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African Wild Cat

Felis silvestris lybica

Description - Other Names - Distribution - Taxonomy

Quick stats

• Diet: - Carnivore
• Shoulder Height: - 0.35 m
• Weight: - Male - 5.5 kg
• Weight: - Female - 4.9 kg
• Lifespan - 14 years

Description

Although the Wild Cat looks similar to your regular house cat in size and appearance, it is considered a completely different subspecies altogether. They are roughly 1.5 times larger than the domesticated cats and have a similar appearance among one another (unlike domestic cats): brownish tan fur with regular black vertical stripes across its back, a white stomach and horizontal streaks across all four legs. The cat’s long tail is ringed black ending in a black tip.

The Wild Cat is a shy, solitary animal, marking its territory away from humans. The Cat is found in almost any habitat - grasslands, bush lands and forests. They are not often seen as they hunt at night, preying on fairly small animals such as birds, frogs, reptiles (lizards, etc), other invertebrates and eggs. By day, they hide in sheltered crevices, hollow logs, old burrows and tunnels, or in thick masses of shaded vegetation.

The Wild Cat may interbreed with domestic cats that have become wild. The average lifespan of the Wild Cat is twelve to fifteen years.

Other Names

• Vaalboskat

Distribution

Distribution map
of the
African Wild Cat

Taxonomy

• Order - Carnivora
• Family - Felidae
• Genus - Felis
• Species - Felis silvestris
• Sub Species - Felis silvestris lybica

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