• Scientific Name : Prionailurus rubiginosus
  • IUCN Status : Near Threatened
  • The rusty-spotted cat has a short reddish grey fur over most of the body with rusty spots on the back and flanks.
  • Four blackish lines run over the eyes, and two of them extend over the neck.
  • The distribution of the rusty-spotted cat is relatively restricted.
  • It occurs mainly in moist and dry deciduous forests as well as scrub and grassland, but is likely absent in evergreen forest.
  • It prefers dense vegetation and rocky areas.
  • Very little is known about the ecology and behaviour of the rusty-spotted cat in the wild.
  • Captive ones are mostly nocturnal but also briefly active during the day.
  • Habitat loss and the spread of cultivation are serious problems for wildlife in both India and Sri Lanka.
  • Although there are several records of the rusty-spotted cat in cultivated and settled areas, it is not known to what degree these populations are able to persist in such areas