Meet the Animal Park's Jungle Cat
Felis chaus
Aten
About Jungle Cats
NATIVE RANGE
Jungle cats live from Egypt through the Middle East and in India, Central Asia, and Southeast Asia.DIET
Jungle cats mainly eat small mammals, mostly rodents, but will eat waterfowl, hares, lizards, snakes, frogs, insects, and fish. When prey is scarce, they can be partially omnivorous, eating fruits, roots, and grasses.BEHAVIOR
They are solitary outside of breeding, and are active day and night, hunt when hungry but typically avoiding extreme heat, preferring dawn and dusk.FASCINATING FACTS
- Jungle cats may be up to around 2 1/2 feet long across head and body, stand up to around 15 inches tall, and weigh up to 35 pounds.
- They don’t actually live in a “jungle” habitat, but rather in wetlands—habitats with water and dense vegetative cover, especially reed swamps and marshes. They are proficient swimmers and will dive into the water to catch fish.
- Jungle cats were respected and revered in ancient Egypt, and have been found mummified in tombs.
