Prionailurus viverrinus (Bennett, 1833)

Don E. Wilson & Russell A. Mittermeier, 2009, Felidae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 1 Carnivores, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 54-168 : 161-162

31.

Fishing Cat

Prionailurus viverrinus

French: Chat viverrin / German: Fischkatze / Spanish: Gato pescador

Taxonomy. Felis viverrinus Bennett, 1833 ,

India.

Two subspecies recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution.

P.v. viverrinus Bennett, 1833 — Sri Lanka, India, mainland SE Asia, and Sumatra.

P. v. rizophoreus Sody, 1936 — Java.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 57-115 cm, tail 24.1-40 cm; weight 5-16 kg, adult males are larger than adult females. A powerful looking, stocky, shortlegged cat with a relatively short, thick tail. Fur is short and coarse, olive gray patterned with rows of dark spots. In some places the spots merge into streaks or lines. The face is elongated and two dark stripes extend across the cheeks from the eye to below the ear. The ears are small and set low on the sides of the head. The backs of ears have a central white spot. Tail is marked with 5-6 black rings; tail tip is black. Toes have moderately well-developed webs. The claw sheaths are not large enough to cover the retracted claws.

Habitat. Typically associated with wetlands such as marshes, reed beds, oxbow lakes, mangrove areas, and swamps. However,in the Nepalese lowlands three radio-collared individuals spent most of their time in dense grasslands, sometimes well away from water.

Food and Feeding. Teeth are not specially modified for catching fish and its diet probably includes any small to medium-sized vertebrate it can catch. There are records of fishing cats killing frogs, snakes, rodents, Small Indian Civets, Chital fawns, small pigs, coots, ducks, sandpipers, and a variety of domestic animals such as goats, calves, poultry, and even dogs. They are powerful swimmers. They often hunt for fish while fully immersed in water and have been seen catching fish by plunging their heads under water. They also flick or scoop fish out of the water with their paws. One report describes catching waterfowl by swimming underwater and seizing their legs from beneath.

Activity patterns. Thought to be primarily nocturnal butlittle is known of their behavior in the wild.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. In the only telemetry study to date, two adult females used areas of 4-6 km®. A subadult male’s range measured about 16-22 km?.

Breeding. There are a few observations of kittens in the wild in April and May, suggesting that mating occurs in January and February. Two birth dens were found in dense patches of reeds. Gestation lasts about 63-70 days and littersize varies from 1-4; mean litter size is 2-6. Kittens weigh about 170 g at birth. One female attained sexual maturity at 15 months.

Status and Conservation. CITES Appendix II. Classified as Endangered on The [UCN Red List. The conversion of wetland and floodplain habitats to agriculture has reduced the habitat of the species throughout its range.

Bibliography. Bhattacharyya (1992), Jayewardene (1975), Lekagul & McNeely (1991), Mellen (1993), Mukherjee (1989), Nayerul & Vijayan (1993), Nowell & Jackson (1996), Sunquist & Sunquist (2002), Ulmer (1968).

Figures

28. Pallas’s Cat (Otocolobus manul), 29. Rusty-spotted Cat (Prionailurus rubiginosus), 30. Flat-headed Cat (Prionailurus planiceps), 31. Fishing Cat (Prionailurus viverrinus), 32. Leopard Cat (Prionailurus bengalensis)

Subspecies and Distribution. P.v. viverrinus Bennett, 1833 — Sri Lanka , India , mainland SE Asia, and Sumatra. P. v. rizophoreus Sody, 1936 — Java.