| Sardinian wildcat | |
|---|---|
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| Sardinian wildcat inVillagrande Strisaili | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Carnivora |
| Family: | Felidae |
| Genus: | Felis |
| Species: | F. lybica |
| Subspecies: | F. l. lybica |
| Population: | Sardinian wildcat |
| Synonyms | |
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TheSardinian wildcat is a population of theAfrican wildcat (Felis lybica lybica) on the island ofSardinia. Results of genetic analysis of cat samples from theMediterranean region indicates that it was introduced at least 2200 years ago from northwestern Africa.It is protected under the legislation of the Sardinian Autonomous Region, theBerne Convention, and theHabitats Directive.
Felis libyca varsarda was the scientific name proposed for this cat in 1885 byFernand Lataste, who described a skin and skull of a male cat fromSarrabus in Sardinia, which resembled anAfrican wildcat but was more reddish, grey and brown, and with longer hairs on the back.[1] In 1896,Giacinto Martorelli considered it as a subspecies ofFelis mediterranea.[2]In 1910,Édouard Louis Trouessart proposed the nameFelis ocreate sarda.[3] In 1912,Gerrit Smith Miller Jr. considered it to be a species using the nameFelis sarda for 16zoological specimens that he had examined.[4]
The Sardinian lynx with thescientific nameLynx lynx sardiniae was proposed by the Italian biologist Pasquale Mola in 1908 for two zoological specimens fromNuoro in Sardinia that were part of the zoological collection of theUniversity of Sassari.[5][6] These specimens were reassessed in 1911 byAlessandro Ghigi who identified them as Sardinian wildcats.[7] Gighi's assessment was corroborated in 1981 by an Italian biologist who examined the still available mounted specimens initially described by Mola.[8]
The scientific nameFelis silvestris lybica var.sarda, using an outdated name for the African wildcat, was proposed in 2013.[9]
Results ofzooarchaeological research in the early 1990s indicated that the Sardinian wildcat descended from thedomestic cat (Felis catus) that was introduced around the beginning of the first millennium during theRoman Empire and probably originated in theNear East.[10][11]
Molecular analysis of cat samples from the Mediterranean region revealed that the Sardinian wildcat forms agenetic cluster with African wildcat samples from northwestern Africa; the oldest cat in this cluster has beenradiocarbon dated 200 yearsBefore the Common Era and was found at an archaeological site nearGenoni. Three Sardinian cat samples in this dataset date from Roman to 19th century and cluster with modern domestic cats, indicating that domestic cats were introduced later, probably from the first century onwards.[12]
The Sardinian wildcat is typically ash grey or yellow-grey in colour. Its fur is striped in atabby pattern, with parallel head stripes that merge into a long dorsal stripe that runs until the tail, from which lateral stripes branch off and merge into the lighter fur of the belly. Its head is rounded, with a flattened muzzle and distinctive ear tufts. It reaches 70 cm (28 in) of head-body length and has a more robust build than the domestic cat. Its tail is roughly half the length of the body.[13]
The specimens described by Mola had a long and dense fulvous fur on the back and were whitish on the belly. Their body length was 50 cm (20 in) with a 25 cm (9.8 in) long tail and a shoulder height of 35 cm (14 in).[5][6]
The Sardinian wildcat inhabits montane forests in the interior of the island, favoringmaquis,holly oak woods, and other deciduous woodlands with dense undergrowth, as well as rocky valleys and montane areas. It's chiefly crepuscular, and typically spends the night and day hours in cover. Mating occurs in February and March; after a pregnancy of eight to nine weeks, two to six kittens are born between April and June, which become independent after three months.[13]
The Sardinian wildcat feeds primarily on small forest-dwelling rodents, alongside passeriforms, reptiles, and amphibians. The most common rodent prey are thewood mouse, theEuropean edible dormouse, and thegarden dormouse. In areas where these are abundant, it is also known to take larger prey such as theBarbary partridge,European hare, andEuropean rabbit.[13]
The primary threats to the Sardinian wildcat are habitat fragmentation, poaching, and genetic pollution due to hybridisation with the domestic cat.[13][14]
The Sardinian wildcat is protected under the legislation of the Sardinian Autonomous Region, theBerne Convention, and theHabitats Directive.[14]
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