Discovered cats swimming like fish and 700 species in Cambodia's mangrove forests

Hairy-nosed otters, fishing cats, long-tailed monkeys. found in the mangrove forests of Cambodia have confused biologists .

According to The Guardian , biologists conducted one of the largest-scale surveys in the mangrove forests of the Peam Krasop reserve and the adjacent Koh Kapik Ramsar reserve in Cambodia. They were surprised to discover the large number of wild animals living here.

A fishing cat at Peam Krasop wildlife sanctuary - (Photo: Fauna & Flora/FCEE).

Stefanie Rog, the survey team leader, said: "We have found 700 different species in this mangrove forest, but we suspect that we have not even scratched the surface. If we can survey If we go deeper into this area, we will find 10 times more, I'm sure."

"We even found juvenile barracudas, snappers and groupers. This is clearly an important breeding ground for the fish, a source of food for local communities and a source of supply for commercial fisheries." commercial" , Rog said.

A good example of a strange species found in this mangrove forest is the fish cat Prionailurus viverrinus . "It's very rare to see a fishing cat and we only discovered them with camera traps," Rog said .

Slightly larger than domestic cats, fishing cats have a strong body, short limbs and a stocky body. Unlike most other cats, they get excited about swimming. Their front toes are partially webbed and have protruding claws, which aid in their ability to catch prey, mainly fish and mice.

Smooth-haired otters in the mangrove forest - (Photo: Fauna & Flora/FCEE).

An even rarer animal, the hairy-nosed otter ( Lutra sumatrana ), was also recorded by camera traps in some areas of the mangroves. Rog said this is the rarest otter species in Asia and is on the verge of extinction.

The research team also discovered here 74 species of fish and 150 species of birds, of which 15 species are classified as threatened or endangered by the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

"Mangrove forests are beautiful, rich, mysterious and full of life. I know that there is still a lot to discover, that there is still another world waiting to be discovered further ," Rog expressed.

Peam Krasop mangrove forest: the survey team discovered 700 species including 74 species of fish in coastal waters - (Photo: FFI R5/Steph Baker/Fauna & Flora).

The world lost 40% of its mangrove area

Mangroves form narrow, wooded strips of land on coastlines in tropical and subtropical latitudes. They play an extremely important role in protecting land and area residents.

They slow the erosion of land into the sea and protect coastal communities from floods and storms; Traps carbon much more effectively than other types of forests and serves as a refuge for many beautiful animals.

However, over the past few decades, the world has lost about 40% of its mangrove forests, often cleared to make way for resorts or agriculture.