The fishing cat is a medium-sized wild cat of South and Southeast Asia. The Fishing Cat is well adapted to catching fish, its primary prey. They have a deep-chested body with short legs, a big, broad head, and a short tail. The short, coarse fur is a grizzled grey in colour, and tinged with brown. There are elongated dark brown spots arranged in longitudinal rows extending over the entire body. There are six to eight dark lines running from the forehead to the neck, and the under parts are whitish and spotted. The head is relatively big and broad, the muzzle somewhat elongated. Their eyes have greenish irises, and the ears are rather short and rounded, with black on the back and prominent white spots in the middle. The legs are short with the forelimbs having two distinct elbow bars. The tail is less than half the head and body length, is relatively thick, and has a series of incomplete rings with a black tip.
The Fishing Cat is a nocturnal and solitary hunter that rests amongst dense vegetation during the day before heading to the water at night to find food. They are incredibly strong and capable swimmers and have been known to swim vast distances often in pursuit of a fish trying to get away.
The Fishing Cat is a carnivorous animal that only hunts and consumes other animals in order to acquire all of the nutrients that it needs to survive. As it’s name suggests, aquatic animals make up the bulk of the Fishing Cat’s diet with more than 70% of the food thought to be fish, followed by molluscs, frogs, snails and snakes that are found in or close to the water. Fishing Cats are also known to hunt small mammals such as mice on land and will even target larger prey like civets, dogs and livestock in areas close to settlements.
Fishing Cat Facts:
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Canivora
Family: Felidae
Genus: Prionailurus
Scientific Name: Prionailurus viverrinus
Common Name: Fishing Cat
Group: Mammal
Number Of Species: 2
Location: south-east Asia
Habitat: Variety of wetland habitats
Colour: Olive-Grey, Black
Skin Type: Fur
Size (L): 57cm – 85cm (22.4in – 33.4in)
Weight: 5.5kg – 8kg (12lbs – 17.6lbs)
Top Speed: 55kph (34mph)
Diet: Carnivore
Prey: Fish, Shellfish, Snakes
Predators: Human
Lifestyle: Nocturnal
Group Behaviour: Solitary
Life Span: 10 – 12 years
Age Of Sexual Maturity: 9 – 10 months
Gestation Period: 63 days
Average Litter Size: 2
Name Of Young: Kitten
Age Of Weaning: 4 – 6 months
Conservation Status: Endangered
Estimated Population Size: Less than 10,000
Biggest Threat: Habitat loss
Most Distinctive Feature: Long, stocky body and slightly webbed paws
Fun Fact: Scoops fish out of the water using its paw