Southeast African cheetah of this alternative coat pattern was found to be a mutation in the gene for transmembrane aminopeptidase Q ("Taqpep"), the same gene responsible for the striped "mackerel" versus blotched "classic" patterning seen in tabby cats. The cheetah also has melanism as one of its rare color morphs. A melanistic cheetah in Zambia was seen by Vesey Fitzgerald in the company of a spotted cheetah. The cheetah is a medium-sized cat. An adult male cheetah's total size can measure from and for females. Adult cheetahs are tall at the shoulder. Males are slightly taller than females and have slightly bigger heads
Rusty-spotted cat India and Sri Lanka. As of 2010, the captive population of "P. r. phillipsi" comprised 56 individuals in eight institutions, of which 11 individuals were kept in the Colombo Zoo in Sri Lanka and 45 individuals in seven European zoos. In Sri Lanka, the rusty-spotted cat is known as "kola diviya" or "balal diviya". Rusty-spotted cat The rusty-spotted cat ("Prionailurus rubiginosus") is one of the cat family's smallest members, of which historical records are known only from India and Sri Lanka. In 2012, it was also recorded in the western Terai of Nepal. Since 2016, the global wild population is