Recognition of Coat Pattern Variation and Broken Tail Phenomenon in the Asiatic Golden Cat (Catopuma temminckii)
Abstract
:Simple Summary
Abstract
1. Introduction
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Study Area
2.2. Camera-Trap Survey Method
2.3. Camera-Trap Data Processing
2.3.1. Camera-Trap Data Identification
2.3.2. Determination of Coat Pattern Variation among Asian Golden Cats
3. Results
3.1. Camera Trap Results
3.2. Color Type Categories and Proportions
- (a)
- Cinnamon form: Distinguished by the entire body being cinnamon (Figure 2a).
- (b)
- Brown form: Distinguished by the fur color being darker than cinnamon. The entire body is brown (Figure 2b).
- (c)
- Common form: White or yellowish-white stripes present on each of the inner corners of the eyes, and back hair turns reddish-brown. Obvious markings on the sides and back are lacking. This form corresponds to the common name and to the trade name “sesame leopard” used in early fur acquisitions (Figure 2c). This color type was the most common type in the study area, as well as in China, and it is, therefore, often referred to as the “common color type”.
- (d)
- Ocelot form: Entire body is red with red cloud-like patches darker than the body color (Figure 2d).
- (e)
- Reddish-brown long hair: The overall coat is bright red, similar to that of Muntiacus vaginalis, with darker extremities. No visible spots on the body. This form corresponds to the common name or trade names “red gold cat” and “red tone leopard” in early fur acquisitions. Body hair is longer, and the coat is thicker than those in other color types (Figure 2e).
- (f)
- Brown short hair: Body color is lighter orange, and body hair is shorter than that of the reddish-brown type (Figure 2f).
- (g)
- Gray form: Entire body is lead-gray, lacking markings on the whole body except the head (Figure 2g).
- (h)
- Blackening form: This color form is regarded as a gradually darkening gray form, that never reaches black. The color is intermediate between the gray and black forms, with a mosaic of black tile-like patches on the limbs around the abdomen (Figure 2h).
- (i)
- Melanistic form: The overall coat color is jet black or dark gray-black, without obvious markings. This type corresponds to the common name or the trade names “black leopard” and “clouded leopard” in early fur acquisitions (Figure 2i).
- (j)
- Pure black form: The entire body is jet black and has none of the above-mentioned common characteristics (Figure 2j).
3.3. Broken Tail Phenomenon in the Asian Golden Cats
4. Discussion
5. Conclusions
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
References
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No. | Survey Areas | Number of Camera Stations | Elevation Range | Trap Nights | Number of Photographs | Number of Independent Captures of Asian Golden Cat | RAI * |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Bixiri | 11 | 2235–3479 m | 2794 | 12,294 | 34 | 1.22 |
2 | South bank of the Yarlung Zangbo River | 10 | 582–668 m | 1880 | 16,751 | 0 | 0.00 |
3 | Uma Mountain | 6 | 1751–3145 m | 1374 | 6942 | 0 | 0.00 |
4 | Raj Mountain | 8 | 1631–2086 m | 1968 | 8467 | 12 | 0.61 |
5 | DanGeZhuo | 3 | 954–1434 m | 630 | 684 | 2 | 0.32 |
6 | GeDang Ditch | 27 | 2160–2470 m | 3081 | 19,876 | 105 | 3.41 |
7 | MeiYuLunBa | 2 | 1751–2315 m | 294 | 5172 | 1 | 0.34 |
8 | XiGong River | 6 | 1124–1590 m | 1080 | 6532 | 3 | 0.28 |
9 | GeYang Ditch | 8 | 815–1294 m | 1360 | 6359 | 3 | 0.22 |
10 | DaMu | 15 | 2001–3160 m | 5850 | 8369 | 53 | 0.91 |
11 | SaSong River | 5 | 2023–2523 m | 1950 | 8264 | 16 | 0.82 |
12 | North of the Grand Canyon | 40 | 1880–2980 m | 14,600 | 20,456 | 55 | 0.38 |
13 | DeErGong | 120 | 1750–2890 m | 45,100 | 38,001 | 201 | 0.45 |
14 | Gongdui Mountain | 22 | 2105–2780 m | 8030 | 9080 | 135 | 1.68 |
Total | 283 | 582–3479 m | 89,991 | 167,247 | 620 |
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Wang, Y.; Li, D.; Dunzhu, P.; Liu, W.; Feng, L.; Jin, K. Recognition of Coat Pattern Variation and Broken Tail Phenomenon in the Asiatic Golden Cat (Catopuma temminckii). Animals 2022, 12, 1420. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12111420
Wang Y, Li D, Dunzhu P, Liu W, Feng L, Jin K. Recognition of Coat Pattern Variation and Broken Tail Phenomenon in the Asiatic Golden Cat (Catopuma temminckii). Animals. 2022; 12(11):1420. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12111420
Chicago/Turabian StyleWang, Yuan, Dajiang Li, Pubu Dunzhu, Wulin Liu, Limin Feng, and Kun Jin. 2022. "Recognition of Coat Pattern Variation and Broken Tail Phenomenon in the Asiatic Golden Cat (Catopuma temminckii)" Animals 12, no. 11: 1420. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12111420