Thursday, November 12, 2009

Rare fishing cat found in Vietnam

A rare fishing cat caught in An Giang province in the Mekong Delta has been released.

The species listed in the Vietnam Red Book of rare fauna and flora was released by the An Giang Forest Protection Bureau on November 8. They confirmed they had released a fishing cat to the Tra Su cajuput forest in Tinh Bien district, An Giang province.



The fishing cats, scientifically named Felis Viverrina, live in fragmented groups in China, Vietnam, Thailand and Indonesia. They mainly gather in areas where there are streams and rivers of fresh water, usually those covered by reeds, swamps, mangroves, and marsh.

As their name implies, they eat mostly fish. The cats will sit and wait on the shore, and scoop the fish out of the water with its paws, and are even known to dive for fish. They also eat frogs, snakes, crustaceans, snails, birds, and small mammals.

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