Amur leopard cat (Prionailurus bengalensis euptilurus). Photo © Pontafon · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0
Iriomote cat (Prionailurus bengalensis iriomotensis). Photo © Momotarou2012 · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0
One of the greatest mysteries of mammalian biogeography is the absence of any species of wild felid from most of the Japanese archipelago, the main islands of which are large enough to have supported several other carnivores including small subspecies of the wolf.
For that matter, it is also a puzzle why it was the wolf that succeeded in Japan rather than the dhole, which is the smaller species and more suited to these mountainous islands.
Robin and the Honey Badger, 22 March 2016