Endangered cats’ survival mystified researchers — until video reveals their strategy

Brendan Rascius
·2 min read
47

Fishing cats — an endangered species of wild feline — have long been a mystery to researchers, who know little about their survival tactics.

Covered in spots and weighing up to 35 pounds, the nocturnal cats are native to the wetlands of Bangladesh and other parts of South Asia, where they primarily feed on fish, as their name suggests.

Specifically, researchers have been puzzled by the cats’ diet during the monsoon season, which inundates the country’s low-lying wetlands with torrential floods every year.

Now, they may have an answer.

Fishing cats, native to South and Southeast Asia, are considered endangered, researchers said.
Fishing cats, native to South and Southeast Asia, are considered endangered, researchers said.

For the first time ever, trail cameras captured footage of the animals preying on birds high in the trees of Bangladesh, marking a departure from their usual fish-hunting strategy, according to a study published on Jan. 15 in the journal Mammalia.

Between June and October 2022, the cats, which can live up to 12 years on average, were observed attacking fledgling birds nested over 20 feet high in the canopy of trees.

One of these hunts was a success as three chicks were seen dead and four more were missing.

Trail camera footage of a fishing cat hunting in a tree
Trail camera footage of a fishing cat hunting in a tree

“These two occasions suggest that fishing cats, despite being adapted specifically for hunting fish and wetland ecosystems, can climb trees and forage in canopies if necessary,” researchers said.

The discovery is of “particular significance,” researchers said, noting that waterbirds now constitute a novel food source for the threatened cats.

The cats, which largely live in human-dominated areas, are considered endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, meaning they face the threat of extinction.

Wetland destruction and unsustainable fishing practices are likely depleting its main source of prey, according to the World Wildlife Fund.

Researchers concluded that “conservation efforts targeting fishing cats should thus be prioritized and all options for effective mitigation be scientifically assessed.”

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