Cretan wildcat
| Cretan wildcat[1] | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Carnivora |
| Family: | Felidae |
| Genus: | Felis |
| Species: | F. silvestris |
| Subspecies: | F. s. cretensis |
| Trinomial name | |
| Felis silvestris cretensis Haltenorth, 1953 | |
The Cretan wildcat (Felis silvestris cretensis; Greek: φουρόγατος, fourógatos) is a European wildcat subspecies that inhabits the Greek island of Crete and was first described in 1953.[2]
Long feared extinct, participants of an expedition by the University of Perugia, led by Alessandra Bellardinelli, managed to capture an individual in 1996. They named the wildcat that they captured 'Jack'. Two hypotheses of how wildcats arrived on the island have been suggested:[3]
- It was already present before the mainland and Crete separated.
- Early settlers of Crete brought domesticated cats with them. Some of these escaped and became wild again.
References
- ↑ Wozencraft, W.C. (2005). "Order Carnivora". In Wilson, D.E.; Reeder, D.M. Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 536–537. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494.
- ↑ Haltenorth, T. 1953. Die Wildkatzen der Alten Welt; eine Übersicht über die Untergattung. Geest und Portig, Leipzig.
- ↑ Anonymous. The Wild Cat of Crete. A Ghost Animal. Stigmes online
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