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The jungle cat (''Felis chaus''), also called reed cat and swamp cat, is a medium-sized cat native to Asia from southern China in the east through Southeast and Central Asia to the Nile Valley in the west. It is listed as Least Concern in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species as it is widespread and common particularly in India. Population declines and range contraction are of concern, particularly in Egypt, in the Caucasus, and in southwestern, Central and Southeast Asia. Geographic variation in the jungle cat is quite considerable. Due to the small tuft on the ears it is also called the ''jungle lynx'', though it is not a member of the ''Lynx'' genus.〔Geptner, V. G., Sludskii, A. A. (1972). ''Mlekopitaiuščie Sovetskogo Soiuza.'' Vysšaia Škola, Moskva (in Russian); English translation: Heptner, V.G., Sludskii, A.A., Komarov, A., Komorov, N.; Hoffmann, R.S. (1992). (''Mammals of the Soviet Union. Vol III: Carnivores (Feloidea).'' ) Smithsonian Institution and the National Science Foundation, Washington DC. pp. 356–397.〕 == Characteristics == The jungle cat is the largest of the extant ''Felis'' species. It has a small tuft on the ears, a comparatively short tail, and a distinct spinal crest.〔 Because of its long legs, short tail and tuft on the ears, the jungle cat resembles a small lynx. The face is relatively slender. Fur colour varies with subspecies, yellowish-grey to reddish-brown or tawny-grey, and is ticked with black. Vertical bars are visible on the fur of kittens, which disappear in adult cats, although a few dark markings may be retained on the limbs or tail. The muzzle is white, and the underside is paler in colour than the rest of the body. Jungle cats can range from in length, plus a short tail, and stand about tall. Weight varies across their range from , with a median weight of around . Females are slightly smaller than males. True to Bergmann's Rule, the felid is largest at the northern limits of its range and becomes smaller-bodied closer to the tropics.〔Burnie, D. and Wilson, D. E. (2001). ''Animal: The Definitive Visual Guide to the World's Wildlife''. Dorling Kindersley, London. ISBN 0789477645〕 The skull is fairly broad in the region of the zygomatic arch, which leads to its appearance of having a rounder head than some other cats. The ears are quite long, and relatively broad at the base, pointed towards the end, and set quite high. Small tuft of long hairs occurs on ear tips in winter. These hairs form an indistinct tassel ranging from in length. The fur grows to about 4000 hairs/cm² on the back, and 1700 hairs/cm² on the abdomen, and generally becomes a shade of grayish-ochre in winter. The pawprints measure about 5×6 cm, and a typical pace is .〔 Jungle cats have equal-sized claws on both fore and hind legs, which allow climbing down trees as easily as up. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「jungle cat」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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