The mammals are the class of vertebrate animals characterized by the presence of mammary glands, the presence of hair or fur; specialized teeth; the presence of a neocortex region in the brain; and endothermic or 'warm-blooded' bodies. The brain regulates endothermic and circulatory system, including a four-chambered heart. In India there are 410 species, 186 genera, 45 families and 13 orders of which nearly 89 species are listed as threatened in the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Animals (IUCN 2006).

The Asian golden cat (Catopuma temminckii, syn. Pardofelis temminckii) is a medium-sized wild cat. It lives throughout South and Southeast Asia, ranging from Tibet, Nepal, Bhutan, India and Bangladesh to Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Southern China, Malaysia and Sumatra. It prefers forest habitats interspersed with rocky areas and is found in dry deciduous, subtropical evergreen and tropical rain forests. Asian golden cats can climb trees when necessary. They hunts birds, hares, rodents and reptiles, small ungulates such as muntjacs and young sambar deer.

IUCN Status: Near Threatened (NT) Photo: Karen Stout