Earth’s Tiniest Wildcat Is Captured on Camera for First Time – the Rusty-Spotted Cat of India

One of the world’s most secretive and tiny wildcat species has recently been photographed for the first time ever in its home of West Bengal, India.

Weighing in at a ferocious 2 to 3.5 pounds, and stretching 14 to 19 inches from whisker tip to tail tip, it’s the smallest species of wildcat in Asia. If more were known about it, it could be confirmed as the world’s smallest, but Africa’s black-footed cat may be smaller.

An environment and conservation NGO called HEAL (Human and Environment Alliance League) recorded an image of a rusty-spotted cat in the wilds of eastern India’s state of West Bengal during a camera trap survey.

Very little is known about the ecology and behavior of the rusty-spotted cat in the wild. Captive ones are mostly nocturnal but also briefly active during the day.

“Such a rare and sensitive lesser cat will only survive in a forest where it gets a favorable ecosystem,” said Anjan Guha, divisional forest officer of Purulia (a district in West Bengal). “The recent movement by tigers, presence of leopards, and now this lesser cat also show that the wild food chain is being maintained in the forests here.”

Reported first by the Times of India, Vasudha Mishra, a researcher at HEAL, said that the presence of the rusty-spotted cat means the state’s known wildcat species have increased from 8 to 9. There are 39 wildcat species in the genera Felis and Panthera found worldwide.

Camera trap surveys like the one carried out by HEAL are primary ways to estimate populations of animals in forest habitats. They can also ascertain an animal’s range, all of which goes to inform conservation strategies.

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Found in Nepal, Sri Lanka, and India, this cat is exclusively confined to the subcontinent of India, where it used to be widespread. Today, recorded sightings have been found in Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh, and now West Bengal, which share a particular ecoregion called the Chhotanagpur Plateau where leopards were recently recorded as well.

“Villagers residing in the forest fringes are already aware of the presence of the leopard and are being assisted with our livestock support projects to promote tolerance,” said Suvrajyoti Chatterjee, the secretary of HEAL.

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“Together such initiatives will continue to support the persistence of a rich cohort of mammals like sloth bears, pangolins, small Indian civets, golden jackals, jungle cats, hyenas, and wolves.”

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