Flat Headed Cat Skull Replica

Description

Flat Headed Cat Skull Replica measures 4.5 in. x 2.5. Flat Headed Cat Skull Replica is 2-part skull (separate cranium & jaw), museum quality polyurethane resin, made in USA.  Our precise skull can be used as a teaching tool, museum skull exhibit, home décor skull, or office décor skull.

The Flat Headed Cat (Prionailurus planiceps) is a small wild cat with short reddish-brown fur. Its head is elongated, and its ears are rounded. Its slender body is 16 to 20 inches long with a tail of 5.1 to 5.9 inches, and it weighs 3.3 to 5.5 lb.

It was first described in 1827 based on a zoological specimen collected in Sumatra. It is also native to the Thai-Malay Peninsula and Borneo, and inhabits wetlands like mixed freshwater swamp forests and lowland freshwater swamps near rivers and coastal areas. It preys foremost on fish, frogs and crustaceans.

The Flat Headed Cat is threatened by habitat destruction due to conversion for settlements, agriculture and oil palm plantations. It has been listed on the IUCN Red List as Endangered since 2008.

Their fur is reddish-brown on top of the head, dark roan brown on the body with a mottled white underbelly. Its face is lighter in color than the body, and its muzzle and chin are white. Two prominent buff whitish streaks run on either side of the nose between the eyes.

It has rounded ears, and its eyes are set close together, giving it improved stereoscopic vision. The teeth together with well-muscled jaws facilitate catching and retaining slippery prey.
The legs are fairly short, and the sheaths of its retractile claws are reduced in size so that about two-thirds are protruding. The depressed skull extends along the nose to the extremity of the muzzle, the sides of which are laterally distended.

The head itself is lengthened and cylindrical, and the teeth are unusually long. The body is slender, and the extremities are delicate and lengthened. The anterior upper premolars are larger and sharper relative to other cats. The interdigital webs on its paws help the cat gain better traction in muddy environments and water.

The stomach contents of an adult shot on a Malaysian riverbank consisted only of fish. They have been observed to wash objects, raccoon-style. Live fish are readily taken, with full submergence of the head, and the fish were usually carried at least 6 feet away, suggesting a feeding strategy to avoid letting aquatic prey escape back into water.

Captive specimens show much greater interest in potential prey in the water than on dry land, suggesting a strong preference for riverine hunting in their natural habitat. Their morphological specializations suggest that their diet is mostly composed of fish, but they are reported to hunt for frogs, and are thought to catch crustaceans. They also catch rats and chickens.

The Flat Headed Cat is foremost threatened by destruction of wetlands and lowland forests, and environmental degradation. This habitat destruction is caused by conversion of natural habitats for settlements, plantations, agriculture and aquaculture, and clearing of mangroves. Overfishing in wetlands and expansion of oil palm plantations are considered to be significant threats. Incidental trapping is also a threat, as some Flat Headed Cats are reported to have been caught in traps set to protect domestic fowl. Collision with cars and competition with domestic cats could pose serious threats as well.

Flat-headed Cat Facts:
Conservation status: Endangered
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Suborder: Feliformia
Family: Felidae
Subfamily: Felinae
Genus: Prionailurus
Species: P. planiceps
Binomial name: Prionailurus planiceps

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