African wildcat

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African wildcat
An African wildcat at Parc des Félins

Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
CITES Appendix II (CITES)[1]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Suborder: Feliformia
Family: Felidae
Subfamily: Felinae
Genus: Felis
Species:
F. lybica
Binomial name
Felis lybica
Forster, 1780
Subspecies
Distribution of the African wildcat as of 2015[1]

The African wildcat (Felis lybica) is a small wildcat species with sandy grey fur, pale vertical stripes on the sides and around the face. It is native to Africa, West and Central Asia, and is distributed to Rajasthan in India and Xinjiang in China. It inhabits a broad variety of landscapes ranging from deserts to savannas, shrublands and grasslands.

Taxonomy

Felis lybica was the

description on a specimen from Gafsa on the Barbary Coast that had the size of a domestic cat, but a reddish fur, short black tufts on the ears, and a ringed tail.[2]
Between the late 18th and 20th centuries, several naturalists and curators of natural history museums described and proposed new names for wildcat holotypes from Africa and the Near East, including:

Since 2017, three African wildcat subspecies are recognised as valid taxa:[15]

Phylogeny

Phylogenetic analysis of the nuclear DNA in tissue samples from all Felidae species revealed that the evolutionary radiation of the Felidae began in Asia in the Miocene around 14.45 to 8.38 million years ago.[16][17] Analysis of mitochondrial DNA of all Felidae species indicates a radiation at around 16.76 to 6.46 million years ago.[18]

The African wildcat is part of an

common ancestor of the Felis species around 2.16 to 0.89 million years ago, based on analysis of their nuclear DNA.[16][17] Analysis of their mitochondrial DNA indicates a genetic divergence from Felis at around 4.21 to 0.02 million years ago.[18] Both models agree in the jungle cat (F. chaus) having been the first Felis species that diverged, followed by the black-footed cat (F. nigripes), the sand cat (F. margarita) and then the African wildcat.[16][18]

Based on a

tamed in the Fertile Crescent and are the ancestors of the domestic cat. Domestic cats are derived from at least five "Mitochondrial Eves".[19]
African wildcats were also
CE.[20]

In Cyprus, an African wildcat was found in a burial site next to a human skeleton in the Pre-Pottery Neolithic B settlement Shillourokambos. The graves are estimated to have been established by Neolithic farmers about 9,500 years ago, and are the earliest known evidence for a close association between a cat and a human. Their proximity indicates that the cat may have been tamed or domesticated.[21] Results of genetic research indicate that the African wildcat

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]

Phylogenetic relationships of the African wildcat as derived through analysis of
nuclear DNA:[16][17][18]
Felidae 
 Felinae
 Felis

Domestic cat (F. catus)

European wildcat (F. silvestris)

African wildcat

Chinese mountain cat (F. bieti)

Sand cat

Black-footed cat

Jungle cat

other Felinae lineages

Pantherinae

mitochondrial DNA:[19]
 Felis 
African wildcat

Domestic cat

Near Eastern wildcat

Asiatic wildcat

Southern African wildcat

European wildcat

Chinese mountain cat

Sand cat

Characteristics

Illustration of an African wildcat skull

The fur of the African wildcat is light sandy grey, and sometimes with a pale yellow or reddish hue, but almost whitish on the belly and on the throat. The ears have small tufts, are reddish to grey, with long light yellow hairs around the

pinna. The stripes around the face are dark ochre to black: two run horizontally on the cheek from the outer corner of the eye to the jaw, a smaller one from the inner corner of the eye to the rhinarium, and four to six across the throat. Two dark rings encircle the forelegs, and hind legs are striped. A dark stripe runs along the back, the flanks are lighter. Pale vertical stripes on the sides often dissolve into spots. Its tail has two to three rings towards the end with a black tip. Its feet are dark brown to black below.[23][24]

It differs from the European wildcat by inconspicuous stripes on the nape and shoulders, a less sharply defined stripe across the spine and by the slender tail, which is cylindrical, less bushy and more tapering. Ears are normally tipped with a small tuft. Its fur is shorter than of the European wildcat, and it is considerably smaller.[25]

Skins of male wildcats from Northern Africa measure 47–59.7 cm (18.5–23.5 in) in head-to-body length with a 26.7–36.8 cm (10.5–14.5 in) long tail. Skins of female wildcats measure 40.6–55.8 cm (16.0–22.0 in) with a 24.1–33.7 cm (9.5–13.3 in) long tail.[13] Male wildcats from Yemen measure 46–57 cm (18–22 in) in head-to-body length with a 25–32 cm (9.8–12.6 in) long tail; females were slightly smaller measuring 50–51 cm (20–20 in) in head-to-body length with a 25–28 cm (9.8–11.0 in) long tail. Both females and males range in weight from 3.2–4.5 kg (7.1–9.9 lb).[26]

Distribution and habitat

The African wildcat occurs throughout Africa, as well as in the Middle East including parts of the Arabian Peninsula and most of Iran. Its range extends northeast into Central Asia, where it occurs along the eastern shores of the Caspian Sea, and through Kazakhstan to as far east as Xinjiang. It is also present in parts of India.[27]

It tolerates a wide variety of habitats. In deserts such as the Sahara, it occurs at much lower densities and is most common in areas with rugged terrain such as the Hoggar Mountains. It ranges across the area north of the Sahara from Morocco to Egypt and inhabits the tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands south of the Sahara from Mauritania to the Horn of Africa, including Somalia, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Djibouti and Sudan. It inhabits every country of East and Southern Africa, although it is absent from the dense tropical rainforests of the Congo Basin.[1]

In Mediterranean islands

Further information: Corsican wildcat and Sardinian wildcat
The wild cat in Sardinia is of domestic cat origin.[28]

The wild cat in Sardinia and Corsica was long considered to be an African wildcat subspecies with the scientific name Felis lybica sarda.[25] Results of zooarchaeological research indicate that it descended from domestic cats that were introduced probably at the beginning of the first millennium and originated in the Near East. These populations are feral today.[29][28]

The wildcat on the island of Sicily is a European wildcat.[28][30]

Ecology and behaviour

African wildcats are active mainly by night and search for prey. Their hearing is so fine that they can locate prey precisely. They approach prey by patiently crawling forward and using vegetation to hide. They rarely drink water.[31] They hunt primarily mice, rats, birds, reptiles, and insects.[32][23]

When confronted, the African wildcat raises its hair to make itself seem larger in order to intimidate its opponent. In the daytime it usually hides in the bushes, although it is sometimes active on dark, cloudy days. The territory of a male overlaps with that of up to three females.[33]

Hunting and diet

In West Africa, the African wildcat preys on rats, mice, gerbils, hares, small to medium-sized birds, including francolins, and lizards. In Southern Africa, it also attacks antelope fawns and domestic stock, such as lambs and kids.[24] In Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, it preys foremost on murids, to a lesser extent also on birds, small reptiles and invertebrates.[34]

Reproduction

The female's gestation period lasts between 56 and 60 days.[22] In Botswana, she gives birth mostly during the warm wet season to one to three kittens.[32] Litters of up to five kittens were also observed. Her birthing den is a sheltered place like dense grass, a burrow or hollow tree. The kittens open their eyes after about 10–14 days and are mobile at the age of one month. At around three months of age, they start learning hunting techniques from their mother. They leave the family and become independent at the age of around six months.[22]

Conservation

African wildcat on a 1994 stamp of Azerbaijan

The African wildcat is included in CITES Appendix II.[1]

Alley Cat Rescue is currently the only organization known to have a program specifically aimed at conserving African wildcats and reducing what some refer to as genetic pollution by domestic cats.[35]

It has been discovered that a domestic cat can serve as a

surrogate mother for wildcat embryos. The numerous similarities between the two species mean that an embryo of an African wildcat may be carried and borne by a domestic cat. A documentary by the BBC describes the details of the experiments that led to this discovery, and also shows a mature wildcat that was born by a surrogate female.[36]

In philately

The Libyan Posts issued a postage stamp dedicated to the African wildcat in November 1997 in cooperation with World Wide Fund for Nature. This issue was also released as a set of four stamps printed on a minisheet.[37]

References

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    doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2022-1.RLTS.T131299383A154907281.en
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  2. ^ Forster, G. R. (1780). "LIII. Der Karakal". Herrn von Büffons Naturgeschichte der vierfüssigen Thiere. Mit Vermehrungen, aus dem Französischen übersetzt. Sechster Band [Mr. von Büffon‘s Natural History of Quadrupeds. With additions, translated from French. Volume 6]. Berlin: Joachim Pauli. pp. 299–319.
  3. ^ Gmelin, J. G. (1791). "Anmerkungen zu James Bruce Reise nach Abyssinien". Anhang zu James Bruce Reisen in das Innere von Africa, nach Abyssinien an die Quellen des Nils [Appendix to James Bruce‘s Travels into the Interior of Africa, to Abyssinia to the sources of the Nile]. Rinteln, Leipzig: Expedition der Theologischen Annalen, Johann Ambrosius Barth. pp. 1–38.
  4. ^ Desmarest, A. G. (1822). "LXIII. Chat, felis". Mammalogie ou description des espèces de mammifères. Seconde partie. Paris: Agasse. pp. 540–541.
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  6. ^ Cabrera, A. (1906). "Mamiferos de Mogador". Boletín de la Sociedad Española de Historia Natural. 6: 357−368.
  7. ^ Heller, E. (1913). "New Antelopes and Carnivores from British East Africa". Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections. 61 (13): 1–15.
  8. ^ Cheesman, R. E. (1920). "Report on the Mammals of Mesopotamia". The Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society. 27 (2): 323–346.
  9. ^ Thomas O.; Hinton M. A. C. (1921). "Captain Angus Buchanan's Aïr Expedition. II. On the mammals (other than ruminants) obtained during the expedition to Aïr (Asben)". Novitates Zoologicae. 28 (1): 1–13.
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  14. ^ Harrison, D. L. (1968). "Felis silvestris gordoni". The mammals of Arabia: Carnivora, Hyracoidea, Artiodactyla. Volume 2. London: Ernest Benn Ltd. p. 283.
  15. ^ Kitchener, A. C.; Breitenmoser-Würsten, C.; Eizirik, E.; Gentry, A.; Werdelin, L.; Wilting, A.; Yamaguchi, N.; Abramov, A. V.; Christiansen, P.; Driscoll, C.; Duckworth, J. W.; Johnson, W.; Luo, S.-J.; Meijaard, E.; O’Donoghue, P.; Sanderson, J.; Seymour, K.; Bruford, M.; Groves, C.; Hoffmann, M.; Nowell, K.; Timmons, Z.; Tobe, S. (2017). "A revised taxonomy of the Felidae: The final report of the Cat Classification Task Force of the IUCN Cat Specialist Group" (PDF). Cat News (Special Issue 11): 17−20.
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  27. ^ Nowell, K.; Jackson, P. (1996). "African Wildcat Felis silvestris, lybica group (Forster, 1770)". Wild Cats: status survey and conservation action plan. Gland, Switzerland: IUCN/SSC Cat Specialist Group. pp. 32−35. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 23 September 2006.
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  35. ^ "Help save your kitty's heritage". Alley Cat Rescue. Retrieved 2019-09-23.
  36. ^ BBC Earth. "Wild cat mothered by a domestic cat! - Making Animal Babies". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2021-12-18.
  37. ^ "Libyan Stamps online". Archived from the original on 2012-02-17. Retrieved 2009-04-12.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Felis silvestris lybica.
Wikispecies has information related to Felis silvestris lybica.
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