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Felis silvestris silvestris Luc Viatour.jpg · Resized and converted to WebP for display. Lviatour · CC BY-SA 3.0

Field guide · species

European Wildcat

Felis silvestris

The wildcat is a wild Felis lineage whose taxonomic boundaries have changed between references. This profile follows the linked current classification and distinguishes it from domestic cats and separately recognized wildcat concepts.

Public research profile · final editorial review pending.

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Tree of lifeScientific lineage

Advanced classification

Complete source lineage, including intermediate ranks. The standard view uses Life and the eight principal ranks.

cellular organisms cellular root
Eukaryota domain
Opisthokonta clade
Metazoa kingdom
Eumetazoa clade
Bilateria clade
Deuterostomia clade
Chordata phylum
Craniata subphylum
Vertebrata clade
Gnathostomata clade
Teleostomi clade
Euteleostomi clade
Sarcopterygii superclass
Dipnotetrapodomorpha clade
Tetrapoda clade
Amniota clade
Mammalia class
Theria clade
Eutheria clade
Boreoeutheria clade
Laurasiatheria superorder
Carnivora order
Feliformia suborder
Felidae family
Felinae subfamily
Felis genus
Felis silvestris species

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Physical traits

A striped coat and substantial tail contribute to the wildcat appearance. Coat resemblance alone is not a reliable way to identify hybrids.

Scientific source 1 ↗ · Scientific source 2 ↗

Habitat and range

Wooded habitats and adjoining covered landscapes provide hunting and resting sites.

Scientific source 1 ↗ · Scientific source 2 ↗

Diet and nutrition

Rodents and other small mammals are central foods, with prey varying locally.

Scientific source 1 ↗ · Scientific source 2 ↗

Behavior and activity

Activity is often concentrated around dusk, dawn or nighttime. Individuals use scent and separate ranges to organize encounters.

Scientific source 1 ↗ · Scientific source 2 ↗

Geographic distribution

The Mammal Diversity Database v2.5 records this species in Albania, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Kosovo, Luxembourg, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Czech Republic?.

Scientific source 1 ↗ · Scientific source 2 ↗