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 wil… See more

Phylogenetic analysis of the nuclear DNA in tissue samples from all Felidae species revealed that the evolutionary radiation of the Felidae began in Asia in the Miocene around 14.45 to 8.38 million years ago. Analysis of … See more

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 spina… See more

The European wildcat lives primarily in broad-leaved and mixed forests. It avoids intensively cultivated areas and settlements. The northernmost population lives in northern and eastern Scotland. It has been … See more

In France and Italy, the European wildcat is active foremost at night; in undisturbed sites, it is also active by day.
In Sicily, an individual was photographed in 2009 and again in 2018 at about the same location. It … See more