Fishing Cat

Fishing cats are 38 to 41 cm tall and can be from 96 to 120 cm long. The larger males weigh between 10 and 12 kg, and females weigh 5 to 7 kg. They have powerful, stocky bodies and short legs, giving the fishing cat a civet-like appearance. P. viverrinus have big, broad heads, and with tails that are less than half of the head and body length, are considered to have short tails compared to other cat species. Their pelts are olive gray with rows of parallel solid black spots that often form stripes along the spine. The underside of the pelt is whitish and spotted. The face of this species is marked by dark lines running from the forehead to the neck. They possess layered fur. The shortest layer of hair is so dense that water can't penetrate; a great adaptation for life in the water. Fishing cats have short, round ears that have black backsides and prominent white spots in the middle. Unlike many felid species, the claws cannot be fully retracted because the claw sheaths are not complete. P. viverrinus was once characterized by its webbed feet, but it has been found that the webbing on fishing cat feet isn't much more developed than that of a bobcat.