A widespread mesocarnivore at a crossroads: Distribution patterns and emerging threats to Jungle Cat (Felis chaus) conservation

A widespread mesocarnivore at a crossroads: Distribution patterns and emerging threats to Jungle Cat (Felis chaus) conservation | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article A widespread mesocarnivore at a crossroads: Distribution patterns and emerging threats to Jungle Cat (Felis chaus) conservation Kathan Bandyopadhyay, Dhruv Jain, John Koprowski, Qamar Qureshi, and 1 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-7264721/v2 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Archived Versions: Posted Version 2 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Understanding the distribution and conservation status of small carnivores is critical for informing management strategies in human-modified landscapes. We assembled a comprehensive dataset of jungle cat (Felis chaus) presence across India, drawing from over 26,000 camera trap locations, radio-telemetry data, published literature, secondary sources, and verified sightings. After filtering for spatial redundancy, we modeled species distribution using ecologically relevant covariates in both maximum entropy (MaxEnt) and random forest (RF) frameworks. The resulting ensemble model indicated that jungle cats are most likely to occur in warm, semi-arid regions with moderate vegetation cover and low to moderate levels of human and livestock disturbance. In contrast, they tend to avoid dense forests and highly transformed habitats.\nDespite theirbroad geographic distribution, jungle cats face increasing threats from habitat fragmentation, expanding infrastructure, road mortality, disease transmission from free-ranging dogs, and genetic introgression through hybridization with domestic cats. These pressures are particularly acute in peri-urban and agro-pastoral landscapes where jungle cats persist outside protected areas. Our findings underscore the importance of rural lifestyles with agro-pastoralism livelihoods for conserving the species along with grasslands, savanna and open forest systems to ensure the species’ long-term viability in a rapidly urbanizing landscape Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Supplementary Files Supplementarymaterial.docx Cite Share Download PDF Archived Versions: Posted Version 2 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-7264721","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[{"code":2,"date":"2026-01-05 01:56:57","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"scientific-reports","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"scirep","sideBox":"Learn more about [Scientific Reports](http://www.nature.com/srep/)","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"","title":"Scientific Reports","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"stoa","reportingPortfolio":"Scientific Reports","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":569167870,"identity":"1cab8cc0-e9d7-11f0-907b-06cc9d20a69f","order_by":0,"name":"Kathan Bandyopadhyay","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAAyUlEQVRIiWNgGAWjYBACCQkgwQPE/FABxgaitUg2kKzF4ACxWiRnNz978LbNJs/4Ro6ZxAcGG9kNBwhokZY5Zm44ty2t2AyoRXIGQ5oxQS1yEglm0rxthxO33cjdJs3DcDiRCC3p38BaNs8Aa/lPWIu0RA7Elg0SYC0HCGuRnHOmTHLOubRiiTPvP1vOMEg2nklIi8Tt9m0Sb8ps8vjb0xJvfKiwk+0jpAUMGNkYEoAUiwSDATHKweAPWAvzB6I1jIJRMApGwYgCAJz0Q/ZkuTfLAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC","orcid":"","institution":"University of Wyoming and Wildlife Institute of India","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Kathan","middleName":"","lastName":"Bandyopadhyay","suffix":""},{"id":569167890,"identity":"24aab53d-e9d7-11f0-907b-06cc9d20a69f","order_by":1,"name":"Dhruv Jain","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Wildlife Institute of India","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Dhruv","middleName":"","lastName":"Jain","suffix":""},{"id":569167892,"identity":"2c28d94d-e9d7-11f0-907b-06cc9d20a69f","order_by":2,"name":"John Koprowski","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"University of Wyoming","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"John","middleName":"","lastName":"Koprowski","suffix":""},{"id":569171724,"identity":"e2a64a01-7edf-43df-9d34-b2f75e11ce72","order_by":3,"name":"Qamar Qureshi","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Wildlife Institute of India\"","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Qamar","middleName":"","lastName":"Qureshi","suffix":""},{"id":569168819,"identity":"349dd96b-e9d7-11f0-907b-06cc9d20a69f","order_by":4,"name":"Yadvendradev V. Jhala","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Wildlife Institute of India, Indian National Science Academy, and National Centre for Biological Sciences","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Yadvendradev","middleName":"V.","lastName":"Jhala","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2025-07-31 17:38:22","currentVersionCode":2,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7264721/v2","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7264721/v2","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[{"content":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-39033-1","type":"published","date":"2026-02-08T15:57:18+00:00"}],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":102234858,"identity":"17a77404-7909-48d5-8e37-e647b91f21f3","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-02-09 16:13:44","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":949508,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"RevisedMS.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7264721/v2_covered_db910324-53c3-4a68-9d12-8a9e154b9345.pdf"},{"id":99484423,"identity":"7e82f560-9a1e-4dee-8f33-c3e30f6e9b0c","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-01-05 01:57:02","extension":"docx","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"supplement","size":235813,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"Supplementarymaterial.docx","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7264721/v2/6020d2d064374325cf561a83.docx"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"A widespread mesocarnivore at a crossroads: Distribution patterns and emerging threats to Jungle Cat (Felis chaus) conservation","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":true,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"scientific-reports","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"scirep","sideBox":"Learn more about [Scientific Reports](http://www.nature.com/srep/)","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"","title":"Scientific Reports","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"stoa","reportingPortfolio":"Scientific Reports","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7264721/v2","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7264721/v2","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eUnderstanding the distribution and conservation status of small carnivores is critical for informing management strategies in human-modified landscapes. We assembled a comprehensive dataset of jungle cat (Felis chaus) presence across India, drawing from over 26,000 camera trap locations, radio-telemetry data, published literature, secondary sources, and verified sightings. After filtering for spatial redundancy, we modeled species distribution using ecologically relevant covariates in both maximum entropy (MaxEnt) and random forest (RF) frameworks. The resulting ensemble model indicated that jungle cats are most likely to occur in warm, semi-arid regions with moderate vegetation cover and low to moderate levels of human and livestock disturbance. In contrast, they tend to avoid dense forests and highly transformed habitats.\\nDespite theirbroad geographic distribution, jungle cats face increasing threats from habitat fragmentation, expanding infrastructure, road mortality, disease transmission from free-ranging dogs, and genetic introgression through hybridization with domestic cats. These pressures are particularly acute in peri-urban and agro-pastoral landscapes where jungle cats persist outside protected areas. Our findings underscore the importance of rural lifestyles with agro-pastoralism livelihoods for conserving the species along with grasslands, savanna and open forest systems to ensure the species’ long-term viability in a rapidly urbanizing landscape\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"A widespread mesocarnivore at a crossroads: Distribution patterns and emerging threats to Jungle Cat (Felis chaus) conservation","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2025-10-06 12:20:48","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7264721/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0},{"type":"decision","content":"Revision requested","date":"2025-11-20T03:22:14+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2025-11-15T16:53:29+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"320998801856925391318141819168897198661","date":"2025-11-15T08:17:44+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2025-10-31T08:44:23+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"256247399333968165515133396987776863794","date":"2025-10-02T11:34:19+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"8190291808175527495206176760366951281","date":"2025-09-29T06:29:22+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"2388452391625272395960822209023683669","date":"2025-09-28T13:47:59+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewersInvited","content":"","date":"2025-09-23T11:24:32+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorAssigned","content":"","date":"2025-09-10T09:46:05+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvited","content":"","date":"2025-09-08T18:55:27+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"checksComplete","content":"","date":"2025-09-07T02:44:08+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"submitted","content":"Scientific Reports","date":"2025-09-07T02:40:40+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"scientific-reports","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"scirep","sideBox":"Learn more about [Scientific Reports](http://www.nature.com/srep/)","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"","title":"Scientific Reports","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"stoa","reportingPortfolio":"Scientific Reports","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"49fece11-0c27-4be5-b15f-010bb8257b8a","owner":[],"postedDate":"January 5th, 2026","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"published-in-journal","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2026-02-09T16:08:47+00:00","versionOfRecord":{"articleIdentity":"rs-7264721","link":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-39033-1","journal":{"identity":"scientific-reports","isVorOnly":false,"title":"Scientific Reports"},"publishedOn":"2026-02-08 15:57:18","publishedOnDateReadable":"February 8th, 2026"},"versionCreatedAt":"2026-01-05 01:56:57","video":"","vorDoi":"10.1038/s41598-026-39033-1","vorDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-39033-1","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v2","identity":"rs-7264721","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-7264721","identity":"rs-7264721","version":["v2"]},"buildId":"XKTyCvWXoU3ODBz1xrDgd","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}