Felis Silvestris Schreber Research Articles

Assessing Changes in the Distribution Patterns of the European Wildcat in Hungary.

The European wildcat (Felis silvestris Schreber, 1777) is an endangered and elusive carnivore that is slowly recovering in Central Europe after persecution and a decline in its distribution over the past two centuries, and specific conservation plans are needed in most of its range. Knowledge of the continent-wide distribution and status of this species is still poor. Using an online questionnaire, we evaluated the nationwide distribution of wildcats across three time periods (2004, 2014, and 2022) in Hungary. The species' reported occurrence was analyzed according to binominal logistic regression using the percent cover of land cover categories as explanatory variables. We found that the spatial cover of broad-leaved forest was positively associated with the occurrence of wildcats, and the analysis revealed a positive trend in the larger 2004-2022 time frame. We also recorded that although wildcats have disappeared from areas of the central, southern, and western parts of Hungary, regions in the eastern, northern, and south-western areas appear to retain stable populations.

Catalogue of specimens of Felidae family (Mammalia, Carnivora) specimens deposited in the State Museum of Natural History NASU, Lviv, Ukraine

Currently, modern cats (Felidae) are divided into 8 lineages (phylogenetic lines), which include 14 genera and approximately 40 modern species (Загороднюк та ін., 2022). The cat collection of the State Museum of Natural History NASU, like all vertebrate collections, has a regional character, therefore it is represented by only two species: European wildcat – Felis silvestris Schreber, 1775 and Eurasian lynx – Lynx lynx (Linnaeus, 1758). The collection has been filled since the foundation of the Didushytskyi Museum, the heir of which is a modern museum, that is, from the middle of the 19th century. According to the method of making, the collection consists of stuffed animals (25), skulls (10) and skins (2). It consists of 37 samples (20 of European wildcat and 17 Eurasian lynx). Earlier in the collection there were 13 more samples, which were lost for various reasons or transferred to other collections (5 stuffed Eurasian lynx and European wildcat, and 3 skulls of Eurasian lynx). In the archive of the Museum preserved acts of transfer of exhibits to the Institute of Zoology NASU and Kyiv zoological museum and Uzhhorod University, where among others there are Felidae, however, we failed to find these samples in the mentioned museums. One Eurasian lynx was transferred to the museum of Grodno city (Belarus) in 1924. The oldest exhibit is Eurasian lynx skull, dated of 1857, the youngest – European wildcat skin dated of 2013. The main number of samples, almost 40%, collected from 1880 to 1889. The largest number of exhibits (4) arrived during 1880. All samples collected in the Carpathians and Ciscarpathians (14 – Lvivska oblast, 11 – Ivano-Frankivska oblast, 1 – Ternopilska oblast of Ukraine and 3 – form South-Eastern Poland) and one Eurasian lynx collected in Polissia region. The main ways of income – gifts to the founder of the museum Volodymyr Didushytskyi from his friends and acquaintances, some samples were purchased. Three samples (stuffed Eurasian lynx, stuffed animal and two skulls of a European wildcat) came from the Natural History Museum (disbanded in 1940) of the Shevchenko Scientific Society in Lviv. Scientific analysis of the State Museum of Natural History NASU cat collection was not carried out, indirectly the collection is mentioned in the guidebooks by the museum (Dzieduszycki, 1895; Guidebook, 1957; State, 1982) and K.A. Tatarynov monograph (Татаринов, 1973).

Comparison of methods to model species habitat networks for decision-making in nature conservation: The case of the wildcat in southern Belgium

Facing the loss of biodiversity caused by landscape fragmentation, implementation of ecological networks to connect habitats is an important biodiversity conservation issue. It is necessary to develop easily reproducible methods to identify and prioritize actions to maintain or restore ecological corridors. To date, several competing methods are used with recurrent debate on which is best and if expert-based approaches can replace data-driven models. We compared three methods: knowledge-driven (expert based), data-driven (based on species distribution model), and a mixed approach. We quantified their differences in habitat and corridor mapping, and prioritizations of landscape elements in terms of importance for connectivity. Key parameters generating these differences were identified. To put this into practice, the case study of the wildcat (Felis silvestris Schreber, 1777) was chosen. The results highlighted differences and similarities between approaches used. The data-driven approach was more successful in identifying the suitable habitat with regard to wildcat ecology, while the knowledge-driven approach was better able to account for obstacles to wildcat movements in the landscape matrix. However, these two methods converged for the identification of patterns of habitat patches and corridors that are important for global landscape connectivity. For both methods, we identified adjustments that can improve the outcome. The mixed approach largely differed in that it required more inputs to be performed. In the end, conservation actions were identified and could guide nature conservation practitioners in their efforts to restore landscape connectivity.

Helminths of Wild Predatory Mammals of Ukraine. Nematodes

Abstract The article summarizes information on the nematodes parasitic in wild Carnivora of Ukraine. Totally, 50 species of nematodes are known to parasitise carnivorans in the country, 30 species were registered in the present study. Nematodes were found in 14 species of examined hosts from the families Canidae, Mustelidae and Felidae. Maximum diversity of nematodes of carnivorans was observed in Polissia (forest zone in the north of the country) and in Kherson Region in the south. Hosts from the family Canidae harboured 19 nematode species; studied species of the Mustelidae were infected with 15 nematode species, 6 of them were also found in Canidae. The wildcat (Felis silvestris Schreber) and the lynx (Lynx lynx Linnaeus) harboured only two species of nematodes, both are specific parasites of these hosts. The most comprehensive information concerns the nematode communities of the red fox (Vulpes vulpes Linnaeus) and the wolf (Canis lupus Linnaeus), with 19 and 9 nematode species found, correspondingly. From 1 to 6 nematode species were found in other species of carnivorans.

The early 8thcentury A.D. zoomorphic iconography of the wall decorations in Qasr al-Amra, Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan

ABSTRACT Located near to the village of Azraq, in eastern Jordan, the archaeological site of Qasr al-Amra was built in the early Umayyad period, for the caliph Al-Walid I. It is especially famous for the wall paintings that have survived on the interior ceilings and walls, showing, among other subjects, hunting scenes and several zoomorphic figures. Many of these portray the ancient local fauna, including a snake (probably Walterinnesia aegyptia Lataste, 1887), several birds (herons, flamingos, cranes, peacocks and partridges), carnivores (Ursus arctos Linnaeus, 1758, Felis silvestris Schreber, 1777 and Vormela peregusna Guldenstadt, 1770), and ungulates (Syrian onagers and Persian gazelles). It is very likely that some of these illustrations were influenced by tales contained in the great Iranian epic poem Shâh Nâmeh, or “The Book of Kings”, and in other traditional Sassanid and Muslim texts.

Wildcat (Felis silvestris Schreber, 1777) in Ukraine: modern state of the populations and eastwards expansion of the species

Modern state of the wildcat populations in Ukraine is analyzed on the basis of detailed review and analysis of its records above (annotations) and before (detailed cadastre) 2000. Data on 71 modern records in 10 administrative regions of Ukraine are summarized, including: Lviv (8), Volyn (1), Ivano-Frankivsk (2), Chernivtsi (31), Khmelnyts­kyi (4), Vinnytsia (14), Odesa (4), Mykolaiv (4), Kirovohrad (2) and Cherkasy (1) regions. Detailed maps of species distribution in some regions, and in Ukraine in gene­ral, and the analysis of the rates of expansion as well as direction of change in species limits of the distribution are presented. Morphological characteristics of the samples from the territory of Ukraine are described. Keywords: wildcat, state of populations, geographic range, expansion, Ukraine.

Ontogenetic changes in the skull of the European wildcat (Felis silvestris SCHREBER, 1777)

The postnatal changes of the skull of the male and the female European wildcat are described in detail using linear measurements and geometric morphometrics. Overall, the analysis of the linear measurements and of the geometric morphometrics of the landmark data indicate the same postnatal changes in the skull morphology, which are, however, described better by geometric morphometrics. The changes mainly affect the caudal part of the skull and, in the mandible, the coronoid and the angular process as well as the ventral rim. Three growth phases can be distinguished particularly on the basis of the linear measurements with the fastest growth and the most obvious changes in the skull occurring from birth to about 7 months, slowed down growth from about 7 to 14 months, and only little growth from 14 to about 24 months of age, when the growth curves for most linear measurements level off. None of the easy and non-destructive means of the linear measurements employed was found to clearly determine the age of a skull.

Food habits of the wildcat (Felis silvestris) in a peculiar habitat: the Mediterranean high mountain

The feeding spectrum of the wildcat Felis silvestris Schreber, 1777 was studied in two sites with different ecological characteristics, both situated in the same Mediterranean environment in the high mountain of the Sierra Nevada National Park, south‐east Spain, where the rabbit Oryctolagus cuniculus is absent. Scat analysis (n=101 faeces; n=402 prey items) showed that the diet is based on rodents, fundamentally wood mouse Apodemus sylvaticus, Mediterranean pine vole Microtus duodecimcostatus and south‐western water vole Arvicola sapidus. Results showed strong differences between the two sites (χ2=74.04, d.f.=5, P<0.001), that is a predominance of voles in the mesic Chico river, whereas mice are predominant in the xeric Tejos ravine. Red‐legged partridge Alectoris rufa and carrion also played an important role, especially in biomass terms. The overall diet differed essentially from that of the Mediterranean region, which surrounds the study area, since in these areas rabbits constitute the primary prey. However, the diet of the mountain wildcats is similar to that in the Eurosiberian floral region, despite its distance from the Sierra Nevada. In conclusion, the Iberian wildcat seems to behave as a facultative specialist, since it prefers rabbits whenever they are available, but rodents constitute most of its diet if rabbits are scarce or absent.

Genetic diversity and introgression in the Scottish wildcat.

This paper describes a genetic analysis of wild-living cats in Scotland. Samples from 230 wild-living Scottish cats (including 13 museum skins) and 74 house cats from England and Scotland were surveyed for nine microsatellite loci. Pelage characteristics of the wild-living cats were recorded, and the cats were then grouped into five separate categories depending on the degree to which they conformed to the characteristics attributed to Felis silvestris Schreber, 1775. Allele frequency differences between the morphological groups are greater than those among the three house cat samples. Analysis of genetic distances suggests that more of the differences between individuals can be explained by pelage than geographical proximity, and that pelage and geographical location are not confounded. Ordination of the genetic distances suggests two main groups of wild-living cats, with intermediates, and one group is genetically very similar to the house cats, while the other group contains all cats taxonomically identified as wildcat based on morphology. A genetic mixture analysis gives similar results to the ordination, but also suggests that the genotypes of a substantial number of cats in the wildcat group are drawn from a gene pool with genotypes in approximately equilibrium proportions. We argue that this is evidence that these cats do not have very recent domestic ancestry. However, from the morphological data it is highly likely that this gene pool also contains a contribution from earlier introgression of domestic cat genes.

Age estimation in Iberian wildcats Felis silvestris, by canine tooth sections

We have applied counting of annual cementum lines in canine root to estimate the age of 165 Iberian wildcats Felis silvestris Schreber, 1775.

Morphological and pelage characteristics of wild living cats in Scotland: implications for defining the ‘wildcat’

AbstractThe indigenous wildcat, Felis silvestris Schreber, 1775, and the introduced domestic cat, F. catus L., have been sympatric in Britain for more than 2000 years. As a result of interbreeding, any distinction between these two forms has become obscured, although a range of morphological criteria (pelage patterns, body measurements, gut lengths, skull morphometrics) and genetic techniques (immunological distances, electrophoresis, DNA hybridization) have been used previously to distinguish between them.A sample of 333 wild‐living cats in Scotland was assessed for coloration and markings of pelage, standard body measurements and weights, and (for carcasses only) limb bone lengths, intestine lengths, and skull measurements. These cats were also classified as wildcat, hybrid, or domestic cat according to traditional pelage criteria.Multivariate analyses on these variables, for adult cats, failed to show any clearly distinct groups. When each of the variables was analysed separately, only the distribution of limb bone and intestine length measurements suggested the possibility that two groups might exist. Group 1 cats had short intestines and long limb bones. Group 2 consisted of cats with long intestines and short limb bones. Although the characteristics defining cats in Group 1 were similar to those traditionally associated with wildcats, they exhibited a much broader range of pelage and coloration than traditionally described.The groups exhibited a degree of geographical separation. The distribution of Group 1 cats was found to be related to certain environmental variables, namely mean annual temperature and land with poor potential for forestry and agriculture, suggesting that there may be a biological basis for the separation. The implications of these results on the identification and taxonomy of the wildcat are significant. The concept of the wildcat and the domestic cat as separate species can be challenged. The paper highlights the complexity and difficulties for conventional taxonomy when used as a means for distinguishing between a wild type and its domesticated form where there is interbreeding.

Feeding ecology of the European wildcat Felis silvestris in Portugal

The feeding ecology of the European wildcat Felis silvestris Schreber, 1777 was studied by analysing 220 scats collected between January and December 1994 at Serra da Malcata Nature Reserve (Portugal). Feeding trials, carried out with a captive male and female, allowed the author to relate the dry excreted weight of prey items in the scats with the fresh biomass ingested.

Craniometrical sex determination of wild cat Felis silvestris in Bulgaria

Analyses were made of 118 skull measurements of adult wild cats Felis silvestris Schreber, 1777 from Bulgaria, taken on 24 males, 20 females and 10 animals whose sex was not known in advance. Group (cluster) analysis of cases, factor analysis, and stepvise discriminant analysis were adapted. The cluster analysis of cases indicated a high level of sex mixture (up to 40%), which suggested the importance of the outliers in the data. Six keys to sexual dimorphism, of very high statistical signifiance were produced, through the stepvise discriminant analysis. They included from 9 down to 1 variables each, which provided from 100% down to 93.8% of correct sex classification of wild cat skulls.

Metric characteristics and sexual dimorphism of the postcranial skeleton of wild cat Felis silvestris in Bulgaria

The measurements of scapula, pelvis, humerus, ulna, radius, tibia, femur and the first three vertebrae of the adult wild cat Felis silvestris Schreber, 1777 from Bulgaria were used in this study. Considerable differences between the sexes were revealed at three levels of significance in most of the sizes of scapula, pelvis , and vertebrae.

Genetic Variability and Biochemical Systematics of Domestic and Wild Cat Populations (Felis silvestris: Felidae)

Genetic variability and phylogenetic relationships among domestic and wild populations of cats were studied by allozyme electrophoresis. Tissues were obtained from 67 specimens of European wild cats (Felis silvestris silvestris), African wild cats (F. s. libyca), and domestic cats from Italy; 54 presumptive loci were resolved. The average proportion of polymorphic loci and heterozygosity were P̄ = 0.11, H̄ = 0.042 in the wild cat, and P̄ = 0.20, H̄ = 0.066 in the domestic cat. Despite reduced genetic variability, local populations of wild cats were not inbred, as indicated by nonsignificant FIS values. Both FST and Nei's genetic distances between domestic and wild populations were low (F̄ST = 0.04; D̄ = 0.0082). Dendrograms indicate that the domestic cat belongs to the African wild cat lineage, which supports current hypotheses on cat domestication. Based on the genetic evidence, we suggest that the European wild cat, the African wild cat, and the domestic cat belong to the same polytypic species (Felis silvestris Schreber, 1777), and that the European and African wild cats diverged approximately 20,000 years ago.