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European wild cat - FELlS SILVESTRIS
Endangered
Class: Animals with Milk Glands (Mammalia)
The Name "Cat": "Cat" is the Old English word for the animal.
Location: Continental Europe (particularly in such mountainous regions as the Balkans), eastern Europe, and Asia Minor.
Habitat: Wooded and rocky regions.
Description: The European wild cat closely resembles the domestic cat, but is larger, has shorter legs, and has a rather cumbersome gait. The coat is very dense and thick, more so than in the domestic cat, and the coloring varies greatly. The base color is gray or yellowish gray, with black stripes on the flanks as well as a black stripe that runs lengthwise down the back. The underparts are cream-colored. The black-striped tail is bushy and has a rounded tip. These cats can grow up to 30 inches long, with another 15 inches for its tail. It can weigh up to 30 pounds.
Behavior: The European wild cat is solitary except during the mating season. It is mainly active in the early morning and at dusk, but will hunt at night. It preys on hares, rodents, small birds, and lizards. If also raids poultry runs, and as a result, has been persistently hunted by man, and consequently wiped out in many areas.
Reproduction: Once a year after a gestation period of about 65 days, the female gives birth to three or four young in rocks or in hollow trees.
Note: It is believed that domestic cats were probably derived from this species.
Go to the Carnivore Page to learn more about all the meat-eating animals.
Or go to the Cat Index to study other
wild cats.
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