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The African wildcat (Felis lybica) is a small wild cat that can be found in Africa and Asia. Approximately 173,000 years ago, African wildcats split into three groups, the Near Eastern wildcat, Southern African wildcat and Asian wildcat. The Near Eastern wildcat was domesticated and is the ancestor of today’s house cat.
The wildcat is a species complex comprising two small wild cat species: the European wildcat (Felis silvestris) and the African wildcat (F. lybica).The European wildcat inhabits forests in Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus, while the African wildcat inhabits semi-arid landscapes and steppes in Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, Central Asia, into western India and western China.
The African Wildcat looks similar to a short-haired domestic tabby cat, but has reddish colouring on the back of the ears, over its abdomen and on the back of its hind legs. DISTRIBUTION. The African Wildcat is widespread in Africa (excluding the Sahara and rainforests) and its range extends into the Middle East. UNIQUE BEHAVIOUR.
Male wild cats have home ranges that overlap with the ranges of several females. A male African wild cat was recorded with a home range of 4.3 square kilometers. The home ranges of domestic cats varies widely with the concentration of resources and the density of restrained versus feral cats. (IUCN Cat Specialist Group, 1996c)
The domestic cat is believed to have evolved from the African wildcat Felis sylvestris libyca between 4000 and 10,000 years ago. 1,2 Cats belong to the order Carnivora, meaning “flesh eating,” and the family Felidae. The felids diverged from the other carnivorous groups early in the evolutionary tree. 3 Other members of the order Carnivora ...
Apr 4, 2024 · The first groups the bush and steppe cats of Africa and Asia ( Felis lybica ), previously known as the African Wildcat and the Asian or Asiatic Wildcat, into one species now called the Afro-Asiatic Wildcat. The second groups the forest cats of Europe ( Felis silvestris ), now called the European Wildcat. All the Wildcat species can interbreed ...
The Southern African wildcat ( Felis lybica cafra) is an African wildcat subspecies native to Southern and Eastern Africa. [1] In 2007, it was tentatively recognised as a distinct subspecies on the basis of genetic analysis. [2] Morphological evidence indicates that the split between the African wildcat subspecies in Africa occurred in the area ...
