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Order : CARNIVORA
Family : Felidae
Species : Prionailurus viverrinus
Head-body length : up to 78 cm
Tail length : up to 29 cm
Weight : up to 11 kg
The Fishing Cat inhabits
low-lying, typically coastal, habitats dominated by swamps, marshlands,
slow-flowing rivers and mangrove. It can adapt to highly altered
habitats, such as fishponds, prawn ponds and other aquaculture but, as a
consequence, it can come into conflict with farmers and is often
trapped, poisoned or otherwise killed.
Its diet is varied: fish is the mainstay, but crustaceans, insects, small reptiles, frogs, small mammals and
birds are also consumed. It is largely nocturnal in habits, and is an excellent swimmer.
Its body is stocky and muscular, and its head is relatively large with an
angular appearance. Its body fur is typically greyish-brown, with black
spots and short stripes on the back and flanks. On top of the head there are
distinctive black stripes. The belly is greyish. The ears are small, and
typically lie flat (in contrast to the smaller
Leopard Cat), and there is a white mark on top of each ear. The tail
is relatively short.
This species is wide-ranging, but is in serious decline due to habitat loss and
persecution. Within Southeast Asia there are records from Myanmar, Thailand,
Vietnam, Cambodia, and possibly Laos, and the Indonesian island of Java (and
possibly Sumatra). There are, as yet, no records from northern Peninsular
Malaysia.
Outside the region it is known from the Indian Subcontinent (including
Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh) and southern China.
Fig 1 : A typical example of a Fishing Cat, with
dark spots and short stripes on the back and flanks, and strongly marked
forehead and crown.
References :
Francis, C.M. 2019. A Field Guide to the Mammals of South-east Asia. Second
Edition. New Holland. 416 pp.
Mukherjee, S. et al. 2016. Prionailurus viverrinus (errata version published
in 2022). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016: e.T18150A221434864.
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