Marbled Cat (Pardofelis marmorata)

The Marbled Cat is one of the three wild cats in the Bay Cat family. The other two close relatives of this cat are the Asiatic Golden Cat and the Borneo Bay Cat. These small cats inhabit the forests of South East Asia and very little is known about them.

The beautifully marked Marbled Cat is secretive, semi-arboreal and very difficult to observe. The cat looks similar to the Clouded Leopard with blotched markings, large canines and a long tail, just much smaller in size. This cat probably has the longest tail, relative to its size, of all the cats and is also able to rotate its ankles in its hind feet to climb headfirst down a tree.

Similar to other tropical cats, Marbled Cats are forest dependent and thus threatened by the rapid deforestation taking place across Asia. Research on this wild cat's ecology and biology is needed to help inform conservation actions.

15 Observations of Marbled Cats on iNaturalist

There are currently only 15 sightings of Marbled Cats on iNaturalist, so this shows how difficult it is to observe this cat in the wild.

iNaturalist is a global platform for the public to upload images of wild creatures they have seen in nature. If you have any photos of natural biodiversity from your travels be sure to open an account and upload your images. Identification is verified by other members and the data can be used in future research. A great way to contribute to conservation and research!

Note there are images of dead animals in case you are a sensitive viewer.