Research overview: conservation genetics of the fishing cat

The fishing cat is a wetland specialist of South and Southeast Asia, increasingly threatened by the loss and fragmentation of marshes and mangroves. This overview surveys the limited but growing genetic knowledge of the species within the leopard cat lineage, evidence of population structure across its disjunct range, and the conservation concern that wetland destruction is isolating populations. It discusses the use of noninvasive sampling to study this elusive cat, the importance of genetic data for identifying distinct populations and guiding habitat protection, and how the fishing cat exemplifies the conservation genetics challenges facing specialized small cats dependent on shrinking and degraded habitats.