Within the large group of felines there are a few of them that manage to attract attention, and they are almost always those that are seen on television programs, in documentaries or also through print and digital media. Reference is made to those types of cats that live in nature, as is the case of the European wildcat, the tiger, the panther, the leopard, among others, which are wonderful.
Brief description of wildcat
It refers to a small feline, and the great natural ancestor of domestic cats; its scientific name is Patas. These wild species are usually more solidly built and broad than their domestic relatives. They normally have a prominent color tone, resembling brown with shades of gray and brindle, the underparts and belly are ocher in color, having four long black stripes starting from the face and running down their spine.
Making a comparison with the feline of the European breed, scientifically named Felis silvestris silvestris, They have a thicker coat of fur and have a thicker and broader tail than that of the pet cat, with a black tip at the end of it and also with two thick lines that identify it. This, without a doubt, achieves the distinction between the subgroups of this species.
The species from the Eurasian region sometimes manages to be taken with a wild domestic cat with a striped brown mantle, but referring to the shape of the aforementioned, it can be distinguished by its large tail, thicker and broader, with a round and blunt ending. , and having not less than three entirely closed black rings. The remarkable indisputable morphological proof to differentiate the wild cat from the domestic one is the configuration of the cranial cavity, a little more protruding.
Some peculiarities
It is known that this wild feline is similar to the domestic cat and, although it is larger in size, it commemorates the Cat breeds large for being solid, capable of reaching a weight of up to seven kilos. In fact, the head in proportion to the texture of its body is of a larger size in the European wildcat than, in the pet, with somewhat smaller ears.
The tonality of its fur is based on a brown color with yellow nuances on the back of the ears and on the snout, as well as the hairs over the eyes and the whiskers reach a greater size and amplitude than those of the domestic cat, counting on a white color and somewhat falls. The bobcat's eyes do not tend to be as changeable in color as the pet feline, exhibiting faint greens and amber gradations at times, and its nose has a pinkish hue.
Speaking a bit about anatomy and certain Characteristics of cats monteses, it can be indicated that it has a size of the head and body, referring to the length, between 51 and 76 centimeters, a tail between 26 and 31 centimeters and a weight that is in an interval of 2,8 to 5,8, XNUMX kilograms (Kg). It has a basic appearance similar to that of a very strong striped domestic cat, with a suitably larger head and a shorter, bushier tail, rounded at the end of the tip.
The basic tonality, from a general point of view, of its fur is dark gray with yellow spots, four black lines that pass through the back of the neck, and the body has a design of dark and accentuated transverse lines, which are those that give it the appearance of a striped cat. Two to four black rings can be seen on the tail, although in a few cases there have been five, with a quite prominent pattern, and a small wide region, also black, on the tip.
The belly and throat are much lighter in color, while the ends of the legs are black. It shows sexual dimorphism, where the male is slightly larger than the female, the difference percentage being between 15 and 25%. They show various quite recognizable drawings, usually in the form of stripes; the European wildcat It has two areas on the cheeks that start at the eyes, certain stripes that come from the nape of the neck, dark lines on the trunk, and a few rings on the tail.
Existing wildcat groups
It is important to consider that, in the past, there were many more classifications for breeds of cats, although according to DNA research carried out in detail in 2007, there are five subspecies of wildcat. Among them are:
Felis silvestris silvestris: The scientific name of the European wildcat and Anatolian Peninsula.
Bos lybica: The scientific name of the African wild cat, originating from the region of North Africa and western Asia, to the Aral Sea.
Felis silvestris cafra: Scientific name of the wild cat, from the region of sub-Saharan Africa.
Felis silvestris ornata: The scientific name of the Asian wild cat, originating from central and eastern, northwestern India and Pakistan, as well.
Felis silvestris bieti: The scientific name of the wild cat, originating from northern China.
Patas: The scientific name of the domesticated wildcat, found today in many latitudes of the world.
It is important, and for many reasons, to mention that the African wild cat, with its scientific name Felis silvestris, subspecies lybica, is a little less withdrawn than other cats within this classification, which promoted its training and laid the foundations for all domestic cats, scientifically named felis silvestris, subspecies catus). Finally, it was believed until not so long ago that these cats could not be docile.
Ecosystem where the wild cat lives
The areas where it is distributed European wildcat Eurasian covers parts of Europe, the Middle East, Central and South Asia, and much of Africa. With regard to the European subspecies, scientifically named Felis silvestris silvestris, is located from Asia Minor and the Caucasus, throughout central and southern Europe, encompassing northern areas such as Scotland and the vicinity of the Baltic Sea and the North Sea. They can certainly withstand low temperatures.
natural behavior
This nocturnal hunter can be seen in grassland regions at dusk and dawn. They are characterized by being independent animals, which, in the case of males, manage to travel a significant number of kilometers, moving day after day, while females tend to be quite territorial and subsist in the same place, resembling the behavior of certain big cats.
It so happens that, despite this notable difference, what is certain about this is that this feline preys in a similar way to the pet cat, knowing that it becomes difficult to disagree between the remains of its prey that this animal possesses, since it also abandons the bony leftovers from medium-sized animals, having a difference with respect to other carnivorous hunters, such was the case of the red fox.
What does the wild cat eat?
Their diet is based on small birds and rodents, however, they are competent to hunt rabbits, and at certain times, they manage to feed on certain invertebrates and even amphibians. There are even several records of how the European wildcat manages to hunt roe deer offspring, an aspect that distinguishes it from its domestic relative, beyond being in totally different environments. Quite independently, he emerges on the hunt, tending to be at dawn and dusk, for 22 hours.
How does it reproduce?
The reproductive cycle of European wildcat it occurs in the months of February and March; close to the month of May the progeny is conceived in the cracks of the rocks, in small solitary burrows by other animals or also, in the hollows of the trees. This feline is polygamous and a single female is willing to mate with more than one male. Its development takes place in an approximate time of 63 to 69 days, and the mother conceives in April or May a single litter a year of 1 to 8 puppies.
The offspring, at birth, manage to weigh between about 200 grams and cannot open their eyes until they are 10 to 12 days old. By the time they are 3 or 4 months old they become independent, but continue to prey in the company of their mother for some time, reaching sexual maturity at 10 months, in which they are responsible for continuing the chain and maintaining the population.
main conditions
The feline coronavirus is one of the great dangers of the European wildcat, represented in disease, associated with other pathologies such as feline leukemia, parvovirus or distemper. They can also be affected by diseases contained in rodents that are within their diet or the environment in which they are found. However, this also places the endangered bobcat, along with injuries due to struggles with others of their species or due to their illegal hunting.
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