Ржавая пятнистая кошка: Распространение и особенности

Small wild cat species
Speciesbox
| name = Rusty spotted cat
| image = Rusty spotted cat 1. jpg
| status = NT
| status system = IUCN3.1
| status ref =
| status2 = CITES A1
| status2 system = CITES
| status2 ref =
| authority = (Geoffroy Saint Hilaire, 1834)
| range map = Rusty spottedCat distribution. jpg
| range map caption = leftlegend|#D27122|range of the rusty spotted cat in 2016 In 2012, it was also recorded in the western Terai of Nepal. Since 2016, the global wild population is listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List as it is fragmented and affected by loss and destruction of its prime habitat, deciduous forests. Prionailurus was proposed by Nikolai Severtzov in 1858 as a generic name. Prionailurus rubiginosus phillipsi was proposed by Reginald Innes Pocock in 1939 who described a specimen from Central Province, Sri Lanka and subordinated both to the genus Prionailurus. Analysis of mitochondrial DNA of all Felidae species indicates a radiation at around
The Prionailurus species are estimated to have had a common ancestor between ,

The distribution of the rusty spotted cat is relatively restricted. It occurs mainly in moist and dry deciduous forests as well as scrub and grassland, but is likely absent in evergreen forest. It prefers dense vegetation and rocky areas. In India, it was long thought to be confined to the south, but records have established that it occurs over much of the country. Camera trapping revealed its presence in Pilibhit Tiger Reserve in the Indian Terai and in Nagzira Wildlife Sanctuary in Maharashtra. In western Maharashtra, the rusty spotted cat is breeding in a human dominated agricultural landscape, where rodent densities are high. In December 2014 and in April 2015, it was photographed by camera traps in Kalesar National Park, Haryana. It was also recorded by camera traps in Mirzapur Forest Division of Uttar Pradesh in 2018. In March 2012, a rusty spotted cat was photographed in Bardia National Park for the first time, and in March 2016 also in Shuklaphanta National Park, both in Nepal. In Sri Lanka, there are a few records in montane and lowland rainforest. There are two distinct populations, one in the dry zone and the other in the wet zone. In 2016, it was recorded for the first time in Horton Plains National Park at elevations of .

Very little is known about the ecology and behaviour of the rusty spotted cat in the wild. Captive ones are mostly nocturnal but also briefly active during the day. It feeds mainly on rodents and birds, but also preys on lizards, frogs, and insects. It hunts primarily on the ground, making rapid, darting movements to catch its prey. It apparently ventures into trees to escape larger predators. Captive females and males both scent mark their home range by spraying urine.

In Sri Lanka, the rusty spotted cat is known as (කොළ දිවියා) or (බළල් දිවියා).