Iriomote+Cat

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 * The Iriomote cat (Japanese name: 西表山猫 //iriomote yama-neko)// is a wild cat that is around the size of a domestic cat that is only found on the Japanese islands of Iriomote. It used to be considered as a subspecies of the leopard cat, and is one most endangered species of felines. Right now, there is an estimated amount of less than 100 of these cats left. The Iriomote cat`s appearance has dark brown fur, striped and a bushy tail.**

__** Habitat: **__
 * This species of feline shows a preference to living around the southern end of the Japanese Ryukyu islands. They tend to avoid heavily populated areas. Sadly, they like to live outside the protected area of the island where the roads are constructed, having a higher chance of being extinct.**

__**Behaviour:**__ Usually, the Iriomote cat hunts day and night in trees and on ground. It is said that they are more nocturnal in the summer than in winter. In the daytime, they will hide in rock crevices or tree cavities, then leaving to hunt around dusk. When in captivity, it often likes to play in the water. As it usually crosses rivers in the wild, it may also hunt for seafood in the water.**
 * The Iriomote wild cat prefers to live in solitary, but individuals homes overlap with each others. Male ranges can be anywhere between 2.1 to 4.7 kilometers. Females can be 0.95 to 1.55 kilometers.

__**Reproduction:**__
 * The Iriomote cat spend time during the winter urine marking, which is considered as preparation for mating. The mating season is believed to be around February to March, and September to October. After the gestation of 60 days, two to four kittens are born. The kittens mature much faster than domestic cats. Adult Iriomote cats leave their children when they are about three months old, to take care of themselves.**

__ **Grow and Develop:** __
 * As all animals are, the Iriomote cat is smaller than it is when it is full grown. When they are fully developed, the average female's size is about 19 in (45 cm) and the males are 21-22 in (53-56 cm). The head and body length can be anywhere between 15-26 in (38-65 cm). The average weight is 3-7 kilograms (6.6-15.5 lbs).**

When the Iriomote cat sees it's prey, the way they hunt is typically stalking the prey slowly and quickly rushing to kill. Another example of how the Iriomote cats respond is by cleaning itself by licking. When the cat is mad, the white part of their ears show, since the center is white.**
 * Response:

__** Cells: **__
 * An Iriomote cat has many cells. Some of them are:**
 * 1) **Fur cells**
 * 2) **Bone cells**
 * 3) **Ocular cells (Eyes)**
 * 4) **Brain cells**
 * 5) **Blood cells**
 * And trillions more**

Interesting Facts:
 * 1) **The islanders of Iriomote call the cat Yamapikaryaa ("mountain sparkling-eyed"), Yamamayaa ("mountain cat") or Pingiimayaa ("escaped cat").**
 * 2) **The Iriomote cat is considered a "living fossil" by many biologists because it's appearance doesn't look much different from the earliest form.**
 * 3) **This cat is known to eat fruit bats, wild boars, black rats, quails, pigeons, doves, frogs, robins,night herons, thrushes and crows.**
 * 4) **A third of the island of Iriomote has declared a reserve where hunting for the cat is illegal.**

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 * Kingdom: Animalia **
 * The Iriomote cat is an animal because it is multicellular, can move independently, has a complex structure and must feed off of other living things to survive.

Phylum: Chordata **
 * The Iriomote cat is a vertebrate (it has a backbone)**
 * Class: Mammalia**
 * An Iriomote cat is a warm-blooded animal that breathes air, has fur and three middle ear bones for hearing, which makes it a mammal.**

**Order: Carnivora**
 * This cat primarily eats meat so it makes it a carnivore**.

**Family: Felidae**


 * The Iriomote cat is a part of the cat family, making it a feline.**
 * Genus: Prionailurus**


 * Species: P. i riomotensis **
 * The name of the cat.**




 * The Iriomote cat has a bushy tail, dark brown fur with stripes, and has claws that it can't sheathe. This helps the cat to kill it's prey while hunting, as well as climbing trees and swimming to cross rivers. They have rounded ears that are dark with white central spots. To hunt for it's food, it's slowly stalks it's prey and rushes to kill. The cat lives all over the island, such as beaches and cultivated land, and near water. The Iriomote cat avoids only the most populated areas.**
 * 1) [[image:Iriomote_yamaneko.jpg width="476" height="418" align="left"]] [[image:iriomote-cat.jpg width="512" height="435"]]



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