Fishing Cat

Not to be confused with the fisher (animal), sometimes called a fisher cat.
Fishing Cat[1]
Conservation status

Endangered (IUCN 3.1)[2]
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Family: Felidae
Genus: Prionailurus
Species: P. viverrinus
Binomial name
Prionailurus viverrinus
(Bennett, 1833)
Fishing Cat range

The Fishing Cat (Prionailurus viverrinus) is a medium-sized cat whose disjunct global range extends from eastern Pakistan through portions of India, Nepal and Sri Lanka, throughout Bangladesh and Mainland Southeast Asia to Sumatra and Java. Like its closest relative, the Leopard Cat, the Fishing Cat lives along rivers, streams and mangrove swamps. It is well adapted to this habitat, being an eager and skilled swimmer.

Contents

Description

Fishing cat at Tennouji Zoo, Osaka

Fishing cats have olive-grey fur with dark spots arranged in horizontal streaks running along the length of the body. The underside is white, and the back of the ears are black with central white spots. There are a pair of dark stripes around the throat, and a number of black rings on the tail.[3]

Fishing cats have a stocky, muscular, build with medium to short legs, and a short tail of one half to one third the length of the rest of the animal. The face is elongated with a distinctly flat nose and ears set far back on the head. The toes are webbed, with claws that do not fully retract into their sheaths.[3]

An adult fishing cat is about twice the size of a domestic cat, with a head and body length that typically ranges from 57 to 78 centimetres (22 to 31 in), and a tail from 20 to 30 centimetres (7.9 to 12 in) long. A few much larger individuals have been reported, of up to 115 centimetres (45 in) in head-body length. Adult fishing cats weigh from 5 to 16 kilograms (11 to 35 lb).[3]

Habitat and diet

Fishing cat searching for prey near water

The Fishing Cat inhabits areas of forest, scrub, or grassland, including mangrove swamps, marshes, and terai environments. It is always found close to water, and is an enthusiastic and powerful swimmer.[3] The inter-digital webs on its paws help the cat gain better traction in muddy environments and water, like other mammals living in semi-aquatic environments.

As the name implies, fish is the main prey of this cat[3], of which it hunts about 10 different species. They hunt along the edges of watercourses, grabbing prey from the water, and sometimes diving in to catch prey further from the banks. It also hunts other aquatic animals such as frogs, waterfowl, and crayfish, as well as terrestrial animals such as rodents, birds, snakes, and even chital fawns.[3]

Behavior

The Fishing Cat is a solitary, and primarily nocturnal animal. Like other small cats, it defends territory from neighbours, using urine-spraying and cheek-rubbing to leave scent marks that define their home range. Females have been reported to range over areas of 4 to 6 square kilometres (1.5 to 2.3 sq mi), while males range over 16 to 22 square kilometres (6.2 to 8.5 sq mi). Adults have been observed to make a "chuckling" sound and likely have other calls similar to those of domestic cats.[3]

Reproduction and development

Fishing cats may mate at any time of the year, although this is most common between January and February. The female constructs a den in a secluded area such as a dense thicket of reeds, and gives birth to two to three kittens after a gestation period of 63-70 days. The kittens weigh around 170 grams (6.0 oz) at birth, and are able to actively move around by the age of one month. They begin to play in water and to take solid food at about two months, but are not fully weaned for six months.[3]

Fishing cats reach the full adult size at around eight and a half months, acquire their adult canine teeth at eleven months, and are sexually mature at fifteen months. They live for up to ten years in captivity.[3]

Conservation

A fishing cat at the San Diego Zoo. Note ocelli on the backs of the cat's ears.

The Fishing Cat is endangered due to its dependence on wetlands, which are increasingly being settled and converted for agriculture, and also due to human over-exploitation of local fish stocks. It is believed to be extirpated in Afghanistan, it may already be gone from Malaysia and China, and it has become rare throughout its remaining distribution[4].

Fishing Cat in Sri Lanka

In Sri Lanka, the Fishing Cat is known as Handun Diviya or Kola Diviya.[5] The terms 'Handun Diviya' and 'Kola Diviya' are also used by the local community to refer to the Rusty-spotted Cat (Prionailurus rubiginosus), another little-known small cat in suburban habitats of Sri Lanka. Both animals are nocturnal and elusive and therefore distinct identity as to which one is referred as 'Handun Diviya' is arguable.[6]

References

  1. ↑ Wozencraft, W. Christopher (16 November 2005). "Order Carnivora (pp. 532-628)". In Wilson, Don E., and Reeder, DeeAnn M., eds. Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2 vols. (2142 pp.). pp. 544. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494. http://www.bucknell.edu/msw3. 
  2. ↑ Sanderson, J., Wilting, A., Sunarto, Khan, J., Mukherjee, S. & Howard, J. (2008). Prionailurus viverrinus. In: IUCN 2008. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 6 October 2008. Database entry includes justification for why this species is endangered
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 Sunquist, Mel; Sunquist, Fiona (2002). Wild cats of the World. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. pp. 241-245. ISBN 0-226-77999-8. 
  4. ↑ Mukherjee, S., Sanderson, J., Duckworth, W., Melisch, R., Khan, J., Wilting, A., Sunarto, S. & Howard, J.G. (2008). Prionailurus viverrinus. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, Version 2010.1. Accessed 12 June 2010.
  5. ↑ Animal Info - Fishing Cat (September 2006). Animal Info. Accessed 12 June 2010.
  6. ↑ Fishing and Rusty Spotted Cats in Sri Lanka Smithsonian National Zoological Park. Accessed 12 June 2010.

External links