Yesterday while walking through the wetlands of Southeast Asia, we discovered the tallest flying bird. Today, we learn about a birds arch nemesis, the Fishing Cat. Okay, so perhaps, this particular bird and cat are not enemies but in general, cats eat birds, right? Although, if the Sarus Crane wasn’t so gosh darn big, the Fishing Cat may try to feast on it since these cats enjoy living in a similar habitat…..wetlands. That’s right, a feline that loves water. Sure it sounds weird but it works out great for this particular cat since they are allowed to eat as many fish as they like.

Gone Fishin’

Yes, the Fishing Cat does indeed fish. If you are anything like me, you have a picture of a cute, cuddly cat sitting in a boat with a fishing pole in one hand and a funny fishing hat on. I would imagine this isn’t exactly how the this particular feline catches their main prey species but it does paint an interesting picture. In reality their method for fishing is just as impressive. The cat will begin by gently tapping its paw on the surface of the water, which mimics the movements of insects. When the fish comes up to feed, the Fishing Cat jumps in to…..well, feed. This is a pretty neat little trick. I might just try this the next time I am at the lake.

The Myth Buster

When not spending a nice relaxing day fishing, this feline species will hunt for other tasty prey items including rodents, frogs, snails, snakes and small birds. Their partially webbed paws create a perfect weapon for scooping fish, frogs and other aquatic species from their watery home. As you can imagine, these same webbed paws also help make the Fishing Cat an impressive swimmer. In fact, they have been known to swim long distances, up to 22 square kilometres (8.5 square miles). If this isn’t incredible enough, they will actually use their flattened tail as a rudder to help them steer while swimming underwater. Their swimming ability would be impressive for most animals but I personally think it is extra spectacular since they are a CAT. All those myths about cats not liking water have pretty much gone out the window at this point.