Awesome Animal Fact - Water-loving Fishing Cat

Continuing the theme of RIDICULOUSLY CUTE WILD CATS.

Did you know the fishing cat of Southeast Asia is an excellent swimmer and is talented at catching fish? We tend to think that cats, in general, hate water, but that's not true for some cat species. The fishing cat loves water and is adapted to catching aquatic prey. They have partial webbing between their toes, and their claws do not fully retract, which helps them grab hold of slippery prey animals underwater. They also have two layers of fur, one dense layer that makes a water barrier, and a longer layer that provides the cat's spotted, camouflage appearance.

Fishing cats weigh from 11 to 37 pounds (5 to 17 kg). These cats are nocturnal and shy, so there is much about them we don't know. However, we do know they like to stand at the water's edge and swipe at fish and other aquatic animals that swim by, piercing them with their claws and then snapping them up in their jaws. Sometimes they even launch themselves headfirst into the deeper water when fish swim by farther from the shore. They eat a lot of fish this way (75% of their diet is fish), but they also eat rodents, birds, snakes, lizards, frogs, clams, snails, and insects.

Fishing cats have even been observed swimming underwater so they can grab ducks by the legs from below.

Photo Credits:
- Fishing cat - DepositPhotos