Although giant pandas may be the most famous animals roaming the Chinese forests, some recent footages show these places host another resident at least so cute and adorable as a panda, but far more elusive and mysterious. The Chinese mountain cat (Felis bieti), also known as Chinese desert cat.
A critically endangered species, these adorable felines are also very secretive and shy. However, a remote camera has managed to capture some unique moments of small mountain cat family.
With less than 10,000 individuals (let’s hope the reports are not to optimistic), the tiny wild cats live in the coniferous forest of the Quighai and Sichuan regions in northwest China at more than 8,000 ft altitude. Living in such a tough environment helps them to avoid predators or human presence, but since everything comes with a cost, the food is also very difficult to find.
Weighing 10 to 20 pounds, the mountain cats’ main food source are rodents (mostly pikas, which is a small rodent species native to north-eastern Asia) and small birds. Just like the most of the wild cats, Felis bieti hunt during night, when their remarkable vision and skills helps them to keep a very low profile.
Bellow you can watch these adorable cats caught on film for the very first time. Take a look:
