Wildcat

The wildcat is small a carnivorous alive Prédateur in Europe, Western Asia and Africa. In their natural environment, the wildcats adapt to many habitats: the Savanna, the Forest and the Steppe. They avoid the tropical forests and the deserts.

They drive out small Mammifère S, Oiseau X and other creatures of close sizes.

There exists several subspecies S of the wildcat , like the wildcat of Africa ( Felis silvestris lybica ) or the wildcat of Europe ( Felis silvestris silvestris ).

The Chat domesticates ( Felis silvestris catus , or Felis silvestris formed catus ) was introduced on all the livable continents. Certain domestic cats are turned over to the wild life: they are the cats harets.

If the domestic cats have a great diversity of aspects and colors, the wildcats are brown with black stripes. They measure from 50 to 80 Centimètre S length, and weigh from 3 to 6 Kilogram S. the African subspecies tends to being smaller and of clearer peeling.

Subspecies

The Taxinomie of the species is discussed enough.

Wild subspecies

Certain authors recognize only two wild species: Felis silvestris silvestris and Felis silvestris lybica , in Asia and Africa.

Other authors on the other hand multiplied the subspecies, since more than 20 were described:

  • In Africa

    • Felis silvestris will cafra (South Africa)
    • Felis silvestris foxi (West Africa)
    • Felis silvestris griselda (central Africa)
    • Felis silvestris lybica (North Africa)
    • Felis silvestris ocreata (Africa of center-is)
    • Felis silvestris mellandi (Africa of the mid-west)
    • Felis silvestris ugandae

  • In Asia and in the Middle East

    • Felis silvestris caudata (Caspian Sea)
    • Felis silvestris ornata (of the Iran to India)
    • Felis silvestris bieti (China)
    • Felis silvestris iraki (the Middle East)

  • In Europe

  • Others:

    • Felis silvestris chutuchta
    • Felis silvestris gordoni
    • Felis silvestris raised
    • Felis silvestris nesterovi
    • Felis silvestris rubida
    • Felis silvestris tristrami
    • Felis silvestris vellerosa

These studies were generally made on morphological bases. A study of the DNA of the wildcats, published in June 2007 in Science, defends the thesis of five subspecies, more of the forms of transition (even chart):

  • Felis silvestris silvestris (Europe and Turkey).

  • Felis silvestris lybica (North Africa, the Middle East and Occidental Asia, until the Sea of Aral.
  • Felis silvestris will cafra (Southern Africa - It should be noted that other authors regard it as a species with share).
  • Felis silvestris ornata (Pakistan, the North-East of India, Mongolia and Nord of China).
  • Felis silvestris bieti (China - It should be noted that other authors regard it as a species with share).

The domestic cat

See also: Cat, Chat domesticates

For these natural subspecies, it is necessary to add the Chat domesticates.

One gave to the domestic cats the scientific name of Felis catus at the 18th century, before the development of the evolutionary Biologie. With the appearance of this one, the close relation between domestic and wild races was recognized. For this reason, the scientific statute of the domestic “species” at summer called into question and much of biologists do not regard them any more from now on but as domesticated forms of the Espèce S original savages.

Indeed, according to Ernst Mayr “a species is a reproductive community of populations (isolated in the reproductive plan from other communities)”. However, the domestic “species” cross with their species relationship when they on the occasion of it. Thus, “considering, at least with regard to the races of pets primitive, those would constitute, in general, an entity of reproduction with their ancestral species, if they had the possibility of it, the classification of pets as clean species is not acceptable. This is why one tried to define them as subspecies”. One then proposed the scientific name of Felis silvestris catus .

Certain biologists are even reticent to use the concept of subspecies for a domesticated group. From an evolutionary point of view, the idea of species or subspecies is indeed related to the idea of Natural selection and not of artificial selection. Because of this reserve and “since approximately 1960, one uses designation more and more formed , shortened F , which expresses clearly that it is about the shape of pet which can possibly go up to various wild subspecies.

The wildcat with the practice to sharpen its claws on tree trunks or shrubs upright or lying. It generally chooses trees with the fibrous bark. If the black elder tree often has its preference, he does not scorn the young coniferous trees and the lilacs. The bark is dilacerated on a height from 30 to 40 cm and fringe with the wire of time because the cat returns regularly to the same place. It is important that its claws remain acute and sharp, this is why the external part of the envelope cornea exfolie. While observing well with the foot of the lacerated tree, one can find pieces of claws.

The forest cat is regarded as threatened at the European level and, since the years 1970, it is a protected space on the whole of its surface of distribution. To preserve the wildcat, it is necessary to protect the unit from its habitat: forests, thickets, hedges and meadows.

The animal is not easy to observe because it avoids approaching the human ones.

Felis silvestris lybica

The wildcat of Africa is distributed on deserts and savannas of the Africa and Arabia. It is smaller than the European subspecies and has a shorter fur. It is thought that the wildcat of Africa is the ancestor of the domestic cat, since it is more flexible than the wildcats of Europe, and in activity the night.

Although some discovered leave think that domestication cats took place as of 9000-9500 av. J. - C., only the presence of the cat at the Égyptiens since 4000 av. J. - C. was proven indisputably. However, a discovery, in 2004, to Shillourokambos (with Cyprus) gives the proof of a domestication (if not a domestication) of the wildcat 7500 years front J. - C.

See too

  • Raccoon, called “wildcat” by the first European colonists.

External bonds

  • '' Felis sylverstris '' Three distinct subspecies.

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