Top 10 Medium Sized Wild Cats Found in Indian Forest

The medium cat species are the world’s apex predators, with differences in length and color. Medium-sized cats are found all over the planet, and every species is unique, from the elusive snow leopards that stalk wild sheep in the mountains of Afghanistan to the big lions that face off against wildebeest in sub-Saharan Africa. Top 10 Medium-Sized Wild Cats Found in Indian Forest.

There are some of the top medium-sized cats which are ruled the Indian forests forests thousands of years. There are many strong contenders for the cat crown. However, ferocious felines stand head and shoulders above the rest.

Here are the Top 10 Medium Sized Wild Cats Found in the Indian Forest

Clouded Leopard

Clouded leopards are one of the top 10 medium-sized wild cats found in Indian forests. It belongs to the genus Neofelis within the subfamily Pantherinae of the Felidae cat family. They are smaller in stature than leopards and other big cats. Clouded leopards can develop as much as 3.4 feet long and weigh up to 55 pounds, according to the San Diego Zoo.

 It has huge dusky-gray blotches and irregular spots and stripes reminiscent of clouds. Its head-and-body length ranges from 68.6 to 108 cm (27.0 to 42.5 in) with a 61 to 91 cm (24 to 36 in) long tail. Elongated blotches continue down the spine and form a single median stripe at the loins. 

Two large blotches of darkish dusky-gray hair at the side of the shoulders are each emphasized posteriorly by a dark stripe, which passes on to the foreleg and breaks up into irregular spots. The clouded leopard occurs from the Himalayan foothills in Nepal, Bhutan, and India to Myanmar, southeastern Bangladesh, Thailand, Peninsular Malaysia, to the south of the Yangtze River in China.

However, their population is fragmented and declining because of human activity, such as deforestation and illegal hunting, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). They consume a variety of prey, such as slow loris and small deer. According to genetic research, clouded leopards are to be most closely related to the top medium-sized wild cats found in an Indian forest. 

Asian Golden Cat

The Asian golden cats are one of the top medium-sized wild cats found in Indian forests. It is from the family Felidae, a medium-sized wild cat local to the northeastern Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia and China. It is likewise regarded as a ‘Fire Cat’ because of the presence of spots and stripes on its body. 

It is a medium-sized cat with a head-to-body length of 66–105 cm with a 40–57 cm long tail and is 56 cm tall at the shoulder. In weight, it ranges from 9 to 16 kg, which is about two or three times that of a domestic cat 

This, sometimes, leads them to be misidentified as young leopards. During an observation held in Arunachal Pradesh on Golden cats, it was observed in digital cams that their coat might also additionally range in colors like cinnamon, golden, gray, and melanistic.

 Even though they weigh eight to fifteen kg, they may be capable of hunting down huge prey like sheep and goats. Needless to say, being very secretive, it’s miles a nocturnal forest dweller. These cats are purely carnivorous and opportunistic feeders. Golden cats are found in rocky regions as well as in forests, scrubs, and grasslands. Moreover, they are one of the top medium-sized wild cats found in Indian forests. 

Ocelot

The ocelot is one of the top medium-sized wild cats found in Indian forests. This medium-sized cat can weigh as much as 33 pounds and grows to be about 3 ½ ft long. It has a stunning, thick coat with darkish spots that make it appear like a miniature leopard. 

The ocelot has a wide variety that extends from the southwestern part of North America into South and Central America. An excellent swimmer, climber, and runner, the ocelot is a nearly perfect predator. As a nocturnal animal, Ocelots tend to be shy and hide away all through the day. 

Their excellent eyesight permits them to hunt and stalk prey in the dark, and they talk with different ocelots through quiet meows. They mostly hunt small animals on the ground but have also been known to attack monkeys, turtles, anteaters, or even undersized deer.

 The ocelot is listed as the Least Concern on the IUCN Red List and is threatened by habitat destruction, hunting, and traffic accidents. Overall it is one of the top medium-sized wild cats found in Indian forests. 

Pallas Cat

The Pallas cat is one of the top 10 medium-sized wild cats found in Indian forests. It is native to the mountains of Asia. Also known as the steppe cat or wild rock cat, it has been spotted in Iran, Pakistan, northern India, and China. Its head-and-frame length stages from 46 to 65 cm with a 21 to 31 cm long bushy tail. 

Its fur is greyer and denser, with fewer markings seen in winter than in the summer. The forehead and top of the head are light grays with small black spots. It has black zigzag lines on the cheeks jogging from the corner of the eyes to the jaw joints. 

Like the snow leopard, it has adapted to life at high altitudes and wintry weather. The Pallas cat, however, is much smaller than a leopard. This appropriate wild cat has a stocky build and thick, fluffy fur. 

Due to its huge variety and assumed large population, the Pallas’ cat has been listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List since of 2020. Some population units are threatened by poaching, prey base decline due to rodent control programs, and habitat fragmentation as a result of mining and infrastructure projects. Moreover, it is one of the best medium-sized wild cats found in the Indian forests. 

Fishing Cat

Fishing cats are one of the top medium-sized wild cats found in an Indian forest. It is the state animal of West Bengal and is likewise found in the mangrove forests of the Sundarbans, at the foothills of the Himalayas in the Terai region, along the Ganga and Brahmaputra river valleys, and in the Western Ghats.

 Its head-to-body length ranges from 57 to 78 cm, with a tail of 20 to 30 cm. They weigh from five to sixteen kg. It is a camouflaged gray-brown with distinctive black spots and stripes. Six to eight black traces run from the cat’s forehead to its neck, breaking up into shorter bars and spots on its shoulders. As the name suggests, they primarily hunt for fish. They are known to prey on frogs, crustaceans, snakes, and birds, too. 

These medium-sized cats are very aggressive. They inhabit wetlands, tidal creeks, marshy lands, and mangrove forests. Overall they are one of the top species of medium-sized wild cats found in an Indian forest. 

Marbled Cat

The marbled cat is one of the top medium-sized wild cats found in Indian forests. It is a small wild cat native from the eastern Himalayas to Southeast Asia, in which it inhabits forests up to an elevation of 2,500 m. The cats range from 45 to 62 cm in head-body length with a 35 to 55 cm long and thickly furred tail.  

Marbled Cat is also listed as a near-endangered species. With spherical ears and a very long tail, this cat is similar in size to a domestic Cat. Its color varies from brownish-gray to ochreous brown above and greyish below. 

The flanks and lower back are strikingly marked with large, irregular dark-edged blotches, while the legs and underparts are patterned with black spots. 

However, it is believed to be nocturnal and more arboreal in its habits. Its diet most likely includes birds, squirrels, rats, and possibly lizards and frogs. Overall they are medium-sized wild cats found in an Indian forest. 

Cougars

Cougar cats are one of the top medium-sized wild cats found in Indian forests. It is a large cat native to America. About the same size as a leopard, this solitary cat is located in a number of habitats, together with swamps, grasslands, and coniferous forests in the mountains. They are the top fourth largest cat species globally adults stand about 60 to 90 cm tall on the shoulders.

 They prefer massive mammals such as mule deer, white-tailed deer, elk, moose, mountain goats, and bighorn sheep. Cougars have also killed 27 people in the past hundred years, which averages out to much less than 3 people per year. Basically, if there’s enough cover and an abundance of prey, the cougar can adapt and thrive.  Overall, cougar cats are the top medium-sized wild cats found in Indian forests.

Snow Leopard

Snow leopards are one of the top medium-sized wild cats found in Indian forests. It, also called the ounce, is a felid in the genus Panthera native to the mountain ranges of Central and South Asia. They are the best elusive cats that live in the mountains of significant Asia, consisting of Afghanistan and China. They can weigh as much as one hundred twenty pounds.

 Its gentle coat, together with a dense insulating undercoat and a thick outercoat of hairs about 5 cm long, is faded greyish with dark rosettes and a darkish streak alongside the spine. The underparts, on which the fur is maybe 10 cm lengthy, are uniformly whitish. The snow leopard attains a top length of about 2.1 meters, consisting of a 0.9-meter- long tail.

 The snow leopard shows several variations in residing in a cold, mountainous environment. Its small rounded ears assist in minimizing heat loss. Snow leopards opt to hunt wild sheep, along with Bharal and other cliff-dwelling species. With their fierce nature, snow leopards are one of the top medium-sized wild cats found in an Indian forest.

Caracal

Caracas is one of the top medium-sized wild cats found in Indian forests.  These wild cats are found in the African regions and various other areas like India and Central Asia, and they may be of medium size. They have long legs with brief faces and ears that are tufted but lengthy in the period.

 And teeth are canine in look. Making them a contender on the list of different types of wild cats. It reaches 40–50 cm on the shoulder and weighs 8–19 kg. They have fur on their back that is a reddish tan color or sometimes sand color. 

They have white red color of marks on their body.. The caracal is bodily dimorphic; the females are more modest than the guys in most substantial boundaries. No wonder it is one of the known top medium-sized wild cats found in an Indian forest.

Eurasian Lynx

The eurasian lynx is one of the top medium-sized wild cats found in Indian forest . This animal is observed in the northern region of America, the east part of Europe, a mountain of the Himalayas, and the Tibet region. They are mainly found in woodlands however prefer to stay in high regions with a height of around 1800 feet. They are medium-length animals found in many parts of the world. 

It is the biggest of the 4 lynx species, ranging in frame length from 76–106 cm in males, 73–99 cm in females, and standing 55–75 cm on the shoulder. 

In winter, it is a lot thicker and fluctuates from silver-dark to grayish-brown. The Eurasian lynx occupies a hard kingdom giving a lot of safe houses and following open doors. Moreover, it is one of the top medium sized wild cats found in Indian forest. 

Conclusion

In the conclusion, these are some of the top medium wild cats in the Indian forest. They are some of the divine, powerful animals and are quite powerful despite their size with great body structures, which help them to survive and prey.