African Golden Cat: The leopard’s vulnerable brother

Red list classification: Vulnerable

Locations: Angola; Cameroon; Central African Republic; Congo; Congo, The Democratic Republic of the; Côte d’Ivoire; Equatorial Guinea; Gabon; Ghana; Guinea; Liberia; Nigeria; Sierra Leone; Uganda

Presence Uncertain: Benin; Burundi; Gambia; Guinea-Bissau; Kenya; Rwanda; Senegal; Sudan; Togo

Appearance and behaviour

They are often referred to as “the leopard’s brother,” a testament to their shared habitat and peculiar habit of trailing behind leopards.

African golden cats, the enigmatic denizens of the African jungle and the only members of the Profelis genus, share a close kinship with servals and caracals. These feline marvels exhibit a remarkable adaptability in captivity, undergoing a dramatic transformation in their fur colour, shifting from a vibrant red to a more subdued gray within approximately four months. Primarily terrestrial hunters, these agile climbers prefer the ground for their predatory pursuits, embodying a perfect blend of stealth and strength. The African golden cat is not just visually stunning but also vocally diverse, capable of producing an array of wild cat sounds, ranging from the familiar meow to the intimidating growl and hiss. They even engage in a unique gurgling communication, a sound specifically reserved for the proximity of their feline counterparts, adding to their mysterious and captivating aura.

Leopard’s brother and Leopard’s prey

African Golden Cats often shadow and follow larger Leopards in the hope of obtaining remnant carrion left behind by the bigger cats. This has leant them the moniker of ‘Leopard’s brother‘. However despite these cats being predators themselves, they also fall prey to leopards, the only other felid in African moist forests.

Evidence of this predatory relationship has been found in Gabon’s Lopé National Park and the Ituri forest, where remains of African Golden Cats were discovered in leopard scats and a carcass killed by a leopard was found. This interaction highlights the complex dynamics within their ecosystem.

Threats

Help the survival of these beautiful and rare small wild cats by boycotting products containing palm oil, which contributes to the destruction of their home.

Habitat fragmentation

Over the past 15 years, at least 6.5% of forests in countries where African golden cats live have been lost, greatly reducing their natural range. This loss is primarily due to deforestation and habitat fragmentation.

Deforestation from palm oil and other agriculture

The expansion of palm oil plantations, mimicking the extensive habitat destruction seen in Southeast Asia, poses a major threat in Africa, particularly in West and Central Africa. This leads to significant loss of forest habitat, impacting the golden cat’s environment.

Major infrastructure projects like roads and mines

The development of roads and settlements has increased rapidly in the past 15 years. Moreover this has led to a sharp decline in the populations of large and medium-sized mammals within 10–15 km of these areas. Over 64% of forest habitat in the Congo Basin is within 10 km of a road, resulting in higher hunting pressure and affecting golden cat populations.

The surge in mining activities and associated infrastructure development in Africa, including roads and railways, contributes to habitat destruction, human relocation into remote areas, and increased bushmeat hunting.

Hunting

Although not a primary target, golden cats are often accidentally killed in wire-snares set for other animals. Areas with moderate to intense bushmeat hunting see significantly reduced golden cat populations.

Population decline in specific regions

In Rio Muni, Equatorial Guinea, despite 78% being dense forest, golden cats were found in only 16% of the area. Their presence correlates with rugged terrains away from human disturbance.

Rapid human population growth

The human population in golden cat range countries is growing rapidly, leading to increased pressure on their habitats. This growth is among the fastest globally, exacerbating threats to golden cats.

The exacerbation of these threats due to population growth, projected mining activities and forest clearance for oil palm plantations will likely cause further reduction in AOO for the Golden Cat and we therefore predict that the AOO will be reduced by at least a further 30% in the next 15 years, lending additional support to the species’ listing as Vulnerable under criterion A3c.

IUCN Red List

Habitat

The African Golden Cat is unique to Africa, inhabiting primarily moist equatorial forests across a vast range from western Sierra Leone through central Africa to Kenya, with the Congo River distinguishing two subspecies. These adaptable felines are primarily found in lowland moist forests, but also inhabit areas along rivers in logged forests and in mountainous regions characterized by alpine moorland and bamboo forests. This showcases the unique adaptability of these cats to different forest environments.

Diet

The African Golden Cat diet consists of rodents and squirrels, which constitute up to 70% of their diet. Researchers have found evidence of the African Golden Cat diet in scats in Congo and the Central African Republic. Additionally, these cats hunt small and medium-sized duikers (a type of antelope), making up about a quarter to a third of their diet. They occasionally prey on larger mammals such as pygmy hippos and arboreal primates, pangolins and also birds. These dietary habits are consistent across various regions, including Uganda’s Bwindi National Park and the Ivory Coast’s Tai National Park.

Mating and reproduction

The African golden cat’s breeding is shrouded in mystery, with limited observations suggesting potential monogamous pair bonding. Mothers typically birth 1-3 kittens after a 75-78 day gestation. Kittens, born blind, open their eyes within a week and start exploring at two weeks. Males reach sexual maturity at six months, and females at eleven months.

FAQS

What is the difference between an African Golden Cat vs Caracal?

While they are closely related and share the same genus, the African Golden Cat (Caracal aurata) and the Caracal (Caracal caracal) have adapted to completely different environments. The African Golden Cat has a thick, stocky build with a relatively short tail and small, rounded ears, perfectly designed for hunting in dense, wet rainforests. In contrast, the Caracal is taller and leaner with distinctively long, tufted ears, adapted for sprinting and leaping in dry, arid savannas and scrublands.

What does the African Golden Cat diet consist of?

The African Golden Cat is a versatile, opportunistic carnivore. Their diet primarily consists of tree hyraxes, small rodents, squirrels, and small forest antelopes known as duikers. Because they are highly adaptable hunters, they will also actively prey on ground-dwelling birds, small primates, and occasionally fish, hunting both on the forest floor and high in the dense rainforest canopy.

What is the average African Golden Cat size?

The African Golden Cat size is roughly twice that of an average domestic cat. They have a heavy, robust build with thick, muscular legs and very large paws. An adult typically measures between 61 to 101 cm in body length, with a shoulder height ranging from 38 to 55 cm. Depending on their region and diet, a mature male African Golden Cat usually weighs between 8 to 16 kg, making them significantly larger and heavier than females.

Support African Golden Cats by going vegan and boycotting palm oil in the supermarket, it’s the #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife

Support the conservation of this species

This animal has no protections in place. Read about other forgotten species here. Create art to support this forgotten animal or raise awareness about them by sharing this post and using the #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife hashtags on social media. Also you can boycott palm oil in the supermarket.

Further Information

Embaka Community Programme for the African Golden Cat

Bahaa-el-din, L., Mills, D., Hunter, L. & Henschel, P. 2015. Caracal aurata. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2015: e.T18306A50663128. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2015-2.RLTS.T18306A50663128.en. Accessed on 28 December 2023.

African Golden Cat Wikipedia article https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/African_golden_cat

African Golden Cat Animalia.bio https://animalia.bio/african-golden-cat

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