X-Nico

2 unusual facts about European wildcat


European wildcat

Many authorities restrict the subspecies F. s. silvestris to the populations of the European mainland, but in 2007, a genetic study suggested that the European populations, as well as populations in Sicily, Anatolia, and the Caucasus Mountains belong in this subspecies; on the other hand, populations in Corsica, Sardinia, Crete, and Cyprus turned out to be introduced African wildcats.

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In 2012, conservationists reported discovering previously unknown populations of Scottish wildcats living in the Cairngorms National Park, but still threatened because of crossbreeding with domestic and feral cats.



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