Sardinian wildcat

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Sardinian wildcat
Local wild cat in Villagrande Strisaili
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Family: Felidae
Subfamily: Felinae
Genus: Felis
Species:
F. catus
Binomial name
Felis catus
Synonyms
  • Felis silvestris sarda Lataste, 1885
  • Lynx lynx sardiniae Mola, 1908
  • Felis lybica sarda
  • Felis silvestris lybica var. sarda (Mura et. al., 2013)

The Sardinian wildcat is a population of feral cats (Felis catus) on the island of Sardinia, introduced during the Roman Empire.[1] It has historically been misidentified as a wildcat subspecies.

Under the name Felis lybica sarda, it is locally protected as a rare species under the Berne Convention, the Habitats Directive, and regional legislation of the Sardinian Autonomous Region.[2]

Taxonomic history

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Felis libyca var sarda was the scientific name proposed for this cat in 1885 by Fernand Lataste, who described a skin and skull of a male cat from Sarrabus in Sardinia, which resembled an African wildcat but was more reddish, grey and brown, and with longer hairs on the back.[3] In 1896, Giacinto Martorelli considered it as a subspecies of Felis mediterranea.[4] In 1910, Édouard Louis Trouessart proposed the name Felis ocreate sarda.[5] In 1912, Gerrit Smith Miller Jr. considered it to be a species using the name Felis sarda for 16 zoological specimens that he had examined.[6]

The Sardinian lynx with the scientific name Lynx lynx sardiniae was proposed by the Italian biologist Pasquale Mola in 1908 for two zoological specimens from Nuoro in Sardinia that were part of the zoological collection of the University of Sassari.[7][8] These specimens were reassessed in 1911 by Alessandro Ghigi who identified them as Sardinian wildcats.[9] Gighi's assessment was corroborated in 1981 by an Italian biologist who examined the still available mounted specimens initially described by Mola.[10]

The scientific name Felis silvestris lybica var. sarda, using an outdated name for the African wildcat, was also used in one paper.[11]

Results of zooarchaeological research indicate that Sardinian wild cats descended from domestic cats that were introduced around the beginning of the first millennium during the Roman Empire, and probably originated in the Near East.[1][12]

Description

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Sardinian wildcats reach 70 cm (28 in) of head-body length, and have more robust builds than domestic cats. The tail is roughly half the length of the body. The head is rounded, with a flattened muzzle and distinctive ear tufts. The fur is striped in a tabby pattern, with parallel head stripes that merge into a long dorsal stripe that runs until the tail, from which lateral stripes branch off and merge into the lighter fur of the belly. It is typically ash grey or yellow-grey in color.[13]

Mola described the body length of these specimens as 50 cm (20 in) with a 25 cm (9.8 in) long tail and a shoulder height of 35 cm (14 in). Their long and dense fur was fulvous on the back and whitish on the belly. He considered them to be a crossing of a lynx and a domestic cat.[7][8]

Behaviour and ecology

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Sardinian wildcat in its environment, Mediterranean coastal forest

The Sardinian wildcat inhabits montane forests in the interior of the island, favoring maquis, holly oak woods, and other deciduous woodlands with dense undergrowth, as well as rocky valleys and montane areas. It's chiefly crepuscular, and typically spends the night and day hours in cover. Mating occurs in February and March; after a pregnancy of eight to nine weeks, two to six kittens are born between April and June, which become independent after three months.[13]

Hunting and prey

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The Sardinian wildcat feeds primarily on small forest-dwelling rodents, alongside passeriforms, reptiles, and amphibians. The most common rodent prey are the wood mouse, the European edible dormouse, and the garden dormouse. In areas where these are abundant, it is also known to take larger prey such as the Barbary partridge, European hare, and European rabbit.[13]

Conservation and threats

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The primary threats to the Sardinian wildcat are habitat fragmentation, poaching, and genetic pollution due to hybridization with domestic housecats.[2][13]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Vigne, J.-D. (1992). "Zooarchaeology and the biogeographical history of the mammals of Corsica and Sardinia since the last ice age". Mammal Review. 22 (2): 87–96. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2907.1992.tb00124.x.
  2. ^ a b "Monitoraggio del Gatto Selvatico Sardo e del Visone Americano in Sardegna". SardegnaForeste. 28 May 2024. Retrieved 16 July 2025.
  3. ^ Lataste, F. (1885). "Étude de la Faune de Vertébrés de Barbarie (Algérie, Tunisie et Maroc)" [Studies on the vertebrate Fauna of the Barbary Coast (Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco)]. Actes de la Société Linnéenne de Bordeaux. Quatrième Série (in French). 39: 129–296.
  4. ^ Martorelli, G. (1896). "Nota zoologica sopra i gatti selvatici e le loro affinità colle razze domestiche". Atti della Società italiana di Scienze Naturali. XXXV: 18–280.
  5. ^ Trouessart, E.L. (1910). "Felis ocreate sarda Lataste". Faune des mammifères d'Europe. Berlin: Friedländer & Sohn. pp. 101–102.
  6. ^ Miller, G.S. (1912). "Felis sarda Lataste". Catalogue of the Mammals of Western Europe. London: British Museum (Natural History). pp. 468–470.
  7. ^ a b Mola, P. (1908). "Considerazioni sopra un problematico incrocio di Felidi". Bollettino della Società zoologica italiana. 2. 9: 42–45.
  8. ^ a b Mola, P. (1908). "Ancora della Lince della Sardegna". Bollettino della Società zoologica italiana. 2. 9: 46–48.
  9. ^ Ghigi, A. (1911). Ricerche faunistiche e sistematiche sui Mammiferi d'Italia che formano oggetto di caccia. Natura. Vol. II. Pavia: Tipografia Successori Fratelli Fusi. pp. 7–48.
  10. ^ Ragni, B. (1981). "Gatto selvatico. Felis silvestris Schreber, 1777". In Pavan, M. (ed.). Distribuzione e biologia di 22 specie di Mammiferi in Italia. Rome: Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche. pp. 105–113.
  11. ^ Mura, A.; Gadau, S.; Zedda, M. (2013). "Morphological and morphometrical features of Sardinian wild cat (Felis silvestris lybica var. Sarda)". Journal of Biological Research - Bollettino della Società Italiana di Biologia Sperimentale. 86. doi:10.4081/jbr.2013.3673.
  12. ^ Gippoliti, S.; Amori, G. (2006). "Ancient introductions of mammals in the Mediterranean Basin and their implications for conservation". Mammal Review. 36 (1): 37–48. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2907.2006.00081.x.
  13. ^ a b c d "Gatto Selvatico Sardo". SardegnaForeste. Autonomous Region of Sardinia. Retrieved 16 July 2025.