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Text: Vientiane hardcore
Edited by Vientiane hardcore
«——【Preamble】】 ——»
Nature has a wonderful hand, it has created thousands of species of wild animals and plants, even if some creatures are too similar in appearance and expression, but when examined closely, they also have their own unique characteristics.
For example, the fishing cat, which was once "mistakenly killed" by humans as a leopard.
They often go to the villagers' fish ponds in the middle of the night to steal fish to eat, and they can't see anything clearly when they are blinded by the black light, and the size of the fishing cat gives many witnesses the illusion of encountering leopards.
This "big misunderstanding" caused them to suddenly disappear from Cambodia in 2003, and the fishing cat, which was thought to be never again, reappeared 10 years later in 2015.
There must be some interesting characteristics in the fishing cat that will attract people's attention.
So, what kind of cat is a fishing cat? Why does it suddenly disappear and reappear, and is there a relationship between it and a leopard?
«—【·Fishing Cat Returns to Cambodia·】—»
In 2015, the global network published a news article that the staff of the Cambodian Animal Protection Center used a motion capture camera to find a fishing cat that had disappeared for more than 10 years!
At that time, some fishing cats in Asia had become extinct or lost their traces, such as Vietnam and Laos. Scientific researchers believe that only Thailand and Cambodia still have some traces.
In order to find the surviving traces of these fishing cats, they also consulted local villagers about their habits.
They learned that fishing cats are medium-sized, mostly haunt at night, resemble small leopards, and like wetland environments, especially like to catch fish and eat.
It is said that in a certain village in India, there was a fishing cat who was caught and beaten by the villagers who had been lying in ambush all night because he was too greedy.
For this reason, after investigation, scientific researchers have installed dozens of field cameras in some areas where fishing cats may be infested, specifically to capture the clues of fishing cats.
The hard work paid off, and when they processed the photos taken by the camera, they actually found the figure of the fishing cat.
According to the location shown in the picture, they are found in two places: the Wildlife Sanctuary and the Rem National Park in the southwest of Cambodia.
Since then, scientists have focused on monitoring the two areas and implementing targeted cat fishing campaigns.
For example, let the person in charge of these protected areas recognize the appearance of the fishing cat as soon as possible to prevent mistakes and facilitate the development of protection work.
In addition, the importance of the fishing cat species is publicized in nearby villages in due course, and the villagers are not allowed to harm these fishing cats at will, and at the same time, a certain amount of protection is implemented.
What is the magic of a fishing cat that makes a science researcher so happy, and does it really know how to fish?
«—【·“ Fishing cats" of "high IQ fishing method" ·]—»
Although fishing cats usually eat some dead birds, they still like to eat and catch fish freshly. They usually fish at night, so they can stay away from the crowds and hunt freely.
They are very active in the water, not only are they not afraid of water, but they often flutter in shallow waters, and they can even dive to catch fish.
Like many cats, it is the first thing it does before hunting for food. Fishing cats tend to lie ambush on rocks or small cliffs near the river, keeping their eyes glued to the surface of the water.
Sometimes it immerses its beard and part of its body in the water to observe what is going on underwater.
Because the whisker is its tactile organ, it is very sensitive despite the fact that it does not have a few hairs, and it senses the approximate direction and distance of the fish according to the fluctuations in the current caused by the fish's swimming.
As soon as a fish passes by, it quickly catches it with its claws and throws it on the shore to eat.
If no fish pass by, it will trap it, which requires its claws.
Fishing cats have a structure similar to duck webs between their paws, called webbed feet, which allows them to move freely in the water, even if they step on mud.
In addition, this webbed foot has a great use, and it is an essential weapon for trapping fish.
Fishing cats will gently pluck the surface of the water with their webbed feet, like dragonflies or other insects, deliberately making tiny waves to lure fish to hear the sound, but they don't know that there is a "trap" set for them "carefully" in front of them.
If the fish escapes, don't worry, the fishing cat can dive and swim, it can quickly dive into the water, chase the fish, and use its claws to stab the fish.
During swimming, it can also use its tail to "steer" to control the direction in which it swims in the water, and even in the water, it can turn quickly, and it is not a matter of minutes to catch a fish.
Some villagers who have seen fishing cats do not have a high enough understanding of fishing cats, and they all unanimously say that it has a fierce temperament, strong aggression, and full of wildness, and was once considered a threatening beast.
Therefore, the fishing cat is often caught and beaten by the villagers, and the fishing cat did not expect that he just looked like a leopard, so he was treated like this, and this black pot is really big.
So how similar are fishing cats and leopards?
«—【·“ Leopard Replacement "- Fishing Cat ·] —»
The fishing cat, also known as the "fishing cat", is a relatively rare feline that is not directly related to the leopard, and it is the leopard cat that is really related to it.
Fishing cats are generally similar to the cats they see every day, but they are larger than ordinary cats, and their bodies are shorter and thicker, and their tails are shorter than those of ordinary cats, and they are about half the length of their bodies.
Their body color is mostly gray-brown, gray-yellow, smoky gray, etc., and the whole body is densely covered with irregular black patchy spots and stripes, and the back coat is darker.
The most interesting thing is its facial features, which are somewhat similar to the leopard's face.
From the front, its face is quite round, with features concentrated in the middle under the wide forehead, somewhat compact, and a long and convex snout, which makes it appear that the middle of its face is somewhat elongated.
In detail, it has three fine black lines on the dorsum of its head that extend above the eyes, a pink or brick-red nose, a large white patch starting from the snout and below, and small, rounded ears.
However, some people say that it looks like a civet cat, and what is even more outrageous is that some people mistake it for a tiger.
They mainly inhabit dense forests, shrubs, swamps and other places with abundant water sources below 1,500 meters above sea level, and occasionally appear in human activity areas.
Fishing cats like to hunt alone at night, or in pairs, the diet is very mixed, birds, insects, rodents, snakes, etc.
What is it about such a cute-looking animal that is almost teetering on the brink of extinction?
«—Why are fishing cats endangered?·]—»
Compared with predators, fishing cats have a strong ability to reproduce. It can give birth to cats all year round, and their breeding season is from March to May every year.
They can give birth to up to 4 babies at a time, and the baby cats can leave their mother cat to fend for themselves after they are full moon.
The food they need is some common prey, and it is unbelievable that such a simple species can be endangered!
In addition to the "unintentional exclusion" of people, fishing cats are also due to the gradual reduction of habitat they need.
Fishing cats like to be in the water the most, and it can be said that they can't do without water like geese and ducks.
However, with the wanton discharge of various domestic and industrial wastewater into the water, the originally clear water has become more and more turbid and even "toxic", which has led to the gradual reduction of wetlands where fishing cats can live.
At the same time, their prey is not able to live in the water, which means that their favorite food is gradually scarce, and there is no place to live and there is not enough food, so the fishing cat population naturally cannot survive.
What's even more cruel is that some people actually like to eat cat meat!
Fat and furry fishing cats have become the primary target of poachers, and people should not harm fishing cats and hinder their own population development in order to satisfy their appetites.
Therefore, no matter what the reason is, it is ultimately impossible to avoid what humans are doing.
That's why scientific researchers are excited when they find the fishing cat again, which means that the ecological environment where they are resting is good, and they can take some measures to protect it in time.
What's more, they still have a chance to save a species from survival.
«—【·Conclusion·】—»
Caring for wildlife and nature is the top priority of all human tasks.
Reference: Global Network "Fishing Cats Disappeared for Many Years Appear in Cambodia and Look Cute and Extremely Fierce by Nature" 2015-9-8
Observer.com, "Fishing Cats Appear in Cambodia, Researchers Will Carry Out Fishing Cat Conservation Actions in Two Protected Areas", 2015-9-8
Xinhuanet "Fishing Cat Appears in Cambodia and Has Mysteriously Disappeared for More Than 10 Years (Picture)2015-9-7