#prionailurus planiceps

[tigerleopardlion]

Flat-headed Cat | Chien Lee

[sitting-on-me-bum]

A rare image of a Flat-headed Cat (Prionailurus planiceps) at night, Kinabatangan River, Sabah, Borneo, Malaysia.

Contributed by Danielle Garbouchian (Photo: Sebastian Kennerknecht/Panthera)

[mirtadraws]

Some of my favourites from Inktober 2023. I decided to draw 1 cat species per day, in a couple of different styles. You can find all of them under the Inktober tag!

[jasminetwil]

Day 29- Flat-headed cat The flat-headed cat (Prionailurus planiceps) is an endangered, small wild feline native to the Thailand, Peninsular Malaysia, Borneo and Sumatra. It is primarly found in habitats with freshwater, near coastal and lowland areas. This species feeds mostly on fish and individuals have been observed to wash their food, raccoon-style. They are pretty elusive creatures, and while many accounts report them to be a noctural species, a captive adult female was observed to be crepuscular. As with many other endangered animals, flat-headed cats are threatened by deforestation, excessive fishing, polution and the like. There are fewer than 2500 mature individuals left in the wild. 🖤🐱🐟

The photograph features the side profile of this cat, which showcases its signature flattened skull (photo credit: @joelsartore)

[bigcatkingdom]

Chat à tête plate (Prionailurus planiceps) by Maxime Thué Via Flickr:

[striped-civet]

by andyaj58 AJ 

[panthxra]

SPECIES SPOTLIGHT: flat-headed cat

📷 by  Maxime Thué

In my last spotlight on fishing cats (Prionailurus viverrinus), we learned that cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus) aren’t the only big cat with semi-retractable claws, and that fishing cats also have them! Well, meet the flat-headed cat (Prionailurus planiceps), another species in the felidae family with semi-retractable claws, that inhabits Southeast Asia.

The name “fishing cat” actually fits the flat-headed cat better than it fits the actual fishing cat species! This is because the fishing cat only has partial webbing between their toes, while the flat-headed cat is semi-aquatic and has much more webbing. Flat-headed cats also boast teeth that face BACKWARDS! Their special backward-facing teeth help to keep the slippery prey (fish, frogs, and even crustaceans) from slipping out of their mouths. These two features make flat-headed cats the true holders of the “fishing cat” name. This unique species has more distinct features such a flat, elongated head, small ears, short tail, and unusually short legs compared to the length of its body.

Alongside those notably unconventional characteristics, the flat-headed cat has also a brownish-rust colored head and stocky, brown body, but their weight only ranges from 3.3-6lb! Their coat color, along with their distinct adaptations that aid them with catching their special prey, allow them to live near riverbanks and in the marshy, swampy forests of the Malay Peninsula and Indonesian islands Borneo and Sumatra.

Not much is known about these incredibly tiny and elusive cats, but we do know that their habitat has been decreased as much as, or possibly more than, 50% of its original range due to human intervention. The flat-headed cat is fully protected throughout most of its range, so hunting, trapping, and trading are all prohibited in Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand. Even so, human-created pollution, especially water pollution, is a potentially large threat to these cats since the majority of their prey lives in or near water. Another effect of human intervention is deforestation to create palm oil plantations that have destroyed most of their habitat. However, it has been noted that flat-headed cats have been spotted on these plantations, meaning that they are potentially very adaptable and can survive even with plantations in their habitat, maybe even surviving on those plantations, preying on rodents. With that being said, little to nothing is known about the population size of this tiny felid, so, consequently, the flat-headed cat is listed as Endangered by the IUCN.

[tigerleopardlion]

Flat-headed Cat | Sabah Forestry Department