African golden cat

The African golden cat is a little-known wild cat that prowls the rainforests of West and Central Africa. With its golden-brown coat, this shy feline is a smaller cousin of the caracal and serval. Its shrinking forest home and hunting pressures have made it a vulnerable species.

• Grows 61 to 101 cm long with a tail nearly half that length again
• Shares family ties with caracals and servals but stays hidden in deep forests
• Loses habitat as rainforests shrink and hunters target it for bushmeat