the sri lankan mangroves
these submerged forests of south asia
are constantly in flux
serving as a natural barrier for the
coast life here
is a challenge with human encroachment
pollution and climate change decimating
the mangroves
life for animals here becomes more of a
question
with every passing day
[Music]
yet there's one creature in this swamp
that is defying the odds
and our expectations at the same time
the fishing cat
[Music]
in the water is probably the last place
you'd expect to find your house cat
yet in the water is where this small cat
the fishing cat
dominates with too much competition from
predators on land
fishing cats were forced to explore a
new niche in order to survive
they turned to the swamp
in order to conquer this new biome
fishing cats had to develop a whole
series
of adaptations in the world of small
cats
fishing cats are fairly large their
larger size allows them to wrestle large
fish
out of the water these stocky cats have
short legs
deep chests and most unlike other
felines
they have short stubby tails
spending most of their time hunting in
the water these cats don't need
long graceful tails to help them balance
[Music]
these swamp things are the world's only
felines who specialize
in fish
other cats may eat a fish here and there
but fishing cats got their name
for a reason in a very unfeline-like
fashion
fishing cats dive face-first into the
water to ambush their prey
they'll wait by the water's edge sitting
perfectly still
until they see a fish
this fishing cat has spotted one trapped
in the shallows
she approaches silently the fish is
struggling but he can't get out of the
shallows
the cat pounces
but meals aren't usually so easy
this fishing cat will need to go a bit
deeper
on the lookout for another fish the cat
waits
she spots a fish swimming along the
bottom of the mangrove
she dives sliding through the water with
ease her head is long
narrow and very hydrodynamic she's built
to dive she catches the fish unaware
and surfaces underwater
no one can hear you meow
they spend so much time of their lives
in the water
that they have adapted to swim quite
well
their toes on their front feet have
partial webbing which helps them propel
themselves through the water
while fishing cats specialize in fish
they will hunt
anything near the water
in this case a duck
[Music]
uh
these swamp dwellers maintain large
territories in pockets throughout south
and southeast asia occasionally
overlapping with other fishing cats
they live solitary lives only meeting to
mate
females will usually have a litter of
two or three kittens
which are born extremely dependent on
their mother
they develop quickly and at just one
month of age
they'll make their first jump into the
water
though their days of diving may be
limited
endangered the fishing cat faces an
uphill battle
the wetlands are disappearing 35
of mangroves on the planet have dried up
their habitat is being cleared
to make way for agriculture and human
infrastructure
damning limits the flow of fresh water
to the mangroves
increasing their salt content and
killing the vegetation
climate change has led to rising sea
levels which can decimate these coastal
barriers
and poachers often trap fishing cats to
sell them into the exotic pet trade
for their skins and as retribution by
fishermen for stealing
fish out of their nets but this cat was
lucky enough to make it out alive
though not entirely unscathed
conservation efforts for the fishing cat
are difficult
these mysterious cats of the swamp are
incredibly elusive
and near impossible to find in the wild
because of this
many people don't even know what they
are
but there are people making a difference
the fishing cat conservancy
are educating children in india and sri
lanka
about the fishing cat in hopes that they
will come to love
and respect them they also provide local
fishermen with tools
like crab boxes so they can make a
living out of the mangroves without
having to cut them down
fishing cats are just one resident in a
biome that is disappearing
around the world and without help from
people like you and me
the days for the mysterious fishing cat
may be numbered
[Music]
you