Hello and welcome to the first of a six part blog in collaboration with Newquay Zoo aiming to raise awareness of the endangered wildlife of Southeast Asia. The six parts of this blog will take a detailed look at three of them. This edition is the first part our two part look at a charismatic and beautiful predator, the Fishing Cat, Prionailurus viverrinus.
(galeschools 1998).
As the name suggests, the Fishing Cat, Prionailurus viverrinus, is a predator with a strong preference to habitats with an ample water supply including marshes, tidal creeks, reed beds, oxbow lakes and marshy areas (IUCN 2010).
Although on a much rarer basis they can also be found at fast moving watercourses (IUCN 2010).
In contrast to other cat species around the world fishing cats are at home in the water and they have to be, as fish make up a large part of their diet, however they will also take reptiles, molluscs, amphibians and rodents (IUCN 2010).
This mysterious predator is also capable of taking much larger prey such as Chital Fawns (Nowell and Jackson 1996, Sunquist and Sunquist 2002).
The felines live on average 12 years in the wild (IUCN Cat Specialist Group 2005), however in captivity they may live to 15 years or even older ( Cat Survival Trust 2005).
Although on a much rarer basis they can also be found at fast moving watercourses (IUCN 2010).
In contrast to other cat species around the world fishing cats are at home in the water and they have to be, as fish make up a large part of their diet, however they will also take reptiles, molluscs, amphibians and rodents (IUCN 2010).
This mysterious predator is also capable of taking much larger prey such as Chital Fawns (Nowell and Jackson 1996, Sunquist and Sunquist 2002).
The felines live on average 12 years in the wild (IUCN Cat Specialist Group 2005), however in captivity they may live to 15 years or even older ( Cat Survival Trust 2005).
Range
The overall range of the Fishing Cat Prionailurus viverrinus was once widespread throughout the whole of Asia including Pakistan, India and the surrounding coastal islands as well as the Southern Himalayas, the large majority of Southern China, all of the mainland of Southeast Asia as well as Sumatra and Java in Indonesia.
The decline of the species has been sharp since then however and the species has suffered a large dip in both range and population (Kawanishi and Sunquist 2003).
In Southeast Asia, the species can now only be found in small isolated pockets seperated from each other by modern development(Kawanishi and Sunquist 2003) .
An example of their scarcity is an incomplete photo of an individual in the Taman Negara National Park in 1999 which suggests although there are no confirmed records of the species, there may be a population in the area (Kawanishi and Sunquist 2003).
In China it has also suffered serious decline and aside from Southwestern India, their populations in other countries have either been severely depleted or disappeared completely (Gale schools 1998). The reasons for this will be discussed in Part 2. Below is the link to the IUCNs map of the distribution of the Fishing Cat Prionailurus viverrinus.
The decline of the species has been sharp since then however and the species has suffered a large dip in both range and population (Kawanishi and Sunquist 2003).
In Southeast Asia, the species can now only be found in small isolated pockets seperated from each other by modern development(Kawanishi and Sunquist 2003) .
An example of their scarcity is an incomplete photo of an individual in the Taman Negara National Park in 1999 which suggests although there are no confirmed records of the species, there may be a population in the area (Kawanishi and Sunquist 2003).
In China it has also suffered serious decline and aside from Southwestern India, their populations in other countries have either been severely depleted or disappeared completely (Gale schools 1998). The reasons for this will be discussed in Part 2. Below is the link to the IUCNs map of the distribution of the Fishing Cat Prionailurus viverrinus.
http://maps.iucnredlist.org/map.html?id=18150
Biology
Prionailurus viverrinus varies in length, from 658 to 857mm and from 6-12 kg in weight (Animal Diversity 2013).
Females are always noticeably much smaller than males tending to stay in the weight category of 6-7kg and males 11-12kg (Sunquist 1991).
As a result of their main dietry preference of fish, the cats show adaptions for this particular lifestyle (galeschools 1998) .
Its claws are not fully retractable which are perfect for making quick swipes and grabs in an attempt to catch unsuspecting fish (galeschools 1998) .
Its narrow, elongated, partially flattened head mean it has another way of effectively and quickly capturing fish through quick grabs as they pass by (galeschools 1998).
Their webbed feet were previously thought to be a specific adaption to help it to swim however it has now been discovered that the webbing between the toes is very little in terms of difference to a Bobcat Lynx rufus (Kitchener 1991).
An adaption which may help to effectively pursue water dwelling prey however is its short flattened tail which is thought may act like a rudder, allowing it to be able to change direction at will in pursuit of prey (sfzoo.org no date).
Females are always noticeably much smaller than males tending to stay in the weight category of 6-7kg and males 11-12kg (Sunquist 1991).
As a result of their main dietry preference of fish, the cats show adaptions for this particular lifestyle (galeschools 1998) .
Its claws are not fully retractable which are perfect for making quick swipes and grabs in an attempt to catch unsuspecting fish (galeschools 1998) .
Its narrow, elongated, partially flattened head mean it has another way of effectively and quickly capturing fish through quick grabs as they pass by (galeschools 1998).
Their webbed feet were previously thought to be a specific adaption to help it to swim however it has now been discovered that the webbing between the toes is very little in terms of difference to a Bobcat Lynx rufus (Kitchener 1991).
An adaption which may help to effectively pursue water dwelling prey however is its short flattened tail which is thought may act like a rudder, allowing it to be able to change direction at will in pursuit of prey (sfzoo.org no date).
The gestation period lasts 63 days at the end of which a litter of between 1 and 4 young are born (bigcatrescue.org no date).
Straight after birth the young weight between 3.5 - 6 ounces and from this point on will gain on average an extra 11 ounces per day (bigcatrescue.org no date).
On the 16th day the young Fishing cats open their eyes for the first time and on the 53rd day they get their first taste of meat (bigcatrescue.org no date) .
At 8-9 months old they have reached adult size and at ten months old they become fully independent from their mother (bigcatrescue.org no date) .
Although the female is thought to raise the young on its own, there have been unconfirmed reports of males assisting with the raising of the young (bigcatrescue.org no date).
(nationalzoo.si.edu, 2011).
Straight after birth the young weight between 3.5 - 6 ounces and from this point on will gain on average an extra 11 ounces per day (bigcatrescue.org no date).
On the 16th day the young Fishing cats open their eyes for the first time and on the 53rd day they get their first taste of meat (bigcatrescue.org no date) .
At 8-9 months old they have reached adult size and at ten months old they become fully independent from their mother (bigcatrescue.org no date) .
Although the female is thought to raise the young on its own, there have been unconfirmed reports of males assisting with the raising of the young (bigcatrescue.org no date).
(nationalzoo.si.edu, 2011).
Behaviour
The Fishing Cat mainly a nocturnal hunter (Nowell and Jackson 1996, Sunquist and Sunquist 2002).
The species has two main ways of capturing its fish, being a strong swimmer it can give chase in the water (Breeden, 1989), or by playing a game of patience it will wait for a fish to come within striking distance and scoop it out with its paw (Leyhausen 1979).
This species of cat will not turn its back on an easy meal however, and there have been documented reports of scavenging on the kills of other predators (Cat Survival Trust 2005).
Little is known of the social structure or mating behaviour of the cats in the wild. What is known is a result of sporadic radio tracking. This species of cat follows the typical territorial pattern of many other species of cats with a males home range coinciding and overlapping with several females home ranges (Sunquist and Sunquist 2002).
As most wild kittens are seen in between March and April it is suggested that the main breeding season is mainly between January and February, however young may be born at other times of the year (Sunquist and Sunquist 2002).
The species has two main ways of capturing its fish, being a strong swimmer it can give chase in the water (Breeden, 1989), or by playing a game of patience it will wait for a fish to come within striking distance and scoop it out with its paw (Leyhausen 1979).
This species of cat will not turn its back on an easy meal however, and there have been documented reports of scavenging on the kills of other predators (Cat Survival Trust 2005).
Little is known of the social structure or mating behaviour of the cats in the wild. What is known is a result of sporadic radio tracking. This species of cat follows the typical territorial pattern of many other species of cats with a males home range coinciding and overlapping with several females home ranges (Sunquist and Sunquist 2002).
As most wild kittens are seen in between March and April it is suggested that the main breeding season is mainly between January and February, however young may be born at other times of the year (Sunquist and Sunquist 2002).
See the link below for footage of a successful hunt.
Fishing Cat hunting http://www.arkive.org/fishing-cat/prionailurus-viverrinus/video-08a.html.
References
Animaldiversity.ummz, 2013. Available at :http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/index.html
Breeden, S. 1989. The happy fisher. BBC Wildlife Mag.
7:238-241.
Fishing Cat first picture.http://www.galeschools.com/images/environment/fishing_cat.jpg
Galeschools.org, 1998. Available at : http://www.galeschools.com/environment/endangered/fishing_cat.htm.
cats.org, Octoer, 2005 : http://www.catsg.org/catsgportal/20_catsg-website/home/index_en.htm
.
http://www.catsurvivaltrust.org ,2005. Available at: http://www.catsurvivaltrust.org The natural history of the wild cats.
Christopher Helm, London.
IUCN Cat Specialist Group, 2005. Available at http://www.catsg.org/catsgportal/20_catsg-website/home/index_en.htm.
IUCN Cat Specialist Group, 2005. Available at http://www.catsg.org/catsgportal/20_catsg-website/home/index_en.htm.
Kawanishi, K. and Sunquist, M. 2003. Possible new records of
fishing cat from Peninsular Malaysia. Cat News 39: 3-5.
Kitchener, A.C. 1991. The Cat Survival Trust October, 2005.
Leyhausen, P. 1979. Cat behavior: the predatory and social behaviour
of domestic and wild cats. Garland, New York. Engl. transl. B.A. Tonkin.
Nationalzoo.si.edu,
2011.Availale at:http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Animals/AsiaTrail/FishingCats/Lekdebut.cfm
Nowell, K. and Jackson, P. 1996. Wild Cats. Status Survey
and Conservation Action Plan. IUCN/SSC Cat Specialist Group, Gland, Switzerland
and Cambridge, UK.
Sunquist, F. 1991. The living cats. Pp 28-53 in J.
Seidensticker and S. Lumpkin, eds. Great Cats. Merehurst, London.
Sunquist, M. and Sunquist, F. 2002. Wild Cats of the World.
University of Chicago Press.
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