Fishing Cat
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| Prionailurus viverrinus (Bennett, 1833) |
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. Its fur has an olive-grey color with dark spots arranged stripe-like running along the length of the body. [3] The face has a distinctly flat-nosed appearance. The size varies between locations. While Indian specimens grow to 80 cm (32 in) plus 30 cm (12 in) tail, Indonesian fishing cats only reach 65 cm (26 in) plus 25 cm (10 in) tail. Indian individuals weigh up to 11.7 kg (26 lbs), while in Indonesia adult fishing cats weigh in at up to 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 the length of the rest of the animal.[3]
Like its closest relative, the Leopard Cat, the Fishing Cat lives along rivers, brooks and mangrove swamps. It is well adapted to this habitat, being an eager and skilled swimmer.
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[edit] Diet and hunting
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 living in semi-aquatic environments.
[edit] Conservation
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 extinct in Afghanistan, it may already be gone from Malaysia and China, and it has become rare throughout its remaining distribution[4].
As of December 2005 72 Captive Fishing Cats could be seen at 22 different North American institutions.
[edit] 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]
[edit] References
- ^ Wozencraft, W. C. (16 November 2005). Wilson, D. E., and Reeder, D. M. (eds). ed. Mammal Species of the World (3rd edition ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 544. ISBN 0-801-88221-4. http://www.bucknell.edu/msw3.
- ^ Sanderson, J., Wilting, A., Sunarto, Khan, J., Mukherjee, S. & Howard, J. (2008). Prionailurus viverrinus. 2008 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2008. Retrieved on 2008-10-06. Database entry includes justification for why this species is endangered
- ^ a b Minnesota Zoo
- ^ http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/18150
- ^ http://www.animalinfo.org
- ^ http://nationalzoo.si.edu
[edit] External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Prionailurus viverrinus |
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Wikispecies has information related to: Prionailurus viverrinus |
- ARKive - images and movies of the fishing cat (Prionailurus viverrinus)
- Fishing Cat Research and Conservation Project web page about fishing cat research and conservation efforts in Asia
- Domesticated Fishing cat in a Russian home. [1]
