The Prionailurus and Otocolobus cats are a group of small Asian wild cats that are closely related and belong to the Leopard Cat Lineage.

The typical physical characteristics (morphology) of these cats are as follows:

Body

• Small Size (similar to a domestic cat)
• Males and females similar in size
• Variable color coats with white underparts
  • Small dark spots that join into stripes on the neck and shoulders
  • Horizontal bars on legs
• Thick, medium length tails (up to half the body length)
• Partially webbed toes in some cats
  
• Non-retractable claws in some cats

Head

• Dark stripes on the face
• Round, small ears with a white spot on the back
• Large eyes

Differences

• Prionailurus: Slit pupils and full felid dental formula (30 teeth).
• Otocolobus: Round pupils and missing first pair of upper premolars (28 teeth).

All the cats also have the common felid characteristics such as sharp claws, canine teeth, short skull and special sensory organs (such as whiskers).

Cats in the Prionailurus and Otocolobus genera

As per the Felidae taxonomy revision in 2017 there are five cats (species) in the Prionailurus genus and one species in the Otocolobus genus:

Prionailurus viverrinus (Fishing Cat)

Prionailurus bengalensis (Mainland Leopard Cat)

Prionailurus javanensis (Sunda Leopard Cat)

Prionailurus planiceps (Flat-headed Cat)

Prionailurus rubiginosus (Rusty-spotted Cat)

Otocolobus manul (Pallas’s Cat)

As with all groups of animals not every member will follow the group characteristics strictly and there will always be exceptions.

The three cats of this group that stand out across all the 40 cats in the Felidae family are:

1. the Fishing Cat and its aquatic habits,

2. the Rusty-spotted Cat which is the smallest of all the wild cats worldwide and

3. the Pallas's Cat which is just simply very strange looking!

#1 of #6. Fishing Cat Characteristics

The Fishing Cat (Prionailurus viverrinus) has all the characteristics of the group except for size. This is the largest cat in the genus and can weigh up to 16kgs which is about four times a domestic cat. It is also one of the two species in this group that have webbed toes and non-retractable claws. These adaptations allow the cat to swim and to catch fish - its principal prey.

See if you can spot these characteristics in the pictures and look out for the webbed feet in the videos:

Body

• Small Size (similar to a domestic cat) - N
• Variable color coats with white underparts - Y
  • Small dark spots that join into stripes on the neck and shoulders - Y
  • Horizontal bars on legs - Y
• Thick, medium length tails (up to half the body length) - Y
• Partially webbed toes - Y
• Non-retractable claws - Y

Head

• Dark stripes on the face - Y
• Round, small ears with a white spot on the back - Y
• Large eyes - Y

#2&3 of #6. Leopard Cat Characteristics

The two Leopard Cats (Mainland - Prionailurus bengalensis and Sunda (Prionailurus javanensis) are very similar looking with just a slight difference in spots. The Mainland cats have larger blotches with lighter inner coloration and the Sunda cats have smaller solid spots, however this is very difficult to distinguish. The main ecological difference is in their distribution. The Leopard Cat lineage is named after these cats.

The Leopard Cats do not have webbed toes or non-retractable claws but do have the other characteristics common to the Leopard Cat lineage:

Body

• Small Size (similar to a domestic cat) - Y
• Variable color coats with white underparts - Y
  • Small dark spots that join into stripes on the neck and shoulders - Y
  • Horizontal bars on legs - Y
• Thick, medium length tails (up to half the body length) - Y
• Partially webbed toes - N
• Non-retractable claws - N

Head

• Dark stripes on the face - Y
• Round, small ears with a white spot on the back - Y
• Large eyes - Y

Unfortunately, as with many images on the internet, the location of a photograph is not always provided, so one can only guess with some images which ones are Mainland and which are Sunda Leopard Cat.

#4 of #6. Flat-headed Cat Characteristics

The Flat-headed Cat (Prionailurus planiceps) has most of the characteristics of the group except for spots and stripes on the coat, their coat is primarily plain and lightly speckled. It is the second species in this group that has webbed toes with non-retractable claws and it also has backward facing teeth. All these adaptations help the cat to catch its slippery aquatic prey.

See if you can spot these characteristics in the pictures:

Body

• Small Size (similar to a domestic cat) - Y
• Variable color coats with white underparts - Y
  • Small dark spots that join into stripes on the neck and shoulders - N
  • Horizontal bars on legs - N
• Thick, medium length tails (up to half the body length) - Y
• Partially webbed toes - Y
• Non-retractable claws - Y

Head

• Dark stripes on the face - Y
• Round, small ears with a white spot on the back - Y
• Large eyes - Y

#5 of #6. Rusty-spotted Cat Characteristics

The Rusty-spotted Cat (Prionailurus rubiginosus) has most of the characteristics of the group. This cat is well known in the wild cat family as the smallest species, at less than 2kgs. Distribution is a small area in parts of India, Sri-Lanka and Nepal and if you were to spot this cat in the wild, it would likely be in a tree.

See if you can spot these characteristics in the pictures:

Body

• Small Size (similar to a domestic cat) - Y
• Variable color coats with white underparts - Y
  • Small dark spots that join into stripes on the neck and shoulders - Y
  • Horizontal bars on legs - Y
• Thick, medium length tails (up to half the body length) - Y
• Partially webbed toes - N
• Non-retractable claws - N

Head

• Dark stripes on the face - Y
• Round, small ears with a white spot on the back - Y
• Large eyes - Y

#6 of #6. Pallas's Cat Characteristics

Although the Pallas's Cat (Otocolobus manul) is closely related to the Prionailurus cats it is in a separate genus and looks very different to them. In fact it looks very different to most other wild cats and is very easy to identify.

Besides its unusual looking face, it has a thick shaggy coat that enables it to survive the harsh climate and its short legs and low set ears help it to blend in with the sparse cover. These adaptations help these cats survive in the cold, arid montane grasslands of central Asia.

Although tricky to see in photos, the Pallas's Cat has round pupils that remain as circles when they contract, compared to most other small cats whose pupils contract to slits.

There are some great videos on YouTube of this cat, also known as a Manul.