Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
Diet: Rodents and rabbits, and to a lesser extent birds and other small animals [66] LC Unknown [66] Black-footed cat. F. nigripes Burchell, 1824: Southern Africa: Size: 37–52 cm (15–20 in) long, 14–20 cm (6–8 in) tail [67] Habitat: Savanna, grassland, and desert [68] Diet: Small mammals and birds [68] VU 9,700 [68] Chinese mountain cat ...
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]
African wildcats were first domesticated about 10,000 years ago in the Near East, and are the ancestors of the domestic cat (F. catus). [19] 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]
European wildcat in a zoo in Děčín, Czech Republic. Felis (catus) silvestris was the scientific name proposed in 1778 by Johann von Schreber when he described a wild cat based on texts from the early 18th century and before. [2] In the 19th and 20th centuries, several wildcat type specimens were described and proposed as subspecies, including:
Over 1.5 million living animal species have been described—of which around 1 million are insects—but it has been estimated there are over 7 million in total. Animals range in size from 8.5 millionths of a metre to 33.6 metres (110 ft) long and have complex interactions with each other and their environments, forming intricate food webs .
The Arabian wildcat is nocturnal; it is a solitary animal and has several dens, rock crevices, hollow trees or empty fox burrows, into which it can retreat in different parts of its territory. It feeds on jerboas , jirds and other small rodents , small birds, reptiles and large insects, obtaining most of its fluid needs from its food.
The Southern African wildcat (Felis lybica cafra) is an African wildcat subspecies native to Southern and Eastern Africa. [1] In 2007, it was tentatively recognised as a distinct subspecies on the basis of genetic analysis . [ 2 ]
The Asiatic wildcat is included on CITES Appendix II. It is protected in Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Mongolia, China and Russia. In Afghanistan, it has been placed on the country's first Protected Species List in 2009, banning all hunting and trading within the country, and is proposed as a priority species for future study. [3]