Scientific Name - Pardofelis Marmorata In size the marbled cat is similar to a domestic cat weighing between 8 and 15 pounds.  The marbled cat has a very distinctive coat, its base fur ranges from pale yellow through to a brownish grey, the under parts being a lighter variation with large mottled blotches on its back and sides.  The tail of the marbled cat is extremely long and bushy, often equalling the body length - this is a good indicator of the cat's arboreal activity.
		Interestingly enough despite the small size of the marbled cat it is closely related to the big cats of the Pantherinae group and is placed in a genus of its own - Pardofelis - within this sub-family. The range of the marbled cat extends from the North East of India down through South East Asia to Borneo and Sumatra - it most commonly inhabits forested regions, ranging from high mountain forest as found in Nepal to the dense lowland tropical forests of Borneo.  It is probable that the forest canopies provide the marbled cat with much of its prey source which includes birds, squirrels and reptiles, however there are reports that the cat hunts mainly on the ground in parts of its range. Again as with many cats of the forested regions of South East Asia the marbled cat is rarely sighted and as a result little studied.  The true population is unknown but due mostly to deforestation throughout much of its range the marbled cat is considered to be endangered.
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