 |
 |
 |
Enhance your computer
desktop with the FREE
big cats screen saver! |
|
|
|
 |
 |
| Scientific Name: Prionailurus viverrinus |
Size: Head and body 29.5-34 inches
(75-86cm);
tail 10-13 inches (25-33cm) |
| Weight: 17.5-31 pounds (8-14kg) |
| Distribution: Southern Asia, from
India through Nepal, Burma, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and Taiwan. |
| Habitat: Reed beds and long grasses
of riverbanks, marshes, and swamps. |
| Diet: Fish, frogs, snakes, mollusks,
mammals and birds |
| Reproduction: After a gestation period
of 63 days, female gives birth to 2 or 3 offspring. |
| Status: Vulnerable |
|
|
A nocturnal hunter that prefers dense
cover, the fishing cat is rarely observed in the wild. It lives mostly among the
reed beds and long grasses of riverbanks, marshes and swamps. It is not, apparently,
a good climber.
It is a rather nondescript, spotted cat, with average, if somewhat clumsy proportions
including rather short legs and heavey head. The |
 |
|
backs
of the ears carry "eye-spots" with a white patch inside a black ring.
The claws are only semiretractile. It is a powerful, assertive, medium-sized cat
which, despite its name, takes a wide variety of terrestrial as well as aquatic
prey. On land, it has a macabre reputation for carrying off unattended human infants,
while their mothers are working nearby.
It appears to attack anything it can overpower, including sheep, calves, and feral
dogs. On one occasion, when a fishing cat was being pursued by a trio of hunting
dogs, their intended victim eventually turned on them with spectacular results.
One dog was thrown to the ground, another was struck so hard with a forepaw that
its jaw was broken, and the third was carried off and eaten. In the water, the
fishing cat can swim strongly, not only on the surface, but also submerged, with
its eyes open. It uses this last ability to enable it to approach waterfowl, especially
ducks, and grab them from below. It also lives up to its name by occasionally
catching fish. In addition, it is believed to eat snakes, frogs and crustaceans. |
| FISHING
CAT PHOTOS |
|
 |
| |
| |
|
