Asiatic Wildcat - Felis sylvestris ornata The Asiatic wildcat (Felis lybica ornata) is an African wildcat subspecies that occurs from the eastern Casp 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. Prey: The Asiatic Wildcat is pale to tawny-coloured and is the most heavily marked form, with dark brown to black dabs covering the body. International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The Asiatic wildcat usually occurs close to water sources but can also live in low-water areas. Male cats weigh 11 lbs. They have good night vision and an excellent sense of smell. Not Evaluated. [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, sparrows and eat eggs of ground birds. [14], In the 1990s, wildcats were reported common and populations stable in the lowlands of Kazakhstan. All hunting and trading of the species is prohibited and it is proposed as a priority species for future research. [13], Female Asiatic wildcats mate quite often with domestic males, and hybrid offspring are frequently found near villages where wild females live. The Asiatic wildcat is mostly seen in scrub deserts with an elevation of up to 3,000 feet, some mountain areas if there is enough vegetation and forests. Asi­atic wild­cats are found in the Mid­dle East, south­ern Rus­sia, west­ern China, and west­ern India. They are absent from extremely dry regions, such as desert and steppe, and from tropical rainforests and areas where snow depth in the winter is more than 20 cm deep for more than 100 days. In the central parts of its range, in the lowlands of Kazakhstan, the population of the Asiatic wildcat was reported to be stable in 1993. They are also known as Asian steppe cats or Indian desert cats. The Asiatic wildcat is widely distributed from the Caucasus and Turkey to western India, northward to Kazakhstan, western China and southern Mongolia. In Iran, the cat has been seen in forests, mountain areas, plain… [14][15], The Caucasus is the transitional zone between the European wildcat to the north and west, and the Asiatic wildcat to the south and east. A small but pronounced tuft of hair up to one cm long grows from the tip of each ear. [23][24], In Pakistan, it was known from arid regions in the Sindh Province. It is also known as the Asian steppe wildcat and Indian desert cat. Also, mapping the distribution of this subspecies using genetic sampling is of high priority. The number of mature lions has been increasing, all occurring within one subpopulation (but in four separate areas, three of which are outside of the Gir forest protected area). The cat’s distribution ranges from Europe to Russia. In Armenia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, hunting and trade is regulated. Asiatic wildcats also inhabit Iran, Afghanistan, India and China. The thighs are distinctly striped. 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). Asiatic wildcats are reported to kill small livestock and poultry and hence are reported being trapped, poisoned, killed by shepherd dogs or directly poached by humans in Iran and probably other parts of its range. The wildcat is a small cat native to most of Africa, Europe, and Southwest and Central Asia into India, western China, and Mongolia. Felis silvestris silvestris. It is also known as the Asian steppe wildcat and Indian desert cat. Some wildcats in Georgia may carry five helminth species: Hydatigera taeniaeformis, Diphyllobothrium mansoni, Toxocara mystax, Capillaria feliscati and Ancylostoma caninum. [27], The wildcat is highly parasitised by helminths. They are absent from extremely dry regions, such as desert and steppe, and from tropical rainforests and areas where snow depth in the winter is more than 20 cm deep for more than 100 days. The European Wildcat F. silvestrisis found to the north and west, while the Asiatic wildcat inhabits the semi-deser… The IUCN added that the population of the Asiatic wild ass has declined by an alarming 52% in the past 16 years. Not Evaluated . Acinonyx jubatus. [3], "A revised taxonomy of the Felidae: The final report of the Cat Classification Task Force of the IUCN Cat Specialist Group", 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2015-2.RLTS.T60354712A50652361.en, "Drei neue Kleinkatzenrassen aus Westasien", "Photographic records of the Asiatic Wildcat from two states of India", "Sloth bear surprise for experts in Mirzapur forests | Lucknow News - Times of India", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Asiatic_wildcat&oldid=991911136, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 2 December 2020, at 13:42. It uses a set of quantitative criteria to evaluate the extinction risk of thousands of species. Serval is an unusual-looking cat with very … The Asiatic wildcat occurs in … The species is associated with forested habitats (dry deciduous, evergreen, and tropical) and can … The taxonomy of the wildcat is still debated as are the genetic differences between the wildcat subspecies and the domestic cat. [13], In Turkmenistan, the Asiatic wildcat feed on great and red-tailed gerbils, Afghan voles, thin-toed ground squirrels, tolai hares, small birds (particularly larks), lizards, beetles, and grasshoppers. Asiatic WildCat; Arabian WildCat; Corsican WildCat; Southern African WildCat; Caucasian WildCat; Pallas’s Cat; Abyssinian WildCat; List of Cats In The Wild . The Asiatic wildcat is considered as one of five su spe cies of the wildcat Felis silvestris which is listed as Least Concern in the IUCN Red List (Yamaguchi et al. It is about the size of a domestic cat, with a pale yellowish body marked with black spots. In India, the mating season has been recorded to be from March to April and from November to December whereas in Central Asia it took place in January to February. It is a subspecies of the Wildcat. The sta­tus Least Con­cern in the IUCN Red List is at­trib­uted to the species, in­clud­ing all sub­species of wildcats. IUCN Red List for All Cats. Asiatic wildcats also inhabit Iran, Afghanistan, India and China. The hairs along the spine are usually darker, forming a dark gray, brownish, or ochreous band. Domestic Cat. It is also known as the Asian steppe wildcat and In­dian desert cat. In some summers, wildcats are infested with fleas of the genus Ceratophyllus, which they likely contract from brown rats. ... Asiatic Wildcat. The Asi­atic wildcat (Felis ly­bica ornata) is a African wild­cat sub­species that oc­curs from the east­ern Caspian Sea north to Kaza­khstan, into west­ern India, west­ern China and south­ern Mon­go­lia. The IUCN added that the population of the Asiatic wild ass has declined by an alarming 52% in the past 16 years. Forest Wildcat. Cheetah. IUCN Red List for All Cats. Males are generally heavier than females. Presently, there is little international trade in Asiatic wildcats, but pelts still show up in local markets throughout the range. There is no information on current status or population numbers for the Asiatic wildcat's entire range, but populations are thought to be declining. The African Wildcat is sandy-grey to tawny-brown and generally lightly marked with indistinct spotting or striations on the body. African, Asiatic, and European wild cats are generally found in forested and scrubby landscapes, although they can be found in a wide variety of habitats. ... Mukherjee (1998) mentions reports of Asiatic wildcat … The African wildcat (F. s. lybica) occurs across northern Africa, around the Arabian Peninsula's periphery to the Caspian Sea, encompassing a wide range of habitats, with the exception of closed tropical forests. Felis ornata was the scientific name used by John Edward Gray in the early 1830s as caption to an illustration of an Indian wildcat drawn by Thomas Hardwicke. It has a broad head and wide set ears. Another important threat is from poaching related to conflict with humans. 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. Comprehensive genetic analyses are required to map the distribution of Felis lybica ornata in Southwest Asia. Cheetah. The African wildcat (F. s. lybica) occurs across northern Africa, around the Arabian Peninsula's periphery to the Caspian Sea, encompassing a wide range of habitats, with the exception of closed tropical forests. Interactive map of the African and other Wildcat's range by the IUCN Red List. ... (IUCN). Felis silvestris silvestris. The first groups the bush and steppe cats of Africa and Asia (Felis lybica), previously known as the African Wildcat and the Asian or Asiatic Wildcat, into one species now called the African-Asiatic Wildcat.