Wildcat

For other meanings of Wild Cat and wildcat, see Wildcat (disambiguation).

WildcatWozencraft, W. C. (16 November 2005). in Wilson, D. E., and Reeder, D. M. (eds): Mammal Species of the World, 3rd edition, Johns Hopkins University Press, 536-537. ISBN 0-801-88221-4.
European wildcat (Felis silvestris silvestris)
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN) Cat Specialist Group (2002). Felis silvestris. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 05 May 2006. Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Carnivora Family: Felidae Genus: Felis Species: F. silvestris
Binomial name
Felis silvestris Schreber, 1775
The five subspecies of Felis silvestris according to a 2007 DNA study.
subspecies
See text

The wildcat (Felis silvestris), sometimes wild cat or wild-cat, is a small felid native to Europe, the western part of Asia, and Africa. It is a hunter of small mammals, birds, and other creatures of a similar size. There are several subspecies distributed in different regions. Sometimes included is the ubiquitous domestic cat (Felis silvestris catus), which has been introduced to every habitable continent and most of the world\'s larger islands, and has become feral in many of those environments.

In its native environment, the wildcat is adaptable to a variety of habitat types: savanna, open forest, and steppe. Although domesticated breeds show a great variety of shapes and colours, wild individuals are medium-brown with black stripes, between 45 and 80 cm (18–32 inches) in length, and weigh between 3 and 8 kilograms (6–17.6 pounds). Shoulder height averages about 35 cm (14 in) and tail length is about 30 cm (12 in). The African subspecies tends to be a little smaller and a lighter brown in colour.

The wildcat is extremely timid. It avoids approaching human settlements. It lives solitarily and holds a territory of about 3 km².

A study by the National Cancer Institute suggests that all current house cats in the world are descendants from a group of self-domesticating wildcats 10,000 years ago, somewhere in the Near East. The closest relative of Felis silvestris is Felis margarita.

Subspecies

According to the 2007 DNA analysis, there are only 5 subspecies:Driscoll , CA, et al (2007-06-28). "The Near Eastern Origin of Cat Domestication". Science 317 (5837): 519-523. doi:10.1126/science.1139518. 

• Felis silvestris silvestris (Europe and Turkey).
• Felis silvestris lybica (North Africa, Middle East and Western Asia, to the Aral Sea).
• Felis silvestris cafra (Southern Africa).
• Felis silvestris ornata (Pakistan, North-East of India, Mongolia and northern China).
• Felis silvestris bieti (China).

Older texts separated out many more subspecies:

• African subspecies
  • Felis silvestris cafra (Southern Africa)
  • Felis silvestris foxi (West Africa)
  • Felis silvestris griselda (Central Africa)
  • Felis silvestris lybica African wildcat (North Africa)
  • Felis silvestris ocreata (East Central Africa)
  • Felis silvestris mellandi (West Central Africa)

• Asian subspecies
  • Felis silvestris caudata (Caspian Sea area)
  • Felis silvestris ornata Indian desert cat (India to Iran)
  • Felis silvestris bieti Chinese mountain cat (possible subspecies)

• European subspecies
  • Felis silvestris cretensis (Crete) (extinct, though some sightings have been reported).
  • Felis silvestris caucasica Caucasian wildcat (Caucasus Mountains and Turkey)
  • Felis silvestris grampia Scottish wildcat (northern and western Scotland)
  • Felis silvestris jordansi Balearic wildcat (Balearic Islands)
  • Felis silvestris reyi Corsican wildcat (Corsica) (Possibly Extinct)
  • Felis silvestris silvestris European wildcat (Europe)

• Unknown distribution:
  • Felis silvestris chutuchta
  • Felis silvestris gordoni
  • Felis silvestris haussa
  • Felis silvestris iraki
  • Felis silvestris nesterovi
  • Felis silvestris rubida
  • Felis silvestris tristrami
  • Felis silvestris ugandae
  • Felis silvestris vellerosa

See also

• Lynx

References

External links

Wikispecies has information related to:

Felis silvestris

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Felis silvestris

• Felis silvestris: three distinct populations
• IUCN/SSC Cat Specialist Group - Cat Species Information
• Scottish Wildcat Association
• Digimorph.org: 3D computed tomographic (CT) animations of male and female African wild cat skulls

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