Not to be confused with the fisher (animal), a mustelid sometimes called a "fisher cat"; nor the Van cat, a landrace of domestic cat nicknamed the "swimming cat".
Fishing cat
Conservation status
Vulnerable (IUCN 3.1)[1]
CITES Appendix II (CITES)[1]
Scientific classification
Domain:
Eukaryota
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Chordata
Class:
Mammalia
Order:
Carnivora
Suborder:
Feliformia
Family:
Felidae
Subfamily:
Felinae
Genus:
Prionailurus
Species:
P. viverrinus
Binomial name
Prionailurus viverrinus
(Bennett, 1833)
Distribution of the fishing cat as of 2016[1]
The fishing cat (Prionailurus viverrinus) is a medium-sized wild cat of South and Southeast Asia. It has a deep yellowish-grey fur with black lines and spots. Adults have a head-to-body length of 57 to 78 cm (22 to 31 in), with a 20 to 30 cm (7.9 to 11.8 in) long tail. Males are larger than females weighing 8 to 17 kg (18 to 37 lb); females average 5 to 9 kg (11 to 20 lb). Since 2016, it is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. Fishing cat populations are threatened by destruction of wetlands and have declined severely over the last decade. The fishing cat lives foremost in the vicinity of wetlands, along rivers, streams, oxbow lakes, in swamps, and mangroves.
The fishing cat's main prey is fish. Other prey items include birds, insects, small rodents; molluscs, reptiles including snakes, amphibians and carrion of domestic cattle. The fishing cat is thought to be primarily nocturnal. It is a good swimmer and can swim long distances, even under water. The species is the state animal of West Bengal. As of 2015, there are estimated to be 10,000 living individuals.
^ abcMukherjee, S.; Appel, A.; Duckworth, J.W.; Sanderson, J.; Dahal, S.; Willcox, D.H.A.; Herranz Muñoz, V.; Malla, G.; Ratnayaka, A.; Kantimahanti, M.; Thudugala, A.; Thaung, R. & Rahman, H. (2022) [errata version of 2016 assessment]. "Prionailurus viverrinus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T18150A50662615. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-2.RLTS.T18150A221434864.en. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
The fishingcat (Prionailurus viverrinus) is a medium-sized wild cat of South and Southeast Asia. It has a deep yellowish-grey fur with black lines and...
The leopard cat (Prionailurus bengalensis) is a small wild cat native to continental South, Southeast, and East Asia. Since 2002 it has been listed as...
The cat (Felis catus), commonly referred to as the domestic cat or house cat, is a small domesticated carnivorous mammal. It is the only domesticated species...
Carnivora colloquially referred to as cats. A member of this family is also called a felid (/ˈfiːlɪd/). The term "cat" refers both to felids in general and...
The jungle cat (Felis chaus), also called reed cat, swamp cat and jungle lynx, is a medium-sized cat native to the Middle East, the Caucasus, South and...
definition for this subfamily, as comprising only the living conical-toothed cat genera with two tribes, the Felini and Pantherini, and excluding the extinct...
rusty-spotted cat having been the first cat of the Prionailurus lineage that genetically diverged, followed by the flat-headed cat and then the fishingcat. It...
are found amongst fishing ports asking for food offerings. In Greece, Aegean cats are considered a national treasure. Feral Aegean cats are notable predators...
The sand cat (Felis margarita) is a small wild cat that inhabits sandy and stony deserts far from water sources. With its sandy to light grey fur, it...
Iberian lynx, Eurasian lynx and the bobcat) within the medium-sized wild cat genus Lynx. The name originated in Middle English via Latin from the Greek...
civet (Paradoxurus hermaphroditus), also called common palm civet, toddy cat and musang, is a viverrid native to South and Southeast Asia. Since 2008...
is known by variety of different names, such as ring-tailed cat, miner's cat, civet cat, and cacomistle (or cacomixtle), though the last of these can...
The marbled cat (Pardofelis marmorata) is a small wild cat native from the eastern Himalayas to Southeast Asia, where it inhabits forests up to an elevation...
The Asian golden cat (Catopuma temminckii) is a medium-sized wild cat native to the northeastern Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia and China. It has...
The bay cat (Catopuma badia), also known as the Bornean bay cat, is a small wild cat endemic to the island of Borneo that appears to be relatively rare...
The Pampas cat (Leopardus colocola) is a small wild cat native to South America. It is listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List as habitat conversion...
The Iriomote cat (Prionailurus bengalensis iriomotensis) is a subspecies of the leopard cat that lives exclusively on the Japanese island of Iriomote....
High German mericazza, possibly as a combination of meer ('lake') and kat ('cat'). This may be related to the similar Hindi: मर्कट (markat, or monkey), deriving...
The Chinese mountain cat (Felis bieti), also known as Chinese desert cat and Chinese steppe cat, is a small wild Felis species with sand-coloured fur,...
Bengal West Bengal football team Symbols of West Bengal State animal: Fishingcat State bird: White-throated kingfisher State flower: Night-flowering jasmine...
2305/IUCN.UK.2016-1.RLTS.T15640A87840229.en. "CatSG: FishingCat". International Union for Conservation of Nature Cat Specialist Group. Archived from the original...
Global Information
