Prionailurus Viverrinus Research Articles

Measuring and exploring variations of serum anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) in female fishing cat (Prionailurus viverrinus) and leopard cat (Prionailurus bengalensis)

Serum concentration of anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) is a way to estimate the ovarian reserve in many species including domestic cats. It could therefore become an important indicator to manage breeding of wild cat species in captivity. This study focused on 1) validating the AMH Gen II ELISA test, and 2) exploring the relationship between serum AMH with age and estrus stages in fishing cats (Prionailurus viverrinus) and leopard cats (Prionailurus bengalensis). Blood samples were collected from 11 female fishing cats (5.7 ± 3.2 years old) and 8 female leopard cats (8.1 ± 1.8 years old) subjected to routine annual health check in zoo facilities. The stage of the estrus cycle was estimated from animal history, abdominal sonography and vaginal cytology. Serum AMH was measured by AMH Gen II ELISA. Intra-assay CV and inter-assay CV were 4.11% and 5.52%, respectively. Validation of the AMH Gen II ELISA by the linearity of sample dilution in fishing cats and leopard cats was confirmed. In fishing cats, r2 equalled 0.998 and percentage recovery was 83 to 101%. In leopard cats, r2 equalled 0.999 and percentage recovery was 96 to 104%. Serum AMH concentration ranged from 0.17 to 30.53ng/mL (averaged 14.88 ± 10.03ng/mL) in fishing cats and 1.25 to 13.52ng/mL (averaged 6.25 ± 4.69ng/mL) in leopard cats. There was no significant relationship between serum AMH concentration and age in both fishing cats (r = -0.556, P = 0.075) and leopard cats (r = 0.010, P = 0.982). Likewise, there was no difference in AMH concentrations between estrus stage and other stages in both fishing cats (P = 0.069) and leopard cats (P = 0.599). In conclusion, because the limited sample size and the lack of precise information on the estrus phase, the AMH Gen II ELISA shows promising potential for detecting concentrations that may be correlated with age, estrus cycle, and ovarian reserve in future studies.

Making Noah's Ark Work for Fishing Cat Conservation: A Blueprint for Connecting Populations across an Interactive Wild Ex Situ Spectrum.

The One Plan Approach advocates for a hybrid species management framework, wherein captive-bred populations are considered metapopulations nested within a broader network of zoos and wild populations Additionally, the Opportunities to Thrive framework aims to enhance animal welfare by addressing the physiological, psychological, and emotional needs of captive individuals, thereby improving conservation outcomes. Here, we present an integrated framework for the conservation of a globally threatened wetland wild cat species, the fishing cat, by synthesizing optimal ex situ management practices and in situ conservation strategies. Further, we examined the genetic constitution of the founder population in a fishing cat captive breeding program that was recently initiated by the West Bengal Zoo Authority, India and conducted a population viability analysis to suggest how best to maintain the genetic diversity of the population. We found that the present genetic diversity of 56% and maximum carrying capacity of the captive population (30 individuals) can be maintained for more than 100 years with a combination of supplementation and harvesting. Keeping stochastic events in mind, the introduction of two adult males and females to the existing population each year will seamlessly allow the harvesting of two adult males and two adult females every alternate year to supplement wild populations. Further, we adopted the proposed integrated framework to delineate recommendations for the supplementation of wild populations in West Bengal. We used environmental criteria known to influence fishing cat occurrence to identify 21 potential reintroduction zones in the Sundarbans landscape and Terai region in northern West Bengal with habitable areas for the fishing cat that are larger than the maximum known species' home range. Our study is timely and insightful because it provides a holistic blueprint for implementing the One Plan Approach in safeguarding a threatened species.

Dietary habits of fishing cats in a human-dominated wetland in Coastal Thailand

Abstract. Wongson T, Khaewphakdee S, Mongkonsin W, Serieys LEK, Wong W-M, Yindee M, Pattanarangsan R, Suksavate W, Promkuntod P, Klakhaeng C, Sukmasuang R. 2024. Dietary habits of fishing cats in a human-dominated wetland in Coastal Thailand. Biodiversitas 25: 2788-2797. Fishing cats, intimately connected to wetland habitats, face an escalating threat from human activities and environmental change. With its significant findings, this study offers a comprehensive insight into the dietary habits of fishing cats in a human-dominated wetland in coastal Thailand. By examining the scats of 192 fishing cats (Prionailurus viverrinus Bennett 1833) and the remains of 328 prey items, we detailed the fishing cat's diet and assessed its seasonality. Consequently, we identified 16 prey species consumed by fishing cats during the study period. The primary prey was fish, followed by rodents, birds, Indo-Chinese rat snakes (Ptyas korros (Hermann Schlegel 1837)), insects, crabs, and snails. The most crucial prey was the climbing perch (Anabas testudineus Bloch 1792) (n=69), followed by bandicoot rats (Bandicota indica Bechstein, 1800) (n=54), domestic chicken (Gallus gallus Linnaeus 1758) (n=48), and snakehead murrel (Channa striata Bloch 1793) (n=38). The niche breadth index indicated the highest specialization during the summer, while the dietary diversity index was 0.44, 0.52, and 0.38 during the summer, rainy, and winter seasons, respectively. Seasonal variations in dietary composition were not statistically significant. The niche overlap index was 0.95 between the summer and the rainy season, 0.91 between the rainy season and winter, and 0.87 between the summer and winter. These findings, with their direct implications for the conservation of fishing cats, highlight the urgent need for effective land-use management in species preservation.

The fishing cat: New insights on distribution in the northern sector of Chitwan National Park, Nepal

Fishing cat Prionailurus viverrinus (Bennett, 1833) is an elusive and medium-sized feline species with distinguished marking patterns on their head and body separating them from other feline species. Despite being distributed widely among diverse geographic locations, their abundance has declined due to significant habitat loss and human disturbances. There exists a substantial research gap regarding their abundance and distribution in Nepal. In this article, we presented the updated documentation of the fishing cat distribution in the northern sector of Chitwan National Park through our species-focused camera trapping survey. The study was carried out between April and May 2021 with a total of 130 camera trap nights. We obtained images of fishing cats from three camera trap sites, less than one kilometer of aerial distance from the human settlements, indicating that the species could also be extensively using human-dominated landscapes within and around the parts of CNP. Our research also found that fishing cats are residing close to the Rapti riverbed where seasonal shallow water holes are more common, allowing them to hunt their prey easily.

Density estimation of the globally threatened fishing cat Prionailurus viverrinus through a participatory science approach in the Chilika lagoon, eastern India

The fishing cat Prionailurus viverrinus is an Indo-Malayan wetland-dependent felid which is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. Its main prey, fish, has low energetic demands and is abundant in productive aquatic habitats. This facilitates high piscivore densities and potentially alters expected scaling patterns that link population density to the body mass of small cats. With local community participation, we estimated the density of the fishing cat in Chilika, Asia’s largest brackish water lagoon, located in the state of Odisha, eastern India, with community participation. The study was carried out in 2 phases in different habitats during 2021 and 2022: a homogeneous marshy habitat and its buffer (Northern Block), and a heterogeneous matrix of different land-use types (Southern Block). We deployed a total of 144 camera traps across 4380 trap nights. Using spatially explicit capture-recapture (SECR), we estimated mean (±SE) fishing cat density to be 0.69 ± 0.1 ind. km-2 in the Northern Block and 0.67 ± 0.33 ind. km-2 in the Southern Block. The population abundance estimates for the Northern and the Southern Blocks were 159 ± 23 and 185 ± 91 respectively. In the former, SECR modelling indicated an effect of anthropogenic habitat modification upon the species’ home range extent. Our density estimates are amongst the highest reported for the species outside protected areas. The results imply that Chilika holds an abundant population of the fishing cat, the continued persistence of which requires mitigation of local and external threats to fish populations. Furthermore, our study, with its inclusive approach, sets a precedent for the use of camera trapping for obtaining robust density estimates of species with uniquely marked individuals in wetland habitats.

A chromosome-scale fishing cat reference genome for the evaluation of potential germline risk variants.

The fishing cat, Prionailurus viverrinus, faces a population decline, increasing the importance of maintaining healthy zoo populations. Unfortunately, zoo-managed individuals currently face a high prevalence of transitional cell carcinoma (TCC), a form of bladder cancer. To investigate the genetics of inherited diseases among captive fishing cats, we present a chromosome-scale assembly, generate the pedigree of the zoo-managed population, reaffirm the close genetic relationship with the Asian leopard cat (Prionailurus bengalensis), and identify 7.4million single nucleotide variants (SNVs) and 23,432 structural variants (SVs) from whole genome sequencing (WGS) data of healthy and TCC cats. Only BRCA2 was found to have a high recurrent number of missense mutations in fishing cats diagnosed with TCC when compared to inherited human cancer risk variants. These new fishing cat genomic resources will aid conservation efforts to improve their genetic fitness and enhance the comparative study of feline genomes.

Spatial Distribution of Fishing Cat (Prionailurus viverrinus) in Selected Wetlands of Colombo Ramsar Wetland City using Camera Traps

The first wetland capital city in the world, Colombo Ramsar Wetland City (CRWC), provides a diverse array of habitat types intermixed with one another to the faunal and floral communities. In this research, the spatial distribution of Fishing Cat (Prionailurus viverrinus) was studied in Baddagana Wetland Park (BWP), Diyasaru Wetland Park (DWP) and Heen Ela Marsh (HEM) located within the CRWC, from June 2021 to January 2022. Annona (Annona glabra) woodland, mixed woodland, herb dominated high vegetation and herb dominated low vegetation habitat types were selected and camera trap stations were established providing equal trapping effort for each habitat type. Camera trap locations were selected to ensure a sufficient coverage of each wetland. Trap locations were changed every 30 days, and cameras were set to function during both day and night for 24 hours a day. A total number of 2,831 camera trap records belonging to 6 species were identified as meso-mammals. Spatial distribution was determined by the habitat preference of P. viverrinus and Relative Abundance Index (RAI) was used for the analysis of preference in each habitat type. It was evident that P. viverrinus mostly preferred Annona woodlands in both BWP (RAI, 14.4) and DWP (RAI, 12.7). However, the most preferred habitat type in HEM (RAI, 9.1) was mixed woodlands. Herb dominated high vegetation was the least preferred habitat type of P. viverrinus in BWP (RAI, 6.7) while herb dominated low vegetation was the least preferred habitat type in both DWP (RAI, 4.7) and HEM (RAI, 3.6). Mixed woodlands were almost equally preferred by P. viverrinus in all study sites and the preference of herb dominated low vegetation and herb dominated high vegetation was relatively low in all the study sites compared to other habitat types. This study suggests that the preference of P. viverrinus varied among different habitat types and one of the major reasons for Annona woodlands being the most preferred habitat type is that they are directly accessible to water. This increases their prey availability within the Annona woodlands, compared to the other habitat types. Thus, it is greatly important to conserve the wetland habitat types associated with water, in order to protect and conserve the P. viverrinus in Colombo wetlands 
 Keywords: Colombo Ramsar Wetland City, Meso-mammals, Camera trapping, Biodiversity, Carnivores 

A treetop diner: camera trapping reveals novel arboreal foraging by fishing cats on colonial nesting birds in Bangladesh

Abstract Based on camera trap images, we document active foraging attempts on nests of colonial waterbirds by a fishing cat Prionailurus viverrinus. The nests were built in the canopy of an 8-m-tall Indian Oak tree Barringtonia acutangula in the Haor Basin region, northeast Bangladesh. In 2022, two events of fishing cats reaching nests with fledglings were documented. In one event, the cat killed four fledglings. The species primarily follows a piscivorous diet and is evolutionarily adapted for semi-aquatic hunting niches. These records provide the first known evidence of the arboreal hunting behaviour observed in the fishing cat.

Unveiling the Diverse Mammalian Species of a Tropical Rainforest in Northeast Bangladesh

Tropical rainforest supports an incredible diversity of mammalian species. The forest patches of northeast Bangladesh are considered hotspots for a range of threatened mammals. However, the transboundary Lathitila reserve forest in Moulvibazar district of northeast Bangladesh remained largely unexplored. We assessed the diversity of medium- and small-sized mammals using camera-trapping, and distance sampling, which was supplemented by sign survey and interviews. We recorded a total of 38 species of mammals belonging to 9 orders and 22 families. The Carnivora (34%) contained the highest number of mammals followed by Rodentia (21%), Primates (18%), Chiroptera (10%), and Artiodactyla (5%). Thirty seven percent of the recorded species were rare, followed by very common (26%), occasional (24%) and common (13%). Of these, 45% were categorized as threatened in the updated national Red List of IUCN Bangladesh. The remarkable species that we recorded are the Critically Endangered Asian elephant (Elephas maximus), Western hoolock gibbon (Hoolock hoolock), Chinese pangolin (Manis pentadactyla), Phayre’s leaf monkey (Trachypithecus phayrei), Northern pig-tailed macaque (Macaca leonina), and Bengal slow loris (Nycticebus bengalensis). The Endangered Fishing cat (Prionailurus viverrinus), and Asian small-clawed otter (Aonyx cinerea) were also recorded. The principal threats to the Lathitila forest are the habitat degradation, habitat fragmentation, human disturbance, illegal wood extraction, and wildlife poaching. This study highlights the conservation importance of this least-known forest, thereby protection measures are urgently needed to conserve its diverse mammalian fauna. Bangladesh J. Zool. 51(2): 135-154, 2023

The Vulnerable Fishing Cat Prionailurus viverrinus from Wonorejo Mangroves, Surabaya, Indonesia Based on Morphology and Molecular Data

The fishing cat (Prionailurus viverrinus) is a protected animal. Currently, the population in nature is declining due to over-fishing and changes in environmental quality. The existence of this fishing cat is an interesting finding that must be immediately studied at the morphological and genetic levels for certainty of its species. This study aimed to identify fishing cat from Wonorejo Mangroves, based on morphology and Cyt b genes analysis. The results of Cyt b identification obtained a DNA sequence length of 398 bp with a similarity value of the five Prionailurus sp. samples between 96.75 to 98.97%. The identification using molecular data consisted of five variations of nucleotide bases, and the average value of the genetic distance with the ingroup was 1.0%., The Cyt b DNA markers analysis succesfully identified fishing cat from Wonorejo Mangroves as Prionailurus viverrinus.

Semen Quality of Captive Fishing Cats (Prionailurus viverrinus) Obtained by Electroejaculation

Fishing cat (Prionailurus viverrinus) is categorized in a group of small cats. The cat has brownish grey fur with dark brown spots and lines running across the length of body. It is wildlife conserved (IUCN) and protected as wildlife animal in Thailand. It is also in the CITES Appendix II. The aim of this study was to study semen quality of this cat by electroejaculation. Five male fishing cats aging approximately 13 years old and body weighed between 9-16 kg were employed in this study. Anesthetic by dexmedetomidine (0.02 mg/kg) and ketamine (4 mg/kg)) was used before semen collection. Stimulation patterns for electrical stimuli using 0.5-5 volts by autonomous program were applied into the rectum of each fishing cat using the rectal probe (r=1.27 cm). Semen was successfully collected from sixteen out of twenty attempts. Semen volume and sperm motility were much variable. Average semen volume was 43.13 µl (range between 5-200 µl). Average pH was 5.81 (range from 5-7). Average sperm motility was 28.25 % (range from 1-90 %). Average sperm concentration was 207.44 million/ml (range from 12-860 million/ml). The semen collection method developed in this study proved to be a useful technique for frozen semen preservation and planning of artificial insemination in order to propagate and conserve the threatened and endangered fishing cat species in the future.

Chromosome-level, nanopore-only genome and allele-specific DNA methylation of Pallas's cat, Otocolobus manul.

Pallas's cat, or the manul cat (Otocolobus manul), is a small felid native to the grasslands and steppes of central Asia. Population strongholds in Mongolia and China face growing challenges from climate change, habitat fragmentation, poaching, and other sources. These threats, combined with O. manul's zoo collection popularity and value in evolutionary biology, necessitate improvement of species genomic resources. We used standalone nanopore sequencing to assemble a 2.5 Gb, 61-contig nuclear assembly and 17097 bp mitogenome for O. manul. The primary nuclear assembly had 56× sequencing coverage, a contig N50 of 118 Mb, and a 94.7% BUSCO completeness score for Carnivora-specific genes. High genome collinearity within Felidae permitted alignment-based scaffolding onto the fishing cat (Prionailurus viverrinus) reference genome. Manul contigs spanned all 19 felid chromosomes with an inferred total gap length of less than 400 kilobases. Modified basecalling and variant phasing produced an alternate pseudohaplotype assembly and allele-specific DNA methylation calls; 61 differentially methylated regions were identified between haplotypes. Nearest features included classical imprinted genes, non-coding RNAs, and putative novel imprinted loci. The assembled mitogenome successfully resolved existing discordance between Felinae nuclear and mtDNA phylogenies. All assembly drafts were generated from 158 Gb of sequence using seven minION flow cells.

Fishing Cat Scats as a Biomonitoring Tool for Toxic Heavy Metal Contamination in Aquatic Ecosystems.

Mangrove forest is one of the productive ecosystems that provide essential habitats for various fauna as breeding and feeding drives. However, heavy metal pollution in the mangrove forest has led to severe health problems for several aquatic species. Biomonitoring of metals using a nondestructive method is an emerging technique. Scats of the fishing cat (Prionailurus viverrinus) were collected from five locations in the Godavari estuary mangrove habitats, Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary, Andhra Pradesh, India, to determine the level of various metals. An opportunistic method was applied to collect scats in the mangrove forest. Six scat samples were collected from each of the sampling sites. The following prey species, such as crabs, fishes, birds, rodents, plants, plastics, and unidentifiable prey matters, were found in the scats. Select metals, such as chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), and lead (Pb) were analyzed from the scats of the fishing cat since they intensively influence the physiology and behavior of top predators. The concentration of Cu in fishing cat scats was higher than the other two metals assessed. Metals showed statistically substantial variation across locations (p < 0.05). According to the current study, heavy metals may significantly threaten the fishing cat in the Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary. The fishing cat is a vulnerable species in accordance with the ICUN categories. Due to pollution and other human pressures, the fishing cat may soon be categorized as a threatened or endangered species; the research advises that authorities should prioritize the protection of the vulnerable species of the fishing cat from the Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary, Andhra Pradesh, India.

State Representative Beaten to Death: A Decade Long Conflict Scenario of Fishing Cats (Prionailurus viverrinus) from Southern West Bengal, India

State Representative Beaten to Death: A Decade Long Conflict Scenario of Fishing Cats (Prionailurus viverrinus) from Southern West Bengal, India

Plastic ingestion by fishing cats suggests trophic transfer in urban wetlands

Recent studies have suggested that plastic contamination in some terrestrial and freshwater environments is estimated to be greater than that detected in marine environments. Urban wetlands are prone to plastic pollution but levels of contamination in their wildlife are poorly quantified. We collected 276 fishing cat (Prionailurus viverrinus) scat samples in Colombo, Sri Lanka for a dietary study of urban fishing cats. We used traditional dietary analysis methodology to investigate the contents of the scats by washing, isolating, and identifying prey remains; while sorting prey remains of individual scats, we unexpectedly detected macroscopic (>1 mm) plastic debris in six (2.17%) of the samples. Across all scat samples, we detected low occurrences of microplastics (0.72%), mesoplastics (1.09%) and macroplastics (1.45%). All three plastic types were found in scats containing rodent remains, while meso-, and macroplastics were found in scats with avian remains, and micro- and macroplastics in scats containing freshwater fish remains. Given that felids are obligate generalist carnivores that eat live or recently dead prey and do not consume garbage, our findings suggest that trophic transfer of plastics occurred whereby fishing cats consumed prey contaminated with plastic. Although macroscopic plastic detection was low, our findings suggest that accumulation of plastics is occurring in wetland food webs, and plastic pollution in freshwater terrestrial systems could pose a risk to predators that do not directly consume plastics but inhabit contaminated environments.

Establishment of fishing cat cell biobanking for sustainable conservation

The fishing cat (Prionailurus viverrinus) is a vulnerable wild felid that is currently under threat from habitat destruction and other human activities. The zoo provides insurance to ensure the survival of the fishing cat population. Creating a biobank of fishing cats is a critical component of recent zoo strategies for securely stocking cell samples for long-term survival. Here, our goal was to compare cell biobanking techniques (tissue collection, primary culture, and reprogramming) and tissue sources (ear skin, abdominal skin, testis) from captive (n = 6)/natural (n = 6) vs. living (n = 8)/postmortem (n = 4) fishing cats. First, we show that dermal fibroblasts from the medial border of the helix of the ear pinna and abdominal tissues of living fishing cats can be obtained, whereas postmortem animals provided far fewer fibroblasts from the ears than from the testes. Furthermore, we can extract putative adult spermatogonial stem cells from the postmortem fishing cat's testes. The main barrier to expanding adult fibroblasts was early senescence, which can be overcome by overexpressing reprogramming factors through felid-specific transfection programs, though we demonstrated that reaching iPSC state from adult fibroblasts of fishing cats was ineffective with current virus-free mammal-based induction approaches. Taken together, the success of isolating and expanding primary cells is dependent on a number of factors, including tissue sources, tissue handling, and nature of limited replicative lifespan of the adult fibroblasts. This study provides recommendations for tissue collection and culture procedures for zoological research to facilitate the preservation of cells from both postmortem and living felids.

The killing of Fishing Cat Prionailurus viverrinus (Bennett, 1833) (Mammalia: Carnivora: Felidae) in Hakaluki Haor, Bangladesh

While considerable attention has been paid to the killing of carnivore species which cause significant damage, little attention has been paid to the killings of other carnivores causing less personal and economic damage. We therefore assessed the patterns and motives behind the killing of Fishing Cats Prionailurus viverrinus by local people in northeastern Bangladesh. We conducted interviews with local people and used qualitative content and narrative analyses to clarify the pattern and motives of killing. Most Fishing Cats were killed by gatherings of 10–15 people with any available tools. Dead bodies were not used after killing, suggesting that the intention was only to kill the individuals. The results of the survey indicated that fear was the strongest motive for killing, which differed from the motivation behind the killing of other sympatric carnivores. Therefore, we conclude that the killing of Fishing Cat cannot be prevented only by an economic based solution but, rather a change in attitude towards the species among local communities.

Predicted Pleistocene–Holocene range and connectivity declines of the vulnerable fishing cat and insights for current conservation

AbstractAimIdentifying appropriate conservation measures requires a reasonable understanding of a species' population status, distribution and vulnerability. However, for many species, these variables may not be understood under the context of current conditions alone. Here, we assess the potential role historical changes in climate, sea level and anthropogenic activity may have had on the distribution of one of the world's least‐understood wild cats and identify broader implications for conservation efforts that may not be apparent from just an examination of the species' current distribution.LocationTropical Asia.TaxonFishing cat (Prionailurus viverrinus).MethodsWe used a presence‐only ecological niche model and a least‐cost graph‐based connectivity model to characterize the species' bio‐climatic niche and predict changes in suitability and connectivity under current and paleoenvironmental conditions.ResultsFishing cat occurrence was associated with landscapes that were low in elevation and high in topographic wetness and climates that were warm with moderate annual precipitation and moderate seasonal variation in both temperature and precipitation. Since the Last Interglacial, the area predicted to be climatically suitable has ranged from 5.9 million km2 during the Last Glacial Maximum to 2.2 million km2 during the Current Era. Changes in regional connectivity correlated with changes in suitable area for all periods except the Current Era. Relative connectivity of areas affected by past sea level rise was highest in areas with large alluvial plains, emergent coastal areas and deltas.Main conclusionsOur findings suggest that the fishing cat's current distribution and vulnerability can be explained by a synergistic combination of historical climate change, sea level rise, and anthropogenic land‐use change. Changes in suitability and connectivity over time highlight potential core areas that are underrepresented by historical survey efforts. Future survey efforts should include these areas, with an emphasis on quantifying tolerances to anthropogenic disturbances.

Fishing cat Prionailurus viverrinus distribution and habitat suitability in Nepal.

The fishing cat Prionailurus viverrinus is a wetland specialist species endemic to South and Southeast Asia. Nepal represents the northern limit of its biogeographic range, but comprehensive information on fishing cat distribution in Nepal is lacking. To assess their distribution, we compiled fishing cat occurrence records (n = 154) from Nepal, available in published literature and unpublished data (2009–2020). Bioclimatic and environmental variables associated with their occurrence were used to predict the fishing cat habitat suitability using MaxEnt modeling. Fishing cat habitat suitability was associated with elevation (152–302 m), precipitation of the warmest quarter, i.e., April–June (668–1014 mm), precipitation of the driest month (4–7 mm), and land cover (forest/grassland and wetland). The model predicted an area of 4.4% (6679 km2) of Nepal as potential habitat for the fishing cat. About two‐thirds of the predicted potentially suitable habitat lies outside protected areas; however, a large part of the highly suitable habitat (67%) falls within protected areas. The predicted habitat suitability map serves as a reference for future investigation into fishing cat distribution as well as formulating and implementing effective conservation programs in Nepal. Fishing cat conservation initiatives should include habitats inside and outside the protected areas to ensure long‐term survival. We recommend conservation of wetland sites, surveys of fishing cats in the identified potential habitats, and studying their genetic connectivity and population status.

Modeling the habitat suitability for sympatric small and medium sized felids and investigating the spatiotemporal niche overlapping in Maduru Oya National Park, Sri Lanka

Habitat suitability modeling and identification of spatiotemporal niches helps in understanding the ecological requirements of faunal guilds. Small and medium sized felids of wild Sri Lanka include three cat species; fishing cat (Prionailurus viverrinus), jungle cat (Felis chaus) and, rusty-spotted cat (Prionailurus rubiginosus). These felids are hyper-carnivorous elusive predators that play important ecological roles in a variety of habitats. We conducted this study to identify the habitat associations of sympatric small and medium sized felids and model the habitat suitability of Maduru Oya National Park (MONP), Sri Lanka. Spatiotemporal niche overlapping and partitioning was also investigated. Species occurrence data were obtained based on the camera trap capture events, direct observations and roadkill records. Modeling was conducted based on the maximum entropy algorithm (MaxEnt) using the software package Maxent (version 3.4.3). The predictive accuracies (ROC) of the selected models were evaluated to be greater than 0.80 (AUC). Distance to water resources (44.9%), Bio1-mean annual temperature (33.6%), and habitat type (Dense dry-mixed forest; 79.8%) were identified as the most important variables contributing to habitat suitability for fishing cat, jungle cat and rusty-spotted cat respectively. We further identified that spatial variation in habitat use facilitates these three species to coexist in MONP despite the significant temporal (activity) overlapping. The outcome of this research will contribute towards future conservation and management. The findings will be useful in comparative studies in Sri Lanka as well as elsewhere in the world.