Flat-headed Cat

From Encyclopedia Jr, free information reference for Kids

The Flat-headed Cat (Prionailurus planiceps, sometimes Felis planiceps or Ictailurus planiceps) is a small wild cat of Southeast Asia. It is 45 cm in length, plus 15 cm tail. The fur is dark brown; there are some blackish spots on the throat and the legs, but all in all the fur is unpatterned. The legs are rather short, the ears are short and round. The form of the head is absolutely untypical of a cat; it is flat and long-snouted. The Flat-headed Cat is one of only three cats which are not able to retract their claws (the others being the Cheetah and the Iriomote Cat).

The habitat of this cat is the ground of rainforests where it lives close to bodies of water. It is a nocturnal animal hunting for frogs, fish and crayfish. Although there is not much known about this cat, it appears to be as adapted to water as the Fishing Cat.

The Flat-headed Cat is extremely endangered. It was regarded as extinct in 1985, but was rediscovered in 1995. It is now known from a few locations on the Malay Peninsula and Sumatra.

[edit] References

• Cat Specialist Group (2002). Prionailurus planiceps. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 11 May 2006. Database entry includes justification for why this species is vulnerable

[edit] External links

• ARKive - images and movies of the flat-headed cat (Prionailurus planiceps)