Description (Physical attributes): The Marbled Cat is like a miniature version of the Clouded Leopard, weighing between 9-18 pounds and reaching lengths of 32-46 inches. It has thick, soft fur, which varies from brownish gray through yellow to reddish brown in color, and is covered in large blotches, which are paler in the center. There are black spots on its limbs and some black lines on the head and neck. The Marbled Cat has a short, more rounded head than other felines, with a wide forehead and large pupils. Like the Clouded Leopard, the Marbled Cat also has relatively enlarged upper canines. The tail is very long and bushy, and well adapted to its arboreal lifestyle.
Distribution (In India): In India, the range of marbled cat is fragmented and restricted to the Central Himalayan region of North Bengal and Sikkim and to North-Eastern Hill tracts, States of Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Assam, Nagaland, Mizoram and Tripura, within an elevational range of 1500-3000 m ASL although it is recorded from 3810 m ASL from neighbouring Bhutan (Dhendup, 2016).
Habitat (In India): The marbled cat is primarily associated with moist and mixed deciduous evergreen tropical forests (Rabinowitz & Walker 1991, Nowell & Jackson 1996) and may prefer hill forests (Duckworth et al. 2005, Holden 2001, Grassman et al. 2005, Morino 2009). A few sightings have been made in the secondary forest or cleared areas near forests, but this cat is likely to be forest-dependent (Nowell & Jackson 1996). A study also confirms the presence of this elusive cat species in the Neora Valley National Park in Kalimpong District of West Bengal, with photographic evidence from camera traps. It was recorded in a mixed bamboo forest as well as in a broadleaf forest with predominantly Pinus sp in the area.
Behavior: The Marbled cat is characterized as being very active, with a great capacity to climb and jump. Their front feet have webbed and flexible paws which feature heel pads that are twice as wide as their length. Their claws are retractable and are double-sheathed, so they are well suited for climbing. Marbled cats are comfortable on the ground as well. Their behavior and morphology indicate that these are semi-arboreal animals. Marbled cat is a predominantly diurnal, arboreal and extremely elusive species, although some reported it as nocturnal because of the activity pattern of the prey (Sunquist & Sunquist, 2017; Borries et al., 2014). Marbled cat is reported to be least encountered species in camera trap surveys. Nevertheless, it is also reported to be melanistic (Wibisono & McCarthy, 2010) and thereby leading to more confusion in field sightings.
Diet: Being primarily an arboreal dweller, its diet consists mainly of rats, birds, bats and squirrels, with the occasional reptiles, frogs and insects.6 Like most members of the Felidae family, marbled cats are solitary carnivores which are thought to feed primarily on rodents and birds; however, their diet also has been documented to include larger prey, such as juvenile primates, though no studies have yet established a concrete record of their diets. The marbled cat is not frequently recorded in the wildlife trade but its fur, meat and bones have high value and it is hunted in some areas.8 One skin preserved for ritualistic and decorative purposes was found in Pakke Kesang in the northeast of Pakke Tiger Reserve, Arunachal Pradesh.1 Not only the lack of knowledge, but also an increase in anthropogenic pressure viz. habitat encroachment and conversion of forest covers into other land use practices is leading to space crunch for the species (Hearn et al., 2016)
Species Recovery Plans: It is currently listed as Near Threatened (NT) in the IUCN Red List and in Appendix I of CITES. A study concluded that as such, detectability of the species may be challenging partly due to its tree-dwelling lifestyle, and setting arboreal camera traps may not mitigate this issue due to the dense canopy vegetation and lacking visibility of broadleaf forests.