Iriomote Cat Prionailurus bengalensis iriomotensis

New Fact Sheet Coming Soon!

These rare cats were only described to science in 1965 by Japanese writer and naturalist Yukio Togawa. They are confined to the 292 square km island of Iriomote Shima, located about 200 km east of Taiwan.

The Iriomote cat's coat is a dark, dusky brown, marked with dark spots that tend to merge into bands. They are the size of a domestic cat, with a relatively long body, short legs and tail, and dark, rounded ears with white central spots on the backs. Dark stripes run along the neck. There are white areas around the eyes, and irises of yellowish gold to amber. The backs of the ears have a white spot.

These cats live in broad leaved, lowland sub-tropical rainforest, with dense mangroves along estuaries, and have also been seen along the sandy beaches of the island. During the winter months they move down from the more mountainous regions. They are known to eat a variety of prey including fruit bats, wild pig, small rodents, night herons, quail, pigeons, doves, crows and other birds, box turtles, skinks, frogs, crabs and beetles. Iriomote cats are active mainly at dusk and dawn and terrestrial, although they are also agile climbers and probably do some hunting in trees. They are known to swim well and catche fish, including mudskipper, on the shore.

For most of the year, Iriomote cats lead a solitary life, inhabiting territories of 2 - 3 square km. Males fight for access to females and both sexes howl and meow like domestic cats. Mating has been recorded from December to March, and September/October. One to four kittens are usually born in a rock crevice or hollow tree den after an approximate 63 day gestation period. Kittens have been observed on their own as early as three months of age, but this seems to be a very young age to be independent of the adult female. They probably reach sexual maturity between 10 and 12 months.

There have been a number of theories put forth as to the Iriomote cat's relationship with other wild cats, but the latest genetic testing has revealed they are a distinct subspecies of the wide ranging leopard cat Prionailurus bengalensis. 

Local natives have been aware of the Iriomote cat’s existence for a long time. People on the island have occasionally caught them in snares set to capture wild boars. They consider the cat’s meat a delicacy when they do snare it. The first scientific survey found that 63% of the islanders had seen these cats in the wild, and 12% had eaten them.

These cats face a variety of other threats, the most serious being competition and interbreeding with feral domestic cats. This dilutes the genetic integrity of the species, and threatens their existence. They are also losing ground to developments such as roads, dams, and airports that destroy their natural habitat. Some 1,500 people farm sugar cane, pineapples and rice on the island’s flat coastal plain, and they are always looking for room to expand.

Part of their habitat has now been declared a wildlife protection area, and Japan's Environment Agency has set up a feeding and monitoring program, with a view to increasing their numbers. The Iriomote Wildlife Centre is staffed by researchers and students from the universities, who use radio telemetry to track the cats. The island contains many signs advising motorists of the existence of the cats, and asking them to be careful in their driving. Approximately 10 cats per year are killed by autos. The population is estimated to number less than 100 individuals, but is thought to have remained stable since monitoring began in 1982.

Iriomote cats are endangered primarily because they are restricted to a single population. Iriomote island is promoted as a tourist location, with the cats being a major source of appeal. They have been fully protected since 1967, but new endangered species legislation does not cover habitat protection, and the government is now investigating ways to expand protected area coverage. These cats have been placed on Appendix II of CITES.