# Jungle cat (*Felis chaus*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/jungle-cat  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

The jungle cat (Felis chaus), also called the Reed cat, Swamp cat, Chaus or Chaus cat, is a mammal of the family Felidae in the order Carnivora. It is a medium-sized, terrestrial carnivore of forest habitat with a cathemeral activity pattern, and adults weigh 7.4 kg, with weights up to 10 kg reported. Gestation lasts 62 days (up to 67 days reported), litters hold 3 young, females have 2 litters per year, and sexual maturity comes at 1 year. The jungle cat is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, which is not a threatened category.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 7.39 kg – 10 kg |
| Length | Not recorded |
| Lifespan | 20 years |
| Diet | Carnivore |
| Longest recorded lifespan | 20 years |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | forest |
| Gestation | 62.4 days – 67 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 3 |
| Age at maturity | 12.6 months |
| Litters or clutches a year | 2 |
| Active | Day and night (cathemeral) |
| Lifestyle | Terrestrial |
| Conservation status | Least Concern (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Mammalia
- order: Carnivora
- family: Felidae
- genus: Felis
- species: *Felis chaus* Schreber, 1777

Synonyms: *Felis bieti vellerosa*, *Felis silvestris vellerosa*

## Common questions

### What kind of animal is the jungle cat?

The jungle cat is a mammal of the family Felidae and the order Carnivora, in the genus Felis.

### How heavy is a jungle cat?

An adult Jungle cat weighs 7.4 kg, with weights up to 10 kg reported, which places it in the medium size class.

### What does the jungle cat eat?

The jungle cat is a carnivore.

### What habitat does the jungle cat live in?

The jungle cat lives in forest habitat and is terrestrial, with a cathemeral activity pattern.

### Is the jungle cat endangered?

No. The jungle cat is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, which is not a threatened category.

### How long does a jungle cat live?

The jungle cat has a lifespan of 20 years, with up to 20 years reported.

### How many young does a jungle cat have?

A jungle cat has 3 young per litter and 2 litters per year, after a gestation of 62 days (up to 67 days reported).

### Who named the jungle cat?

The jungle cat, Felis chaus, was named by Schreber in 1777.

## Sources

- [An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1), CC0 1.0, E096-269. Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1
- [Catalogue of Life eXtended Release](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), CC BY 4.0, 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf
- [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org), per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed), 2026-11-11. Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence).
- [EltonTraits 1.0: species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1), CC0 1.0, 1.0. Wilman, H., Belmaker, J., Simpson, J., de la Rosa, C., Rivadeneira, M.M. & Jetz, W. (2014) EltonTraits 1.0: Species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals. Ecology 95: 2027. https://doi.org/10.1890/13-1917.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), CC BY-SA 4.0, 2026-11-11. Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).

Cite as: Jungle cat (Felis chaus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/jungle-cat