Leopard cat
Amazing fact
A leopard cat may attack aquatic prey when it encounters it.
University of Michigan Animal Diversity Web
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An illustration based on the real animal.
A little discovery to share.
A leopard cat may attack aquatic prey when it encounters it.
THE REAL WORLD
The real Leopard cat
- Scientific name
- Prionailurus bengalensis
- Japanese name
- ベンガルヤマネコ
- Group
- Land mammals
- Class
- Mammalia
- Order
- Carnivora
- Family
- Felidae
- Genus
- Prionailurus
This page covers the leopard cat, a species found widely across Asia. Its subspecies, the Amur leopard cat, lives in northeastern China, southeastern Siberia and the Korean Peninsula.
A wild cat found widely across Asia. It lives in many kinds of places, such as mountains, forests and plains, and is sometimes found near villages.
It is good at both climbing trees and jumping. It sometimes catches and eats birds in flight.
It eats mice and small birds, as well as frogs, snakes and insects. It is also a good swimmer.
How the Leopard cat lives
Although nocturnal, it is sometimes seen during the day. It is usually on the ground and roams alone while hunting. It marks its territory with droppings and urine.
University of Michigan Animal Diversity WebBasic data
- Size
- Head and body length: 45–80 cm
- Weight
- 3–7 kg
- Diet
- Mice, small birds, frogs, snakes, insects, and other animals
- Range
- Northeastern China, southeastern Siberia, and the Korean Peninsula
Where the Leopard cat has been recorded
Records: GBIF.org (CC0 and CC BY 4.0 records, retrieved 2026-11-07). Map: Natural EarthSee the records on GBIF
Watch wild animals from a distance. Do not touch or feed them, and take care of the places where they live.
Names around the world
- 日本語
- ベンガルヤマネコ
- 简体中文
- 豹猫
- 繁體中文
- 豹貓
- 한국어
- 삵
- Español
- Gato de Bengala
- Français
- Chat de Chine
- Deutsch
- Bengalkatze
- Português (Brasil)
- Gato-leopardo
- Italiano
- Gatto leopardo
- हिन्दी
- चीता बिल्ली
- العربية
- قط نمري
- Bahasa Indonesia
- Kucing kuwuk
- Tiếng Việt
- Mèo báo
- Русский
- Бенгальская кошка
- Türkçe
- Pars kedisi
- ไทย
- แมวดาว
- বাংলা
- চিতা বিড়াল
Names come from Wikidata and iNaturalist records. Where a language has no recorded name, we use the scientific name.
Sources and how we check
- 井の頭自然文化園 — ベンガルヤマネコ（アムールヤマネコ）Checked: 2026-11-03
- University of Michigan Animal Diversity Web — Prionailurus bengalensisChecked: 2026-11-03
We check each fact against its source. The illustrations simplify how the real animal looks.
The classification (class, order, family, genus) follows Wikidata records, checked against GBIF. Classifications can change as research goes on.
The basic data are the values given in each source. They vary with how the animal is measured, whether it is male or female, and whether it lives in the wild or in captivity.
This page was translated from the original Japanese with the help of AI.
Report a mistakeWhen you meet the Leopard cat, look for this
- Look for its round ears and short muzzle.
Animals do different things from day to day, so you may not always see this.
University of Michigan Animal Diversity WebEXHIBIT INFORMATION
Places that keep or show the Leopard cat
Zoos, aquariums and other places whose official websites say they keep or show this animal.
Kanto
Displays can change with the animals’ health and the seasons. Check each facility’s official website before you go.
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