HAIKOU, January 19. /TASS/. Workers of Hainan state forestry guard have recently begun to spot more and more local species of leopard cat near big settlements, reported the Hainan Daily.
According to the newspaper, the animals were seen even on the outskirts of Haikou, the administrative center and largest city in the province, with a population of more than 2.3 million people. They hunt at night and in the dark they can sometimes approach a person's home.
According to Chinese experts, the ancestors of the Hainan leopard cat in ancient times migrated to the south of China from Siberia. These mammals can swim and, in theory, were able to cross the Hainan Strait, a 25 km wide body of water separating the island from the mainland.
According to scientists, this animal that lives in tropical forests is outwardly different from its counterparts, who have mastered a significant range in the north of China. It is smaller and has a darker coat. Representatives of the Hainan breed belong to one of only two species of leopard cats present in China, therefore, according to biologists, special attention should be paid to studying them.