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African wildcats were first domesticated about 10,000 years ago in the Near East, and are the ancestors of the domestic cat (F. catus). [1] Domestic cats and African wildcats remain closely related in the present day; interspecific hybrids between domestic cat and African wildcats are common, and occur where their ranges overlap. [22]
Current taxonomy tends to treat F. silvestris, F. lybica, F. catus, [4] and F. bieti as different species. A 2007 study of feline mitochondrial DNA and microsatellites of approximately 1,000 cats from many different regions (including Africa, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, and the Middle East) showed 5 genetic lineages of the wildcat population. [5]
Its 5–7 cm (2.0–2.8 in) short ears are set low on the sides of the head, aiding detection of prey moving underground. The long hair covering the soles of its paws insulates its pads against the extreme temperatures found in deserts. The first sand cat known to scientists was discovered in the Algerian Sahara and described in 1858.
The wildcat is a species complex comprising two small wild cat species: the European wildcat (Felis silvestris) and the African wildcat (F. lybica).The European wildcat inhabits forests in Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus, while the African wildcat inhabits semi-arid landscapes and steppes in Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, Central Asia, into western India and western China. [2]
The caracal (Caracal caracal) (/ ˈ k ær ə k æ l /) is a medium-sized wild cat native to Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia, and arid areas of Pakistan and northwestern India. It is characterised by a robust build, long legs, a short face, long tufted ears, relatively short tail, and long canine teeth.
“This species represents the smallest known fossil member of the family Felidae to date,” the study says of the newly discovered cat.. The discovery points to a wide diversity of felines ...
Common name Scientific name Range Comments Pictures North African elephant: Loxodonta africana pharaoensis: North Africa: Neolithic rock art indicates that the African bush elephant inhabited much of the Sahara desert and North Africa at the beginning of the Holocene, and Ancient authors wrote that it was present in the Atlas Mountains, the Red Sea coast, and Nubia until the first few ...
A disease which can kill cats, both domestic and wild, has been discovered for the first time in the US. A variant of the rustrela virus-- related to the wider-known rubella virus which causes a ...