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Europe, Asian & African Wildcat - Felis silvestris
Topic Started: Jan 7 2012, 08:44 PM (22,865 Views)
Taipan
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Wildcat - Felis silvestris

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Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Family: Felidae
Subfamily: Felinae
Genus: Felis
Species: Felis silvestris

The wildcat (Felis silvestris) is a small cat found throughout most of Africa, Europe, and southwest and central Asia into India, China, and Mongolia. Because of its wide range, it is classed by the IUCN as Least Concern. However, crossbreeding with housecats is extensive, and has occurred throughout almost the entirety of the species' range.

The wildcat shows a high degree of geographic variation. Asiatic subspecies have spotted, isabelline coats, African suspecies have sandy-grey fur with banded legs and red-backed ears, and European wildcats resemble heavily built striped tabbies with bushy tails, white chins and throats. All subspecies are generally larger than housecats, with longer legs and more robust bodies. The actual number of subspecies is still debated, with some organisations recognising 22, while others recognise only four, including the Chinese mountain cat, which was previously considered a species in its own right.

Genetic, morphological and archaeological evidence suggests that the housecat was domesticated from the African wildcat, probably 9-10,000 years ago in the Fertile Crescent region of the Near East, coincident with the rise of agriculture and the need to protect harvests from grain-eating rodents. This domestication probably occurred when grain was yielded from the Agricultural Revolution onwards, which was stored in granaries that attracted rodents, which in turn attracted cats.

Taxonomy and naming
Johann von Schreber named the wildcat of Europe Felis silvestris in 1775. The other wildcat variants were subsequently designated F. lybica from Africa, F. ornata from India, F. caudatus from Russia, F. ocreata from Ethiopia, as well as many others. In 1951, taxonomist Reginald Pocock declared that lybica, ocreata, and the other wildcat variants were merely subspecies of Schreber's F. silvestris. He listed 40 subspecies, but this was later reduced to 21.

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Origins
The wildcat's direct ancestor was Felis lunensis, or Martelli's Cat, which lived in Europe as early as the late Pliocene. Fossil remains of the wildcat are common in cave deposits dating from the last ice age and the Holocene. The European wildcat first appeared in its current form 2 million years ago, and reached the British Isles from mainland Europe 9000 years ago, at the end of the last ice age. During the Late Pleistocene (possibly 50,000 years ago), the wildcat migrated from Europe into the Middle East, giving rise to the steppe wildcat phenotype. Within possibly 10,000 years, the steppe wildcat spread eastwards into Asia and southwards to Africa.

The wildcat's closest living relatives are the Sand Cat, the Chinese mountain cat (which may be a subspecies of wildcat), the Jungle Cat and the black-footed cat. As a whole, the wildcat (along with the Jungle Cat and leopard cat) represents a much less specialised form than the Sand Cat and Manul. However, wildcat subspecies of the libyca group do exhibit some further specialisation, namely in the structure of the auditory bullae, which bears similarity to those of the Sand Cat and Manul

Subspecies
As of 2005, 22 subspecies are recognised by Mammal Species of the World. They are divided into three categories:

  • Forest wildcats (silvestris group).
  • Steppe wildcats (ornata-caudata group): Distinguished from the forest wildcats by their smaller size, longer, more sharply pointed tails, and comparatively lighter fur colour. Includes the subspecies ornata, nesterovi and iraki.
  • Bay or bush wildcats (ornata-libyca group): Distinguished from the steppe wildcats by their generally paler colouration, with well-developed spot patterns and bands. Includes the subspecies chutuchta, libyca, ocreata, rubida, cafra, griselda, and mellandi. It is from this group that the domestic cat derives.

The subspecies jordansi, reyi, cretensis, and the European and North African populations of libyca represent transitional forms between the forest and bay wildcat groups.

Subspecies
Subspecies DescriptionRange
European wildcat
F. s. silvestris
A large subspecies, measuring 40-91 cm in body length, 28-35 cm in tail length, and weighing 3.75-11.5 kg. Its fur is quite dark, with a grey tone. The pattern on the head, the dorsal band and the transverse stripes and spots on the trunk are distinct and usually vivid.All of Europe, save for Scotland and islands in the Mediterranean Sea
Southern African wildcat
F. s. cafra
Similar to ugandae in colour and pattern. It comes in two colour phases; iron-grey, with black and whitish speckling, and tawny-grey, with less black and more buffy speckling. Its skull is noticeably larger than lybica's.Southern and southeastern Africa
Caucasian wildcat
F. s. caucasica
Smaller than silvestris, measuring 70-75 cm in body length, 26-28 cm in shoulder height, and weighing usually 5.20-6 kg. Its fur is generally lighter than that of silvestris, and is greyer in shade. The patterns on the head and the dorsal band are well developed, though the transverse bands and spots on the trunk are mostly faint or absent. The tail has a black tip, and only three distinct, black transverse rings.Caucasus and Asia Minor
Turkestan wildcat
F. s. caudata
Similar to caucasica, measuring 44-74 cm in body length, 24-36 cm in tail length, and weighing 2.045-6 kg. However, caudata's head is slighter larger, and its tail is longer. Its fur is mainly light, ochreous-grey. Its dark spots are small and sharp, but well developed throughout its trunk. It has a chain of spots along the back, rather than the continuous band present in most other subspecies. Kazakhstan, Transcaucasia, Iran, Afghanistan, and Dzhungaria
Mongolian wildcat
F. s. chutuchta
Southern Mongolia
Cretan wildcat
F. s. cretensis
Crete
Arabian wildcat
F. s. gordoni
Arabian Peninsula
Scottish wildcat
F. s. grampia
Once considered distinct from silvestris by its slightly larger size, its darker colour and better defined markings on the flanks and legs, though this subspecific classification may not be justified, as there is considerable variation within Scottish wildcat populations. It measures 47-66 cm in body length, 26-33 cm in tail length, and weighs 2.35-7.26 kg.Scotland
Kalahari wildcat
F. s. griselda
Similar to cafra, but differs by its paler, brighter ochreous ears, paler colour, and the less distinct pattern on its fur.Central and southern Angola, northern southeast Africa and Kalahari
Hausa wildcat
F. s. hausa
A small subspecies, with palish, buffish or light-greyish fur, and a tinge of red on the dorsal band.Sudan and Sahel woodlands
Iraqi wildcat
F. s. iraki
Differs from tristrami by its more uniformly tawny hue on the upper parts, its undifferentiated dorsal band, and whiter face and feet.Kuwait, Iraq
Balearic wildcat
F. s. jordansi
Balearic Islands
African wildcat
F. s. lybica
Its general colour is grizzled buff, with indistinct stripes and spots, and a pale brown lacrimal stripe. Its ears are reddish brown, and its tail is relatively long, with several rings and a brown tip. It measures 45 cm in body length, 29 cm in tail length, and weighs 3 kg. Specimens in Sardinia differ from their North African counterparts by their darker ears and generally darker upper sides, lacking the typical sandy tone present in North African specimens.Sardinia, Sicily, northern parts of North Africa from Cyrenaica to Morocco and southern Atlas, and Algerian Sahara
Rhodesian wildcat
F. s. mellandi
Northern Angola, southern part of the Congo basin and northern Zimbabwe
Syrian wildcat
F. s. nesterov
Mespotamia, southwestern Iran, northwestern Arabian Peninsula, Syria and Palestine
Abyssinian wildcat
F. s. ocreata
Differs from lybica by its larger skull, and its fur, which is of a more greyish ground colour with more black speckling, and a more reddish or yellow wash, in adaptation to its desert environment.Ethiopia
Indian wildcat
F. s. ornata
Resembles lybica and iraqi, but differs by its strongly emphasised black or brown spot pattern.Central and northwestern India and Pakistan
Corsican wildcat
F. s. reyi
Corsica
East African wildcat
F. s. rubida
East Africa, southern Sudan and the northeastern part of the Congo basin
Tristram's wildcat
F. s. tristrami
Compared to lybica, this subspecies is darker and more greyish in colour, with slightly more prominent markings.Palestine
Ugandan wildcat
F. s. ugandae
Uganda


However, based on recent phylogeographical analysis, the IUCN recognises only four subspecies (libyca, ornata, silvestris, and cafra), with the addition of the Chinese mountain cat, formerly considered a distinct species.

Subspecies
According to the 2007 DNA analysis, there are only 5 subspecies:
1. European Wild Cat or Forest Cat - Felis silvestris silvestris (Europe and Turkey).
2. North African Wild Cat, also known as the Sardinian Wild Cat, or Desert Cat - Felis silvestris lybica (North Africa, Middle East and Western Asia, to the Aral Sea).
3. South African Wild Cat - Felis silvestris cafra (Southern Africa).
4. Asiatic, also known as the Asian Steppe Wildcat, Central Asian Wild Cat or Indian Desert Cat - Felis silvestris ornata (Pakistan, North-East of India, Mongolia and northern China).
5. Chinese Mountain Cat, also known as the Chinese Desert Cat - Felis silvestris bieti (China).

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Domestication
The earliest evidence of wildcat domestication comes from a 9,500 years old Neolithic grave excavated in Shillourokambos, Cyprus, that contained the skeletons, laid close to one another, of both a human and a cat. This discovery, combined with genetic studies, suggest that cats were probably domesticated in the Middle East, in the Fertile Crescent around the time of the development of agriculture and then they were brought to Cyprus and Egypt.

Despite thousands of years of domestication, there is very little difference between the housecat and its wild anscestor, as its breeding is more subject to natural selection imposed by its environment, rather than artificial selection by humans. The wildcat subspecies which gave rise to the housecat is most likely the African wildcat, based on genetics, morphology, and behaviour. The African wildcat lacks the sharply defined dorsal stripe present in its European counterpart, a trait which corresponds with the coat patterns found in striped tabbies. Also, like the African wildcat, the housecat's tail is usually thin, rather than thick and bushy like the European wildcat's. In contrast to European wildcats, which are notoriously difficult to tame, hand-reared African wildcats behave almost exactly like domestic tabbies, but are more intolerant of other cats, and almost invariably drive away their siblings, mates, and grown kittens. Further evidence of an African origin for the housecat is present in the African wildcat's growth; like housecat kittens, African wildcat kittens undergo rapid physical development during the first two weeks of life. In contrast, European wildcat kittens develop much more slowly. The baculi of European domestic cats bear closer resemblance to those of local, rather than African wildcats, thus indicating that crossbreeding between housecats and wildcats of European origin has been extensive.

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Physical description
Compared to other members of the Felinae, the wildcat is a small species, but is nonetheless larger than the housecat. The wildcat is similar in appearance to a striped tabby cat, but has relatively longer legs, a more robust build, and its skull's greater cranial volume. The tail is long, and usually slightly exceeds one-half of the animal's body length. Its skull is more spherical in shape than that of the jungle and leopard cat. The ears are moderate in length, and broad at the base. The eyes are large, with vertical pupils, and yellowish-green irises. Its dentition is relatively smaller and weaker than the Jungle Cat's. The species size varies according to Bergmann's rule, with the largest specimens occurring in Europe and Middle Asia. Males measure 43-91 cm in body length, 23-40 cm in tail length, and normally weigh 5-7 kg. Females are slightly smaller, measuring 40-77 cm in body length, and 18-35 cm in tail length.

Both sexes possess preanal glands, which consist of moderately sized sweat and sebaceous glands around the anal opening. Large sized sebaceous and scent glands extend along the full length of the tail on the dorsal side. Male wildcats have preanal pockets located on the tail, which are activated upon reaching sexual maturity. These pockets play a significant role in reproduction and territorial marking. The species has two thoracic and two abdominal teats. The wildcat has good night vision, having 20-100% higher retinal ganglion cell densities than the housecat. It may have colour vision, as the densities of its cone receptors are more than 100% higher than in the housecat. Its sense of smell is acute, and can detect meat at up to 200 metres. The wildcat's whiskers are white, and can reach 5-8 cm in length on the lips, and number 7-16 on each side. The eyelashes range from 5-6 cm in length, and can number between 6-8 each. Whiskers are also present on the inner surface of the wrist, and can measure 3-4 cm.[51]

Forest wildcat
The forest wildcat's fur is fairly uniform in length throughout the body. The hair on the tail is very long and dense, thus making it look furry and thick. In winter, the guard hairs measure 7 cm, the tip hairs 5.5-6 cm, and the underfur 4.5-5.5 cm. Corresponding measurements in the summer are 5-6.7 cm, 4.5-6 cm, and 5.3 cm. In winter, the forest wildcat's main coat colour is fairly light grey, becoming richer along the back, and fading onto the flanks. A slight ochreous shade is visible on the undersides of the flanks. A black and narrow dorsal band starts on the shoulders, and runs along the back, usually terminating at the base of the tail. Indistinct black smudges are present around the dorsal band, which may form a transverse striping pattern on rare occasions. The undersurface of the body is very light grey, with a light ochreous tinge. One or more white spots may occur on rare occasions on the throat, between the forelegs, or in the inguinal region. The tail is the same colour as the back, with the addition of a pure black tip. 2-3 black, transverse rings occur above the tail tip. The dorsal surface of the neck and head are the same colour as that of the trunk, but is lighter grey around the eyes, lips, cheeks, and chin. The top of the head and the forehead bear four well-developed dark bands. These bands sometimes split into small spots which extend to the neck. Two short and narrow stripes are usually present in the shoulder region, in front of the dorsal band. A dark and narrow stripe is present on the outer corner of the eye, under the ear. This stripe may extend into the neck. Another such stripe occurs under the eye, which also extends into the neck. The wildcat's summer coat has a fairly light, pure background colour, with an admixture of ochre or brown. In some animals, the summer coat is ashen coloured. The patterns on the head and neck are as well-developed as those on the tail, though the patterns on the flanks are almost imperceptible.

Steppe wildcat
The steppe wildcat's coat is lighter than the forest wildcat's, and never attains the level of density, length, or luxuriance as that of the forest wildcat, even in winter. The tail appears much thinner than that of the forest wildcat, as the hairs there are much shorter, and more close-fitting. The colours and patterns of the steppe wildcat vary greatly, though the general background colour of the skin on the body's upper surface is very lightly coloured. The hairs along the spine are usually darker, forming a dark grey, brownish, or ochreous band. Small and rounded spots cover the entirety of the species' upper body. These spots are solid and sharply defined, and do not occur in clusters or appear in rosette patterns. They usually do not form transverse rows or transverse stripes on the trunk, as is the case in the forest wildcat. Only on the thighs are distinct striping patterns visible. The underside is mainly white, with a light grey, creamy or pale yellow tinge. The spots on the chest and abdomen are much larger and more blurred than on the back. The lower neck, throat, neck, and the region between the forelegs are devoid of spots, or have bear them only distinctly. The tail is mostly the same colour as the back, with the addition of a dark and narrow stripe along the upper two-thirds of the tail. The tip of the tail is black, with 2-5 black transverse rings above it. The upper lips and eyelids are light, pale yellow-white. The facial region is of an intense grey colour, while the top of the head is covered with a dark grey coat. In some specimens, the forehead is covered in dense clusters of brown spots. A narrow, dark brown stripe extends from the corner of the eye to the base of the ear.

Behaviour
The wildcat is a largely solitary animal, except during the breeding period. The size of its home range varies according to terrain, the availability of food, habitat quality, and the age structure of the population. Male and female ranges overlap, though core areas within territories are avoided by other cats. Females tend to be more sedentary than males, as they require an exclusive hunting area when raising kittens. Within its territory, the wildcat leaves scent marks in different sites, the quantity of which increases during estrus, when the cat's preanal glands enlarge and secrete strong smelling substances, including trimethylamine. Territorial marking consists of urinating on trees, vegetation and rocks, and depositing faeces in conspicuous places. The wildcat may also scratch trees, leaving visual markers, and leaving its scent through glands in its paws.

The wildcat does not dig its own burrows, instead sheltering in the hollows of old or fallen trees, rock fissures, and the abandoned nests or earths of other animals (heron nests, and abandoned fox or badger earths in Europe, and abandoned fennec dens in Africa). When threatened, a wildcat with a den will retreat into it, rather than climb trees. When taking residence in a tree hollow, the wildcat selects one low to the ground. Dens in rocks or burrows are lined with dry grasses and bird feathers. Dens in tree hollows usually contain enough sawdust to make lining unecessary. During flea infestations, the wildcat leaves its den in favour of another. During winter, when snowfall prevents the wildcat from travelling long distances, it remains within its den more than usual.

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Reproduction and development
The wildcat has two estrus periods, one in December-February and another in May-July. Estrus lasts 5-9 days, with a gestation period lasting 60-68 days. Ovulation is induced through copulation. Spermatogenesis occurs throughout the year. During the mating season, males fight viciously, and may congregate around a single female. There are records of male and female wildcats becoming temporarily monogamous. Kittens usually appear in April-May, though some may be born from March-August. Litter size ranges from 1-7 kittens.

Kittens are born blind and helpless, and are covered in a fuzzy coat. At birth, the kittens weigh 65-163 grams, though kittens under 90 grams usually do not survive. They are born with pink paw pads, which blacken at the age of three months, and blue eyes, which turn amber after five months.[58] Their eyes open after 9-12 days, and their incisors erupt after 14-30 days. The kittens' milk teeth are replaced by their permanent dentition at the age of 160-240 days. The kittens start hunting with their mother at the age of 60 days, and will start moving independently after 140-150 days. Lactation lasts 3-4 months, though the kittens will eat meat as early as 1.5 months of age. Sexual maturity is attained at the age of 300 days. Similarly to the housecat, the physical development of African wildcat kittens over the first two weeks of their lives is much faster than that of European wildcats. The kittens are largely fully grown by 10 months, though skeletal growth continues for over 18-19 months. The family dissolves after roughly five months, and the kittens disperse to establish their own territories.[58] The species' maximum life span is 21 years, though it usually only lives up to 13-14 years.

Hunting behaviour
When hunting, the wildcat patrols forests and along forest boundaries and glades. In favourable conditions, it will readily feed in fields. The wildcat will pursue prey atop trees, even jumping from one branch to another. On the ground, it lies in wait for prey, then catches it by executing a few leaps, which can span three metres. Sight and hearing are the wildcat's primary senses when hunting, its sense of smell being comparatively weak. When hunting aquatic prey, such as ducks or nutrias, the wildcat waits on trees overhanging the water. It kills small prey by grabbing it in its claws, and piercing the neck or occiput with its fangs. When attacking large prey, the wildcat leaps upon the animal's back, and attempts to bite the neck or carotid. It does not persist in attacking if prey manages to escape it. Wildcats hunting rabbits have been observed to wait above rabbit warrens for their prey to emerge. Although primarily a solitary predator, the wildcat has been known to hunt in pairs or in family groups, with each cat devoted entirely to either listening, stalking, and pouncing. While wildcats in Europe will cache their food, such a behaviour has not been observed in their African counterparts.

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Ecology
Throughout its range, small rodents (mice, voles, and rats) are the wildcat's primary prey, followed by birds (chickens, ducks, and passerines on rare occasions), dormice, hares, nutria, and insectivores. Unlike the housecat, the wildcat can consume large fragments of bone without ill-effect. Although it kills insectivores, such as moles and shrews, it rarely eats them because of the pungent scent glands on their flanks. When living close to human habitations, the wildcat can be a serious poultry predator. In the wild, the wildcat consumes up to 600 grams of food daily.

The diet of wildcats in Great Britain varies geographically; in eastern Scotland, lagomorphs make up 70% of their diet, while in the west, 47% consists of small rodents. In Western Europe, the wildcat feeds on hamsters, brown rats, dormice, water voles, voles, and wood mice. From time to time, small carnivores (martens, polecats, stoats, and weasels) are preyed upon, as well as the fawns of red deer, roe deer, and chamois. In the Carpathians, the wildcat feeds primarily on yellow-necked mice, red-backed voles, and ground voles. European hares are also taken on occasion. In Transcarpathia, the wildcat's diet consists of mouse-like rodents, galliform birds, and squirrels. Wildcats in the Dnestr swamps feed on small voles, water voles, and birds, while those living in the Prut swamps primarily target water voles, brown rats, and muskrats. Birds taken by Prut wildcats include warblers, ferruginous ducks, coots, spotted crakes, and gadwalls. In Moldavia, the wildcat's winter diet consists primarily of rodents, while birds, fish, and crayfish are eaten in summer. Brown rats and water voles, as well as muskrats and waterfowl are the main sources of food for wildcats in the Kuban delta. Wildcats in the northern Caucasus feed on mouse-like rodents and edible dormice, as well as birds on rare occasions. On rare occasions, young chamois and roe deer, are also attacked. Wildcats on the Black Sea coast are thought to feed on small birds, shrews, and hares. On one occasion, the feathers of a white-tailed eagle and the skull of a kid were found at a den site. In Transcaucasia, the wildcat's diet consists of gerbils, voles, birds, and reptiles in the summer, and birds, mouse-like rodents, and hares in winter. Turkmenian wildcats feed on great and red-tailed gerbils, Afghan voles, thin-toed ground squirrels, tolai hares, small birds (particularly larks), lizards, beetles, and grasshoppers. Near Repetek, the wildcat is responsible for destroying over 50% of nests made by desert finches, streaked scrub warblers, red-tailed warblers, and turtledoves. In the Qarshi steppes of Uzbekistan, the wildcat's prey, in descending order of preference, includes great and red-tailed gerbils, jerboas, other rodents and passerine birds, reptiles, and insects. Wilcats in eastern Kyzyl Kum have similar prey preferences, with the addition of tolai hares, midday gerbils, five-toed jerboas, and steppe agamas. In Kyrgyzstan, the wildcat's primary prey varies from tolai hares near Issyk Kul, pheasants in the Chu and Talas valleys, and mouse-like rodents and grey partridges in the foothills. In Kazakhstan's lower Ili, the wildcat mainly targets rodents, muskrats, and Tamarisk gerbils. Occasionally, remains of young roe deer and wild boar are present in its faeces. After rodents, birds follow in importanance, along with reptiles, fish, insects, eggs, grass stalks and nuts (which probably enter the cat's stomach through pheasant crops). In west Africa, the wildcat feeds on rats, mice, gerbils, hares, small to medium-sized birds (up to francolins), and lizards. In southern Africa, where wildcats attain greater sizes than their western counterparts, antelope fawns and domestic stock, such as lambs and kids are occasionally targetted.

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Enemies and competitors
Because of its habit of living in areas with rocks and tall trees for refuge, dense thickets and abandoned burrows, the wildcat has few natural predators. In Central Europe, many kittens are killed by pine martens, and there is at least one account of an adult wildcat being killed and eaten. In the steppe regions of Europe and Asia, village dogs constitute a serious enemy of wildcats. In Tajikistan, wolves are its most serious enemy, having been observed to destroy cat burrows. Birds of prey, including eagle-owls, and saker falcons, have been known to kill wildcat kittens. Seton Gordon recorded an instance whereby a wildcat fought a golden eagle, resulting in the deaths of both combattants. In Africa, wildcats are occasionally eaten by pythons. Competitors of the wildcat include the jungle cat, golden jackal, red fox, marten, and other predators. Although the wildcat and the jungle cat occupy the same ecological niche, the two rarely encounter one another, on account of different habitat preferences: jungle cats mainly reside in lowland areas, while wildcats prefer higher elevations in beech forests.

Communication
The wildcat is a mostly silent animal. The voice of steppe wildcats differs little from the housecat's, while that of forest wildcats is similar, but coarser.

Diseases and parasites
The wildcat is highly parasitised by helminths. Some wildcats in Georgia may carry five helminth species: Hydatigera taeniaeformis, Diphyllobothrium mansoni, Toxocara mystax, Capillaria feliscati and Ancylostoma caninum. Wildcats in Azerbaijan carry Hydatigera krepkogorski and T. mystax. In Transcaucasia, the majority of wildcats are infested by the tick Ixodes ricinus. In some summers, wildcats are infested with fleas of the Ceratophyllus genus, which they likely contract from brown rats.

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Range
The Wildcat's distribution is very broad, encompassing most of Africa, Europe, and southwest and central Asia into India, China, and Mongolia.

The northern African subspecies, F. s. lybica, occurs across northern Africa, extending around the Arabian Peninsula's periphery to the Caspian Sea, encompassing a wide range of habitats, with the exception of closed tropical forests. It occurs in small numbers in true deserts such as the Sahara, particularly in hilly and mountainous areas, such as the Hoggar. In North Africa, the subspecies occurs discontinuously from Morocco through Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and into Egypt. It occurs throughout the the savannahs of West Africa, ranging from from Mauritania on the Atlantic seaboard, eastwards to the Horn of Africa, Sudan and Ethiopia. In the south, F. s. lybica is replaced in all East and southern African countries the southern F. s. cafra. The border range between the two subspecies encompasses Tanzania and Mozambique. The Asiatic wildcat, F. s. ornata, ranges from the eastern Caspian into western India, and north to Kazakhstan and into western China and southern Mongolia. The Chinese F. s. bieti is indigenous to western China, and is particularly abundant in the Quinghai and possibly Sichuan provinces. The European subspecies, F. s. silvestris, was once very widely distributed in Europe, being absent only in Fennoscandia. However, between the late 1700s and mid 1900s, the species underwent declines and local extirpations, resulting in a fragmentation of its range. It is now extinct in Holland, and possibly extinct in the Czech Republic. It is considered regionally extinct in Austria, though vagrants from Italy are spreading into Austrian territory. In the Pyrenees, the wildcat occurs from sea level to 2,250 m. It is possible that in some areas, including Scotland and Stromberg, Germany, pure wildcats have crossbred extensively with domestic cats. The only island in the Mediterranean to house wildcats is Sicily, with other populations in Sardinia, Corsica and possibly Crete possibly being descended from feral populations introduced there from Neolithic times.


Edited by Taipan, May 19 2012, 05:26 PM.
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The Scottish Wildcat (felis sylvestris grampia)

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Introduction
Pound for pound the Scottish wildcat is one of the most impressive predators in the world; intelligent, fearless, resourceful, patient, agile and powerful they are genuine superpredators and until as recently as the 1950's were believed to be man killers.

Surviving human persecution for five hundred more years than the British wolf and over a thousand more years than the British lynx or bear, they inspired and terrified the same Highland clans that defied the Roman and English empires. Today the wildcat continues to receive the respect of Highland farmers and gamekeepers, many of them happy to recount the tale of the wildcat mother killing herself to kill a golden eagle attacking her kittens, or stories from childhood of wildcats evading teams of watching gamekeepers to snatch lambs from their father's fields.

Although wildcats look similar to domestic cats, these are no feral or farm cats run wild; they're Britain's only remaining large wild land predator and have walked this land for millions of years before mankind arrived or domestic cats evolved. Every inch a cat in every sense of the word the Scottish wildcat epitomises the independent, mysterious and wild spirit of the Highlands like no other creature.

"They'll fight to the death for their freedom; they epitomise what it takes to be truly free I think."
Mike Tomkies


Description
By appearance the Scottish wildcat resembles a very muscular domestic tabby, the coat is made up of well defined brown and black stripes and usually has a ruffled appearance due to it's thickness. The gait is more like that of a big cat and the face and jaw are wider and more heavy set than the domestic. Most apparent is the beautiful tail; thick and ringed with perfect bands of black and brown ending in a blunt black tip. The Scottish form is the largest in the wildcat family with males typically between 6-9kg (13-17lb) and females 5-7kg (11-15lb), around 50% larger than the average domestic cat. Fossil examples measuring 4 feet from nose to tail have been found; such a cat would have weighed around 14kg (30lb).

Their body is an evolutionary perfection; eighteen razor sharp retractable claws and rotating wrists for gripping prey and climbing trees, immensely powerful thigh muscles for 30mph sprinting, the ability to fall from the a tree, land on it's feet and walk away unscathed, incredible stealth, balance and agility all wrapped in a thick, camoflaged and religiously cleaned coat with one downy layer to keep in the warm and another outer layer to keep out the rain and cold.

Unique to Britain, they are a sub species of the European wildcat (felis silvestris silvestris) and although similar to the European the Scottish is larger, more heavily camoflaged and hunts across a wider range of habitats; it is also infamously known as the only wild animal that can never be tamed by human hand, even when captive reared.

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Behaviour
Like most felines Scottish wildcats are solitary and largely nocturnal creatures; resting up in hidden thickets, dens or forests by day and patrolling and hunting up to 10km across open ground populated by prey at night. Males and females come together solely to mate in mid winter and for the rest of their lives the cats are alone.

Although physical meetings are rare wildcats regularly communicate with each other through scent. Territorial boundaries are marked with faeces or spray; these markers are left uncovered in open areas like mounds or pathways where the scent will carry as far as possible, advertising the presence of a boundary to other cats; bodily waste within the territory is usually covered. Wildcats also leave scent by rubbing glands in their cheeks and tail against objects, or by clawing trees to release scent from glands in their feet; behaviour most domestic cat owners will recognise. Besides marking boundaries the scents also relay other information about sex, age and health; female scents will also let male cats know if they're ready to mate. Vocal communication is extremely rare, saved for displays of aggression or, whilst in heat, females wail loudly to attract male attention and quite possibly the root of many Highland tales about screaming banshees. A silent demeanour is essential for hunting and avoiding larger predators so wildcat kittens will even play in complete silence.

Although classically portrayed as a ferocious and terrifying beast to be feared and hated, wildcats actually simply enjoy their personal space, daily schedule and peace. A wildcat will only attack something it's hunting, or something that it feel is hunting it. When threatened their classic strategy is to turn on an agressor hissing, growling and spitting furiously; just like a domestic cat their hackles raise and the back arches but rather than turn side on to try and look big, they mock charge like a big cat; stamping forwards at you hissing and spitting. The idea is to give you just enough doubt to give them an opportunity to escape. If given no other choice and in fear of it's life; perhaps cornered or defending kittens, the cat will attack with all it's fury.

The most common victims of wildcat attacks tend to be over confident dogs used to chasing domestic cats and unprepared to back down, or wildlife park keepers trying to get hold of a wildcat for veterinary inspection; some vets opt to use a tranquilising blowdart as wildcats are well documented for biting clean through gauntlets and hands. Legends of cats hanging from tree branches by a hook at the end of their tail, dropping onto passing crofters and tearing out their throats are the stuff of fantasy, left over from the Middle Ages' suspicion of cats as agents of witches and maintained through the Victorian era to fuel and justify the persecution of the cats.


Diet and Hunting
Ecologically the wildcat plays a role as an important predator and controller of small to medium size prey, and even today is a friend to crop farmers as an excellent controller of alien pest species such as rabbits. They are pure carnivores and eat only meat, consuming almost every part of any kill they make; the coat providing roughage, the bones calcium and the meat everything else. Their favoured prey is rabbit and where rabbit is unavailable rodents and small mammals provide the staple food source. This pure meat diet means that parasitic worms are a common problem and wildcats eat long blades of grass which help dislodge and remove some of the worms from their system, it is also recently thought that the grass provides essential folic acid to their system.

They use a variety of strategies to hunt similar to most cats with stealth, speed and power being the key ingredients. Utilising all their senses to track and find suitable prey the hunting cat will then utilise it's camoflage and patience to stalk as close as possible before a full speed sprint, catch and kill. Claws are used to grab and pull down running prey whilst the kill is usually by a bite to the neck breaking the spine or crushing the spinal cord. Sometimes a bite to the throat causing suffocation is used with larger prey. Territories usually cover a few square miles and the resident wildcat will know every inch, so ambush hunting is also often used at places in the territory where prey can be reliably expected at certain times of day; cats are excellent timekeepers.

Wildcats show a reduced fear of water to domestic cats and are suggested to occasionally fish; rather than diving in like the specialised Fishing Cat, they dip their paws into shallow burns or loch edges to try and scoop out passing fish just as a kitten scoops a ball into the air over it's head then turns and pounces onto it; whilst very fun it's also instinct teaching the kitten how to fish. Lizards, eels and frogs are other unusual and minor parts of the wildcat diet.

Undeniably lambs can be in some trouble during season though the historical response of killing the guilty cat seems to have taught the modern form to leave livestock off the menu, today most farmers are very proud of having a wildcat sharing territory with them. Mountain hare are an occasional if challenging catch and the wildcat is known apocryphally to hunt young and small species of deer successfully. Ground nesting birds do present an easy target however they make up a small percentage of the total diet; the captive population will only eat game bird if it's clear absolutely nothing else is going to be forthcoming suggesting they simply aren't too excited by the taste. Other birds are hunted randomly and only opportunistically; for a wildcat most birds offer a very small meal for considerable effort.

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Senses
Sight
Daylight vision is in part-colour and good compared to most animals, night vision is exceptional and around seven times better than our own; whether perception is in colour is unknown. Their eyes are tuned primarily to see movement so that they are able to detect and focus on the tiniest movements of prey in dense cover.

Hearing
All cats have truly exceptional hearing with each ear capable of independent rotation through 180 degrees, allowing full surround coverage. The brain is able to triangulate the source of any given nearby noise allowing the cat to pinpoint prey in dense cover without needing to see it. The range of tones they can hear and their ability to differentiate between minute differences in tone is far in excess of human or canine ability, and used to detect and identify high pitched squeaks of small prey species. Their hearing sense is active 24 hours a day even when sleeping.

Taste
Felines are the World's most dedicated carnivores needing only meat to stay in perfect health, even their primary water supply is in their meat intake. As a result all cats have a very meat oriented taste system with very little ability to detect sweet flavours. The teeth layout is also highly specialised; the front portion perfect for delivering an instant kill bite to the spine, whilst the rear teeth perfectly cross over each other like scissors to sheer through the meat when feeding; the jaw is also heavily muscled, highly developed and very robust by comparison with domestic cats.

Touch
Touch is important for mobility and agility and cats have a highly developed sense of balance remaining from their tree dwelling evolutionary ancestors. The chamber in their brain used like a spirit level to locate themselves physically is far more advanced than in humans, undoubtedly to deal with the complex 3-dimensional lifestyle of tree dwelling predators. Their acute touch sense can also detect minute ground vibrations caused by prey through their paw pads, or minute changes in air currents with their delicate whiskers and a number of other specialised sensory hairs around their body.

Smell
Smell is an underdeveloped sense but still well in excess of human ability, it is used to scent prey or carrion during winter, but probably equally as often when reading communication scents left by other cats, or checking it's own boundaries.

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Biology and Reproduction
Mating season: January to March, most births in May
Oestrus: 2 to 8 days, in presence of males
Gestation: 63 to 68 days
Litter size: Mean 3.4, range 1 to 8
Age at independence: 4 to 5 months, up to 10 months
Age at sexual maturity: Females 10 to 12 months, males 9 to 10 months
Interbirth interval: one year, females can only exceptionally breed twice in one year, such as when the first litter is lost
Mortality: Studies suggest human caused mortality (snares, roads, gunshot) account for up to 92% of deaths
Longevity: Probably around 6 years in the wild, up to 15 years in captivity

Female wildcats come into heat once a year for a short period in January or February and advertise their readiness for mating through scent marking and nighttime "caterwauling" miaows and wails. If a male is in the locality the pair come together for a brief mating before parting forever.

Three or four Kittens are born in early spring and raised solely by the mother who is exceptional in her care and defence of them as they grow. Surviving initially on the mother's milk the kittens quickly progress to eating kills brought to the den for them. Within weeks the mother will bring back live prey for the kittens to catch for themselves, teaching them hunting skills, and within a few months they join her on the hunt to observe and learn survival skills before heading out independently around 5 months of age. They will usually mate for the first time in their second year.

Wildcats can also mate with domestic cats creating fertile "hybrid" offspring, the commonality of domestic cats by comparison with the rarity of wildcats means that this is the greatest threat to the wildcat's future. Hybrids can be identified precisely genetically, and also generally by coat markings such as large white patches, a slimmer tail and body and fused or broken up stripes on the flanks. The wildcat genes seem stronger and slightly hybridised cats seem to always produce increasingly pure offspring.

Some hybrids are pure black in colour and have become known as Kellas cats after the village in the Highlands where they were discovered in modern times. At first considered a new species research showed them to be hybrids, though one of the cats studied appeared to be the first recorded melanistic wildcat; the same process that causes some leopards to be completely black (and commonly known as black panthers). Interestingly, Celtic legends include a fairy cat known as the Cait Sith; a large black beast that Highlanders believed was the reincarnation of a witch that only appeared when bad things were about to happen!


Habitat and Distribution
Originally a forest creature, Scotland's heavy deforestation and tightly varied habitats has forced the wildcat to evolve and utilise everything available to it, with individuals typically including a mixture of habitats in their territory (see image right); an unusual behaviour in felines who tend to specialise in a single habitat.

Once found across the British mainland (enticingly the Cait Sith legend is also in Irish folklore, though there is little evidence of wildcats ever reaching Ireland) they are now confined to the Scottish Highlands. Eye witness sightings of cats in the Borders region and even Northern England are not complete impossibilities but any cats in those areas are likely to be heavily hybridised. Locations of the best populations is as yet unknown (research is underway), but it seems likely they will exist in the less developed areas of the Highlands in the far north. Recent sightings can be recorded and viewed on our sightings page.

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African Wild Cat v 2 Jackals

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This AWC was seriously being harassed by two jackals. I'm not sure if she had kittens there, but the jackals were trying to get into the bush, and she would chase them away everytime. We sat there for ages till the jackals moved off, but the AWC never left the spot, and later moved into the bush herself. Unfortunately we could never see if there were little ones around. It was a great sighting none the less....




Wildcat's acrobatic dove-catching display
A wildcat cat performed a remarkable acrobatic routine as it attempted to catch a dove for dinner.


Published: 10:02AM BST 19 Apr 2010

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This agile cat performed a stunning acrobatic routine in a desperate bid to catch a dove for dinner

The African wildcat had already devoured two doves at the same spot when he returned in search of a third meal.

He leapt more than 6ft through the air and demonstrated a perfect pirouette and backflip routine as he tried to grab one of the birds.

But unfortunately for the cat his prey got away.

The extraordinary performance was captured by photographer Jaycee Rousseau in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, which straddles the border between South Africa and Botswana.

Mr Rousseau, 34, was driving through the park with his 33 year old wife Suzaan when they spotted the Cape Turtle Doves by a waterhole.

Just as they were about to drive away they noticed the cat lying in wait for the doves.

Mr Rousseau said: "We positioned our vehicle in the best position possible under the circumstances and out came the camera. Then we waited.

"And the cat didn't disappoint. He jumped, caught a dove and ate it. Then he jumped a few times without catching anything and suddenly it was all over.

"The next morning we went back to the waterhole, but the cat wasn't there. That same afternoon we went back again and sure enough, the cat was there again.

"Same story. We got the camera ready and waited. He jumped and caught a dove, went into the grass out of sight and ate it."

Mr Rousseau, who works as a banana packhouse manager on the family farm in Mpumalanga, South Africa, said the cat carried on hunting but fled when another car approached.

He added: "The car only stayed a few minutes and drove off. We waited a while and after about ten minutes the cat reappeared.

"He got back into his hunting position and jumped.

"Of all the jumps, that one was the most spectacular. It took some time to get those shots, but patience certainly paid off.

"We've seen time and again that spending time on a regular sighting often produces something special."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/wildlife/7606541/Wildcats-acrobatic-dove-catching-display.html




Footprints in the snow – wildcat captured on camera

Published Date: 05 April 2011
By frank urquhart

A RARE wildcat sighting outside its Highland heartland has been captured on film in the grounds of a historic castle in Aberdeenshire.

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The striking image of the "Highland tiger" was captured by one of the wildlife surveillance cameras set up on Craigfall Hill in the grounds of the Leith Hall Estate, near Huntly, which is owned by the National Trust for Scotland.

The wildcat was photographed on the cameras, funded by Scottish Natural Heritage, on 12 March while snow still blanketed the ground.

There are only an estimated 400 "Highland tigers" left in the wild, and their few remaining strongholds are confined to remote, wooded parts of the Highlands. This rare sighting in Aberdeenshire has delighted conservationists.

Rob Dewar, the nature conservation advisor to the national trust, said: "Leith Hall nestles below open moorland and plantation forests deep in the Aberdeenshire countryside and is a haven for wildlife.

"Sightings of Scottish wildcats had been reported on Craigfall Hill, but was it really here? That is why we decided to set up the new wildlife surveillance cameras in the hope of catching the Highland tiger on camera."

David Hetherington, the project manager for the Cairngorms Wildcat Project, described the sighting of the wildcat as "significant."

http://news.scotsman.com/inverness/Footprints-in-the-snow-.6746334.jp




Gato Gordo
 
Morphological differences between domestic and wild cats.

The following article (in Spanish) has very interesting info:

Lozano, J. (2009) Gato montés – Felis silvestris. Versión 3-02-2009. En: Enciclopedia Virtual de los Vertebrados Españoles. Carrascal, L. M., Salvador, A. (Eds.). Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, Madrid. http://www.vertebradosibericos.org/

It can be downloaded from this link:

www.vertebradosibericos.org/mamiferos/pdf/felsil.pdf

I quote one passage dealing with cranial size:

La longitud total del cráneo puede variar entre 78,5 mm y 113 mm , con una media en los gatos europeos de alrededor de 96 mm (Stahl y Leger, 1992; Yamaguchi et al., 2004b). En la Península Ibérica, datos de 70 cráneos procedentes de la región sur arrojaron una media para la longitud total del cráneo de 96,61 mm para los machos, y de 90,25 mm en el caso de las hembras, con una media conjunta alrededor de 93,5 mm (Fernández et al., 1992). La capacidad craneana varía entre 31 cm3 y 52 cm3, siendo mayor que la del gato doméstico (entre 20 cm3 y 35 cm3).

Schauenberg (1969) calculó un índice craneal, dividiendo la longitud total del cráneo por la capacidad craneana, para poder distinguir entre cráneos de gatos monteses y domésticos: un cráneo con un índice mayor de 2,75 pertenecería a un gato doméstico.


Translation: Craneal capacity of a sample of 70 wild and domestic cat skulls from the south of the Iberian peninsula yields the following distribution:

wild cats 31 to 52 cubic cm
domestic 20 to 35 cubic cm

Schauenberg calculated a cranial index to distinguish wild and domestic cats so that over 2.75 corresponds to a domestic.

The article has plenty of references on all aspects of wild cats.






Hyaenidae
 
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"Distribution of F. Silvestris microsattelite and mitochondrial genotypes with associated dendrograms. (A) Shaded regions on map reflect the distribution of different STR genotype clades. mtDNA haplotype frequencies are indicated in pie charts specifying the number of specimens carrying each mtDNA haplotype clade. Domestic cats, F. silvestris catus are distributed worldwide and overwhelmingly carry clade IV mtDNA haplotypes (beige, see B below). (B) Minimum evolution/neighbor-joining phylogram of 2,604 bp of the ND5 and ND6 gene of 176 mitochondrial haplotypes discerned from 742 specimens sampled across the range of the wildcat (from Europe, Asia, and Africa), Chinese mountain cat, domestic cat, and sand cat. Genetic distance estimators (see ref. 37 for details) provided concordant topologies that specified 6 clusters corresponding to the following subspecies designations: (1) F. silvestris silvestris wildcats from Europe (green, Clade I); (2) F. silvestris cafra wildcats from Southern Africa (blue, Clade II); (3) F. silvestris ornata wildcats from central Asia east of the Caspian Sea (purple, Clade III); (4) F. silvestris lybica wildcats from the Near East (beige, Clade IV); (5) F. silvestris bieti, Chinese mountain cats (red, Clade V); and (6) F. margarita, sand cat (black, Clade VI). The Chinese mountain cat is here referred to as a wildcat subspecies, F. silvestris bieti, as supported by data presented in ref. 37. The coalescence-based age of mtDNA ancestral nodes for all F. silvestris mtDNA lineages was estimated with the linearized tree method (58). The estimated age for the ancestor of F. silvestris lybica and domestic cats (clade IV) is 131,000 years. Other methods of date estimation suggested a range from 107,000 to 155,000 years (37). These estimates are all greater by an order of magnitude than archaeological evidence for cat domestication (39). The persistence within clade IV of 5 well supported mtDNA matrilines (A–E) dating back a hundred thousand years before any archaeological record of domestication indicates that domestic cats originated from at least 5 wildcat mtDNA haplotypes. (C) A phenogram (based on short tandem repeat (STR) data) for 851 domestic and wild specimens of Felis silvestris. Clade designations as in B."
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Genetic test could save Scottish wildcats from extinction

Sunday, July 22nd, 2012 | Posted by Claire McKim


SCIENTISTS are hoping genetic testing could save one of Scotland’s most endangered animals from extinction.

The Scottish wildcat, of which less than 400 remain, has been given a lifeline by experts who hope a simple blood test could help preserve the species.

The genetic test, due to be launched at Christmas, will establish how many pure-bred wildcats remain, and take steps to protect them by introducing a breeding programme – the first of its kind.

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Scottish wildcats are endangered.

The Scottish wildcat is amongst the most endangered species on the planet and experts warn that if interbreeding continues, the species could be wiped out within five years.

Steve Piper of the Scottish Wildcat Association said the official figures claiming 400 wildcats remain was too optimistic.

He said: “There are barely words to describe how desperate their plight is. There used to be tens of thousands of wildcats roaming Scotland. The last attempt to establish the numbers in 2004 estimated it was only about 400.

“Many conservationists put the figure at 100 and some think there may already be none left.

“They are disappearing so fast they are more in peril than pandas, tigers or polar bears.”

The 100,000 feral cats that roam the Scottish Highlands are largely to blame for the decline.

They breed with the wildcats and produce hybrids that are part domestic cat and part wild cat.

Mr Piper said: “These are different from wildcats, which have always been solitary, not taking birds and the likes and existing only on rabbits.

“The hybrids are seen as more of a pest and are targeted as such.”

A mixed breed will have a thicker coat and be bigger than a domestic cat.

Some can be easily identified, with others the extent of the breeding is such that its impossible to know if the creature is pure wildcat.

The genetic test will take blood samples and allow the true remaining wildcats to be identified, with steps taken to protect them.

Dr Paul O’Donoghue of Chester University, who is developing the test in partnership with the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland WildGenes Lab in Edinburgh, described the work so far as “incredibly encouraging”.

He said: “Initial results suggest a diagnostic wildcat test will be available.”

Mr Piper added: “Even some of the wildcats in captivity may be hybrids, no body knows.

“This test will allow Scottish wildcats in captivity to be identified, brought together from wherever they are in the UK and a breeding programme started.

“This is absolutely critical to the creature’s survival. Communities, even gamekeepers, are right behind supporting wildcats.

“If we can successfully breed them in captivity then we can start to address the problems in the wild.

“Everyone who seems them loves them but if we don’t act now then the Scottish wildcats could be gone in as little as a year.”

If enough true wildcats were discovered to breed from, Mr Piper would favour the creation of a “mainland island” for the cats on a peninsula like Ardnamurchan. A spokesman for SNH said efforts to protect the wildcat had to be made in a co-ordinated fashion.

Douglas Richardson, of the Highland Wildlife Park, said: “We have this iconic emblem of the Highlands, and if we don’t get our finger out it will become extinct, guaranteed.”

Short URL: http://www.deadlinenews.co.uk/?p=53997
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Superpredator
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[ *  *  *  *  *  *  *  * ]
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SOURCE- CARNIVORES OF THE WORLD, HUNTER,L & BARRETT, P. PAGE 16, PLATE 1.

Edited by Superpredator, Jul 23 2012, 06:57 PM.
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When is a wildcat really a wildcat?

By Sean Coughlan
BBC News education correspondent
29 August 2012 Last updated at 15:54 GMT

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There are thought to be fewer than 100 Scottish wildcats still in the wild

With claims big cats are stalking the countryside, researchers are developing a DNA test to identify Scotland's pure-bred wildcats.

There have been questions whether sightings of "big cats" might be wildcats or feral domestic cats.

But researchers at the University of Chester want to find a gene test to distinguish wildcats from hybrids cross-bred with domestic cats.

The study wants to protect the pure-bred wildcats from extinction.

Geneticists at the university want to find a DNA test to define whether a cat is a pure-bred wildcat, which can be up to 4ft (1.22m) long.

'The last stand'

Senior lecturer in biology, Paul O'Donoghue, believes there might be fewer than 100 Scottish wildcats surviving in the wild - with their future threatened by inter-breeding with runaway domestic cats.

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Paul O'Donoghue used a DNA sample from a Victorian wildcat in the British Museum

"This is the last stand of a bit of wilderness," said Dr O'Donoghue.

The Scottish wildcat was now much rarer than the black rhino, he said.

Sightings of these animals, much bigger and stockier than domestic cats, were becoming less frequent - and a breeding programme was urgently needed to prevent them from completely disappearing, Dr O'Donoghue added.

Dr O'Donoghue has been working with the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland to try to establish how many pure wildcats still exist, either in captivity or the wild.

The DNA samples used to identify a "true" wildcat include a Victorian specimen kept in the British Museum - providing a sample with 63,000 genetic markers.

Dr O'Donoghue says that these 19th Century wildcats show the size and power of this species - saying that they were as different from a domestic cat as a wolf from a dog.

There have been repeated claims of sightings of "big cats" in the UK - with summer headlines made this week by claims a lion had been spotted in Essex.

Stephen Harris, professor of environmental sciences at Bristol University, suggested that rather than escaped big cats or wildcats, the creatures being spotted might be domestic cats that have gone feral.

Prof Harris told BBC Radio 4's Today programme feral cats could grow to be "surprisingly large".

"There are some quite big feral cats out there," he said.

In Australia, Prof Harris said, there had been feral cats shot weighing 40lbs (18kgs) and 5ft 9in (1.7m) long.

Dr O'Donoghue said the "Essex lion", which had been described as tawny, could not be a wildcat, which had grey and black stripes.

The precarious rarity of wildcats might also count against the likelihood of such a sighting - and Dr O'Donoghue says "time is rapidly running out for them".

He says he wants the research to help prevent "one of Britain's most incredible, iconic animals from disappearing from the face of the earth".

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-19411647
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Scottish wildcat extinct within months, association says

13 September 2012 Last updated at 01:09 GMT

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Scottish wildcats were thought to number about 400

Scottish wildcats will be extinct in the wild within months as numbers of pure-bred cats have fallen to about 35 individuals, conservationists warn.

A team put together by the Scottish Wildcat Association (SWA) reviewed 2,000 records of camera trap sightings, eyewitness reports and also road kills.

SWA said the analysis suggested there could be 35 wildcats - far fewer than previously thought.

Other research has estimated that there could be less than 400 pure-bred cats.

Last month, a report on a project funded by Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) estimated that there were 150 breeding pairs left.

Disease and inter-breeding with domestic and feral cats are among the main threats to numbers of pure-bred wildcats.

SWA said licensed trapping of the mammals should be allowed so blood samples could be taken in an effort to better understand the state of the population.

It has also suggested relocating pure wildcats to areas where there are fewer risks, and it said it was working with the University of Oxford on an investigation of wildcats in Caithness and Sutherland.

As rare as Amur tigers?

If pure Scottish wildcat numbers have fallen to 35 individuals it would place the species among the world's most endangered wildlife
Research by US, Canadian and Japanese scientists in 2009 suggested the Amur tiger was down to an effective wild population of fewer than 35 individuals. Although up to 500 of the big cats actually survive in the wild, the effective population is a measure of their genetic diversity.

Of the 2,000 records of hybrids and wildcats looked at by the SWA team less than 20 were deemed to comply with the accepted coat-marking identifiers of the true wildcat.

With an estimated 3,500 hybrids in Scotland the SWA said this would mean there were just 35 wildcats remaining.

SWA chairman Steve Piper said: "However you juggle the figures it's hard to find anything positive.

"If you ignore the eyewitness sightings because they're unreliable the numbers get even worse.

"Even if you decide the population of hybrids is larger you have to multiply it to impossible levels to get to the commonly quoted figure of 400 wildcats.

"The overwhelming evidence is that the wildcat is going to be extinct within months, anything else is blind hope."

According to SNH, estimates of wildcat numbers in Scotland have varied between 1,000 and 4,000. However, the agency said fewer than 400 cats with classical wildcat pelage were thought to survive.

In a report published last month on the SNH-funded Cairngorms Wildcat Project, it was estimated that 150 breeding pairs of wildcats survived in parts of the Highlands.

The document said wildcats were "very rare" and present in low numbers in the western half of the Cairngorms National Park - Badenoch and Strathspey, Highland Perthshire and possibly Glenlivet.

No records that could be substantiated with photographs or carcases were obtained from the eastern side of the park - Deeside, Donside and the Angus Glens.

The report also said the risks from hybridisation appeared to be "real and continuing".

'Parlous state'

Mr Piper said SWA and Oxford were sending people to Caithness and Sutherland, which he said was the one large area that had not been looked at in any real detail.

He said: "If we find wildcats, it raises new issues, they will be hard to protect in an expanse like Sutherland, realistically we need to relocate them somewhere they can be protected or put a truly vast amount of money and resources into the region to keep wildcats separated from hybrids and ferals."

SNH said the Scottish wildcat was a priority species and its new Wildcat Action Plan would seek to bring together all those interested in their conservation.

A spokesman said: "We agree that the evidence points to wildcat populations being in a parlous state.

"However, we need to be careful when drawing conclusions from sub samples and unverified records.

"The limited survey information available on this cryptic species provides an uncertain basis from which to state precisely how many animals may be living in the wild. This is something the action plan might seek to address."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-19569538
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This is terrible, terrible news...
One of the last major carnivore species is on the verge, once upon a time the British Islands hosted wolves, lynx, bears, and beech marten.
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Feral cats work around dingo's lifestyle

Monday, 5 November 2012Dani Cooper

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The relationship between feral cats and dingoes is dependant on specific environmental conditions (

Feral cats are not afraid of the big, bad dingo, as long as they have somewhere to hide, according to new research that has looked at the predation habits of both species.

Researchers found that the cats' attitude to the larger predator appears to be dependent on the presence of trees and undergrowth in the local environment.

Dr Diana Fisher, of the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Queensland and doctoral student Yiwei Wang, at University of California, Santa Cruz , tracked the movements of dingoes and feral cats at Taunton National Park in Central Queensland.

The park is home to an increasingly shrinking population of the endangered bridled nailtail wallaby. Since 1990, its numbers have fallen from 1000, to less than 500 today.

Previous studies by Fisher show the population has been impacted by climate change, habitat loss through cattle grazing and increased predation by dingoes and feral cats during frequent droughts.

Radio-tracking between 1994 and 1997 showed that dingoes were the major predators of adult bridled nailtail wallabies, while feral cats were hunted juveniles.

As part of a trial to protect the species, between 2006 and 2008 park management stopped baiting dingoes to see whether an increase in the park's dingo population would restrict and reduce feral cat populations.

Predatory patterns
To assess whether this approach was effective, Fisher and Wang used a network of cameras to track movements and overlaps in activity of the two predators for a year from August 2009, when baiting had been reinstituted.

Their results, published recently in Wildlife Research, show that overall feral cats did not avoid areas where dingoes were found.

Wang says their study shows the effect of increased dingo numbers on smaller predators "might not outweigh the increased impact [hunting by dingoes has] on prey species".

For the study the researchers placed 41 cameras at 42 different stations to examine space use by dingoes, feral cats, kangaroos and small macropod species.

Wang says the cameras showed dingoes and feral cats active in similar areas and there was no evidence "cats avoided dingoes ... because cats were occasionally detected at cameras the same day as dingoes were detected".

However, it appears in the wet season when dingoes are more active, because they are caring for pups, there was less overlap between the two species.

Wang says the study suggests decisions on whether to control dingo populations through baiting programs needs to be assessed on a "case by case basis".

She says Taunton National Park has areas of dense undergrowth and vegetation so "cats can escape dingoes pretty easily".

This indicates the relationship between the two species is dependant on specific environmental conditions.

Cats taking advantage
This view appears to be supported by another study published in the Journal of Applied Ecology that used cameras to track dingo and cat interactions on nine properties from Cape York across northern and central Australia.

While the researchers ultimately found dingoes could restrict feral cats access to native prey, their work also highlighted the role habitat played in the relationship between the two predators.

Lead author doctoral student Leila Brook at James Cook University's School of Tropical and Marine Biology, says the study both dingo and feral cat numbers were high on some unbaited properties.

She says while the locations were paired to have minimal differences in environment, "if you have a more complex habitat a mesopredator [feral cat] can use that habitat to evade the apex predator".

"Complex habitats enable cats and dingoes to coexist to a higher degree," she says.

The study did not find a direct link between baiting and the number of feral cats, but Brook says that in areas where baiting did reduce dingo numbers, cats were more prevalent and the activity patterns of dingoes changed.

"Dingoes have two activity peaks in the evening and at dawn," she says. "On properties that controlled dingoes we didn't detect that evening peak."

Feral cats took advantage of the dingoes' absence to use the dusk period as their peak hunting time.

"The changes in dingo behaviour could mean improved access to prey for feral cats as they do not have to avoid the dingoes."

http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2012/11/05/3611900.htm
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Scottish Wildcats Are Interbreeding Themselves Into Extinction

May 23, 2013 9:10 am

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A Scottish wildcat. Photo: Peter Trimming

Scottish wildcats, the U.K.’s only remaining species of wild feline, look a little bit like adorable grey tabbies, slightly on the large size, with a bushy striped tail. But the species lived in Scotland long before any domestic relatives—or humans—arrived. Nicknamed “the tiger of the highlands,” the felines were rumored for years to be man-killers. The Scottish Wildcats Association makes clear that these fierce felines are no cuddly kittens:

"Although classically portrayed as a ferocious and terrifying beast to be feared and hated, wildcats simply enjoy their personal space, daily schedule and peace. A wildcat will only attack something it’s hunting, or something that it feel is hunting it. When threatened their classic strategy is to turn on an aggressor hissing, growling and spitting furiously; just like a domestic cat their hackles raise and the back arches but rather than turn side on to try and look big, they mock charge like a big cat; stamping forwards at you hissing and spitting. The idea is to give you just enough doubt to give them an opportunity to escape. If given no other choice and in fear of its life, perhaps cornered or defending kittens, the cat will attack with all its fury."

Yet only about 100 of the wildcats remain, and researchers point to the common house cat as the main culprit behind the species’ demise, the BBC reports. Wildcats and house cats, it turns out, are interbreeding, and scientists project the species could be obliterated by house cat genes within two years.

Paul O’Donoghue, a researcher calling for the species’ conservation, compared the 63,000 domestic cat genes to those of the wildcats. He combed through 140 years worth of wildcat specimens kept in London and Edinburgh museums in order to find pristine genetic samples, then compared those two standards to samples attained from wildcats in the wild.

O’Donoghue concluded that extinction due to hybridization is almost guaranteed, perhaps within two years, for the wildcat unless conservationists undertake drastic action. For him, that means trapping the wildcats that still maintain pure genes, breeding them, and perhaps even placing them in the care of volunteers—so long, of course, as there are no frisky house cats about.

Read more: http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/smartnews/2013/05/scottish-wildcats-are-interbreeding-themselves-into-extinction/#ixzz2UC8R8Qvg
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African Wild Cat predation on Meerkat

Canidae
Nov 7 2013, 05:43 AM
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221Extra
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Deny, deny, deny.
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European Wildcat weights:


221extra
Jan 4 2013, 07:49 AM

A Scan on the biggest Wildcat subspecies then European:
Posted Image

From: "Wild Cats Of The World"

Reveals even the largest Wildcats are only slightly larger (those are "truly exceptional") if not smaller & that 7.1kgs was a "record male wildcat from Scotland".


221extra
Jan 4 2013, 08:39 AM
Forgive me, Sunquist included the Scottish Wildcat in the European Wildcat profile of his book & as you can see the largest Wildcat was: "7.1kgs was a "record male wildcat from Scotland".

And here are actual field weights:
Posted Image

Again from: "Wild Cats Of The World"
The Wildcat (even the Scottish) is at a big weight disadvantage.

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maker
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http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-30465805

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maker
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maker
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Posted Image
I, Surachit [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html), CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/) or CC BY-SA 2.5 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5)], via Wikimedia Commons
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Edith Cowan University
 
Increase in native animals in the diet of cats in areas where rabbits have been reduced, meaning effective rabbit control programs could prompt a dip in the local native marsupial population.

Reptiles were the most commonly eaten animals, making up 157 species on the list, followed by birds (123), marsupials, (58), rodents (27) and frogs (21).

Rodents were most likely to be on the menu in northern Australia, while larger possums and bandicoots were among the most-eaten in south-eastern Australia.

Among the rarest dishes on the feral cats’ plate were the woylie, mountain pygmy possum and Christmas Island whiptail skink.

Feral cats were also found to have eaten southern rockhopper penguins, flying foxes and rock wallabies. Some cats were even shown to prey on nesting sea birds during breeding season.
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/feb/03/feral-cats-more-likely-to-prey-on-native-animals-if-rabbit-numbers-reduced
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