View source for Jungle cat

{{short description|Medium-sized wild cat}}
{{Good article}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2019}}
{{Speciesbox
| name = Jungle cat
| status = LC
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| status_ref =<ref name=iucn>{{cite iucn |title=''Felis chaus'' |amends=2016 |author=Gray, T.N.E. |author2=Timmins, R.J. |author3=Jathana, D. |author4=Duckworth, J.W. |author5= Baral, H. |author6=Mukherjee, S. |name-list-style=amp |article-number=e.T8540A200639312 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-2.RLTS.T8540A200639312.en |date=2016 |access-date=24 January 2022}}</ref>
| status2 = CITES_A2 
| status2_system = CITES 
| status2_ref = <ref name=iucn/>
| image =FelisChausMunsiari1.jpg
| image_caption = Indian jungle cat
| genus = Felis
| species = chaus
| authority = [[Johann Christian Daniel von Schreber|Schreber]], 1777
| range_map = Distribution_of_Jungle_Cat.jpg
| range_map_caption = Distribution of the jungle cat in 2016<ref name=iucn/>
| range_map_alt = Map of the Eastern Hemisphere showing highlighted range covering portions of southern Asia
| synonyms = {{collapsible list
|''Felis catolynx'' <small>[[Peter Simon Pallas|Pallas]], 1811</small>
|''F. erythrotus'' <small>[[Brian Houghton Hodgson|Hodgson]], 1836</small>
|''F. rüppelii'' <small>[[Johann Friedrich von Brandt|von Brandt]], 1832</small>
|''F. jacquemontii'' <small>[[Isidore Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire|Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire]], 1844</small>
|''F. shawiana'' <small>[[William Thomas Blanford|Blanford]], 1876</small>
|''Lynx chrysomelanotis'' <small>([[Alfred Nehring|Nehring]], 1902)</small>
}}
| synonyms_ref=<ref name=MSW3/>
| subdivision_ranks = Subspecies
| subdivision =
*''Felis chaus affinis'' {{small|Gray, 1830}}
*''Felis chaus chaus'' {{small|Schreber, 1777}}
*''Felis chaus fulvidina'' {{small|Thomas, 1928}}
}}

The '''jungle cat''' ('''''Felis chaus'''''), also called '''reed cat''' and '''swamp cat''', is a medium-sized [[Felidae|cat]] native from the [[Eastern Mediterranean]] region and the [[Caucasus]] to parts of [[Central Asia|Central]], [[South Asia|South]] and [[Southeast Asia]]. It inhabits foremost [[wetland]]s like [[swamp]]s, [[littoral]] and [[Riparian zone|riparian]] areas with dense vegetation. It is listed as [[Least Concern]] on the [[IUCN Red List]], and is mainly threatened by destruction of wetlands, trapping and poisoning.

The jungle cat has a uniformly sandy, reddish-brown or grey fur without spots; [[melanism|melanistic]] and [[albinism in biology|albino]] individuals are also known. It is solitary in nature, except during the mating season and mother–kitten families.

Adults maintain [[Territory (animal)|territories]] by [[urine spraying]] and [[scent marking]]. Its preferred prey is small [[mammal]]s and birds. It hunts by stalking its prey, followed by a sprint or a leap; the ears help in pinpointing the location of prey. Both sexes become [[sexually mature]] by the time they are one year old; females enter [[oestrus]] from January to March. Mating behaviour is similar to that in the domestic cat: the male pursues the female in oestrus, seizes her by the nape of her neck and mounts her. [[Gestation]] lasts nearly two months. Births take place between December and June, though this might vary geographically. Kittens begin to catch their own prey at around six months and leave the mother after eight or nine months.

The species was first [[scientific description|described]] by [[Johann Anton Güldenstädt]] in 1776 based on a specimen caught in a Caucasian wetland. [[Johann Christian Daniel von Schreber]] gave the jungle cat its present [[Taxonomy (biology)|binomial name]] and is therefore generally considered as [[Binomial nomenclature#Authority|binomial authority]]. Three [[subspecies]] are recognised at present.

==Taxonomy and phylogeny==
===Taxonomic history===
{{multiple image  |align=right |direction=vertical |image1=ChausCaudatusWolfSmit.jpg |caption1=Illustration of the jungle cat by [[Joseph Smit]], 1874 |image2=The_Jungle_Cat_(Felis_chaus)...223.jpg |caption2=Illustration by Joseph Smit, 1892}}
The [[Baltic Germans|Baltic-German]] naturalist [[Johann Anton Güldenstädt]] was the first scientist who caught a jungle cat near the [[Terek River]] at the southern frontier of the Russian empire, a region that he explored in 1768–1775 on behalf of [[Catherine II of Russia]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Güldenstädt |first1=J. A. |author-link=Johann Anton Güldenstädt |title=Reisen durch Russland und im Caucasischen Gebürge |year=1787 |publisher=Kayserliche Akademie der Wissenschaften |location=St. Petersburg, Russia |language=de |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xAcPAAAAQAAJ}}</ref> He described this specimen in 1776 under the name "Chaus".<ref name=Güldenstädt>{{cite journal |last1=Güldenstädt |first1=J. A. |title=Chaus – Animal feli adfine descriptum |journal=Novi Commentarii Academiae Scientiarum Imperialis Petropolitanae |year=1776 |volume=20 |pages=483–500 |url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/38593#page/569/mode/1up|language=la}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Sanderson |first1=J.|title=A Matter of Very Little Moment? The mystery of who first described the jungle cat |journal=Feline Conservation Federation |year=2009 |volume=53 |issue=1 |pages=12–18}}</ref>

In 1778, [[Johann Christian Daniel von Schreber]] used ''chaus'' as the species name and is therefore considered the [[Binomial nomenclature#Authority|binomial authority]].<ref name=MSW3/><ref>{{cite book |author=Schreber, J. C. D. |year=1778 |chapter=Der Kirmyschak |chapter-url=https://archive.org/stream/SaYugthiereAbbiIIISchr#page/414/mode/2up |pages=414–416 |title=Die Säugethiere in Abbildungen nach der Natur, mit Beschreibungen |location=Erlangen |publisher=Wolfgang Walther}}</ref> [[Paul Matschie]] in 1912 and [[Joel Asaph Allen]] in 1920 challenged the validity of Güldenstädt's nomenclature, arguing that the name ''Felis auriculis apice nigro barbatis'' was not a [[binomen]] and therefore improper, and that "chaus" was used as a common name rather than as part of the scientific name.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Allen|first1=J. A.|author-link=Joel Asaph Allen|title=Note on Güldenstädt's names of certain species of Felidae|journal=[[Journal of Mammalogy]]|year=1920|volume=1|issue=2|pages=90–91|url=https://archive.org/stream/jstor-1373749/1373749_djvu.txt|doi=10.1093/jmammal/1.2.90}}</ref>

In the 1820s, [[Eduard Rüppell]] collected a female jungle cat near [[Lake Manzala]] in the [[Nile Delta]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Rüppell|first=E. |author-link=Eduard Rüppell |chapter=''Felis chaus'', der Kirmyschak |language=de |title=Atlas zu der Reise im nördlichen Afrika |pages=13–14|year=1826 |chapter-url=https://archive.org/stream/atlaszuderreisei00rupp#page/n39/mode/2up}}</ref> [[Thomas Hardwicke]]'s collection of illustrations of Indian wildlife comprises the first drawing of an Indian jungle cat, named the "allied cat" (''Felis affinis'') by [[John Edward Gray]] in 1830.<ref>{{cite book|last=Gray |first=J. E.|author-link=John Edward Gray|title=Illustrations of Indian Zoology chiefly selected from the collection of Major-General Hardwicke|volume=1|publisher=Treuttel, Wurtz, Treuttel, jun. and Richter|location=London, UK|year=1830|url=https://archive.org/stream/IllustrationsOfIndianZoology1/Hardwicke1#page/n18/mode/1up}}</ref> Two years later, [[Johann Friedrich von Brandt]] proposed a new species under the name ''Felis rüppelii'', recognising the distinctness of the Egyptian jungle cat.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Brandt|first=J. F. |author-link=Johann Friedrich von Brandt |title=De nova generis Felis specie, Felis Rüppelii nomine designanda hucusque vero cum Fele Chau confusa |language=la |journal=Bulletin de la Société Impériale des Naturalistes de Moscou |volume=4|pages=209–213|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rwIFAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA209|year=1832 }}</ref> The same year, a stuffed cat was presented at a meeting of the [[Asiatic Society of Bengal]] that had been caught in the jungles of [[Midnapore]] in [[West Bengal]], India. J. T. Pearson, who donated the specimen, proposed the name ''Felis kutas'', noting that it differed in colouration from ''Felis chaus''.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Pearson|first=J. T. |year=1832|url=https://archive.org/stream/journalofasiatic01asia#page/74/mode/2up|title=A stuffed specimen of a species of ''Felis'', native of the Midnapure jungles |journal=Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal|volume=1|page=75}}</ref> [[Isidore Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire]] described a jungle cat from the area of [[Dehra Dun]] in northern India in 1844 under the name ''Felis jacquemontii'' in memory of [[Victor Jacquemont]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Saint-Hilaire|first=I. G.|author-link=Isidore Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire|title=Voyage dans l'Inde, par Victor Jacquemont, pendant les années 1828 à 1832|trans-title=Travel in India, Victor Jacquemont, during the years 1828 to 1832 |language=fr|publisher=Firmin Didot Frères |location=Paris, France |year=1844 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IpAjAQAAMAAJ&pg=PT4}}</ref>

In 1836, [[Brian Houghton Hodgson]] proclaimed the red-eared cat commonly found in Nepal to be a lynx and therefore named it ''Lynchus erythrotus'';<ref>{{cite journal|last=Hodgson|first=B. H.|author-link=Brian Houghton Hodgson |year=1836|url=https://archive.org/stream/journalofasiatic05asia#page/232/mode/2up|title=Synoptical description of sundry new animals, enumerated in the Catalogue of Nepalese Mammals|journal=Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal|volume=5|pages=231–238}}</ref> [[Edward Frederick Kelaart]] described the first jungle cat skin from [[Sri Lanka]] in 1852 and stressed upon its close resemblance to Hodgson's red cat.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Kelaart|first=E. F.|author-link=Edward Frederick Kelaart |year=1852 |title=''Felis chaus'' |url=https://archive.org/stream/prodromusfaunze00layagoog#page/n100/mode/1up |journal=Prodromus Faunæ Zeylanicæ |page=48}}</ref> [[William Thomas Blanford]] pointed out the lynx-like appearance of cat skins and skulls from the plains around [[Yarkant County]] and [[Kashgar Prefecture|Kashgar]] when he described ''Felis shawiana'' in 1876.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Blanford |first=W. T. |author-link=William Thomas Blanford |year=1876 |url=https://archive.org/stream/journalofasiat4521876asia#page/49/mode/1up |title=Description of ''Felis shawiana'', a new Lyncine cat from eastern Turkestan|journal=The Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal|volume=45|issue=2 |pages=49–51}}</ref>

[[Nikolai Severtzov]] proposed the [[Generic name (biology)|generic name]] ''Catolynx'' in 1858,<ref>{{cite journal |last=Severtzov|first=N. |author-link=Nikolai Severtzov |url=https://archive.org/stream/revueetmagasinde10soci#page/386/mode/2up |title=Notice sur la classification multisériale des Carnivores, spécialement des Félidés, et les études de zoologie générale qui s'y rattachent|journal=Revue et Magasin de Zoologie Pure et Appliquée|year=1858|pages=385–396 |volume=2 |language=fr}}</ref> followed by [[Leopold Fitzinger]]'s suggestion to call it ''Chaus catolynx'' in 1869.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Fitzinger|first=L. |author-link=Leopold Fitzinger |year=1869 |url=https://archive.org/stream/sitzungsberich601869kais#page/186/mode/2up|title=Revision der zur natürlichen Familie der Katzen (Feles) gehörigen Formen |journal=Sitzungsberichte der Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Classe der Kaiserlichen Akademie der Wissenschaften |volume=60 |issue=1 |pages=173–262 |language=de}}</ref> In 1898, [[William Edward de Winton]] proposed to subordinate the specimens from the Caucasus, Persia and [[Turkestan]] to ''Felis chaus typica'', and regrouped the lighter built specimens from the Indian subcontinent to ''F. c. affinis''. He renamed the Egyptian jungle cat as ''F. c. nilotica'' because ''Felis rüppelii'' was already applied to a different cat. A skin collected near [[Jericho]] in 1864 led him to describe a new subspecies, ''F. c. furax'', as this skin was smaller than other Egyptian jungle cat skins.<ref>{{cite journal|last=de Winton|first=W. E. |author-link=William Edward de Winton |year=1898 |url=https://archive.org/stream/annalsmagazineof721898lond#page/290/mode/2up |title=''Felis chaus'' and its allies, with descriptions of new subspecies |journal=The Annals and Magazine of Natural History: Including Zoology, Botany, and Geology|series=2|volume=2|issue=10 |pages=291–294|doi=10.1080/00222939808678046}}</ref> A few years later, [[Alfred Nehring]] also described a jungle cat skin collected in the [[Palestine (region)|Palestine region]], which he named ''Lynx chrysomelanotis''.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Nehring |first=A. |year=1902|author-link=Alfred Nehring|title=Über einen neuen Sumpfluchs (''Lynx chrysomelanotis'') aus Palästina |journal=Schriften der Berlinischen Gesellschaft Naturforschender Freunde |volume=Jahrgang 6 |pages=124–128 |language=de}}</ref> [[Reginald Innes Pocock]] reviewed the nomenclature of felids in 1917 and classified the jungle cat group as part of the genus ''[[Felis]]''.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Pocock|first=R. I.|year=1917|author-link=Reginald Innes Pocock |url=https://archive.org/stream/annalsmagazineof8201917lond#page/332/mode/2up |title=Classification of existing Felidae |journal=The Annals and Magazine of Natural History: Including Zoology, Botany, and Geology |series=8th|volume=20|issue=119|pages=329–350 |doi=10.1080/00222931709487018}}</ref> Another subspecies, ''Felis chaus fulvidina'', was named by [[Oldfield Thomas]] in 1928.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Thomas |first1=O. |date=1928 |title=The Delacour Exploration of French Indo-China.— Mammals. III. Mammals collected during the Winter of 1927–28 |journal=Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London |volume=98 |issue=4 |pages=831–841 |doi=10.1111/j.1469-7998.1928.tb07170.x}}</ref>

During an expedition to [[Afghanistan]] in the 1880s, mammal skins were collected and later presented to the [[Indian Museum]]. One cat skin without a skull from the area of [[Maymana|Maimanah]] in the country's north was initially identified as of ''Felis caudata'', but in the absence of skins for comparison the author was not sure whether his identification was correct.<ref>{{cite journal |author=Scully, J. |year=1887 |url=https://archive.org/stream/annalsmagazineof5201887lond#page/378/mode/2up |title=On the mammals collected by Captain C. E. Yate, C.S.I., of the Afghan Boundary Commission |journal=The Annals and Magazine of Natural History: Including Zoology, Botany, and Geology |series=Fifth |volume=XX |pages=378–388}}</ref> In his revision of [[Asiatic wildcat]] skins collected in the [[Museum für Naturkunde|Zoological Museum of Berlin]], the German zoologist [[:de:Ludwig Zukowsky|Zukowsky]] reassessed the Maimanah cat skin, and because of its larger size and shorter tail than ''caudata'' skins proposed a new species with the scientific name ''Felis (Felis) maimanah''. Zukowsky assumed that the cat inhabits the region south of the [[Amu Darya]] River.<ref name=Zukowsky1914>{{cite journal |author=Zukowsky, L. |year=1914 |title=Drei neue Kleinkatzenrassen aus Westasien: ''Felis (Felis) maimanah spec. nov.'' |url=https://archive.org/stream/archivfurgeschic8012berl#page/n329/mode/2up |journal=Archiv für Naturgeschichte |volume=80 |issue=10 |page=139−142}}</ref> The Russian zoologist [[Sergej Ognew|Ognev]] acknowledged Zukowsky's assessment but also suggested that more material is needed for a definite [[taxonomic classification]] of this cat.<ref>{{cite book |author=Ognev, S. I. |year=1935 |title=Zveri SSSR i priležaščich stran |volume=((Tom III. Gosudarstvennoe izdatel'stvo biologičeskoj i medicinskoj literatury)) |place=Moskva i Leningrad. Page 144. |language=Russian |trans-title=Mammals of USSR and adjacent countries. Volume III}}</ref> In his posthumously published [[monograph]] about skins and skulls of the [[genus]] ''Felis'' in the collection of the [[Natural History Museum, London|Natural History Museum]], the British taxonomist Pocock referred neither to Zukowsky's appraisal nor to jungle cat skins from Afghanistan.<ref>{{cite book |author=Pocock, R. I. |year=1951 |url=https://archive.org/stream/catalogueofgenus00brit#page/124/mode/2up |title=Catalogue of the Genus Felis |publisher=The Trustees of the British Museum |place=London}}</ref> The British [[natural historian]] [[Sir John Ellerman, 2nd Baronet|Ellerman]] and zoologist [[Terence Morrison-Scott|Morrison-Scott]] tentatively subordinated the Maimanah cat skin as a subspecies of ''Felis chaus''.<ref name=ems66>{{cite book |author=Ellerman, J. R. |author2=Morrison-Scott, T. C. S. |year=1966 |chapter=''Felis chaus'' Güldenstädt, 1776 |chapter-url=https://archive.org/stream/checklistofindia00elle#page/306/mode/2up |title=Checklist of Palaearctic and Indian mammals 1758 to 1946 |edition=Second |publisher=British Museum of Natural History |location=London |pages=306–307}}</ref>

In 1969, the Russian biologist Heptner described a jungle cat from the lower course of the [[Vakhsh River]] in Central Asia and proposed the name ''Felis (Felis) chaus oxiana''.<ref name=Geptner1972>{{cite book |author=Geptner, V. G. |author2=Sludskij, A. A. |orig-date=1972 |year=1992 |title=Mlekopitajuščie Sovetskogo Soiuza. Moskva: Vysšaia Škola |trans-title=Mammals of the Soviet Union. Volume II, Part 2. Carnivora (Hyaenas and Cats) |publisher=Smithsonian Institution and the National Science Foundation |location=Washington DC |chapter=Jungle Cat |chapter-url=https://archive.org/stream/mammalsofsov221992gept#page/356/mode/2up |pages=356–398}}</ref>

In the 1930s, Pocock reviewed the jungle cat skins and skulls from [[British India]] and adjacent countries. Based mainly on differences in fur length and colour he subordinated the [[zoological specimen]]s from Turkestan to Balochistan to ''F. c. chaus'', the Himalayan ones to ''F. c. affinis'', the ones from [[Kutch District|Cutch]] to [[Bengal]] under ''F. c. kutas'', and the tawnier ones from Burma under ''F. c. fulvidina''. He newly described six larger skins from [[Sind]] as ''F. c. prateri'', and skins with shorter coats from Sri Lanka and southern India as ''F. c. kelaarti''.<ref name="Pocock1939">{{cite book |title=The Fauna of British India, including Ceylon and Burma. Mammalia. |volume=1 |author=Pocock, R. I. |year=1939 |publisher=Taylor and Francis |location=London |pages= 290–305 |url=https://archive.org/stream/PocockMammalia1/pocock1#page/n369/mode/2up}}</ref>

===Classification===
In 2005, the authors of [[Mammal Species of the World]] recognized 10 subspecies as [[Valid name (zoology)|valid taxa]].<ref name=MSW3/> Since 2017, the Cat Specialist Group considers only three subspecies as valid. Geographical variation of the jungle cat is not yet well understood and needs to be examined.<ref name=catsg>{{cite journal |author=Kitchener, A.C. |author2=Breitenmoser-Würsten, C. |author3=Eizirik, E. |author4=Gentry, A. |author5=Werdelin, L. |author6=Wilting, A. |author7=Yamaguchi, N. |author8=Abramov, A. V. |author9=Christiansen, P. |author10=Driscoll, C. |author11=Duckworth, J. W. |author12=Johnson, W. |author13=Luo, S.-J. |author14=Meijaard, E. |author15=O'Donoghue, P. |author16=Sanderson, J. |author17=Seymour, K. |author18=Bruford, M. |author19=Groves, C. |author20=Hoffmann, M. |author21=Nowell, K. |author22=Timmons, Z. |author23=Tobe, S. |name-list-style=amp |year=2017 |title=A revised taxonomy of the Felidae: The final report of the Cat Classification Task Force of the IUCN Cat Specialist Group |journal=Cat News |volume=Special Issue 11 |pages=11–13 |url=https://repository.si.edu/bitstream/handle/10088/32616/A_revised_Felidae_Taxonomy_CatNews.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y}}</ref>
The following table is based on the [[Taxonomy (biology)|classification]] of the species provided in ''Mammal Species of the World''. It also shows the [[Synonym (taxonomy)|synonyms]] used in the revision of the Cat Classification Task Force:

{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Subspecies !!Synonymous with !!Distribution
|- style="vertical-align: top;"
|style="white-space: nowrap;"|''Felis chaus chaus'' <small>Schreber, 1777</small>
|style="white-space: nowrap;"|
*''F. c. furax'' <small>de Winton, 1898</small>
*''F. c. nilotica'' <small>de Winton, 1898</small>
*''F. c. maimanah'' <small>Zukowsky, 1915</small>
*''F. c. oxiana'' <small>Heptner, 1969</small>
|Caucasus, [[Turkmenistan]], [[Iran]], [[Baluchistan]] and [[Yarkant County|Yarkand]], [[East Turkestan]], [[Palestine (region)|Palestine]], [[Israel]], southern [[Syria]], [[Iraq]], [[Egypt]];<ref name=ems1966>{{cite book |last1=Ellerman|first1=J.R.|author1-link=Sir John Ellerman, 2nd Baronet|last2=Morrison-Scott|first2=T.C.S.|author2-link=Terence Morrison-Scott|title=Checklist of Palaearctic and Indian Mammals 1758 to 1946 |year=1966 |publisher=British Museum of Natural History |location=London |chapter=''Felis chaus'' Güldenstädt 1776 |pages=306–307 |edition=2nd |chapter-url=https://archive.org/stream/checklistofindia00elle#page/306/mode/2up}}</ref> northern [[Afghanistan]] and south of the Amu Darya River;<ref>{{cite journal|last=Zukowsky|first= L. |year=1914 |title=Drei neue Kleinkatzenrassen aus Westasien |trans-title=Three new small breeds from east Asia |journal= Archiv für Naturgeschichte |volume=80 |issue=10 |pages=139–142 |language=de |url=https://archive.org/stream/archivfurgeschic8012berl#page/n329/mode/2up}}</ref> along the right tributaries of the Amu Darya River, in the lower courses of the [[Vakhsh River]] ranging eastwards to the [[Gissar Valley]] and slightly beyond [[Dushanbe]].<ref name=Geptner1972/>
|- style="vertical-align: top;"
|''Felis chaus affinis'' <small>[[John Edward Gray|Gray]], 1830</small>
|
*''F. c. kutas'' <small>Pearson, 1832</small>
*''F. c. kelaarti'' <small>Pocock, 1939</small>
*''F. c. prateri'' <small>Pocock, 1939</small>
*''F. c. valbalala'' <small>Deraniyagala, 1955</small>
|South Asia: [[Himalaya|Himalayan region]] ranging from [[Kashmir]] and [[Nepal]] to [[Sikkim]], [[Bengal]] westwards to [[Kutch District|Kutch]] and [[Yunnan]], southern India and [[Sri Lanka]]<ref name=ems1966/>
|- style="vertical-align: top;"
|''Felis chaus fulvidina'' <small>[[Oldfield Thomas|Thomas]], 1929</small>
|
|Southeast Asia: ranging from [[Myanmar]] and [[Thailand]] to [[Laos]], [[Cambodia]] and [[Vietnam]]<ref name=ems1966/>
|}

===Phylogeny ===
In 2006, the [[phylogenetic]] relationship of the jungle cat was described as follows:<ref name=Johnson2006>{{cite journal |last1=Johnson |first1=W.E. |last2=Eizirik |first2=E. |last3=Pecon-Slattery |first3=J. |last4=Murphy |first4=W.J. |last5=Antunes |first5=A. |last6=Teeling |first6=E. |last7=O'Brien |first7=S.J. |name-list-style=amp |year=2006 |doi=10.1126/science.1122277 |title=The Late Miocene radiation of modern Felidae: A genetic assessment |journal=[[Science (journal)|Science]] |volume=311 |pages=73–77 |pmid=16400146 |issue=5757 |bibcode=2006Sci...311...73J |s2cid=41672825 |url=https://zenodo.org/record/1230866}}</ref><ref name="werdelin">{{cite book |last1=Werdelin |first1=L. |last2=Yamaguchi |first2=N. |last3=Johnson |first3=W.E. |last4=O'Brien |first4=S.J. |name-list-style=amp |chapter=Phylogeny and evolution of cats (Felidae) |year=2010 |pages=59–82 |chapter-url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/266755142 |editor1-last=Macdonald |editor1-first=D.W. |editor2-last=Loveridge |editor2-first=A.J. |title=Biology and Conservation of Wild Felids |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=Oxford, UK |isbn=978-0-19-923445-5 |edition=Reprint}}</ref>

{{clade|style=font-size:90%;line-height:75%;
|label1=''[[Felinae]]''
|1={{clade
|label1=
|1={{clade
   |label1=''[[Acinonyx]]''
   |1=[[Cheetah]] (''Acinonyx jubatus'')
   |label2=''[[Puma (genus)|Puma]]''
   |2={{clade
      |1=[[Cougar]] (''P. concolor'')
      |2=[[Jaguarundi]] (''P. yagouaroundi'')
      }}
   }}
|2={{clade
   |label1=''[[Felis]]''
   |1={{clade
      |1='''Jungle cat''' (''F. chaus'')
      |2={{clade
         |1=[[Black-footed cat]] (''F. nigripes'')
         |2={{clade
            |1=[[Sand cat]] (''F. margarita'')
            |label2=[[wildcat]]s
            |2={{clade
               |1={{clade
                  |1=[[European wildcat]] (''F. silvestris silvestris'')
                  |2=[[Domestic cat]] (''F. catus'')
                  }}
               |2={{clade
                  |1=[[Chinese mountain cat]] (''F. bieti'')
                  |2=[[African wildcat]] (''F. silvestris lybica'')
                  }}
               }}
            }}
         }}
      }} 
   |2={{clade
      |label1=''[[Prionailurus]]''
      |1={{clade
         |1=[[Leopard cat]] (''P. bengalensis'')
         |2=[[Sunda leopard cat]] (''P. javanensis'') 
         |3=[[Flat-headed cat]] (''P. planiceps'') 
         |4=[[Fishing cat]] (''P. viverrinus'') 
         |5=[[Rusty-spotted cat]] (''P. rubiginosus'') 
         }}
      |label2=''Otocolobus''
      |2={{clade |1= [[Pallas's cat]] (''O. manul'') }}
      }}
   }}
}}
}}

The jungle cat is a member of the [[genus (biology)|genus]] ''[[Felis]]'' within the [[family (biology)|family]] [[Felidae]].<ref name=MSW3>{{MSW3 Wozencraft |id=14000032 |page=535}}</ref>

Results of an [[mtDNA]] analysis of 55&nbsp;jungle cats from various [[Biogeographic classification of India|biogeographic zones in India]] indicate a high [[genetic variation]] and a relatively low differentiation between populations. It appears that the central Indian ''F.&nbsp;c.&nbsp;kutas'' population separates the [[Thar Desert]] ''F.&nbsp;c.&nbsp;prateri'' populations from the rest and also the south Indian ''F.&nbsp;c.&nbsp;kelaarti'' populations from the north Indian ''F.&nbsp;c.&nbsp;affinis'' ones. The central Indian populations are genetically closer to the southern than to the northern populations.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Mukherjee |first1=S. |last2=Krishnan |first2=A. |last3=Tamma|first3=K. |last4=Home |first4=C. |last5=R. |first5=N. |last6=Joseph |first6=S. |last7=Das |first7=A. |last8=Ramakrishnan |first8=U. |last9=Murphy |first9=W.J. |title=Ecology driving genetic variation: A comparative phylogeography of jungle cat (''Felis chaus'') and leopard cat (''Prionailurus bengalensis'') in India |journal=[[PLOS ONE]] |year=2010 |volume=5 |issue=10 |article-number=e13724 |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0013724 |pmid=21060831 |pmc=2966403|bibcode=2010PLoSO...513724M |doi-access=free}}</ref>

== Characteristics ==
[[File:FelisChausMunsiari2.jpg|thumb|A close view of a jungle cat ''F. c. affinis'']]
The jungle cat is a medium-sized, long-legged cat, and the largest of the extant ''Felis'' species.<ref name=WCoW>{{cite book |last1=Sunquist |first1=M. |last2=Sunquist |first2=F. |name-list-style=amp |year=2002 |title=Wild Cats of the World |publisher=University of Chicago Press |location=Chicago |chapter=Jungle cat ''Felis chaus'' (Schreber, 1777) |pages=60–66 |isbn=978-0-226-77999-7 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IF8nDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA60}}</ref><ref name="Hunter">{{cite book |last1=Hunter |first1=L. |title=Wild Cats of the World |date=2015 |chapter=Jungle Cat ''Felis chaus'' (Schreber, 1777) |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |location=London, UK |isbn=978-1-4729-2285-4 |pages=38–41 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hzNBCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA38}}</ref> The head-and-body length is typically between {{cvt|59|and|76|cm}}. It stands nearly {{cvt|36|cm}} at shoulder and weighs {{cvt|2|–|16|kg}}.<ref name=Burnie>{{cite book |editor1-last=Burnie |editor1-first=D. |editor2-last=Wilson |editor2-first=D.E. |date=2001 |title=Animal |publisher=Dorling Kindersley |location=New York |isbn=978-0-7894-7764-4 |edition=First American}}</ref><ref name=Kingdon>{{cite book |editor1=Kingdon, J. |editor-link=Jonathan Kingdon |editor2=Hoffmann, M. |name-list-style=amp |title=Mammals of Africa |date=2013 |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |location=London |isbn=978-1-4081-8996-2 |volume=((V. Carnivores, Pangolins, Equids and Rhinoceroses)) |pages=197–199 |author=Glas, L. |chapter=''Felis chaus'' Swamp Cat (Jungle Cat) |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=B_07noCPc4kC&pg=RA4-PA198}}</ref> Its body size decreases from west to east; this was attributed to greater competition from small cats in the east.<ref name=Mukherjee/> Its body size shows a similar decrease from the northern latitudes toward the tropics. [[Sexually dimorphic]], females tend to be smaller and lighter than males. The face is long and narrow, with a white [[Snout|muzzle]]. The large, pointed ears, {{cvt|4.5|–|8|cm}} in length and reddish brown on the back, are set close together; a small tuft of black hairs, nearly {{cvt|15|mm}} long, emerges from the tip of both ears. The eyes have yellow [[Iris (eye)|irises]] and elliptical [[Pupil (eye)|pupils]]; white lines can be seen around the eye. Dark lines run from the corner of the eyes down the sides of the nose and a dark patch marks the nose.<ref name=Burnie/><ref name=Kingdon/><ref name=Smith>{{cite book |editor1-last=Smith |editor1-first=A.T. |editor2-last=Xie |editor2-first=Y. |author=Wozencraft, W.C. |title=A Guide to the Mammals of China |date=2010 |publisher=Princeton University Press |location=Princeton |isbn=978-1-4008-3411-2 |page=394 |chapter=Jungle cat ''Felis chaus'' (Schreber, 1777) |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ka-9f68nPT4C&pg=PA394}}</ref> The skull is fairly broad in the region of the [[zygomatic arch]]; hence the head of this cat appears relatively rounder.<ref name=Geptner1972/>

The [[Coat (animal)|coat]], sandy, reddish brown or grey, is uniformly coloured and lacks spots; [[Melanism|melanistic]] and [[Albinism in biology|albino]] individuals have been reported from the Indian subcontinent. White cats observed in the coastline tracts of the southern [[Western Ghats]] lacked the red eyes typical of true albinos. A 2014 study suggested that their colouration could be attributed to inbreeding.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Sanil |first1=R. |last2=Shameer|first2=T.T. |last3=Easa |first3=P.S. |title=Albinism in jungle cat and jackal along the coastline of the southern Western Ghats |journal=Cat News |issue=61|pages=23–25 |year=2014}}</ref> Kittens are striped and spotted, and adults may retain some of the markings. Dark-tipped hairs cover the body, giving the cat a speckled appearance. The belly is generally lighter than the rest of the body and the throat is pale. The fur is denser on the back compared to the underparts. Two [[Moulting|moults]] can be observed in a year; the coat is rougher and lighter in summer than in winter. The insides of the forelegs show four to five rings; faint markings may be seen on the outside. The black-tipped tail, {{cvt|21|to|36|cm}} long, is marked by two to three dark rings on the last third of the length.<ref name=Kingdon/><ref name=WCoW/> The pawprints measure about {{cvt|5|×|6|cm}}; the cat can cover {{cvt|29|to|32|cm}} in one step.<ref name=Geptner1972/> There is a distinct [[Spine (anatomy)|spinal crest]].<ref name=Smith/> Because of its long legs, short tail and tuft on the ears, the jungle cat resembles a small [[lynx]].<ref name=WCoW/> It is larger and more slender than the [[domestic cat]].<ref name=Sunquist2014>{{cite book |last1=Sunquist |first1=F. |last2=Sunquist |first2=M. |title=The Wild Cat Book: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about Cats |date=2014 |publisher=University of Chicago Press |location=Chicago, USA |isbn=978-0-226-78026-9 |pages=239–241 |url={{Google books|ZH6aBAAAQBAJ |plainurl=yes|page=239}}}}</ref>

==Distribution and habitat==
[[File:Jungle Cat on tree at Sundarban, West Bengal, India.jpg|thumb|A jungle cat in the Sundarbans, India]]
[[File:Jungle Cat near Thol Bird Sanctuary, Mehsana, Gujarat India.jpg|thumb|Female at side of road near Thol Bird Sanctuary, Gujarat, India]]
The jungle cat is found in the [[Middle East]], the Caucasus, the [[Indian subcontinent]], central and Southeast Asia, [[Sri Lanka]] and in southern [[China]].<ref name=iucn/><ref>{{cite book |last1=Blanford |first1=W.T. |author-link=William Thomas Blanford |title=The Fauna of British India, including Ceylon and Burma |year=1891 |publisher=Taylor & Francis |location=London |pages=86–88 |chapter=''Felis chaus'' |chapter-url=https://archive.org/stream/mammalia00blaniala#page/86/mode/2up}}</ref><ref name=Smith/>
A [[Generalist and specialist species|habitat generalist]], the jungle cat inhabits places with adequate water and dense vegetation, such as [[swamp]]s, [[wetland]]s, [[littoral]] and [[Riparian zone|riparian]] areas, grasslands and shrub. It is common in agricultural lands, such as fields of bean and sugarcane, across its range, and has often been sighted near human settlements. As reeds and tall grasses are typical of its habitat, it is known as "reed cat" or "swamp cat".<ref name=Nowell96/><ref name=Sunquist2014/> It can thrive even in areas of sparse vegetation, but does not adapt well to cold climates and is rare in areas where snowfall is common.<ref name=WCoW/> Historical records indicate that it occurs up to elevations of {{cvt|2310|m}} in the [[Himalayas]].<ref name=Pocock1939/> It shuns [[rainforest]]s and woodlands.<ref name="WCoW" /><ref name="Hunter" /><ref name="Sunquist2014" />

In [[Turkey]], it has been recorded in wetlands near [[Manavgat]], in the [[Akyatan Lagoon]] on the southern coast and near [[Lake Eğirdir]].<ref>{{cite journal |author=Avgan, B. |year=2009 |title=Sighting of a jungle cat and the threats of its habitat in Turkey |journal=Cat News |volume=50 |page=16}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |author=Ogurlu, I. |author2=Gundogdu, E. |author3=Yildirim, I. C. |name-list-style=amp |year=2010 |title=Population status of jungle cat (''Felis chaus'') in Egirdir lake, Turkey |journal=Journal of Environmental Biology |volume=31 |issue=31 |pages=179−183 |pmid=20648830}}</ref>
In the [[Palestinian territories]], it was recorded in the [[Nablus Governorate|Nablus]], [[Ramallah and al-Bireh Governorate|Ramallah]], [[Jericho Governorate|Jericho]] and [[Jerusalem Governorate]]s in the [[West Bank]] during surveys carried out between 2012 and 2016.<ref>{{cite journal |author=Albaba, I. |year=2016 |title=The terrestrial mammals of Palestine: A preliminary checklist |journal=International Journal of Fauna and Biological Studies |volume=3 |issue=4 |pages=28−35}}</ref>

In [[Iran]], it inhabits a variety of habitat types from plains and agriculture lands to mountains ranging from elevations of {{cvt|45|to|4178|m}} in at least 23 of 31 [[provinces of Iran]].<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Sanei, A. |author2=Mousavi, M. |author3=Rabiee, K. |author4=Khosravi, M. S. |author5=Julaee, L. |author6=Gudarzi, F. |author7=Jaafari, B. |author8=Chalani, M. |name-list-style=amp |year=2016 |title=Distribution, characteristics and conservation of the jungle cat in Iran |journal=Cat News |volume=Special Issue 10 |pages=51–55 |url=http://www.leopardspecialists.com/index.php/component/docman/doc_download/54-sanei-et-al-2016-distribution-and-conservation-of-jungle-cat-in-iran?Itemid=}}</ref>
In Pakistan, it was photographed in [[Haripur District|Haripur]], [[Dera Ismail Khan District|Dera Ismail Khan]], [[Sialkot District]]s and Langh Lake Wildlife Sanctuary.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Anjum, A. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Appel, A. |author3=Kabir, M. |year=2020 |title=First photographic record of Jungle Cat ''Felis chaus'' Schreber, 1777 (Mammalia: Carnivora: Felidae) in Haripur District, Pakistan |journal=Journal of Threatened Taxa |volume=12 |issue=2 |pages=15251–15255 |doi=10.11609/jott.5386.12.2.15251-15255 |doi-access=free}}</ref>

In India, it is the most common small wild cat.<ref name="Mukherjee">{{cite journal |last1=Mukherjee |name-list-style=amp |first1=S. |last2=Groves |first2=C.|author2-link=Colin Groves |title=Geographic variation in jungle cat (''Felis chaus'' Schreber, 1777) (Mammalia, Carnivora, Felidae) body size: is competition responsible?|journal=[[Biological Journal of the Linnean Society]] |year=2007 |volume=92 |issue=1 |pages=163–172 |doi-access=free |doi=10.1111/j.1095-8312.2007.00838.x}}</ref>
In Nepal, it was recorded in alpine habitat at elevations of {{cvt|3000-3300|m}} in [[Annapurna Conservation Area]] between 2014 and 2016.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Shrestha, B. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Subedi, N. |author3=Kandel,R. C. |year=2020 |title=Jungle Cat ''Felis chaus'' Schreber, 1777 (Mammalia: Carnivora: Felidae) at high elevations in Annapurna Conservation Area, Nepal |journal=Journal of Threatened Taxa |volume=12 |issue=2 |pages=15267–15271 |doi=10.11609/jott.5580.12.2.15267-15271 |doi-access=free}}</ref>

In Malaysia, it was recorded in a highly fragmented forest in the [[Selangor]] state in 2010.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Sanei|first1=A. |last2=Zakaria |first2=M. |name-list-style=amp |year=2010 |title=Possible first jungle cat record from Malaysia |journal=Cat News |volume=53 |pages=13–14}}</ref>

A few jungle cat [[Mummification in Ancient Egypt|mummies]] were found among the [[cats in ancient Egypt]].<ref name=Morrison-Scott1952>{{cite journal |title=The mummified cats of ancient Egypt |author=Morrison-Scott, T. C. S. |journal=Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London |year=1952 |volume=121 |issue=4 |pages=861–867 |url=https://www.gwern.net/docs/catnip/1952-morrisonscott.pdf|doi=10.1111/j.1096-3642.1952.tb00788.x}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Linseele |first1=V. |last2=Van Neer |first2=W.|last3=Hendrickx |first3=S. |name-list-style=amp |year=2008 |title=Early cat taming in Egypt |journal=Journal of Archaeological Science |volume=35 |issue=9 |pages=2672–2673 |doi=10.1016/j.jas.2008.04.009}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |author=Hanzak, J. |year=1977 |title=Egyptian Mummies of Animals in Czechoslovak Collections |journal=Zeitschrift für Ägyptische Sprache und Altertumskunde |volume=104 |issue=1 |pages=86–88 |doi=10.1524/zaes.1977.104.jg.86 |s2cid=192916062}}</ref>

==Ecology and behaviour==
[[File:Jungle cat moves warily (51568927948).jpg|thumb|Jungle cat in Rajasthan]]
[[File:Jungle_Cat_Felis_Chaus_Sundarbans_India_30.12.2014.jpg|thumb|Jungle cat in Sundarbans]]
The jungle cat is typically [[Diurnality|diurnal]] and hunts throughout the day. Its activity tends to decrease during the hot noon hours. It rests in burrows, grass thickets and scrubs. It often sunbathes on winter days. Jungle cats have been estimated to walk {{cvt|3|–|6|km}} at night, although this likely varies depending on the availability of prey. The behaviour of the jungle cat has not been extensively studied. It is solitary and associates with conspecifics only in the mating season. The only prominent interaction is the mother-kitten bond. [[Territory (animal)|Territories]] are maintained by [[urine spraying]] and [[scent marking]]; some males have been observed [[Bunting (animal behavior)|rubbing their cheeks]] on objects to mark them.<ref name=Kingdon/><ref name=WCoW/>

[[Leopard]]s, [[tiger]]s, [[bear]]s, [[crocodile]]s, [[dhole]]s, [[golden jackal]]s, [[fishing cat]]s, large [[Bird of prey|raptors]] and [[snake]]s are the main [[predator]]s of the jungle cat.<ref name=Geptner1972/><ref name=Kingdon/> The golden jackal in particular can be a major competitor to the jungle cat.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Majumder |first1=A. |last2=Sankar |first2=K. |last3=Qureshi |first3=Q. |last4=Basu |first4=S. |title=Food habits and temporal activity patterns of the golden jackal ''Canis aureus'' and the jungle cat ''Felis chaus'' in Pench Tiger Reserve, Madhya Pradesh |journal=Journal of Threatened Taxa |date=2011 |volume=3 |issue=11 |pages=2221–2225 |doi=10.11609/JoTT.o2713.2221-5 |doi-access=free}}</ref> When it encounters a threat, the jungle cat will vocalise before engaging in attack, producing sounds like small roars – a behavior uncommon for the other members of ''Felis''. The meow of the jungle cat is also somewhat lower than that of a typical domestic cat.<ref name=Geptner1972/><ref name=Kingdon/> The jungle cat can host [[parasite]]s such as ''[[Haemaphysalis]]'' ticks and ''[[Heterophyes]]'' trematode species.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Hoogstraal |first1=H. |last2=Trapido |first2=H. |title=''Haemaphysalis silvafelis'' sp. n., a parasite of the jungle cat in southern India (Ixodoidea, Ixodidae) |journal=The Journal of Parasitology |date=1963 |volume=49 |issue=2|pages=346–349 |jstor=3276012 |doi=10.2307/3276012|doi-access=free }}</ref>

===Diet and hunting===
[[File:FelisChausMunsiari3.jpg|thumb|A jungle cat stalking prey]]
Primarily a carnivore, the jungle cat prefers small [[mammal]]s such as [[Gerbillinae|gerbils]], [[hare]]s and [[rodent]]s. It also hunts birds, fishes, frogs, insects and small snakes. Its prey typically weighs less than {{cvt|1|kg}}, but occasionally includes mammals as large as young [[gazelle]]s.<ref name=Kingdon/><ref name=WCoW/> The jungle cat is unusual in that it is partially omnivorous: it eats [[fruit]]s, especially in winter. In a study carried out in [[Sariska Tiger Reserve]], rodents were found to comprise as much as 95% of its diet.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Mukherjee|first1=S. |last2=Goyal|first2=S.P. |last3=Johnsingh|first3=A.J.T. |last4=Pitman |first4=M.R.P.L. |title=The importance of rodents in the diet of jungle cat (''Felis chaus''), caracal (''Caracal caracal'') and golden jackal (''Canis aureus'') in Sariska Tiger Reserve, Rajasthan, India |journal=[[Journal of Zoology]]|date=2004 |volume=262|issue=4|pages=405–411 |doi=10.1017/S0952836903004783 |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/231743678}}</ref>

The jungle cat hunts by stalking its prey, followed by a sprint or a leap; the sharp ears help in pinpointing the location of prey. It uses different techniques to secure prey. The cat has been observed searching for [[muskrat]]s in their holes. Like the [[caracal]], the jungle cat can perform one or two high leaps into the air to grab birds.<ref name="WCoW" /> It is an efficient climber as well.<ref name="Geptner1972" /> The jungle cat has been clocked at {{cvt|32|km/h|mph}}.<ref name=Hunter/><ref name=WCoW/> It is an efficient swimmer, and can swim up to {{cvt|1.5|km}} in water and plunge into water to catch fish.<ref name=africa>{{cite book |last1=Hinde |first1=G. |last2=Hunter |first2=L. |title=Cats of Africa: Behaviour, Ecology, and Conservation|isbn=978-1-77007-063-9 |publisher=Struik Publishers |location=Cape Town, South Africa |page=76 |year=2005}}</ref>

===Reproduction===
[[File:Jungle Kitten.jpg|thumb|A jungle cat kitten]]
Both sexes become [[sexually mature]] by the time they are one year old. Females enter [[oestrus]] lasting for about five days, from January to March. In males, [[spermatogenesis]] occurs mainly in February and March. In southern [[Turkmenistan]], mating occurs from January to early February. The mating season is marked by noisy fights among males for [[Dominance (ethology)|dominance]]. Mating behaviour is similar to that in the domestic cat: the male pursues the female in oestrus, seizes her by the nape of her neck and mounts her. Vocalisations and [[Flehmen response|flehmen]] are prominent during courtship. After a successful copulation, the female gives out a loud cry and reacts with aversion towards her partner. The pair then separate.<ref name=Geptner1972/><ref name=Kingdon/>

[[Gestation]] lasts nearly two months. Births take place between December and June, though this might vary geographically. Before parturition, the mother prepares a den of grass in an abandoned animal burrow, hollow tree or reed bed.<ref name=WCoW/> Litters comprise one to five kittens, typically two to three kittens. Females can raise two litters in a year.<ref name=Geptner1972/><ref name=Kingdon/> Kittens weigh between {{cvt|43|and|55|g}} at birth, tending to be much smaller in the wild than in captivity. Initially blind and helpless, they open their eyes at 10 to 13 days of age and are fully weaned by around three months. Males usually do not participate in the raising of kittens; however, in captivity, males appear to be very protective of their offspring. Kittens begin to catch their own prey at around six months and leave the mother after eight or nine months.<ref name=Geptner1972/><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Schauenberg |first1=P. |title=La reproduction du Chat des marais ''Felis chaus'' (Güldenstädt, 1776) |journal=Mammalia |date=1979 |volume=43|issue=2 |pages=215–223 |doi=10.1515/mamm.1979.43.2.215 |s2cid=86844646 |trans-title=Reproduction of swamp cat ''Felis chaus'' (Güldenstädt, 1776) |language=fr}}</ref> The lifespan of the jungle cat in captivity is 15 to 20 years; this is possibly higher than that in the wild.<ref name=Kingdon/>

[[Generation time|Generation length]] of the jungle cat is 5.2 years.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Generation length for mammals |author=Pacifici, M. |author2=Santini, L. |author3=Di Marco, M. |author4=Baisero, D. |author5=Francucci, L. |author6=Grottolo Marasini, G. |author7=Visconti, P. |author8=Rondinini, C. |name-list-style=amp |journal=Nature Conservation |year=2013 |issue=5 |pages=87–94}}</ref>

==Threats==
[[File:20120219_Olmense_Zoo_(65).jpg|right|thumb|A jungle cat in the Olmense Zoo, [[Belgium]]]]
Major threats to the jungle cat include [[habitat loss]] such as the destruction of wetlands, [[dam]] construction, [[environmental pollution]], [[industrialisation]] and [[urbanisation]]. [[Poaching|Illegal hunting]] is a threat in Turkey and Iran. Its rarity in Southeast Asia is possibly due to high levels of hunting.<ref name=iucn/>
Since the 1960s, populations of the Caucasian jungle cat living along the [[Caspian Sea]] and in the [[Caucasus]] range states have been rapidly declining. Only small populations persist today. There has been no record in the [[Astrakhan Nature Reserve]] in the [[Volga Delta]] since the 1980s.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Prisazhnyuk |first1=B. E. |last2=Belousova |first2=A. E. |title=Красная Книга России: Кавкаэский Камышовый Кот ''Felis chaus'' (подвид chaus) |url=http://www.biodat.ru/db/rb/rb.php?src=1&vid=389|access-date=21 April 2016|language=ru |year=2007}}</ref> It is rare in the Middle East. In [[Jordan]], it is highly affected by the expansion of agricultural areas around the river beds of [[Yarmouk River|Yarmouk]] and [[Jordan River|Jordan]] rivers, where farmers hunted and poisoned jungle cats in retaliation for attacking poultry.<ref name="abu-baker+al">{{cite journal |author=Abu-Baker, M. |author2=Nassar, K.|author3=Rifai, L. |author4=Qarqaz, M. |author5=Al-Melhim, W. |author6=Amr, Z. |year=2003 |title=On the current status and distribution of the Jungle Cat, ''Felis chaus'', in Jordan (Mammalia: Carnivora) |journal=Zoology in the Middle East|volume=30 |pages=5–10 |url=http://www.kasparek-verlag.de/PDFs/BakerAmr.pdf |doi=10.1080/09397140.2003.10637982|s2cid=85402488}}</ref> It is also considered rare and threatened in [[Afghanistan]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Habibi |first1=K. |year=2003 |title=Mammals of Afghanistan |location=Coimbatore, India |publisher=Zoo Outreach Organisation |chapter=Jungle Cat ''Felis chaus'' |isbn=978-81-88722-06-8}}</ref> India exported jungle cat skins in large numbers, until this trade was banned in 1979; some illegal trade continues in the country, in Egypt and Afghanistan.<ref name=iucn/>

In the 1970s, Southeast Asian jungle cats still used to be the most common wild cats near villages in certain parts of northern [[Thailand]] and occurred in many protected areas of the country.<ref name=Lekagul88>Lekagul, B., McNeely, J.A. (1988). ''Mammals of Thailand''. 2nd ed. Saha Karn Bhaet, Bangkok.</ref> However, since the early 1990s, jungle cats are rarely encountered and have suffered drastic declines due to hunting and habitat destruction. Today, their official status in the country is [[critically endangered]].<ref>Lynam, A.J., Round, P., Brockelman, W.Y. (2006). [http://www.wcsthailand.org/main/dpky ''Status of birds and large mammals of the Dong Phayayen-Khao Yai Forest Complex, Thailand'']. Biodiversity Research and Training Program and Wildlife Conservation Society, Bangkok, Thailand.</ref> In [[Cambodia]], [[Laos]] and [[Vietnam]], jungle cats have been subject to extensive hunting. Skins are occasionally recorded in border markets, and live individuals, possibly taken from [[Myanmar]] or Cambodia, occasionally turn up in the Khao Khieo and [[Chiang Mai]] zoos of Thailand.<ref name="Duckworth05">{{cite journal |last1=Duckworth |first1=J. W. |last2=Poole|first2=C. M.|last3=Tizard|first3=R. J.|last4=Walston|first4=J. L.|last5=Timmins|first5=R. J. |date=2005 |title=The Jungle Cat ''Felis chaus'' in Indochina: a threatened population of a widespread and adaptable species |journal=Biodiversity & Conservation |volume=14 |issue=5 |pages=1263–1280 |doi=10.1007/s10531-004-1653-4 |bibcode=2005BiCon..14.1263D |s2cid=43124074}}</ref>

== Conservation ==
The jungle cat is listed under [[CITES Appendix II]]. Hunting is prohibited in Bangladesh, China, India, Israel, Myanmar, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Thailand and Turkey. But it does not receive legal protection outside protected areas in [[Bhutan]], [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]], Laos, Lebanon, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Vietnam.<ref name=Nowell96>{{cite book |last1=Nowell |first1=K. |url=http://lynx.uio.no/lynx/catsgportal/cat-website/catfolk/chaus01.htm |title=Wild Cats: Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan |last2=Jackson |first2=P. |publisher=IUCN Species Survival Commission Cat Specialist Group |year=1996 |chapter=Jungle cat ''Felis chaus'' |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051224051132/http://lynx.uio.no/lynx/catsgportal/cat-website/catfolk/chaus01.htm |archive-date=24 December 2005 |url-status=bot: unknown}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*{{Commons category-inline|Felis chaus}}

{{Carnivora|Fe.}}
{{Taxonbar|from1=Q42623|from2=Q5442079|from3=Q5442078|from4=Q5442081}}

[[Category:Felis]]
[[Category:Mammals described in 1777]]
[[Category:Felids of Europe]]
[[Category:Mammals of Europe]]
[[Category:Mammals of the Middle East]]
[[Category:Mammals of Central Asia]]
[[Category:Mammals of West Asia]]
[[Category:Mammals of South Asia]]
[[Category:Mammals of Southeast Asia]]
[[Category:Taxa named by Johann Christian Daniel von Schreber]]