African Golden Cat

African Golden Cat
Scientific Classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Carnivora Family: Felidae Genus: Profelis Species: aurata
Binomial name
Profelis aurata

The African Golden Cat (Profelis aurata) is a medium-sized wild cat distributed over the rainforests of West and Central Africa. It is about 80 cm long, plus 30 cm tail.

The colour of the fur is very variable. Most Golden Cats are cinnamon or reddish brown, but there are also black or grey colour variants. The fur is spotted in one subspecies, but plain in the other (see below).

African Golden Cats are able to climb, but they primarily hunt on the ground. The prey includes rodents, birds and small monkeys. Due to its hidden living there is not much known about this cat.

Subspecies:

• Profelis aurata aurata, Central Africa; plain colour except for spots on the underside.
• Profelis aurata celidogaster, West Africa; spots on the rump and the head; these spots are not black (like the spots of a leopard), but just a little darker than the surrounding fur.

The African Golden Cat is similar to the Asiatic Golden Cat, but apparently not closely related.