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Tiger cat - DASYURUS MACULATUS
Endangered
Class: Animals with Milk Glands (Mammalia)
The Name "Tiger Cat": The "Tiger Cat" is not a cat at all, and definitely not a tiger. It is a marsupial carnivore which is approximately cat-sized.
Location: Eastern and southeastern Australia and common in Tasmania.
Habitat: Arboreal, preferring rain and eucalypt forests.
Description: The tiger cat is a muscular, reddish-brown marsupial with white spots which looks like, and is about the same size as a house cat. It has a long spotted tail, short thick fur, and a relatively blut, catlike snout. It has small rounded ears, and grows to between 16"to 31" long, while weighing about 2.5 lb.
Behavior: This species is the largest of the five so-called "cats" of Australian, and is closely related to the Tasmanian devil. It is a carnivorous marsupial, however, NOT a cat. Its serrated foot pads and long sharp claws aid in climbing trees. The tiger cat is nocturnal and preys mostly upon smaller mammals and birds, but is able to kill a small wallaby if necessary. It has catlike agility, leaping from limb to limb or to the ground to pounce upon its prey.
Reproduction: The female's pouch is a flap of skin covering the front and sides of the mammary area to form a pocket. The breeding season is in the winter, with a gestation period lasting approximately 21 days. Litters consist of four to six young which become independent when about one-third adult size, which they reach at about 18 weeks of age.
Go to the Marsupials Page to get a general discussion of these animals.
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