Fishing Cat

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Fishing Cat[1]

Conservation status
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Family: Felidae
Genus: Prionailurus
Species: P. viverrinus
Binomial name
Prionailurus viverrinus
(Bennett, 1833)
Synonyms

Felis viverrina
Not to be confused with the fisher (animal), sometimes called a fisher cat.

The fishing cat (Prionailurus viverrinus) is a medium-sized cat whose habitat range extends through Indochina, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Sumatra and Java. Its fur has an olive-grey color and dark spots roughly arranged in longitudinal stripes.[3] The face has a distinctly flat-nosed appearance. The size is variable; while in India it is 80 cm, or 32 in, (and 30 cm, 12 in, tail), in Indonesia, it is only 65 cm, or 26 in, (25 cm, 10 in, tall). Indian individuals usually range up to 11.7 kg (26 lbs), while in Indonesia common weights are approximately 6 kg (13 lbs). They are stocky of build with medium short legs, and a short muscular tail of one half to one third of their head and body length.[3]

Like its closest relative, the leopard cat, the fishing cat lives along rivers, brooks and mangrove swamps. It is perhaps better adapted to this habitat, since it swims often and skillfully.

As the name implies, fish is the main prey of this cat, of which it hunts about 10 different species. It also hunts other aquatic animals such as frogs or crayfish, and terrestrial animals such as rodents and birds. The inter-digital webs on its paws help the cat gain better traction in muddy environments and water, like other mammals in semi-aquatic environments.

Captive fishing cats can be seen at 22 different North American institutions. By December 2005, there were 72 fishing cats in these institutions. The largest captive group in North America, 15 cats, is found at the Rosamond Gifford Zoo in Syracuse, New York.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Wozencraft, W. C. (16 November 2005). in Wilson, D. E., and Reeder, D. M. (eds): Mammal Species of the World, 3rd edition, Johns Hopkins University Press, 544. ISBN 0-801-88221-4. 
  2. ^ Cat Specialist Group (2002). Prionailurus viverrinus. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 10 May 2006. Database entry includes justification for why this species is vulnerable
  3. ^ a b Minnesota Zoo

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