Dietary habits of fishing cats in a human-dominated wetland in Coastal Thailand

THAKSIN WONGSON (Department of Forest Biology, Faculty of Forestry, Kasetsart University. 50 Ngamwongwan Rd, Chatuchak Bangkok 10900 Thailand)
SUPAWAT KHAEWPHAKDEE (Panthera South and Southeast Asia. 75/9 Prueksakan, Moo 1, Tha Makham, Muang Kanchanaburi, Kanchanaburi 71000, Thailand)
WIROON MONGKONSIN (Panthera South and Southeast Asia. 75/9 Prueksakan, Moo 1, Tha Makham, Muang Kanchanaburi, Kanchanaburi 71000, Thailand)
LAUREL E. K. SERIEYS (Panthera. 8 West 40th Street, 18th Floor, New York 10018, United States)
WAI-MING WONG (Panthera. 8 West 40th Street, 18th Floor, New York 10018, United States)
MARNOCH YINDEE (Akkhraratchakumari Veterinary College, Walailak University. 222 Thaiburi, Thasala District, Nakhonsithammarat 80160, Thailand)
RATTAPAN PATTANARANGSAN (Panthera South and Southeast Asia. 75/9 Prueksakan, Moo 1, Tha Makham, Muang Kanchanaburi, Kanchanaburi 71000, Thailand)
WARONG SUKSAVATE (Department of Forest Biology, Faculty of Forestry, Kasetsart University. 50 Ngamwongwan Rd, Chatuchak Bangkok 10900 Thailand)
PONGSATORN PROMKUNTOD (Khao Sam Roi Yot National Park, Ban Khao Daeng, Khao Daeng Sub-district, Kui Buri District, Prachuap Khiri Khan Province 77150, Thailand)
CHAIWAT KLAKHAENG (Department of Forest Biology, Faculty of Forestry, Kasetsart University. 50 Ngamwongwan Rd, Chatuchak Bangkok 10900 Thailand)
RONGLARP SUKMASUANG (Department of Forest Biology, Faculty of Forestry, Kasetsart University. 50 Ngamwongwan Rd, Chatuchak Bangkok 10900 Thailand)

Biodiversitas Journal of Biological Diversity
Vol. 25 No. 6 (2024)

Abstract. Wongson T, Khaewphakdee S, Mongkonsin W, Serieys LEK, Wong W-M, Yindee M, Pattanarangsan R, Suksavate W, Promkuntod P, Klakhaeng C, Sukmasuang R. 2024. Dietary habits of fishing cats in a human-dominated wetland in Coastal Thailand. Biodiversitas 25: 2788-2797. Fishing cats, intimately connected to wetland habitats, face an escalating threat from human activities and environmental change. With its significant findings, this study offers a comprehensive insight into the dietary habits of fishing cats in a human-dominated wetland in coastal Thailand. By examining the scats of 192 fishing cats (Prionailurus viverrinus Bennett 1833) and the remains of 328 prey items, we detailed the fishing cat's diet and assessed its seasonality. Consequently, we identified 16 prey species consumed by fishing cats during the study period. The primary prey was fish, followed by rodents, birds, Indo-Chinese rat snakes (Ptyas korros (Hermann Schlegel 1837)), insects, crabs, and snails. The most crucial prey was the climbing perch (Anabas testudineus Bloch 1792) (n=69), followed by bandicoot rats (Bandicota indica Bechstein, 1800) (n=54), domestic chicken (Gallus gallus Linnaeus 1758) (n=48), and snakehead murrel (Channa striata Bloch 1793) (n=38). The niche breadth index indicated the highest specialization during the summer, while the dietary diversity index was 0.44, 0.52, and 0.38 during the summer, rainy, and winter seasons, respectively. Seasonal variations in dietary composition were not statistically significant. The niche overlap index was 0.95 between the summer and the rainy season, 0.91 between the rainy season and winter, and 0.87 between the summer and winter. These findings, with their direct implications for the conservation of fishing cats, highlight the urgent need for effective land-use management in species preservation.