Species comparison
Chinese Mountain Cat vs African Wildcat
A side-by-side look at Felis bieti and Felis lybica across body measurements, habitat, diet, behaviour and conservation status.
At a glance
- The chinese mountain cat averages about 1.6 times the body mass of the african wildcat.
- Both species use grassland.
- Their ranges both include Asia.
- Red List categories differ: Chinese Mountain Cat is listed as Vulnerable, African Wildcat as Least Concern.
Identification
How each species is named and classified.
Chinese Mountain Cat
Felis bieti
African Wildcat
Felis lybica
Chinese Mountain Cat
Felis
African Wildcat
Felis
Chinese Mountain Cat
Domestic cat lineage
African Wildcat
Domestic cat lineage
Chinese Mountain Cat
Small cats
African Wildcat
Small cats
Chinese Mountain Cat
Chinese desert cat, Chinese steppe cat
African Wildcat
Near Eastern wildcat, Asiatic wildcat
Body and movement
Published field measurements for adults. Ranges cover both sexes unless noted.
Chinese Mountain Cat
24 in – 2 ft 9 in (60–85 cm) Longer
African Wildcat
18 in – 2 ft 6 in (45–75 cm)
Chinese Mountain Cat
11 in – 16 in (29–41 cm) Longer
African Wildcat
10 in – 15 in (25–38 cm)
Chinese Mountain Cat
11 in – 13 in (28–34 cm)
African Wildcat
13 in – 15 in (32–38 cm) Taller
Chinese Mountain Cat
14–20 lb (6.5–9 kg) Heavier
Based on a small number of measured animals.
African Wildcat
6.6–14 lb (3–6.5 kg)
Males average about a kilogram heavier than females.
Chinese Mountain Cat
Not reliably measured
Not measured in the field.
African Wildcat
Not reliably measured
Not measured in the field.
Life span
Typical adult longevity. Figures for managed care come from zoo and sanctuary records.
Chinese Mountain Cat
8–10 years
African Wildcat
8–12 years Longer
Chinese Mountain Cat
10–14 years
African Wildcat
15–17 years Longer
Habitat and range
Where each species lives and the conditions it tolerates.
Chinese Mountain Cat
steppe, rocky alpine, grassland
Alpine meadow, steppe and shrubland on the eastern Tibetan Plateau, generally in open country with rodent colonies rather than in true desert.
African Wildcat
savanna, semi-arid scrub, dry forest, grassland, agricultural mosaic
Almost every habitat in Africa except rainforest interior and the driest sand seas, plus scrub and steppe across the Middle East and Central Asia.
Chinese Mountain Cat
Asia
Endemic to China, with confirmed records from Qinghai, Sichuan and Gansu provinces.
African Wildcat
Africa, Asia
Across Africa outside the Congo rainforest, and through the Arabian Peninsula, the Middle East, Central Asia and into western India and China.
Diet and behaviour
Feeding ecology, social organisation and hunting technique.
Chinese Mountain Cat
small mammals, birds
Plateau pikas and zokors form the core of the diet, along with voles and ground birds.
African Wildcat
small mammals, birds, reptiles, insects
Rodents form the great majority of the diet, with birds, lizards and insects making up the remainder.
Chinese Mountain Cat
Solitary
Dens in burrows on grassland slopes; observations remain few, and much of the species' behaviour is still undocumented.
African Wildcat
Solitary
Solitary and territorial, though tolerant of human settlement — the same trait that started the domestication process.
Chinese Mountain Cat
Nocturnal and crepuscular
Most records come from dusk and night hours, matching pika and rodent activity.
African Wildcat
Nocturnal and crepuscular
Mostly active from dusk to dawn, resting by day in burrows, thickets and rock crevices.
Chinese Mountain Cat
Listening and digging at burrows
Hunts by locating rodents acoustically in open grassland and digging them out.
African Wildcat
Stalk and pounce on rodents
Hunts by walking slowly through cover, freezing at sounds and finishing with a short rush.
Chinese Mountain Cat
Limited
A ground-dwelling cat in a largely treeless landscape.
African Wildcat
Strong More developed
Climbs well and uses trees for escape and rest.
Chinese Mountain Cat
Very limited
No notable association with water.
African Wildcat
Very limited
Avoids water, in common with most arid-country cats.
Conservation
Red List category, population direction and the pressures documented for each species.
Chinese Mountain Cat
VU — Vulnerable
Assessed 2015
African Wildcat
LC — Least Concern
Assessed 2022
Chinese Mountain Cat
Decreasing
African Wildcat
Decreasing
Chinese Mountain Cat
Poisoning campaigns against plateau pikas, Hybridisation with domestic cats, Grassland degradation, Killing by herding dogs, Very small known range
A small range and dependence on plateau pikas make this cat vulnerable to large-scale rodent poisoning programmes. Interbreeding with free-ranging domestic cats has also been documented.
African Wildcat
Hybridisation with domestic cats, Disease transmitted by domestic cats, Habitat conversion, Persecution near poultry, Road mortality
The species remains widespread, but genetic mixing with free-ranging domestic cats is eroding wild populations, particularly near settlements. Pure wild-type populations are increasingly restricted to remote areas.
Notable traits
Details that do not fit neatly into a measurement table.
Chinese Mountain Cat
- The first photographs of a wild individual were obtained only in 2007.
- Genetic work has confirmed hybridisation with village cats on the plateau.
- Its dense coat and heavily furred ears are adaptations to sustained sub-freezing temperatures.
African Wildcat
- All domestic cats descend from this species, not from the European wildcat.
- Wild individuals sit with a distinctly upright posture that helps separate them from feral tabbies.
- Genetic screening is now a standard part of conservation work, since appearance alone cannot confirm a pure wild animal.
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.
- National Geographic — Animals General natural-history reference for behaviour, range and ecology.