Research overview: swimming and aquatic locomotion in fishing cats and tigers

Although many cats avoid water, some are capable swimmers, and a few hunt in it. This overview surveys aquatic locomotion in felids, focusing on the fishing cat, whose partially webbed paws and water-tolerant habits suit a wetland predator, and on tigers, which swim readily across rivers and cool off in water. The biomechanics involve paddling propulsion, buoyancy management, and behavioural adaptations to wet environments. Researchers draw on field observations, comparative paw morphology, and behavioural ecology. Why it matters: swimming shows that the felid body plan, often stereotyped as water-averse, is more versatile than assumed, and it links locomotor capability to the diverse habitats cats occupy, from mangrove and marsh to the broad rivers of tiger country.