# Leopard cat (*Prionailurus bengalensis*)

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

The leopard cat (Prionailurus bengalensis), also called the common leopard cat or mainland leopard cat, is a mammal in the family Felidae, order Carnivora. It is a medium-sized carnivore with an adult body mass of 3.3 kg, and our sources report adults of up to 4.15 kg. The leopard cat has a cathemeral activity pattern and a scansorial lifestyle. Gestation lasts 66 days, litters hold 2.5 young, sexual maturity comes at 1.5 years, and the species is listed as Least Concern by the IUCN.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 3.3 kg – 4.15 kg |
| Length | Not recorded |
| Lifespan | 15 years – 17.3 years |
| Diet | Carnivore |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | forest |
| Gestation | 65 days – 69 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 2.5 |
| Age at maturity | 18.5 months |
| Litters or clutches a year | 1.64 |
| Active | Day and night (cathemeral) |
| Lifestyle | Scansorial |
| Conservation status | Least Concern (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Mammalia
- order: Carnivora
- family: Felidae
- genus: Prionailurus
- species: *Prionailurus bengalensis* (Kerr, 1792)

Synonyms: *Felis anastasiae*, *Felis bengalensis*, *Felis bengalensis euptilura*, *Felis bengalensis hainana*, *Felis bengalensis manchurica*, *Felis decolorata*, *Felis euptilura microtis*, *Felis ingrami*, *Felis manchurica*, *Felis microtis*, *Felis ricketti*, *Felis sinensis*, *Mustela manchurica*

## Common questions

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

The leopard cat is a mammal in the family Felidae, part of the order Carnivora.

### How heavy is a leopard cat?

An adult leopard cat weighs 3.3 kg, and our sources report adults of up to 4.15 kg.

### What does the leopard cat eat?

The leopard cat is a carnivore.

### Is the leopard cat endangered?

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

### How long does a leopard cat live?

The leopard cat has a lifespan of 15 years, and our sources report up to 17.3 years.

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

A leopard cat has 2.5 young per litter and 1.64 litters per year, after a gestation of 66 days.

### When is the leopard cat active?

The leopard cat is cathemeral, and its lifestyle is scansorial.

## 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: Leopard cat (Prionailurus bengalensis). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/leopard-cat