cat belongs to the genus Pardofelis and the full taxonomy, scientific classification or higher classification of the Marbled 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: Pardofelis

Species: Pardofelis marmorata (Marbled Cat)

Subspecies:

P.m. marmorata

P.m. longicaudata

Male Marbled Cat (Pardofelis marmorata)

Marbled Cat (Pardofelis marmorata)

Marbled Cat (Pardofelis marmorata) Subspecies

Two subspecies of the Marbled Cat have been described in the past and the last Felidae taxonomic revision in 2017 concurs with this. However studies showed that the distributions differ to the previous range descriptions and therefore one of the subspecies was renamed:

  • Parodfelis marmorata marmorata - Borneo, Sumatra, Malay Peninsula south of the Isthmus of Kra and south Thailand
    • geyer pelage with large distinct blotches
  • Pardofelis marmorata longicaudata - Nepal to Assam, Bangladesh, south-east Asia north of the Isthmus of Kra
    • light to dark ochreous brown, fewer blotch-like markings
    • previously P.m. charltonii

Marbled Cat Conservation & Research

The global conservation status for the Marbled Cat is Near Threatened (NT) 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 Marbled Cat (Pardofelis marmorata)

Marbled Cat (Pardofelis marmorata) side profile

Marbled Cat Facts and Information

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