Fishing cat
Prionailurus Viverrinus
IUCN Status: Vulnerable
Diet
Fish, snakes, crustaceans, goats, small dogs and happy to scavenge on carcasses of other bigger animals.
Breeding
A life span of 10 – 15 years, breeding once a year usually in late Spring (Northern hemisphere) one to four kittens can be born after a gestation of 63 days. Suckling continues into the six month when the weaning begins.
At The Zoo
We have a single middle aged male who is part of the European breeding program. our original pair never bred and only just tolerated each other’s company. At the moment his genetics are not needed for the captive population but we hope to get him a non- breeding female companion.
Habitat
Wetlands throughout south and southeast Asia but discontinuously (here and there)!
Fun Facts
Quite happy to dive for fish or scoop them out of the water with their paws they can swim well under water and over large distances! When swimming they can use their short flattened tail like a rudder (controlling direction).
Behaviour
A solitary nocturnal predator! Territory is marked by urine spraying and rubbing their cheeks, chin or head to leave scent “posts”!