European wildcat
species of mammal From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The wildcat is Felis silvestris, a member of the small cat sub-family Felinae. It is native to Eurasia. It is so-called because it is almost impossible to tame. However, crossbreeding with domestic cats has occurred throughout almost the whole of the species' range.[1]
The wildcat shows geographic variation. All subspecies are larger than house cats, with longer legs and more robust bodies.[2] There are about 22 subspecies,[3] or (according to some) only four, including the Chinese mountain cat, which was previously considered a species in its own right.[1]
Our domestic cat originated from the subspecies known as the African wildcat.[4]
The name 'wildcat' is sometimes used as a term for domestic cats which have gone wild in the sense of living rough, without owners.
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