| Asiatic wildcat | |
|---|---|
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Carnivora |
| Family: | Felidae |
| Genus: | Felis |
| Species: | F. silvestris |
| Subspecies: | F. s. ornata |
| Trinomial name | |
| Felis silvestris ornata Gray, 1830–1832 |
|
The Asiatic wildcat (Felis silvestris ornata) is a wildcat subspecies that occurs from the eastern Caspian into western India, and north to Kazakhstan, and into western China and southern Mongolia. As it is the most common and widely distributed wild cat, it is listed as Least Concern by IUCN since 2002.[1]
It is also known as the Asian steppe wildcat and Indian desert cat.[2]
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The wildcats of Central Asia differ from the European wildcats by having a more greyish-yellow or reddish background color, marked distinctly with small black or red-brown spots. The spots are sometimes fused into stripes, especially in the Central Asian regions east of the Tian Shan Mountains.[3]
In Pakistan and India, wildcats have pale sandy yellow coats, marked with small spots that tend to lie in vertical lines down the trunk and flanks. The fur is usually short, but varies depending on the age of the individual and season of the year. The tail always has a black tip, and the underparts of the paws are black. A small tuft of hair grows on the tip of each ear.[4] They weigh about 3 to 4 kg (6.6 to 8.8 lb).[5][6]
The Caucasus is the transitional zone between the European wildcat to the north and west, and the Asiatic wildcat to the south and east. In this region, European wildcats are found in montane forest, and Asiatic wildcats are found in the low-lying desert and semi-desert areas adjoining the Caspian sea. They usually occur in close proximity to water sources, but are also able to live year-round in waterless desert. They range up to 2,000 to 3,000 m (6,600 to 9,800 ft) in mountain areas with sufficient dense vegetation. Snow depth limits the northern boundaries of their range in winter.[7]
In Afghanistan, Asiatic wildcats have been recorded prior to 1973 from the central Hazarajat mountains and the steppe region, from Shibar Pass, near Herat and in Bamyan Province.[8]
In India, Asiatic wildcats are most typically associated with scrub desert.[9] In 1999, they were still reported as present in the Rajasthani districts of Bikaner, Barmer, Jaisalmer, Pali and Nagaur.[10]
They inhabit the Rajasthan Desert and Rann of Kutch including the adjoining Banni grasslands in India and the desert areas of Sindh in Pakistan. The Jalore Wildlife Sanctuary, located near Jalore in Rajasthan is one of the only accessible wildlife areas where Asiatic wildcats are present in sizeable numbers.
Asiatic wildcats are frequently observed in the daytime. They rest and den in burrows.[7]
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. They have also been observed killing cobras, saw-scale vipers, sand boas, geckos, scorpions and beetles.[9]
Female Asiatic wildcats mate quite often with domestic males, and hybrid offspring are frequently found near villages where wild females live.[7] They have been hunted at large in Afghanistan; in 1977 over 1200 pelts manufactured into different articles were on display in Kabul bazaars.[8]