Prionailurus viverrinus viverrinus

(Bennett, 1833)

Vernacular names
English : Fishing cat
French : Chat pêcheur

Classification
Class : Mammalia
Order : Carnivora
Family : Felidae
Notes : 1 other subspecies known.

Identification
Up to 115 cm body length, weight up to 16 kg. Short legs and broad face. Fur grey to brown-grey with black round blotches fusing into short bands on flanks. White breast. Thin black bands on forehead, clear cheeks and chin.

Range and habitat
The species occurs in southern Asia, from Pakistan, India and Sri Lanka to Cambodia, south Thailand. Other subspecies endemic to Java and likely extinct. Lives in lowland marshlands and riverine habitats including forests, up to 1800 m.

Conservation
IUCN RED LIST : VULNERABLE
CITES : Appendix II
Status : The species is declining alarmingly in Southeast Asia and may be completely extinct in Sumatra and on Java. Habitat loss and poaching are threats.
Ex-Situ Programs : SSP in America, EEP in Europe

Observation

 

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