CONSERVATION CONSERVATION EURASIAN LYNXEURASIAN LYNXIllustrations: Sandra Doyle/The Art Agency(^1) SHOULDERS
Wildcat Two stripes
Tabby More than two stripes,
which may be broken
(^2) NAPE OF NECK
Wildcat Four wavy, separated
stripes run along nape
Tabby Stripes may be
straight and fused
(^3) FLANKS
Wildcat Continuous
vertical ‘tiger’ stripes
Tabby Stripes may be broken
(^4) DORSAL STRIPE
Wildcat Runs down back
and ends at base of tail
Tabby Continues along
entire length of tail
(^5) RUMP
Wildcat Stripes only
Tabby Mixture of spots
and stripes
(^6) TAIL BANDS AND RINGS
Wildcat Broad; well-defined
and separated
Tabby Usually narrower
and less distinct
(^7) TAIL TIP
Wildcat Thick, fluffy and rounded;
always black
Tabby Tapers to a point;
colour may vary
Over the past 15 years, scientists led by Andrew Kitchener of National
Museums Scotland have created a visual scoring system to help distinguish
wildcats from domestic tabbies. Extensive patches of white on the paws or
flanks are often a giveaway that a cat has some domestic ancestry, but there
are also seven key wildcat characteristics to look for.
TABBY OR WILD? HOW TO ID WILDCATS
This handsome
wildcat camera-
trapped in eastern
Scotland scored a
near-perfect 20
An individual that scores above 14 and gets a 2 or 3 in
every category qualifies as a ‘relaxed’ wildcat.”
This feels like a bizarre zoological beauty contest – I
confess that I’m tickled by the concept of strict and
relaxed wildcats. On the other hand, to save a species,
you have to be able to define what it actually is.
Rob Ogden, a senior scientist at the Royal
Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS), concedes that
there are an “awful lot of unknowns” when it comes to
Scottish wildcats. He is part of a team racing to refine
a DNA test to differentiate them from domestic cat
hybrids using samples from hair, scats or – the most
reliable – blood. In the meantime, appearances count.
Wildcats are stockier than domestic cats, with a far
broader head and longer canines (especially in males),
stronger limbs and a thick tail. Traditionally, they have
also been seen as untameable icons of Scottishness; one
politician has declared that “they have the heart of a
lion and are the tigers of our Highlands”. Really?
I’m beginning to wonder what makes a wildcat a
wildcat, so over supper I quiz our host, conservationist
and countryman Sir John Lister-Kaye. He currently
cares for six wildcats – probably high-quality hybrids –
at the Aigas Field Centre, and hopes that the best cats
can join the captive-breeding programme due to start
in 2014.
Sir John says that clichéd photos of snarling beasts
have done these felines a great disservice – the
animals were stuffed or cornered, often caught in
K Kilshaw/R Campbell/WildCRU 2013
WILDCAT
DOMESTIC
TABBY
2
2
1
1
4
4
7
7
6
6
3
3
5
5