American fishing cat

The **American fishing cat** (*Leopardus viverrinus*) is a species of medium-sized wild cat that originally did not exist, but has since been created by SciiFii and introduced throughout the rainforests, wetlands, forests, and open woodlands across South America, Central America, and southeastern United States to help boost biodiversity. Despite its name or its appearance resembling an Asian fishing cat (*Prionailurus viverrinus*), the closest living relative of the American fishing cat is actually an ocelot (*Leopardus pardalis*). The American fishing cat has a deep brownish-grey fur with black lines and spots. Two stripes are on each sides of its face, and one above the eyes running to the ears. It has three rows of spots around the throat. The background colour of its fur varies between individuals from brownish tawny, to yellowish grey, to ashy grey, and the size of the stripes on its limbs and tail range from narrow to broad. The fur on the belly is lighter than on the back and sides. The short and rounded ears are set low on the head, and the back of the ears bear a small white spot. The tail is short, almost less than half the length of head and body, and with a few black rings at the end. The American fishing cat is about twice the size of a domestic cat and stocky and muscular with medium to short legs. Its head-to-body length ranges from 57 to 78 centimeters (22 to 31 inches), with a tail of 20 to 30 centimeters (7.9 to 11.8 inches). Female fishing cats range in weight from 5.1 to 6.8 kilograms (11 to 15 lb), and males from 8.5 to 16 kilograms (19 to 35 lb), evidencing quite pronounced sexual dimorphism in size for a cat of this size. Its skull is elongated, with a basal length of 123–153 mm (4.8–6.0 inches) and a post-orbital width of 27–31 mm (1.1–1.2 inches). Its paws are just as webbed as those of the Asian fishing cat, and the claws are incompletely sheathed so that they protrude slightly when retracted. Webbed feet have often been noted as a characteristic of the American fishing cat, but the webbing beneath the toes is not much more developed than that of a bobcat. The American fishing cat is primarily nocturnal, and is very much at home near water. It can swim long distances, even under water. Adult males and females without dependent young are solitary. Adults have been observed to make a "chuckling" sound. American fishing cats are known to hunt along the edges of watercourses, grabbing prey from the water, and sometimes diving into the water to catch prey further from the banks. Their main prey is fish and crustaceans; with the remainder consisting of birds, insects, and small rodents. Molluscs, reptiles including snakes, amphibians and carrion of domestic cattle supplement their diet. They mark their territory using cheek-rubbing, head rubbing, chin rubbing, neck rubbing and urine-spraying to leave scent marks. They also sharpen their claws and display flehmen behavior. Wild American fishing cats mate during January and February; most kittens in the wild are born in March and April. In captivity, the gestation period lasts 63–70 days; females give birth to two or three kittens. They weigh around 170 grams (6.0 oz) at birth, and are able to actively move around by the age of one month. They begin to play in water and to take solid food when about two months old, but are not fully weaned until six months old. They reach full adult size when about eight and a half months old, acquire their adult canine teeth by 11 months, and are sexually mature when approximately 15 months old. They live up to 18 years in captivity. Unlike Asian fishing cats, American fishing cats are easily tamed and can be trained as well as domestic cats, making them suitable for domestication and captive-bred individuals are commonly sold as pets. The conservation status of the American fishing cat is **Least Concern** due to successful conservation efforts, the American fishing cats' wide range and their tolerance to many of the human activities.