Observation of the Week, 6/16/17

This Jungle Cat, seen in Sri Lanka by @markuslilje, is our Observation of the Week! 

A longtime guide for Rockjumper Birding Tours, Markus Lilje has been interested in nature since he was young and “had numerous opportunities to explore farms and a number of game reserves.” His travels have taken him all over the world, to Africa, Asia, North America and even Antarctica!

In 2013 Markus was in Sri Lanka’s Uda Walawe National Park and “just had a fantastic sighting of Asian Elephant and were looking for a place to turn around when we saw this very relaxed Jungle Cat that allowed good but brief views before quickly disappearing in the dense vegetation.”

A generally diurnal hunter, the Jungle cat stalks mainly small mammals, as well as birds, reptiles and amphibians, and like most cats stalks them before attacking. This species ranges from the Middle East through to southern China, preferring areas with dense vegetation and thick grass, meaning it’s often found in swamps and wetlands. It’s a member of the genus Felis, just like our domestic cats.

Markus has only recently joined iNaturalist and he’s posted many of his amazing photos from his years as a guide, contributing some fantastic new observations to iNat. “Hopefully some of these sightings can be used to extend our knowledge or help in some study,” he says. “It is definitely more likely to be useful on this site than on my hard drive! I think I will be more likely to look for other species than I have be focused on and look forward to a greater overall understanding!” 

- by Tony Iwane

- Markus has a great archive of photos on Flickr.

- A Jungle Cat takes down a snake.

Posted on 17 de junho de 2017, 06:12 AM by tiwane