Geographic Range
Equatorial Africa

Description and Behavior
The African golden cat is a medium-sized cat, with adult males weighing 24-31 lbs (11-14 kg). The only recorded weight of a wild female is 13.7 lbs (6.2 kg), but she was probably an immature cat. It can be either reddish-brown or greyish, and its coat can be spotted or plain. The white underbelly of the African golden cat is consistently marked with large black spots.  Although they are two separate species and live in different countries, the African golden cat and Asiatic golden cat have a similar external appearance. 


How can two cats look so much alike and live in completely different places? Scientists believe that millions of years ago a single moist forest existed from Africa to tropical Asia that was occupied by a single species of golden cat. Later, however, the climate became much drier and eventually the golden cats were separated geographically by vast deserts. Once they were separated for a long period of time they developed into separate species.

In 1969 experts examined 186 pelts from various locations in west and central Africa and found that 50% were red and 46% grey, with 4% being totally black. Cats from west Africa tended to be more spotted than those from east-central Africa, with the Zaire River forming an approximate boundary. And in the London Zoo, one African golden cat's fur changed entirely from rufous (reddish) to grey in four months.

The African golden cat has never been studied and little is known of its behavior. It is reported to be primarily nocturnal and to rest in trees during the day, however daytime activity has also been noted. It may hunt in trees to some extent, but probably catches most of its prey on the ground.

When scats of 60 golden cats from Zaire's Ituri Forest were examined, experts found that 51% contained rodents, mostly small species weighing less than 10.6 oz (300 g), and 20% ungulates. This was an important study, as anecdotal reports had concluded that golden cats prey mainly on small to mid-sized mammals, including tree hyraxes, large rodents, and smaller forest antelopes. Now smaller rodents are thought to be much more important.

Data suggests that scavenged eagle kills and injured primates may be an important component of golden cats' diets who live in rain forests. The stomach of one golden cat from Senegal contained the remains of a bird, and the remains of red duikers, monkeys, rodents, and birds were found in scats from Uganda's Bwindi National Park.  Many pangolin remains and fish have also been found. Although there have been reports of predation on domestic animals, including chickens, goats, and sheep, such predation appears to be rather rare.

Biology
Litter size: (Wild) According to the Mbuti Pygmies of north-eastern Zaire, one. Also, a golden cat was found nursing one kitten in a fallen, hollow log. No other information.

Habitat and Distribution
The primary habitat of the African golden cat is the moist forest zone of equatorial Africa, including mangrove and alpine bamboo forests. Golden cats can penetrate savannah grasslands along riverine forests, so they probably live in areas beyond the moist forest zone.

As an extreme example, records indicate golden cats were seen in Nioro du Sahel, Mali, in relatively dry savannah woodland, although this may have been an error. They apparently adapt well to logged areas because they favor the dense secondary undergrowth. Edge environments generally contain higher rodent densities, and may thus be preferred. However, primary forest with minimal human disturbance is the golden cat's fundamental habitat--it is well-known in northern Congo (among the most sparsely populated regions in tropical Africa), but not in the south, where the forests are semi-deciduous and partially logged. Similarly, they are common in the Ivory Coast's Tai National Park (rain forest), but very rare in Comoe National Park (savannah woodland). The golden cat has been recorded at elevations up to 11,811 ft (3,600 m) in Uganda, and in Kenya's Aberdare Mountains.

Population Status
Global: Category 2. Regional: Category 1. IUCN: Insufficiently Known. While the species lives in moist forest habitats and is thus naturally rare, it is difficult to evaluate its conservation status due to lack of information on its biology and ecology. The moist forests of west Africa have been heavily degraded and are patchily distributed, while those of the Zaire basin in Zaire, Congo, and Gabon are relatively pristine and large tracts of primary forest remain. However, a large portion of the latter is inland swamp forest, and no golden cats have been recorded in this type of habitat.

Small pieces of golden cat skin have totemic value "for wrapping things up in." Because of taboos, people may be reluctant to discuss the animal directly. In parts of Cameroon the golden cat plays a significant role in religious beliefs of the pygmy tribesmen. The tail, for example, is used as a talisman to protect them while hunting elephants.

Protection Status
CITES Appendix II. National legislation: Fully protected over only part of its range. Hunting prohibited: Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Congo, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Liberia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Zaire. Hunting regulated: Gabon, Liberia, Togo. No domestic trade controls: Congo, Sierra Leone. No legal protection: Cameroon, Central African Republic, Gambia, Guinea Bissau, Senegal, Tanzania, Uganda. No information: Burundi, Guinea.

Principal Threats
Savannization in west Africa has probably led to population declines and fragmentation, unless there is migration along the riverbanks of forests to other areas. The bush meat trade, which is very important to the region's economy, may lead to local depletion of small antelope prey. There appears to be little hunting of golden cats.
 
 

HOME BACK
This page was designed
by Kisser

Site Design and Content © 2001 by
Christina L. Remien/Kisser
All rights reserved.