Asiatic wildcat

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Asiatic wildcat
Felis silvestris ornata.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Suborder: Feliformia
Family: Felidae
Subfamily: Felinae
Genus: Felis
Species:
F. lybica
Subspecies:
F. l. ornata
Trinomial name
Felis lybica ornata
Gray, 1830–1832

The Asiatic wildcat (Felis lybica ornata), also known as the Asian steppe wildcat and the Indian desert cat, is an African wildcat subspecies that occurs from the eastern Caspian Sea north to Kazakhstan, into western India, western China and southern Mongolia. [1] [2] There is no information on current status or population numbers across the Asiatic wildcat's range as a whole, but populations are thought to be declining. [3] [4]

Contents

Taxonomy

Illustration of an Indian desert wildcat from Thomas Hardwicke's collection Thomas Hardwicke02.jpg
Illustration of an Indian desert wildcat from Thomas Hardwicke's collection

Felis ornata was the scientific name used by John Edward Gray in the early 1830s as a caption to an illustration of an Indian wildcat from Thomas Hardwicke's collection. [5] In subsequent years, several naturalists described spotted wildcat zoological specimens from Asian range countries and proposed names, including the following:

In the 1940s, Reginald Innes Pocock reviewed the collection of wildcat skins and skulls in the Natural History Museum, London and subordinated all the spotted wildcat specimens to Felis lybica, arguing that size of skulls and teeth do not differ from those from African range countries. [12]

Characteristics

The Asiatic wildcat's fur is light sandy coloured with small rounded spots on its upper body. These spots are solid and sharply defined, and do not occur in clusters. The spots on the chest and abdomen are much larger and more blurred than on the back, and usually do not form transverse rows or stripes on the trunk. Its colours and patterns vary greatly. The hairs along the spine are usually darker, forming a dark gray, brownish or ochreous band. The upper lips and eyelids are light, pale yellow-white. The facial region is of an intense gray colour, while the top of the head is covered with a dark gray coat. In some individuals, the forehead is covered in dense clusters of brown spots. A narrow, dark brown stripe extends from the corner of the eye to the base of the ear. The lower neck, throat, neck, and the region between the forelegs are devoid of spots, or only with indistinct spots. The thighs are distinctly striped. The underside is whitish, with a light gray, creamy or pale yellow tinge. The tail is mostly the same colour as the back, with the addition of a dark and narrow stripe along the upper two-thirds of the tail; it appears thin, as the hairs are short and close-fitting. The tip of the tail is black, with two to five black transverse rings above it. [13]

The Asian wildcat has a long, tapering tail, always with a short black tip, and with spots at the base. The forehead has a pattern of four well-developed black bands. A small but pronounced tuft of hair up to one cm long grows from the tip of each ear. Paler forms of Asian wildcat live in drier areas and the darker, more heavily spotted and striped forms occur in more humid and wooded areas. The throat and ventral surfaces are whitish to light grey to cream, often with distinct white patches on the throat, chest and belly. Throughout its range the Asian wildcat's coat is usually short, but the length of the fur can vary depending on the age of the animal and the season of the year. Compared to the domestic cat, Asian wildcats have relatively longer legs. Males are generally heavier than females. [1]

In Pakistan and India, wildcats have pale sandy yellow coats, marked with small spots that tend to lie in vertical lines down the trunk and flanks. [14] [15] The wildcats of Central Asia have a more greyish-yellow or reddish background color, marked distinctly with small black or red-brown spots. The spots are sometimes fused into stripes, especially in the Central Asian regions east of the Tian Shan Mountains. [16]

The Asiatic wildcat weighs about 3–4 kg (6.6–8.8 lb). [14] [15]

Distribution and habitat

The Caucasus is the transitional zone between the European wildcat to the north and west, and the Asiatic wildcat to the south and east. In this region, the European wildcat is present in montane forest, and the Asiatic wildcat is present in the low-lying desert and semi-desert areas adjoining the Caspian Sea. It usually occurs in close proximity to water sources, but is also able to live year-round in waterless desert. It ranges up to 2,000 to 3,000 m (6,600 to 9,800 ft) in mountain areas with sufficient dense vegetation. Snow depth limits the northern boundaries of its range in winter. [13]

In Iran, the Asiatic wildcat has been recorded in arid plains, lush forests, coastal areas and mountains, but not in extremely high altitudes and deserts. [17]

In Afghanistan, the Asiatic wildcat has been recorded prior to 1973 in the central Hazarajat mountains and the steppe region, near Shibar Pass and Herat, and in Bamyan Province. [18]

In India, the Asiatic wildcat inhabits the Thar Desert and is associated with scrub desert. [19] In 1999, it was still reported as common in the Rajasthani districts of Bikaner, Barmer, Jaisalmer, Pali and Nagaur. [20] Only four sightings were reported from the Thar Desert between 1999 and 2006. [21] It has been recorded in Nauradehi Wildlife Sanctuary, [22] in Madhya Pradesh and Mirzapur forests. [23] [24]

In Pakistan, it was known from arid regions in the Sindh Province. [14]

In the 1990s, wildcats were reported common and populations stable in the lowlands of Kazakhstan. A pronounced loss of range has been documented in Azerbaijan. [25]

Within China, the Asian wildcat is distributed in Xinjiang, Qinghai, Gansu, Ningxia, Shaanxi, and Inner Mongolia. Records from northern Tibet as well as Sichuan are questionable. [26] Prior to 1950, it was the most abundant cat in Xinjiang dwelling along all major river basin systems and Taklimakan desert but later it got confined to three regions of southern Xinjiang only viz., Bayingolin Mongol Autonomous Oblast, Aksu and Hotan. It is declining rapidly in its natural habitat in the Xinjiang desert region of China mainly because of excessive hunting for pelt trade followed by shrinkage of its habitat due to cultivation, oil and gas exploration and excessive use of pesticides. [27]

Ecology and behaviour

Asiatic wildcats are frequently observed in the daytime. They frequently use rock crevices or burrows dug by other animals. [13]

Hunting and diet

In Turkmenistan, the Asiatic wildcat feed on great gerbils, Libyan jirds, Afghan voles, long-clawed ground squirrels, tolai hares, small birds like larks, lizards, beetles, and grasshoppers. Near Repetek Biosphere State Reserve, the wildcat is responsible for destroying over 50% of nests made by desert finches, streaked scrub warblers, red-tailed warblers, and turtledoves. In the Qarshi steppes of Uzbekistan, the wildcat's prey, in descending order of preference, includes great gerbils, Libyan jirds, jerboas, other rodents and passerine birds, reptiles, and insects. Wildcats in eastern Kyzyl Kum have similar prey preferences, with the addition of tolai hares, Midday jirds, small five-toed jerboas, and steppe agamas. In Kyrgyzstan, the wildcat's primary prey varies from Tolai hares near Issyk Kul, pheasants in the Chu and Talas River valleys, and mouse-like rodents and gray partridges in the foothills. In Kazakhstan's lower Ili River, the wildcat mainly targets rodents, muskrats, and Tamarisk jird. Occasionally, remains of young roe deer and wild boar are present in its faeces. After rodents, birds follow in importance, along with reptiles, fish, insects, eggs, grass stalks and nuts (which probably enter the cat's stomach through pheasant crops). [13]

In the scrub habitat of western Rajasthan, they live largely on desert gerbils, but also hunt hares, rats, doves, gray partridges, sandgrouses, peafowl, bulbuls, Old World sparrows and eat eggs of ground birds. They have also been observed killing cobras, saw-scaled vipers, sand boas, geckos, scorpions and beetles. [19]

Results of a feed item analysis of Asiatic wildcats in the Tarim Basin revealed that their primary prey was the Yarkand hare followed by Midday jird, long-eared jerboa, poultry and small birds, fish, five-toed pygmy jerboa, Agamid lizards and sand lizard. [27]

Parasites and infestations

The wildcat is highly parasitised by helminths. Some wildcats in Georgia carry the helminth species Hydatigera taeniaeformis , Diphyllobothrium mansoni, Toxocara mystax, Capillaria feliscati and Ancylostoma caninum . Wildcats in Azerbaijan carry Hydatigera krepkogorski and Toxocara mystax. In Transcaucasia, the majority of wildcats are infested by the tick Ixodes ricinus . In some summers, wildcats are infested with fleas of the genus Ceratophyllus , which they likely contract from brown rats. [13]

Threats

Female Asiatic wildcats mate quite often with domestic males, and hybrid offspring are frequently found near villages where wild females live. [13] They have been hunted at large in Afghanistan; in 1977 over 1200 pelts manufactured into different articles were on display in Kabul bazaars. [18]

Conservation

The Asiatic wildcat is included on CITES Appendix II. It is protected in Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Mongolia, China and Russia. In Afghanistan, it has been placed on the country's first Protected Species List in 2009, banning all hunting and trading within the country, and is proposed as a priority species for future study. [3]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wildcat</span> Small wild cat

The wildcat is a species complex comprising two small wild cat species: the European wildcat and the African wildcat. The European wildcat inhabits forests in Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus, while the African wildcat inhabits semi-arid landscapes and steppes in Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, Central Asia, into western India and western China. The wildcat species differ in fur pattern, tail, and size: the European wildcat has long fur and a bushy tail with a rounded tip; the smaller African wildcat is more faintly striped, has short sandy-gray fur and a tapering tail; the Asiatic wildcat is spotted.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chinese mountain cat</span> Small wild cat

The Chinese mountain cat, also known as Chinese desert cat and Chinese steppe cat, is a small wild Felis species with sand-coloured fur, faint dark stripes on the face and legs and black tipped ears. It is endemic to the Tibetan Plateau of western China, where it lives in grassland above elevations of 2,500 m (8,200 ft). It has been listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List since 2002.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">European wildcat</span> Small wild cat

The European wildcat is a small wildcat species native to continental Europe, Scotland, Turkey and the Caucasus. It inhabits forests from the Iberian Peninsula, Italy, Central and Eastern Europe to the Caucasus. Its fur is brownish to grey with stripes on the forehead and on the sides and has a bushy tail with a black tip. It reaches a head-to-body length of up to 65 cm (26 in) with a 34.5 cm (13.6 in) long tail, and weighs up to 7.5 kg (17 lb).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">African wildcat</span> Small wild cat

The African wildcat is a small wildcat species with sandy grey fur, pale vertical stripes on the sides and around the face. It is native to Africa, West and Central Asia, and is distributed to Rajasthan in India and Xinjiang in China. It inhabits a broad variety of landscapes ranging from deserts to savannas, shrublands and grasslands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arabian wildcat</span> Subspecies of carnivore

The Arabian wildcat, also called Gordon's wildcat is a wildcat subspecies that inhabits the Arabian Peninsula.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Domestication of the cat</span>

The domestic cat originated from Near-Eastern and Egyptian populations of the African wildcat, Felis sylvestris lybica. The family Felidae, to which all living feline species belong, is theorized to have arisen about ten to eleven million years ago and is divided into eight major phylogenetic lineages. The Felis lineage in particular is the lineage to which the domestic cat belongs.

References

  1. 1 2 Nowell, K.; Jackson, P. (1996). "Asiatic Wildcat Felis silvestris, ornata group (Gray 1830)". Wild Cats: Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan. Gland, Switzerland: IUCN/SSC Cat Specialist Group. pp. 99−101.
  2. ↑ Kitchener, A. C.; Breitenmoser-Würsten, C.; Eizirik, E.; Gentry, A.; Werdelin, L.; Wilting, A.; Yamaguchi, N.; Abramov, A. V.; Christiansen, P.; Driscoll, C.; Duckworth, J. W.; Johnson, W.; Luo, S.-J.; Meijaard, E.; O’Donoghue, P.; Sanderson, J.; Seymour, K.; Bruford, M.; Groves, C.; Hoffmann, M.; Nowell, K.; Timmons, Z.; Tobe, S. (2017). "A revised taxonomy of the Felidae: The final report of the Cat Classification Task Force of the IUCN Cat Specialist Group" (PDF). Cat News. Special Issue 11: 17−20.
  3. 1 2 Ghoddousi, A.; Belbachir, F.; Durant, S.M.; Herbst, M. & Rosen, T. (2022). "Felis lybica". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2022: e.T131299383A154907281. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2022-1.RLTS.T131299383A154907281.en . Retrieved 27 July 2022.
  4. ↑ Jutzeler, E.; Xie, Y.; Vogt, K. (2010). "Cats in China: Asian wildcat" (PDF). Cat News (Special Issue 5): 42–43.
  5. ↑ Gray, J. E. (1830–1832). "Felis ornata Gray. Beautiful cat". Illustrations of Indian Zoology; Chiefly Selected from the Collection of Major-General Hardwicke, F.R.S. Volume 1. London: Treuttel, Würtz, Treuttel, Jun. and Richter. p. Plate 2.
  6. ↑ Gray, J. E. (1874). "On the Steppe-Cat of Bokhara (Chaus caudatus)". Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London: Plate VI−VII, 31−33.
  7. ↑ Blanford, W. T. (1876). "Description of Felis Shawiana, a new Lyncine cat from Eastern Turkestan". The Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal. 45 (2): 49−51.
  8. ↑ Satunin, K. (1904). "Neue Katzenarten aus Central-Asien" [New cat species from Central Asia]. Annuaire du Musée Zoologique de l'Académie des Sciences de St. Pétersbourg. 9: 524−537.
  9. ↑ Zukowsky, L. (1914). "Drei neue Kleinkatzenrassen aus Westasien" [Three new races of small cats from West Asia]. Archiv für Naturgeschichte. Abteilung A. 80 (10): 124−146.
  10. ↑ Birulya, A. (1916). "De Felibus asiaticis duabus novis" [About two new Asiatic cats]. Annuaire du Musée Zoologique de l'Académie des Sciences de St. Pétersbourg. 21 (Supplement): I−II.
  11. ↑ Ogneff, S. I. (1930). "Übersicht der russischen Kleinkatzen" (PDF). Zeitschrift für Säugetierkunde. 5 (2): 48−85.
  12. ↑ Pocock, R. I. (1951). "Felis lybica, Forster". Catalogue of the Genus Felis. London: Trustees of the British Museum. pp. 50−133.
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Heptner, V. G.; Sludskii, A. A. (1992) [1972]. "Asiatic Wildcat". Mlekopitaiuščie Sovetskogo Soiuza. Moskva: Vysšaia Škola[Mammals of the Soviet Union. Volume II, Part 2: Carnivora (Hyaenas and Cats)]. Washington DC: Smithsonian Institution and the National Science Foundation. pp. 398–497. ISBN   9004088768.
  14. 1 2 3 Roberts, T. J. (1977). "Felis lybica". The Mammals of Pakistan. London: Ernest Benn. p. 138−140. ISBN   9780510399009.
  15. 1 2 Sunquist, M.; Sunquist, F. (2002). "African-Asian wildcat Felis silvestris lybica and Felis silvestris ornata". Wild Cats of the World . Chicago: The University of Chicago Press. pp.  92–98. ISBN   978-0-226-77999-7.
  16. ↑ Groves, C. P. (1980). "The Chinese mountain cat (Felis bieti)". Carnivore. 3 (3): 35–41.
  17. ↑ Ghoddousi, A.; Hamidi, A. Kh.; Ghadirian, T.; Bani’Assadi, S. (2016). "The status of Wildcat in Iran - a crossroad of subspecies?". Cat News (Special Issue 10): 60–63.
  18. 1 2 Habibi, K. (2003). "Asiatic Wildcat Felis lybica ornata". Mammals of Afghanistan. Coimbatore, India: Zoo Outreach Organisation. ISBN   9788188722068.
  19. 1 2 Sharma, I. K. (1979). "Habits, feeding, breeding and reaction to man of the desert cat Felis libyca (Gray) in the Indian Desert". Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society. 76 (3): 498–499.
  20. ↑ Sharma, S.; Sharma, S. K.; Sharma, S. (2003). "Notes on mammalian fauna in Rajasthan". Zoos' Print Journal. 18 (4): 1085–1088. doi: 10.11609/jott.zpj.18.4.1085-8 .
  21. ↑ Dookia, S. (2007). "Sighting of Asiatic Wildcat in Gogelao Enclosure, Nagaur in Thar Desert of Rajasthan". Cat News (46): 17–18.
  22. ↑ Pande, A.; Vasava, A.; Solanki, R.; Bipin, C. M.; Jhala, Y. V. (2013). "Photographic records of the Asiatic Wildcat from two states of India". Journal of Threatened Taxa. 5 (17): 5283–5287. doi: 10.11609/JoTT.o3351.5283-7 .
  23. ↑ Sinha, D.; Chaudhary, R. (2019). Wildlife Inventory and Proposal for Sloth Bear Conservation Reserve in Marihan-Sukrit-Chunar Landscape of Mirzapur Forest Division, Uttar Pradesh. Mirzapur: Vindhyan Ecology and Natural History Foundation. p. 39. ISBN   978-93-5279-561-1. Archived from the original on 7 August 2020. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
  24. ↑ "Sloth bear surprise for experts in Mirzapur forests | Lucknow News - Times of India". The Times of India. No. Lucknow. The Times of India. 2019. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
  25. ↑ Belousova, A.V. (1993). "Small Felidae of Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and the Far East: survey of the state of populations". Lutreola. 2: 16–21.
  26. ↑ Wozencraft, W. C. (2008). "Felinae". In Smith, A. T.; Xie, Y. (eds.). A guide to the Mammals of China. New Jersey: Princeton University Press. pp. 390−398. ISBN   978-0691099842.
  27. 1 2 Abdukadir, A.; Khan, B.; Masuda, R.; Ohdachi, S. (2010). "Asiatic wild cat (Felis silvestris ornata) is no more a 'Least Concern' species in Xinjiang, China" (PDF). Pakistan Journal of Wildlife. 1 (2): 57–63.
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