A forest cat whose coat color and pattern vary among individuals.
Coats are often golden or reddish brown, but dark brown, gray, and black individuals are also reported. Spotted forms have been recorded in Sichuan and Tibet in China and in Bhutan.
From 2013 to 2021, 283 camera sites in Tibet’s Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon Nature Reserve recorded 620 independent Asian golden cat photos. Researchers identified coat patterns in 344 photos and grouped them into ten types. Brown appeared most often (123 photos), followed by cinnamon (76) and reddish-brown long hair (57).
Cameras covered elevations from 582 to 3,479 metres, and cats appeared in 12 survey areas. Shortened tails were photographed in two coat types. The records show coat-pattern variation across the reserve’s elevational range.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.
The authors describe their records from Tibet’s Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon National Nature Reserve as baseline data for research and conservation management of Asian golden cats in protected areas.