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News: The fishing cat is in the news due to rapid wetland destruction and increasing concern over its declining population across floodplains and deltas.
About Fishing Cat
- The fishing cat is a medium-sized wild cat that is strongly adapted to wetland and aquatic environments.
- Scientific Name: Its scientific name is Prionailurus viverrinus.
- Habitat: The fishing cat mainly inhabits wetlands such as marshes, swamps, floodplains, mangroves, and reed-beds near rivers and agricultural landscapes.
- Distribution : In India, its range extends from the Indus basin through the Ganga river system and Terai region, across the Ganga–Brahmaputra plains and delta, and south up to the Mahanadi, Godavari, and Krishna basins.
- It is the state animal of West Bengal in India.
- Key Characteristics
- Behavior: It is nocturnal, swims frequently, and can dive underwater to catch fish.
- It has a strong body, stocky legs, and measures about 57–78 cm in length.
- Aquatic adaptations: It has semi-webbed feet, a water-resistant coat, a thick tail, half-retractile claws, and ear lobules that block water while diving.
- Diet: It mainly feeds on fish and also eats frogs, crustaceans, snakes, birds, and carcasses.
- Threats
- Destruction of wetlands due to human settlement
- Agriculture drainage
- Pollution
- Wood-cutting
- Depletion of fish
- Occasional poaching
- Conservation Status
- IUCN Red List: Endangered
- CITES: Appendix II
- Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972: Schedule I
