Felis silvestris
SUBFAMILY
Felinae
TAXONOMY
Felis (Catus) silvestris Schreber, 1775, Germany. Up to 26 sub-species have been claimed. Four groups are commonly recognized, including the domestic cat (Felis s. catus), the African wild cat group (Felis s. lybica), the forest cats of Europe (silvestris group), and the steppe cats (ornata group) of south and central Asia. European form is oldest, descended from Martelli's cat (Felis [silvestris] lunensis) 250,000 years ago. African wildcat diverged only 20,000 years ago. Domestic cat derived from African form 4,000 to 7,000 years ago.
OTHER COMMON NAMES
French: Chat silvestre, chat sauvage; German: Wildkatze; Spanish: Gato montés, gato silvestre.
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
Length 20–31 in (50–80 cm); tail 11–14 in (28–35 cm); weight 6.5–13 lb (3–6 kg). Medium brown, striped black or brown. African wild cat appears lighter built than European wild cat, because fur is thinner, and has less distinct markings and thin, tapering tail. African wild cat difficult to distinguish from domestic cat. Asiatic wild cat more grayish yellow or reddish, with small black or red-brown spots, sometimes fused into stripes.
DISTRIBUTION
Western Europe to India, Africa. Domestic cat introduced worldwide.
HABITAT
Very varied, including open forest, savanna, steppe, deserts. Absent from tropical rainforest. Mainly forest in Europe, scrub desert in Asia.
BEHAVIOR
Solitary, territorial, primarily nocturnal, especially in hot environments or near human settlement. Also active in early morning and late afternoon. Home ranges from 0.8 to 3.3 mi2 (2.1 to 8.3 km2) for males, and from 0.5 to 1.5 mi2 (1.3 to 2.3 km2) for females, with males overlapping several female ranges.
FEEDING ECOLOGY AND DIET
Small mammals, birds, reptiles, insects. Rabbits or rodents are main prey items where they occur. Will cache its kills.
REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY
Polygamous. Gestation 63–68 days, litter one to eight (usually three to six). Kittens independent at ten months.
CONSERVATION STATUS
Not listed by IUCN. Hybridization with domestic cats is leading to increased rarity of pure wild cats, surviving only in remote, protected areas. European wild cats eradicated from much of Europe in eighteenth century, but have re-colonized some countries. There is controversy over whether pure wild cats still exist in Europe, and over whether this really matters, given the small difference between domestic and wild cats. European reintroduction projects have had mixed results. Russian population decreasing. Other threats include habitat and population fragmentation, road kills, disease transmitted by feral cats.
SIGNIFICANCE TO HUMANS
See family account for history of domestication. Asiatic wildcats were trapped in large numbers in past, but at present there is little international trade in their pelts. Introduced feral cats have had disastrous consequences for the indigenous small mammals and ground birds of Australia and other islands.
