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Small Wild Cats
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 Ever had an Ocelot walk right up to the 4WD ? We have frequently during our Bolivian wildlife watching safari's. We take our travellers to areas others don't know about giving a unique experience to view rare and wonderful wildlife without the crowds http://www.nickadventuresbolivia.com  *This image is copyright of its original author When someone says Dudhwa has Fishing Cat people don’t believe. I was lucky enough to get this shot of Fishing Cat in broad daylight. Sometimes i feel good after clicking and this photo is one of them. I had just entered the park was preparing my camera when she jumped on the track, totally unaware of the settings i snapped for a record shot I had never thought it would land up this way at 1/40 speed settings.Thanks to Sidharth ... the dudhwa wizkid Ambika Misra Photography  *This image is copyright of its original author Fishing Cat.Pic Credit - Ânjani Kumar I just couldn't take my eyes off this breathtaking and nerve wracking photo. Absolutely brilliant work by Anjani bhai. Do appreciate this wonderful photo and all the hard work that went behind such a mind-boggling image. 
Manul is a small wild cat with a broad but fragmented distribution in the mountain_grasslands_and_shrublands of Central Asia. They are not fast runners, and hunt primarily by ambush or stalking, using low vegetation and rocky terrain for cover.
This small guy is a very cute fluffy creature with a bit evilish eyes, I always laugh when see him. Morning hunt:  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author
 *This image is copyright of its original author Juan Carlos Vindas - Margay on forest floor, Costa Rica.
 *This image is copyright of its original author My dream of seeing an ocelot in the wild came true on our last boat drive in the Pantanal! It's the dry season right now and a group of firefighters spotted her as they were investigating the fires from a boat. She was hunting something up in the trees during the middle of the day and we were able to watch her for about 15 minutes. It was a magical last day.  *This image is copyright of its original author karinsaucedo 
Lynx (Lynx rufus) hunting a rat
Book Great Cats John Seidensticker and Susan Lumpkin  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author
 
This is why I loves lynxes, not the biggest cats, yet can take down things like deer, and are tough. I did make a thread just for the Eurasian Lynx (Lynx lynx) (very creative nickname I know). So you can post anything on that animal over there.
Fishing Cat or Prionailurus viverrinus
Some recent Click of our super rare and elusive cat of our AP State. Credits :@anjani.singamaneni Dear Friends, Here is the image of the Fishing Cat that won 1st place - Wildscape & Animals & Habitat category Nature in Focus, National Awards for Wildlife Photography I would like to take this opportunity to introduce and thank the Entire Team behind this image. Srikanth and Balaji ( field Research), Sandeep ( Naturalist ), Srinivas and Sattibabu ( Crewman of the boat ) . These guys have put more effort than me and deserve a lot of credit. The image is a result of almost 3 months of effort, right form tracking the cats, monitoring the moments with initial trail cams, Set up the DSLR rig, and maintenance and monitoring of the rig. This image is part of my camera trap assignment for Fishing Cat Conservancy, which is happening since April of this year. I would also like to thank the Fishing cat conservancy for their effort to protect the Fishing cat and other lesser known species of the wetlands February 3, 2019 Rare Fishing cat found probably only in our state, ANDHRA PRADESH in South India. The fishing cat is possibly extinct in coastal Kerala. In our State, it is found in and around Krishna Wildlife Sanctuary, in Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary and adjoining reserve forests in Andhra Pradesh.  *This image is copyright of its original author The Fishing Cat is natively found throughout a number of countries in south-east Asia including Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, Cambodia, China, India, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam along with the Indonesian Islands of Java and Sumatra. Although the Fishing Cat appears to have a wide geographical range, due to the fact that they prefer dense, wetland habitats they are only found in certain regions throughout these countries. Ideally, the Fishing Cat inhabits wetland areas where there is plenty of dense vegetation to provide cover both from predators but also to hide from potential prey, and can be found in a variety of aquatic regions that include mangrove swamps, rivers, lakes, marshes, reed beds and areas of forest close to streams. They are however, severely threatened throughout much of their natural range as wetlands are drained for agriculture or often polluted by industry in the area. It is thought that 98% of the globally significant wetlands throughout south-east Asia are under threat and could even disappear completely. Status survey of Fishing Cat (Prionailurus viverrinus) in Howrah and Hooghley, West Bengal (PDF) "The Coringa Mangroves—realm of the Fishing Cat".Proceedings of the First International Fishing Cat Conservation Symposium, 25–29 November 2015, Nepal (PDF) Status of Fishing Cat and Indian Smooth-coated Otter in Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary (PDF) Sharma, P.; Raj, B.; Sharma, V.; Seshamani, G. & Satayanarayan, K. (2016). "First record of Fishing Cat in Sur Sarovar Bird Sanctuary, Agra, India". Sadhu, A.; Reddy, G. V. (2013)."First evidence of Fishing Cat in the Ranthambhore Tiger Reserve, Rajasthan, India". Habitat: Variety of wetland habitats Colour: Olive-Grey, Black Skin Type: Fur Size (L): 57cm - 85cm (22.4in - 33.4in) Weight: 5.5kg - 8kg (12lbs - 17.6lbs) Top Speed: 55kph (34mph) Diet: Carnivore Prey: Fish, Shellfish, Snakes Predators: Human Due to the powerful build and aquatic nature of the Fishing Cat they are thought to have very few (if any) real natural predators in the wild. However, the Fishing Cat is often found in areas where they share their habitats with larger carnivorous mammals such as tigers and bears which could be of threat to them. People are the biggest threat to the Fishing Cat as they have not only destroyed much of their unique wetland homes with increasing levels of industrial and commercial activity but they have also been known to hunt Fishing Cats over the years for their meat and fur. Despite now being a protected animal species, large seizures of Fishing Cat skins at local markets still occur which indicates that poachers are still decimating populations, particularly in certain areas. Another problem for Fishing Cats caused by Humans is the fact that in areas close to growing settlements, locals are often overfishing in the nearby lakes and rivers which means that the food available for the Fishing Cats is also declining fast. Lifestyle: Nocturnal Group Behaviour: Solitary Lifespan: 10 - 12 years Age Of Sexual Maturity: 9 - 10 months Gestation Period: 63 days Average Litter Size: 2 Name Of Young: Kitten Age Of Weaning: 4 - 6 months Conservation Status: Endangered Estimated Population Size: Less than 10,000 Biggest Threat: Habitat loss Most Distinctive Feature: Long, stocky body and slightly webbed paws Fun Fact: Scoops fish out of the water using its paw Fishing Cat Interesting Facts and Features The Fishing Cat was first described scientifically by Bennet in 1833 and was given its scientific name with the last past meaning "civet-like". Although they are not closely related at all, the Fishing Cat has a long, stocky body with short legs and a short tail which makes it look remarkably similar to these small carnivores. Although Fishing Cats tend to be most commonly found in a variety of watery lowland habitats, they are also known to inhabit areas at elevations of up to 5,000 ft depending on the waterways in the area (a small population is actually found in parts of the Himalayas). The Fishing Cat is classed as part of the Leopard Cat lineage which means that its ancestors would have evolved around 6 million years ago. Other members of this feline group include the Leopard Cat itself, the Pallas Cat and the Flat-Headed Cat, to which the Fishing Cat is most closely related. Fishing Cat Relationship with Humans Due to the fact that the Fishing Cat is seldom seen in the wild as they are nocturnal and their preferred habitats would have been quite inaccessible to people for some time, until the middle of the last century they were locally common throughout much of their native regions. However, the hunting of them by people for their meat and fur has obliterated populations in many areas and even today, they are still illegally killed in their hundreds to sell their skins onto the black market. The biggest problem facing the Fishing Cat though, is the drastically increasing levels of Human activity in their natural environments that is severely affecting not just the Fishing Cats, but also the incredibly unique and bio-diverse wetland habitats in which they live. Water draining for agriculture and to make way for roads, growing Human settlements and high levels of industry that pollutes the water with toxic substances has reduced their once vast natural range by nearly 50%. Fishing Cat Conservation Status and Life Today Today, the Fishing Cat is listed by the IUCN as an animal species that is Endangered in its natural environment and could therefore be threatened with extinction in the not too distant future. The biggest threat to the Fishing Cat is habitat loss with many of their remaining pockets of wetland homes now considered to be protected areas (illegal activity in these areas though is still contributing to the loss of species in these regions). Conservation projects have been set up in a number of areas to protect both the Fishing Cats and their unique wetland habitats and the hunting and trade in the species is now illegal. Poaching however, still continues with skins still being seized from markets in the far east. |
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