European wildcat

The European wildcat (Felis silvestris) is a wildcat species native to continental Europe, Scotland, Turkey and the Caucasus. It inhabits forests from the Iberian Peninsula, Italy, Central and Eastern Europe to the Caucasus. It has been extirpated in England and Wales. In France and Italy, the European wildcat is predominantly nocturnal, but also active in the daytime when undisturbed by human activities. Felis (catus) silvestris was the scientific name proposed in 1778 by Johann von Schreber when he described a wild cat based on texts from the early 18th century and before.In the 19th and 20th centuries, several wildcat type specimens were described and proposed as subspecies, including: Two different forms often are identified in the Iberian Peninsula: the common European form, north of the Douro and Ebro Rivers, and a 'giant' Iberian form, sometimes considered a different subspecies F. s. tartessia, in the rest of the region. The palaeontologist Björn Kurtén noted that the disputed 'Tartessian' subspecies has uniquely kept the same size and proportions as the form that was found throughout mainland Europe during the Ice Ages of the Pleistocene. The habitat of both forms also is different: the northern, typical population lives mainly in deciduous Quercus robur forests and the southern, large type in Mediterranean evergreen Quercus ilex forests. Zoological specimens of cats that originated on Mediterranean islands are not considered native but introduced, including: The European wildcat's fur varies in colour from brownish to grey with paler contour hairs. It has five stripes on the forehead, which are broken up into small spots. A dark stripe behind the shoulders expands into a spinal stripe running up to the base of the tail. On the sides, it has irregular dark stripes, which break up on the hind legs, thus forming a blotched pattern. Its tail is bushy with two to three black, transverse rings and rounded at the black tip.The top of the head and the forehead bear four well-developed dark bands that split into small spots. Two short and narrow stripes are usually present in the shoulder region, in front of the dorsal band. Some individuals have a few light spots on the throat, between the forelegs, or in the inguinal region. The dorsal surface of the neck and head are the same colour as that of the trunk, but is lighter grey around the eyes, lips, cheeks, and chin. A slight ochreous shade is visible on the undersides of the flanks. A black and narrow dorsal band starts on the shoulders, and runs along the back up to the base of the tail. In some animals, the summer coat is ashen coloured. The patterns on the head and neck are as well-developed as those on the tail, though the patterns on the flanks are almost imperceptible. Guard hairs measure 7 cm (2.8 in), the tip hairs 5.5–6 cm (2.2–2.4 in), and the underfur 4.5–5.5 in (110–140 mm). Corresponding measurements in the summer are 5–6.7 cm (2.0–2.6 in), 4.5–6 cm (1.8–2.4 in), and 5.3 cm (2.1 in). Large males in Spain reach 65 cm (26 in) in length, with a 34.5 cm (13.6 in) long tail, and weigh up to 7.5 kg (17 lb). They also have a less diffuse stripe pattern, proportionally larger teeth, and feed more often on rabbits than the wildcats north of the Douro-Ebro, which are more dependent on small rodents.