The Collaborative International Dictionary
Jungle \Jun"gle\ (j[u^][ng]"g'l), n. [Hind. jangal desert, forest, jungle; Skr. ja[.n]gala desert.]
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A dense growth of brushwood, grasses, reeds, vines, etc.; an almost impenetrable thicket of trees, canes, and reedy vegetation, as in India, Africa, Australia, and Brazil.
The jungles of India are of bamboos, canes, and other palms, very difficult to penetrate.
--Balfour (Cyc. of India). Hence: (Fig.) A place of danger or ruthless competition for survival. /'bdIt's a jungle out there./'b8
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Anything which causes confusion or difficulty due to intricacy; as, a jungle of environmental regulations. --MW10. Jungle bear (Zo["o]l.), the aswail or sloth bear. Jungle cat (Zo["o]l.), the chaus. Jungle cock (Zo["o]l.), the male of a jungle fowl. Jungle fowl. (Zo["o]l.)
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Any wild species of the genus Gallus, of which several species inhabit India and the adjacent islands; as, the fork-tailed jungle fowl ( Gallus varius) of Java, Gallus Stanleyi of Ceylon, and Gallus Bankiva of India.
Note: The latter, which resembles the domestic gamecock, is supposed to be one of the original species from which the domestic fowl was derived.
An Australian grallatorial bird ( Megapodius tumulus) which is allied to the brush turkey, and, like the latter, lays its eggs in mounds of vegetable matter, where they are hatched by the heat produced by decomposition.
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Wiktionary
n. ''Felis chaus'', a medium-sized cat native to Asia.
WordNet
n. small Asiatic wildcat [syn: Felis chaus]
Wikipedia
The jungle cat (Felis chaus), also called reed cat or swamp cat, is a medium-sized cat found in China, the Indian subcontinent, the Middle East and central and southeastern Asia. A member of the genus Felis, that consists of small cats, the jungle cat was first described by naturalist Johann Anton Güldenstädt in 1776; however, naturalist Johann Christian Daniel von Schreber, who gave the cat its present binomial name, is generally considered to be the binomial authority. 10 subspecies are recognised. The jungle cat is a large, long-legged cat; it stands nearly at shoulder and weighs . The coat, sandy, reddish brown or grey, is uniformly coloured and lacks spots; melanistic and albino individuals are also known. Moults occur biannually.
Typically diurnal, the jungle cat hunts throughout the day. Solitary in nature, jungle cats do not interact appreciably except in the mating season. The only prominent interaction is the mother-kitten bond. Territories are maintained by urine spraying and scent marking. The cat is primarily a carnivore, and prefers small mammals ( gerbils, hares and rodents) and birds. It hunts by stalking its prey, followed by a sprint or a leap; the sharp ears help in pinpointing the location of prey. Both sexes become sexually mature by the time they are a year old; females enter oestrus from January to March. Mating behaviour is similar to that in the domestic cat; the male pursues the female in oestrus, seizes her by the nape of her neck and mounts her. Gestation lasts nearly two months. Births take place between December and June, though this might vary geographically. Kittens begin to catch their own prey at around six months and leave the mother after eight or nine months.
The jungle cat is a habitat generalist; it inhabits places with adequate water and dense vegetation, such as swamps, wetlands and riparian areas. Unlike its name, the jungle cat shuns rainforests and woodlands. The jungle cat is classified as Least Concern by the IUCN. Major threats to the survival of the jungle cat include the destruction of wetlands, trapping and poisoning. The status of the cat in the wild needs further study, though numbers are feared to be on the decline.
'Jungle Cat ' is a 1960 American documentary film written and directed by James Algar. The documentary chronicles the life of a female spotted jaguar in the South American jungle. The film was released on August 10, 1960, by Buena Vista Distribution.
Usage examples of "jungle cat".
She had never before seen anyone move with such silent grace, like a big jungle cat on velvet paws instead of a battle-hardened warrior in boots.
He moved with the graceful ease of a jungle cat and when he lifted heavy weights, the action seemed as effortless as the raising of empty hands.
With a fierce cry Yasmina sprang like a jungle cat, stabbing murderously.
He seemed to flow across the floor, every bit as graceful and fluid as a jungle cat.
But he was dealing with one whose thews were nerved to the quickness of a jungle cat.
The jungle cat's ears picked up the thing's movement in one of the distant tunnels of the cavern.