Vocalisations of Rusty-spotted Cats Prionailurus rubiginosus (I. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1831) (Mammalia: Carnivora: Felidae) in Frankfurt Zoo

Authors

  • Vera Pfannerstill Zoologischer Garten Frankfurt, Bernhard-Grzimek-Allee 1, 60316 Frankfurt, Germany.
  • Johannes Köhler Zoologischer Garten Frankfurt, Bernhard-Grzimek-Allee 1, 60316 Frankfurt, Germany.
  • Sabrina Linn Zoologischer Garten Frankfurt, Bernhard-Grzimek-Allee 1, 60316 Frankfurt, Germany.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.9635.17.9.27535-27539

Keywords:

Acoustic communication, call spectrogram, hiss, meow, murmur, snarl

Abstract

We recorded vocalisations of four Rusty-spotted Cat Prionailurus rubiginosus individuals kept in Frankfurt Zoo, comprising one male, one female, and her two kittens. They uttered four different call types including meowing, murmuring, snarling, and hissing. We present the first visual analysis of these vocalisations and share these data for further acoustic analysis.

Author Biographies

Vera Pfannerstill, Zoologischer Garten Frankfurt, Bernhard-Grzimek-Allee 1, 60316 Frankfurt, Germany.

.

Johannes Köhler, Zoologischer Garten Frankfurt, Bernhard-Grzimek-Allee 1, 60316 Frankfurt, Germany.

.

Sabrina Linn, Zoologischer Garten Frankfurt, Bernhard-Grzimek-Allee 1, 60316 Frankfurt, Germany.

.

References

Dmoch, R. (1997). Husbandry, breeding and population development of the Sri Lankan Rusty‐spotted Cat Prionailurus rubiginosus phillipsi. International Zoo Yearbook 35(1): 115–120. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1748-1090.1997.tb01199.x

Frankfurt Zoo (2024). Prionailurus rubiginosus. In: Species360 Zoological Information Management System, Version 1.7 updated on 27 January 2014. Accessed on 09.x.2024 at https://zims.species360.org.

Jayaratne, C., P.K.P. Perera & P.N. Dayawansa (2015). A preliminary investigation of the behaviour of Rusty-spotted Cats Prionailurus rubiginosus in captivity. Wildlanka 3(1): 1–11.

Jhala, Y.V., Q. Qureshi & S.P. Yadav (2021). Rusty Spotted Cat (Prionailurus rubiginosus), pp. 131–137. In: Status of Leopards, co-predators, and megaherbivores in India, 2018. National Tiger Conservation Authority, Government of India, New Delhi, and Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 304 pp.

Bioacoustics Research Program (2017). Raven Pro: Interactive Sound Analysis Software (Version 1.5) [Computer Software]. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York. http://www.birds.cornell.edu/raven.

Konerding, W.S., E. Zimmermann, E. Bleich, H.J. Hedrich & M. Scheumann (2016). Female cats, but not males, adjust responsiveness to arousal in the voice of kittens. BMC Evolutionary Biology 16: 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12862-016-0718-9

Mukherjee, S., J.W. Duckworth, A. Silva, A. Appel & A. Kittle (2016). Prionailurus rubiginosus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016: e.T18149A50662471. Accessed on 09.x.2024. https://doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-1.RLTS.T18149A50662471.en

Nimalrathna, T.S., Y.R. Choo, E.P. Kudavidanage, T.R. Amarasinghe, U.G.S.I. Bandara, W.A.C.L. Wanninayaka, P. Ravindrakumar, M.A.H. Chua & E.L. Webb (2019). First photographic record of the Rusty-spotted Cat Prionailurus rubiginosus (I. Geofroy Saint-Hilaire, 1831) (Mammalia: Carnivora: Felidae) in Horton Plains National Park, Sri Lanka. Journal of Threatened Taxa 11(4): 13506–13510. https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.4094.11.4.13506-13510

Peters, G. & B.A. Tonkin-Leyhausen (1999). Evolution of acoustic communication signals of mammals: friendly close-range vocalizations in Felidae (Carnivora). Journal of Mammalian Evolution 6(2): 129–159. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1020620121416

Peters, G., L. Baum, M.K. Peters, B. Tonkin-Leyhausen (2009). Spectral characteristics of intense mew calls in cat species of the genus Felis (Mammalia: Carnivora: Felidae). Journal of Ethology 27: 221–237. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10164-008-0107-y

Rutovskaya, M.V., I.A. Volodin, S.V. Naidenko, M.N. Erofeeva, G.S. Alekseeva, P.S. Zhuravleva, Volobueva, K.A., M.D. Kim & E.V. Volodina (2024). Relationship between acoustic traits of protesting cries of domestic kittens (Felis catus) and their individual chances for survival. Behavioural Processes 216: 105009. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.beproc.2024.105009

Scheumann, M., A.E. Roser, W. Konerding, E. Bleich, H.J. Hedrich & E. Zimmermann (2012). Vocal correlates of sender-identity and arousal in the isolation calls of domestic kitten (Felis silvestris catus). Frontiers in Zoology 9(36): 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1186/1742-9994-9-36

Sharma, S.K. & M. Dhakad (2020). The Rusty-spotted Cat Prionailurus rubiginosus (I. Geoffroy Saint-Hillaire, 1831) (Mammalia: Carnivora: Felidae) in Rajasthan, India – a compilation of two decades. Journal of Threatened Taxa 12(16): 17213–17221. https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.6064.12.16.17213-17221

Tavernier, C., S. Ahmed, K.A. Houpt & S.C. Yeon (2020). Feline vocal communication. Journal of Veterinary Science 21(1): e18. https://doi.org/10.4142/jvs.2020.21.e18

Teixeira, D., M. Maron & B.J. van Rensburg (2019). Bioacoustic monitoring of animal vocal behavior for conservation. Conservation Science and Practice 1(8): e72. https://doi.org/10.1111/csp2.7

Published

26-09-2025

Issue

Section

Short Communications