Iriomote Cat
Iriomote Cat
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| イリオモテヤマネコ | |||
| Character Data | |||
| Romaji | Iriomote yamaneko
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| Debut | Kemono Friends (2015 Game) | ||
| Animal Data | |||
| Scientific Name | Prionailurus bengalensis iriomotensis
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| Distribution | Iriomote Island
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| Diet | Carnivore
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| Avg. Lifespan | 10-12 years
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| Read More | Iriomote cat
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| Conservation | 
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| Iriomote Cat | Season 2 | Festival | Pavilion | KF3 | Nexon Game | Gallery |
Iriomote Cat is a type of cat Friend that appeared in the original Kemono Friends mobile game.
Appearance
Iriomote Cat has short brown hair and yellow eyes. On her bangs and the sides of her hair, she has dark and light brown stripes in pairs. Her rounded ears are tipped with dark brown and have lighter fur on the inside. Her tail is long, thin and spotted in the same dark colours as her hair.
Her collar is white with a single brown stripe, and tied in the back in a different brown spotted pattern. Unlike many other cat Friends, her sleeveless white shirt doesn’t appear to be a blouse and has brown spots on it. Her long gloves are brown with dark spots and lighter brown on the insides of her arms. Her skirt is brown, lighter at the top, and heavily spotted. She wears a dark brown belt and has straight brown laces. The bottom of her skirt is frilly and white, and her thigh high socks are the same colour and pattern as her tail. She wears black shoes with dark brown bows.
Series Appearances
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In Real Life
The Iriomote Cat is a type of wild cat that can be found in the Japanese island of the same name. They range around the size of a domestic cat, weighing around 6.5-10 pounds and are able to reach lengths of 28-35 inches. It has a rather dusky brown coat with fairly long hair, being pattered with dark spots in rows, which form indistinct bands. The body is fairly long with short legs and tail, and they have rounded ears with a white spot on the back. Being found in only one island in the entire world, Iriomote Island (which spans roughly around 109 square miles) , the Iriomote Cat has limited options for a habitat. They make their homes all over the island from wooded mountainous areas to open country and even beaches.
They have a wide variety of food for their diet, among which are the common rat, Ryukyu flying fox, birds, insects (including 39 species of beetle), amphibians and crabs. Being adept swimmers, they can and will hunt fish as well if the opportunity presents itself. They are thought to be nocturnal, and hunt during the night, but during mating season, they start becoming active during the day as well.
They are also solitary creatures, except during mating season, where the males will fight each other for females. Both sexes howl and meow like domestic cats.
The biggest threats these cats currently face are competition and interbreeding with feral domestic cats. As their population is low enough already (Estimated to be around a mere 100-200) , interbreeding with other feral domestic cats will further reduce the population of 'genetically pure' Iriomote Cats. It does not help that their entire population is situated in a single island, thus further limiting the movement and population growth of these cats even more. Tourism is also a very noteworthy threat, as the island is continuously being subject to expansion and development for tourists, disturbing the forests where the cats live.
Trivia
- The oldest Iriomote Cat currently on record is Yon, who lived to be 15 years old at the Iriomote Wildlife Protection Center. He died in 2011 due to pulmonary edema.
- Unlike other wild cats, Iriomote cat does not kill its prey immediately by breaking their spinal cords. Instead, it will hold the prey in the mouth until it stops moving.
- One of its local names is "Yamapikaryaa", which roughly translates to "Something that shines in the mountains".
- The name "Togawa mountain cat" (トガワヤマネコ, togawa yamaneko) was initially proposed for P. b. iriomotensis, in honor of the animal's discoverer, Yukio Togawa, who turned the proposal down in favor of Iriomote Cat so that it would match the naming pattern of the Tsushima Leopard Cat.
- Iriomote Cat was featured in one of the chapters titled 'Order of operation' (オペの順番) in 'Black Jack', a manga by Osamu Tezuka. On a ship bound for Iriomote Island, a poached Iriomote wildcat escaped on board and bit a passenger's baby. A hunter fired and hit the cat and a congressman who was promoting the development of Iriomote Island. Black Jack, a very skilful surgeon, prioritized treating the cat and the baby; the congressman who was treated last accused him.
References
http://www.softschools.com/facts/animals/iriomote_cat_facts/1143/
http://wildcatsmagazine.nl/wild-cats/iriomote-cat-prionailurus-bengalensis-iriomotensis/
https://bigcatrescue.org/iriomote-cat-facts/
http://www.felidaefund.org/?q=species-iriomote-cat