The bay cat is small, long-bodied and long-tailed, usually a deep chestnut red, occasionally grey, with a pale stripe on the underside of the tail. It is found nowhere except Borneo.
Camera-trap surveys across the island record it only rarely, even where effort is high, and no long-term field study of the species has been completed.
Size and measurements
| Head-body length | 19 in – 2 ft 2 in (49–67 cm) |
|---|---|
| Tail length | 12 in – 16 in (30–40 cm) |
| Shoulder height | 9 in – 12 in (24–30 cm) |
| Body weight | 6.6–9.9 lb (3–4.5 kg) — Known from a handful of measured specimens. |
| Top recorded speed | Not reliably measured — No measurement exists. |
| Lifespan in the wild | 8–12 years |
| Lifespan under human care | 12–14 years |
Habitat and range
Dense forest from lowland dipterocarp stands to hill and montane forest, including limestone terrain and swamp forest edge.
Endemic to Borneo, with scattered records from Malaysian, Indonesian and Bruneian parts of the island.
Diet and hunting
Inferred rather than observed: rodents, birds, small primates and carrion are all thought to be taken.
Hunting strategy — Presumed ground and low-canopy hunting. Direct observations of hunting have not been published; body form suggests a forest-floor generalist.
Behaviour and activity
Solitary. Essentially unstudied in the wild. Detection rates are so low that even basic density estimates carry wide uncertainty.
Cathemeral. The few camera-trap records span both day and night, with no clear pattern established.
Climbing and swimming
Climbing — Strong. Body proportions indicate a competent climber, though most records come from the ground.
Swimming — Limited. No documented swimming behaviour.
Conservation status
The Bay Cat is currently listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, with a population trend recorded as decreasing in the assessment published in 2015.
Assessed as Endangered on the basis of a small, declining population and heavy loss of Bornean lowland forest to logging and plantation conversion.
Documented threats
- Logging and forest conversion
- Oil-palm expansion
- Snaring
- Collection for private trade
- Almost no baseline ecological data
Look up the current Red List assessment for Catopuma badia
Notable traits
- 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 for this profile
- 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.
- World Wildlife Fund Range descriptions, threat summaries and conservation programme reporting.
- Wildlife Conservation Society Field programmes, camera-trap surveys and population monitoring.