by Shyamala Ratnayeke
Page 5 : Felids
The four members of the carnivore family Felidae in Sri Lanka differ greatly in size: males of the small rusty spotted cat average about 1.5 kg, while large male leopards may weigh up to 77 kg. Large male jungle cats may weigh up to 8 kg, and male fishing cats up to 12 kg. Females are roughly two-thirds the size of their male counterparts, except in the jungle cat where the male is only slightly bigger.
The jungle cat has the unusual appearance of a small jackal, and is possibly the least common of the four felids. It is usually found in association with scrub/grassland habitats of the low country dry zone. The fishing cat and rusty spotted cat are cosmopolitan species found in the wet and dry zone at all elevations, but are not common. Leopards are present in most protected areas of reasonable size, and mostly in the dry zone and forested regions of the hill country.
The felids all tend to be somewhat nocturnal and crepuscular. They are accomplished predators. Leopards feed on a range of vertebrate prey, in particular spotted deer and wild pig. Rusties and jungle cats kill and eat small vertebrates like mice, lizards, frogs, hare and birds, and rusties are known to take the occasional domestic chicken when the chance arises. Fishing cats, as their name implies, feed largely on fish, fresh-water mollusks and small vertebrates and, like rusties, may occasionally take domestic livestock.
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