Fishing Cat and Otters | 02 Mar 2020
Why in News
Recently, the presence of a viable, breeding population of a fishing cat has been found in Chilika Lake.
- Further, the presence of a smooth-coated otter and an Eurasian otter has also been recorded in the lake.
Fishing Cat
- Scientific Name: Prionailurus viverrinus
- Habitat: In India, fishing cats are mainly found in the mangrove forests of the Sundarbans, on the foothills of the Himalayas along the Ganga and Brahmaputra river valleys and in the Western Ghats.
- Protection Status
- IUCN Red List: Vulnerable
- CITES: Appendix II
- Indian Wildlife Protection Act, 1972: Schedule I
Smooth-Coated Otter
- Scientific Name: Lutrogale perspicillata
- Habitat: Smooth-coated otters are distributed throughout India from the Himalayas to the south.
- Protection Status
- IUCN Red List: Vulnerable
- CITES: Appendix II
- Indian Wildlife Protection Act, 1972: Schedule II
Eurasian Otter
- Scientific Name: Lutra lutra
- Habitat: Throughout Europe and Asia from Ireland in the west as far as eastern Russia and China. They are also found in north Africa (Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia) and the Middle East (Israel, Jordan, Iraq and Iran).
- Protection Status
- IUCN Red List: Near Threatened
- CITES: Appendix I
- Indian Wildlife Protection Act, 1972: Schedule II