| African wildcat | |
|---|---|
_female_..._(captive_specimen)_(39789072173).jpg) | |
| A captive femaleSouthern African wildcat | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Carnivora |
| Family: | Felidae |
| Genus: | Felis |
| Species: | F. lybica |
| Binomial name | |
| Felis lybica Forster, 1780 | |
| Subspecies | |
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| native range as of 2015[2] | |
TheAfrican wildcat (Felis lybica) is a smallwildcatspecies with sandy grey fur, pale vertical stripes on the sides and around the face. It is native toAfrica,West andCentral Asia, and is distributed toRajasthan inIndia andXinjiang inChina. It inhabits a broad variety of landscapes ranging fromdeserts tosavannas,shrublands andgrasslands.
The African wildcat is the ancestor of thedomestic cat (F. catus). Some African wildcats were domesticated about 10,000 years ago in theNear East.Interspecific hybrids between both species are common where their ranges overlap.
Felis lybica was thescientific name proposed in 1780 byGeorg Forster who based hisdescription on a specimen fromGafsa on theBarbary Coast that had the size of a domestic cat, but a reddish fur, short black tufts on the ears, and a ringed tail.[3]Between the late 18th and 20th centuries, several naturalists and curators ofnatural history museums described and proposed new names for wildcatholotypes from Africa and the Near East, including:
Since 2017, three African wildcat subspecies are recognised asvalidtaxa:[16]
Phylogenetic analysis of thenuclear DNA in tissue samples from all Felidae species revealed that theevolutionary radiation of the Felidae began in Asia in theMiocene around14.45 to 8.38 million years ago.[17][18] Analysis ofmitochondrial DNA of all Felidae species indicates a radiation at around16.76 to 6.46 million years ago.[19]
The African wildcat is part of anevolutionarylineage that is estimated to havegenetically diverged from thecommon ancestor of theFelis species around2.16 to 0.89 million years ago, based on analysis of their nuclear DNA.[17][18] Analysis of their mitochondrial DNA indicates a genetic divergence fromFelis at around4.21 to 0.02 million years ago.[19] Both models agree in thejungle cat (F. chaus) having been the firstFelis species that diverged, followed by theblack-footed cat (F. nigripes), thesand cat (F. margarita) and then the African wildcat.[17][19]
The Asian and European wildcats descend fromFelis lunensis, which inhabited Europe during thePliocene andPleistocene. Wildcat fossils are only found in Europe until the late Pleistocene, when an early form of the steppe-type wildcat appears to have diverged from the European population and quickly expanded into the Middle East, followed shortly after by secondary expansions into Southern Asia and the Middle East.[20] Based on amitochondrial DNA study of 979 domestic and wildcats from Europe, Asia, and Africa, the African wildcat is thought to have split off from the European wildcat about 173,000 years ago, with the North African/Near Eastern wildcat splitting from the Asiatic wildcat and the Southern African wildcat about 131,000 years ago.[1]
About 10,000 years ago, some African wildcats weretamed in theFertile Crescent, becoming the ancestors of the domestic cat. Domestic cats are derived from at least five "Mitochondrial Eves".[1]African wildcats were alsodomesticated inancient Egypt. The Egyptian domestic cat lineage started spreading in theMediterranean Basin from the 8th centuryBCE onwards and arrived on theBaltic Sea coast by the 5th centuryCE.[21]
InCyprus, an African wildcat was found in a burial site next to a human skeleton in thePre-Pottery Neolithic B settlementShillourokambos. The graves are estimated to have been established byNeolithic 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 ordomesticated.[22]Results of genetic research indicate that the African wildcatgenetically diverged into threeclades about 173,000 years ago, namely the Near Eastern wildcat,Southern African wildcat andAsiatic wildcat. African wildcats were first domesticated about 10,000 years ago in theNear East, and are the ancestors of thedomestic cat (F. catus).[1] 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.[23]
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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 thepinna. 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 therhinarium, 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.[24][25]
Skins of male African 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.[14] Male wildcats fromYemen 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]
The African wildcat differs from theEuropean 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.[27]
The African wildcat occurs throughoutAfrica, as well as in theMiddle East including parts of theArabian Peninsula and most ofIran. Its range extends northeast intoCentral Asia, where it occurs along the eastern shores of theCaspian Sea, and throughKazakhstan to as far east asXinjiang. It is also present in parts ofIndia.[28]
It tolerates a wide variety of habitats. Indeserts such as theSahara, it occurs at much lower densities and is most common in areas with rugged terrain such as theHoggar Mountains. It ranges across the area north of the Sahara fromMorocco toEgypt and inhabits thetropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands south of the Sahara fromMauritania to theHorn of Africa, includingSomalia,Eritrea,Ethiopia,Djibouti andSudan. It inhabits every country ofEast andSouthern Africa, although it is absent from the densetropical rainforests of theCongo Basin.[2]
The wild cat inSardinia andCorsica was long considered to be an African wildcat subspecies with the scientific nameFelis lybica sarda.[27] Results ofzooarchaeological research indicate that it descended from domestic cats that were introduced probably at the beginning of the first millennium and originated in theNear East. These populations areferal today.[30][29]
The wildcat on the island ofSicily is aEuropean wildcat.[29][31]
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.[32] They hunt primarilymice,rats,birds,reptiles, andinsects.[33][24]
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.[34]
InWest Africa, the African wildcat preys on rats, mice, gerbils, hares, small to medium-sized birds, includingfrancolins, and lizards. In Southern Africa, it also attacksantelope fawns and domestic stock, such aslambs and kids.[25]InKgalagadi Transfrontier Park, it preys foremost onmurids, to a lesser extent also on birds, small reptiles andinvertebrates.[35]
The female'sgestation period lasts between 56 and 60 days.[23] In Botswana, she gives birth mostly during the warmwet season to one to three kittens.[33]Litters of up to five kittens were also observed. Her birthing den is a sheltered place like dense grass, aburrow 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.[23]
The African wildcat is included inCITES Appendix II.[2]
Due to their physical similarity, hybridization produces less visible effects in Asian steppe-type wildcats than among European forest wildcats. It can thus be difficult to distinguish "pure" Asian wildcats from free-living domestic cats when these inhabit the same locations, and it is possible that some Asian populations derive primarily from feral cats.[20]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 asgenetic pollution by domestic cats.[36]
It has been discovered that a domestic cat can serve as asurrogate 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 theBBC describes the details of the experiments that led to this discovery, and also shows a mature wildcat that was born by a surrogate female.[37]
TheLibyan Posts issued apostage stamp dedicated to the African wildcat in November 1997 in cooperation withWorld Wide Fund for Nature. This issue was also released as a set of four stamps printed on a minisheet.[38]
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