Species comparison
Asian Golden Cat vs Bay Cat
A side-by-side look at Catopuma temminckii and Catopuma badia across body measurements, habitat, diet, behaviour and conservation status.
At a glance
- The asian golden cat averages about 3.3 times the body mass of the bay cat.
- Both species use tropical rainforest and montane forest.
- Their ranges both include Asia.
- Red List categories differ: Asian Golden Cat is listed as Near Threatened, Bay Cat as Endangered.
Identification
How each species is named and classified.
Asian Golden Cat
Catopuma temminckii
Bay Cat
Catopuma badia
Asian Golden Cat
Catopuma
Bay Cat
Catopuma
Asian Golden Cat
Bay cat lineage
Bay Cat
Bay cat lineage
Asian Golden Cat
Medium-sized cats
Bay Cat
Small cats
Asian Golden Cat
Temminck's cat, Fire cat
Bay Cat
Bornean bay cat, Bornean red cat
Body and movement
Published field measurements for adults. Ranges cover both sexes unless noted.
Asian Golden Cat
2 ft 2 in – 3 ft 5 in (66–105 cm) Longer
Bay Cat
19 in – 2 ft 2 in (49–67 cm)
Asian Golden Cat
16 in – 22 in (40–57 cm) Longer
Bay Cat
12 in – 16 in (30–40 cm)
Asian Golden Cat
18 in – 22 in (45–56 cm) Taller
Bay Cat
9 in – 12 in (24–30 cm)
Asian Golden Cat
20–35 lb (9–16 kg) Heavier
Males average heavier than females.
Bay Cat
6.6–9.9 lb (3–4.5 kg)
Known from a handful of measured specimens.
Asian Golden Cat
Not reliably measured
Not measured in the field.
Bay Cat
Not reliably measured
No measurement exists.
Life span
Typical adult longevity. Figures for managed care come from zoo and sanctuary records.
Asian Golden Cat
10–12 years Longer
Bay Cat
8–12 years
Asian Golden Cat
17–20 years Longer
Bay Cat
12–14 years
Habitat and range
Where each species lives and the conditions it tolerates.
Asian Golden Cat
tropical rainforest, montane forest, dry forest
Evergreen and mixed forest from lowland to about 12,000 feet in the Himalaya, including bamboo, secondary growth and drier deciduous woodland.
Bay Cat
tropical rainforest, montane forest
Dense forest from lowland dipterocarp stands to hill and montane forest, including limestone terrain and swamp forest edge.
Asian Golden Cat
Asia
From Nepal and north-east India through Bhutan, Myanmar, southern China, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam to peninsular Malaysia and Sumatra.
Bay Cat
Asia
Endemic to Borneo, with scattered records from Malaysian, Indonesian and Bruneian parts of the island.
Diet and behaviour
Feeding ecology, social organisation and hunting technique.
Asian Golden Cat
small mammals, birds, medium ungulates, reptiles
Rodents, hares, birds and reptiles, plus muntjac and young ungulates; the species is strong enough to take prey considerably larger than itself.
Bay Cat
small mammals, birds, reptiles
Inferred rather than observed: rodents, birds, small primates and carrion are all thought to be taken.
Asian Golden Cat
Solitary
Mostly terrestrial and territorial. Field observations remain sparse despite the cat's relatively large size.
Bay Cat
Solitary
Essentially unstudied in the wild. Detection rates are so low that even basic density estimates carry wide uncertainty.
Asian Golden Cat
Crepuscular and partly diurnal
Camera-trap studies show more daytime activity than early accounts suggested, with peaks around dawn and dusk.
Bay Cat
Cathemeral
The few camera-trap records span both day and night, with no clear pattern established.
Asian Golden Cat
Ground stalking in forest
Hunts on the forest floor, using cover for a close approach before a short rush.
Bay Cat
Presumed ground and low-canopy hunting
Direct observations of hunting have not been published; body form suggests a forest-floor generalist.
Asian Golden Cat
Strong
Climbs well and will follow prey into trees, though it hunts mainly on the ground.
Bay Cat
Strong
Body proportions indicate a competent climber, though most records come from the ground.
Asian Golden Cat
Limited
No strong association with water.
Bay Cat
Limited
No documented swimming behaviour.
Conservation
Red List category, population direction and the pressures documented for each species.
Asian Golden Cat
NT — Near Threatened
Assessed 2015
Bay Cat
EN — Endangered
Assessed 2015
Asian Golden Cat
Decreasing
Bay Cat
Decreasing
Asian Golden Cat
Deforestation, Indiscriminate snaring, Trade in skins and bones, Prey depletion, Retaliatory killing near livestock
Assessed as Near Threatened. Deforestation across South East Asia and pervasive snaring for the wild-meat and skin trade are the main pressures.
Bay Cat
Logging and forest conversion, Oil-palm expansion, Snaring, Collection for private trade, Almost no baseline ecological data
Assessed as Endangered on the basis of a small, declining population and heavy loss of Bornean lowland forest to logging and plantation conversion.
Notable traits
Details that do not fit neatly into a measurement table.
Asian Golden Cat
- At least six coat morphs have been recorded, an unusual level of variation for a wild cat.
- Local names in several range countries translate as "fire cat" or "rock cat".
- A spotted morph photographed in China initially confused researchers, who suspected a new species.
Bay Cat
- The first photographs of a living bay cat were obtained in the late 1990s, more than a century after the species was described.
- It occurs on one island only, the smallest range of any Asian cat.
- Two colour morphs are known: chestnut red and a rarer grey form.
Sources used for this comparison
- IUCN Red List of Threatened Species Global assessment categories, population trends and documented threats.
- IUCN SSC Cat Specialist Group Species accounts, distribution notes and Cat News reporting for every wild felid.
- Small Wild Cat Conservation Foundation Dedicated research and field reporting on the lesser-known felids.
- Wildlife Conservation Society Field programmes, camera-trap surveys and population monitoring.
- Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology Reviewed species accounts with morphometric ranges and reproductive data.
- World Wildlife Fund Range descriptions, threat summaries and conservation programme reporting.