CHINESE MOUNTAIN CAT

FELIDAE

COMMON NAME	FAMILY	GENUS	SCIENTIFIC NAME	SUB SPECIES – 0
CHINESE MOUNTAIN CAT The Chinese mountain cat (Felis bieti), also known as the Chinese desert cat and the Chinese steppe cat, is a wild cat of western China that has been classified as Vulnerable by IUCN, as the effective population size may be fewer than 10,000 mature breeding individuals. Since 2007, it is classified as a wildcat subspecies, F. silvestris bieti, based on genetic analysis.	Felidae	Felis	Felis bieti

DOMESTIC CAT

FELIDAE

COMMON NAME	FAMILY	GENUS	SCIENTIFIC NAME	SUB SPECIES – 0
DOMESTIC CAT The domestic cat (Felis catus or Felis silvestris catus) is a small, usually furry, domesticated, and carnivorous mammal. It is often called the housecat when kept as an indoor pet, or simply the cat when there is no need to distinguish it from other felids and felines. Cats are often valued by humans for companionship and their ability to hunt vermin and household pests. Cats are similar in anatomy to the other felids, with strong, flexible bodies, quick reflexes, sharp retractable claws, and teeth adapted to killing small prey. Cat senses fit a crepuscular and predatory ecological niche. Cats can hear sounds too faint or too high in frequency for human ears, such as those made by mice and other small animals. They can see in near darkness. Like most other mammals, cats have poorer color vision and a better sense of smell than humans. Despite being solitary hunters, cats are a social species, and cat communication includes the use of a variety of vocalizations (mewing, purring,trilling, hissing, growling and grunting) as well as cat pheromones and types of cat-specific body language. Cats have a rapid breeding rate. Under controlled breeding, they can be bred and shown as registered pedigree pets, a hobby known as cat fancy. Failure to control the breeding of pet cats by neutering, and the abandonment of former household pets, has resulted in large numbers of feral catsworldwide, requiring population control. Since cats were cult animals in ancient Egypt, they were commonly believed to have been domesticated there, but there may have been instances of domestication as early as the Neolithic from around 9500 years ago (7500 BC). A genetic study in 2007 concluded that domestic cats are descended from African wildcats (Felis silvestris lybica) c. 8000 BC, in the Near East. According to Scientific American, cats are the most popular pet in the world, and are now found in almost every place where humans live.	Felidae	Felis	Felis silvestris catus

WILD CAT

FELIDAE

COMMON NAME	FAMILY	GENUS	SCIENTIFIC NAME	SUB SPECIES – 22
WILD CAT	Felidae	Felis	Felis silvestris	1.   European Wild Cat – Felis silvestris silvestris
The wildcat (Felis silvestris) is a small cat found throughout most of Africa, Europe, and southwest and central Asia into India, China, and Mongolia. Because of its wide range it is classed by the IUCN as Least Concern. However, crossbreeding with house cats is extensive and has occurred throughout almost the entirety of the species' range. The wildcat shows a high degree of geographic variation. Asiatic subspecies have spotted, isabelline coats, African subspecies have sandy-grey fur with banded legs and red-backed ears, and European wildcats resemble heavily built striped tabbies with bushy tails, white chins and throats. All subspecies are generally larger than house cats, with longer legs and more robust bodies. The actual number of subspecies is still debated, with some organisations recognising 22, while others recognise only four, including the Chinese mountain cat, which was previously considered a species in its own right. Genetic, morphological and archaeological evidence suggests that the house cat was domesticated from the African wildcat, probably 9,000-10,000 years ago in the Fertile Crescent region of the Near East, coincident with the rise of agriculture and the need to protect harvests stored in granaries from rodents.				2.  Scottish Wild Cat – Felis silvestris grampia
				3.  Southern African Wildcat - F. s. cafra
				4.  Caucasian Wildcat - F. s. caucasica
				5.  Turkestan Wildcat - F. s. caudata
				6.  Mongolian Wildcat - F. s. chutuchta
				7.  Cretan Wildcat - F. s. cretensis
				8.  Mid-belt Wildcat - F. s. foxi
				9.  Arabian Wildcat - F. s. gordoni
				10. Kalahari Wildcat - F. s. griselda
				11. Hausa Wildcat - F. s. hausa
				12. Iraqi Wildcat - F. s. iraki
				13. Balearic Wildcat - F. s. jordansi
				14. African Wildcat - F. s. lybica
				15. Rhodesian Wildcat - F. s. mellandi
				16. Syrian Wildcat - F. s. nesterovi
				17. Abyssinian Wildcat - F. s. ocreata
				18. Indian Wildcat - F. s. ornata
				19. Corsican Wildcat - F. s. reyi
				20. East African Wildcat - F. s. rubida
				21. Tristram's Wildcat - F. s. tristrami
				22. Ugandan Wildcat - F. s. ugandae

 

BLACK FOOTED CAT

FELIDAE

COMMON NAME	FAMILY	GENUS	SCIENTIFIC NAME	SUB SPECIES – 2
BLACK FOOTED CAT	Felidae	Felis	Felis nigripes	1.  (F. n. nigripes)
The black-footed cat (Felis nigripes) is the smallest African cat, and is endemic in the south west arid zone of the southern African sub region. It is one of the lesser studied African carnivores, and is listed as Vulnerable by IUCN since 2002.				2.  (F. n. thomasi)

SAND CAT

FELIDAE

COMMON NAME	FAMILY	GENUS	SCIENTIFIC NAME	SUB SPECIES – 6
SAND CAT	Felidae	Felis	Felis margarita	1.  Persian Sand Cat - (Felis margarita margarita)
The sand cat (Felis margarita), also known as the sand dune cat, is the only felid found primarily in true desert, and has a wide but apparently disjunct distribution through the deserts of northern Africa and southwest and central Asia. Since 2002 this small cat has been listed as Near Threatened by IUCN due to concern over potential low population size and decline. Sand cats are found in both sandy and stony desert, living in areas far from water. Having thickly furred feet they are well adapted to the extremes of a desert environment, and tolerant of extremes of hot and cold temperatures. Victor Loche first described the sand cat in 1858 from a specimen found in the Sahara. He proposed to name the species in recognition of Jean Auguste Margueritte who headed the expedition into the Sahara.				2.  (Felis margarita thinobia)
				3.  (Felis margarita meinertzhageni)
				4.  (Felis margarita airensis)
				5.  (Felis margarita scheffeli)
				6.  (Felis margarita harrisoni)