European wildcat

The ancestors of domestic cats are widespread in Europe, western Asia, and Africa

Péter Csonka

European wildcat has a grey-brown coat with dark stripes on the head, neck, limbs, and along the back. The tail is bushy and blunt, ending with several black rings and a black tip. During winter, they have thicker coats that sometimes look bigger than other wildcats. They also have broad heads and wide-set ears.

Small rodents such as mice, rats, and voles are their primary prey. However, they also occasionally eat insects, birds, frogs, lizards, hares, and poultry. These wildcats are primarily nocturnal, but in areas with few humans, they are also active during the day, with activity peaks at dawn and dusk.

Distribution

Country
Population est.
Status
Year
Comments
Albania
2021
Andorra
2021
Armenia
2021
Possibly Extant
Austria
2021
Azerbaijan
2021
Belgium
2021
Bosnia And Herz.
2021
Bulgaria
2021
Croatia
2021
Czechia
2021
France
2021
Georgia
2021
Germany
2021
Greece
2021
Hungary
2021
Israel
2021
Italy
2021
Luxembourg
2021
Moldova
2021
Montenegro
2021
Netherlands
2021
North Macedonia
2021
Poland
2021
Portugal
2021
Romania
2021
Russia
2021
Serbia
2021
Slovakia
2021
Slovenia
2021
Spain
2021
Switzerland
2021
Turkey
2021
Ukraine
2021
United Kingdom
2021
Possibly Extinct

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Terrestrial / Aquatic

Altricial / Precocial

Polygamous / Monogamous

Dimorphic (size) / Monomorphic

Active: Diurnal / Nocturnal

Social behavior: Solitary / Pack / Herd

Diet: Carnivore / Herbivore / Omnivore / Piscivorous / Insectivore

Migratory: Yes / No

Domesticated: Yes / No

Dangerous: Yes / No