Fishing Cat: a two-minute wildlife lesson

Small Wild Cats · day 7 of 7

Five facts

1. Fishing cats are strong swimmers. They can swim long distances, even underwater.
2. Fishing cats have partly webbed paws, and their claws only become partly covered, even when fully retracted.
3. A fishing cat's tongue is about 12 cm long, with big, tube-shaped bumps near the tip.
4. Fishing cats like to hunt in shallow water, spending about half their time waiting for prey to come close. Sometimes they dive in.
5. Fish make up about three-quarters of a fishing cat's diet. The rest is birds, rodents and insects.

The quiz

1. How far can a fishing cat swim?

• Only a few metres
• Only across shallow streams
• Long distances, even underwater (correct)
• It cannot swim underwater

A fishing cat can swim long distances, even underwater.

2. What is special about a fishing cat's paws?

• They are partly webbed (correct)
• They have no claws
• They are fully webbed like a duck's
• They are covered in thick fur

Fishing cats have partly webbed paws.

3. How long is a fishing cat's tongue?

• About 5 cm
• About 20 cm
• About 30 cm
• About 12 cm (correct)

A fishing cat's tongue is about 12 cm long.

4. How much of its hunting time does a fishing cat spend lying in wait?

• Almost none
• About half (correct)
• About a tenth
• Nearly all of it

It spends about half its time waiting for prey to come close.

5. What makes up about three-quarters of a fishing cat's diet?

• Birds
• Rodents
• Fish (correct)
• Insects

Fish make up about three-quarters of its diet.

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