Several generations of shepherds on the Mediterranean island of Corsica told legends about the “ghjattu volpe” or
Corsican wild cats got their nickname“fox cats” because of their characteristic color and large tail. In fact, these animals are not hybrids of cats and foxes, they belong to the family Felidae and belong to the genus Felis, along with other wild and domestic cats. However, researchers are studying their genetics to find out their exact place in the group.
Some media have suggested that the Corsicanwild cats are a new species, but that's not entirely true. According to a study published in the journal Molecular Ecology, these may be a subspecies or distinct group within the known species Felis.
“We have evidence that thisa small cat has its own genetic identity,” explains Sébastien Devillard, co-author of the study and associate professor of evolutionary ecology at Claude Bernard University Lyon in France. “This is the first step towards it being recognized as a subspecies.”
Scientists compared genetic samples of wildand domestic cats in Corsica, with specimens from the neighboring island of Sardinia and continental Europe. They found that Corsican wild cats differ from European, domestic cats and, to a lesser extent, Sardinian species.
Corsican wild cats have fewer stripes thanin European and Sardinian ones, but how different they are is not known exactly. Researchers still need to compare Corsican individuals with the wild cats of the Middle East before the new subspecies is officially and confidently declared. And, even then, disputes may arise. There are several related lineages of wild cats in Europe, Asia and Africa, and scientists are still deciding which one belongs to them. This process is complicated by the presence of domestic cats that interbreed and hybridize with wild cats.
Read more:
Found a way to lower blood sugar without insulin injections
Scientists believe that the shape of the universe is not what everyone thinks
NASA helicopter showed sunset on Mars. It doesn't look like earth.
Cover: Sumatran cat (Prionailurus planiceps)
Photo: Andreas Wilting et al., CC BY-SA 2.5 via Wikimedia Commons