Research · Publications

Published work from the project

Peer-reviewed papers and other research outputs arising from our work on Colombo’s fishing cats, urban wetlands, movement ecology, diet, plastic pollution, and coexistence.

Peer-reviewed papers

Journal articles

The publications below reflect different stages of a long-term research programme. Together they document how our understanding of Colombo’s fishing cats has developed over time, from confirming their presence within the city to investigating movement, habitat use, diet, and emerging conservation threats.

Illustration of trophic transfer in a Colombo wetland: plastics visible inside a fishing cat, a bird, a fish, and a rat, with plastic waste in the water and the city skyline beyond

AI illustration · Gemini Nano Banana 2

Journal article · Environmental Pollution · 2023

Plastic ingestion by fishing cats suggests trophic transfer in urban wetlands

Ratnayaka, A.A.W., Serieys, L.E.K., Hangawatte, T.A., Leung, L.K.-P., & Fisher, D.O.

Environmental Pollution, 316, 120694

Plastic fragments were detected in fishing cat scats collected across Colombo's urban wetlands, including samples containing rodent, bird, and freshwater-fish remains. Because fishing cats are predators that do not consume waste directly, the findings suggest that plastic pollution moves through urban wetland food webs to reach higher predators.

Fishing cat
Freshwater plastic pollution
Scat analysis
Sri Lanka
Urban wetlands

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Illustration of a GPS-collared fishing cat moving at night along a concrete canal between Colombo houses, with its tracked route glowing through the wetland and city beyond

AI illustration · Gemini Nano Banana 2

Journal article · Mammalian Biology · 2022

Urban habitat use and home ranges of fishing cats in Colombo, Sri Lanka

Ratnayaka, A.A.W., Serieys, L.E.K., Prasad, T., Leighton, G.R.M., Sanderson, J.G., & Leung, L.K.-P.

Mammalian Biology, 102, 271–277

GPS tracking showed that fishing cats in Colombo used a mosaic of wetlands, canals, gardens, cultivated areas, and built urban spaces. The tracked cats used highly urbanised areas more than expected, maintained relatively small resident home ranges, and were mainly active at night, showing how fishing cats adjust their activity and habitat use within a highly urbanised landscape.

Colombo
Fishing cat
Home range
Mesocarnivores
Sri Lanka
Urban habitat use

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Illustration of a fishing cat on a garden wall above a koi pond in a Colombo side street at night, watched by a security camera, with another cat and kitten in the lane

AI illustration · Gemini Nano Banana 2

Journal article · CATnews · 2021

First pictures of fishing cats in a hyper-urban landscape, Colombo, Sri Lanka

Ratnayaka, A.A.W.

CATnews, 73, 19–20

Photographic records from 2015 and 2017 confirmed fishing cats within Colombo's city proper after earlier records from the city's urban wetlands. The note documented the first photographic evidence of fishing cats in a hyper-urban landscape, including security-camera footage of an animal fishing from a garden pond.

Fishing cat
Colombo
Urban records
Camera footage
Hyper-urban landscape

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In progress

Current research

In preparation

Several studies are currently being prepared for publication. They will be added to this archive once they have been accepted or are otherwise available to share.

Colombo camera-trap activity and behaviour analyses
Fishing cat diet, prey availability, and urban risk
Range-wide fishing cat diet synthesis

Enquiries

Citation and data enquiries

For citation, collaboration, data-sharing, or media enquiries relating to our publications, please contact us with a brief description of your request.

Contact the team