Home > Facts > Animal Facts > Bay cat Facts

Bay cat Facts

Bay cat Facts
Bay cat is one of the most mysterious and rarest species of wild cats in the world. This species lives only on the island of Borneo. It can be found in forests, mangroves, swamps and areas near the rivers. Bay cat can survive on the altitude of 5 900 feet. All scientific evidences about bay cats were based on the skulls and skins collected from the wild and on the less than 25 cats recorded by camera. Major threat for the survival of bay cats is habitat loss due to intense deforestation. Researchers estimate that there are roughly 2500 bay cats remaining in the wild. Bay cats are listed as endangered species.
Interesting Bay cat Facts:
All data, such as size, color and body shape of bay cats, originate from 15 animals that were recorded from 1874 to 2004.
Bay cat can reach 19.5 to 26 inches in length and 6.6 to 8.8 pounds of weight. It has 12 to 15.9 inches long tail.
Bay cat can be reddish brown or gray in color. Underside of the body is lighter in color. Dark M-shaped mark can be found on the back side of the head. Chin and bottom side of the tail (from a second half to the top) are white in color. Fur on the nape, throat and cheeks grows forwards instead of backwards.
Bay cat has rounded head with small ears that are located low on the head. It has elongated body and long tail that becomes narrower at the top.
Most probably, bay cat is nocturnal animal (active at night).
Little is known about diet of bay cat. Scientists believe that bay cat consumes small mammals and birds. Technique of hunt is unknown.
Bay cats occasionally attack domestic animals (poultry).
Certain bay cats were recorded on the trees. This suggests that bay cats are either agile climbers or arboreal animals (animals that live on the trees).
Bay cats are extremely rarely caught on the tape. After 5034 nights of recording, only one photo of bay cat was recorded.
Even though this species is discovered in 19th century, first bay cat was caught alive in 1992. It was sick and thin female that died soon after she was captured.
Nothing is known about reproductive behavior of bay cat.
Based on the genetic and morphological evidences, bay cat is closely related to Asian golden cat and marbled cat.
There is not a single specimen of bay cats in the zoos around the world.
Zoos around the world offer a prize of 10 000 dollars for each bay cat collected from the wild. This pose severe threat for the survival of remaining bay cats in the wild.
Life span of bay cat (both in the captivity and in the wild) is unknown.


Related Links:
Facts
Animal Facts
Animals Facts