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Chinese Desert Cat Wikipedia

Taxobox_begin | color = pink| name = Chinese Desert Cat
<!--Taxobox_image | image = | caption =-->
Taxobox_begin_placement | color = pink
Taxobox_regnum_entry | taxon = Animalia
Taxobox_phylum_entry | taxon = Chordate|Chordata
Taxobox_classis_entry | taxon = Mammalia
Taxobox_ordo_entry | taxon = Carnivora
Taxobox_familia_entry | taxon = Felidae
Taxobox_genus_entry | taxon = Felis
Taxobox_species_entry | taxon = F. bieti
Taxobox_end_placement
Taxobox_section_binomial | color = pink | binomial_name = Felis bieti | author = Alphonse Milne-Edwards|Milne-Edwards | date = 1892
Taxobox_end
The Chinese Desert Cat (Felis bieti), also known as the Chinese Mountain Cat, is a small wild Felidae|cat of western China. It is the least known member of the genus Felis, the common cats. Except for the colour of its fur, this cat resembles a Wild Cat|European Wild Cat in its physical appearance. It is 80 cm long, plus 35 cm tail. The fur is sand-coloured; the underside is whitish, legs and tail bear black rings. In addition there are pallid vertical bars, which may be hardly visible.

This cat is distributed over the following regions of China: Tibetan Autonomous Region|Tibet, Qinghai, Gansu and Sichuan. It inhabits sparsely-wooded forests and shrublands, but despite its name it is seldom found in true deserts.

Chinese Desert Cats are active at night; they hunt for rodents, pikas and birds. This cat is protected in China, but it is still endangered due to the organised poisoning of pikas, their main prey; these poisonings either kill the cats unintentionally, or withdraw their food basis.

There are three subspecies, Felis b. bieti in the eastern parts, and Felis b. chutuchta and Felis b. vellerosa in the west. Some authorities regard chutuchta and vellerosa as subspecies of the Wild Cat.

Category:Felines
de:Graukatze
he:חתול מדבר סיני
pl:Kot tybetański

Last Modified:   2005-04-13