54
or lesser extent with darker vertical stripes, and the eastern form also
has dark spots. Sometimes dark rings are present on the legs. The
longish dark-ringed tail has a black tip. The chin and throat are white,
and the underparts are paler than the upperparts.
Size Shoulder height 35 cm.
Weight 2.5–6 kg.
Habitat and Behaviour Wild Cats occupy virtually all habitats, but
are generally absent from the heart of true desert (except where there
is hill country). They hunt a wide range of prey. Small rodents are
particularly important, but they also take young hares, hyraxes, young
gazelles, birds, and more rarely reptiles and insects. They are solitary,
except during the brief mating period and when young accompany a
female. Mainly nocturnal and crepuscular, they lie up during the day in
rock crevices, trees, dense vegetation or burrows dug by other species.
Both sexes establish, mark and defend territories. Wild Cat densities
can be quite high in areas of optimal habitat and abundant prey. After
a gestation of 56–65 days, 1–5 kittens are born, each weighing just
40–50 g. Breeding takes place in the Sahara in January–March. There
are variations of breeding information for the different groups.
Distribution and Status Although Wild Cats are hunted across much
of their range they are still abundant. The main threat is interbreeding
with domestic and feral cats. The African group occurs around the
fringes of the Sahara and across to the coastal plains, with populations
located on all the major massifs within the desert. This group is found
all around the Arabian Peninsula coastline and adjacent mountain
ranges. The European group occurs across northern and much of
southern Turkey. The Asian group lives across Iran to the east of the
Zagros Mountains.
Conservation Areas The Wild Cat is found in many reserves across its
very wide range.
JUNGLE CAT Felis chaus
Identification Also called the Swamp Cat, this is a very widely
distributed cat that lives from the Egyptian Nile eastwards to
Vietnam. Although similar in overall appearance to the Wild Cat, it is
larger and not as distinctly marked. As in a number of Wild Cat races,
the backs of the ears are reddish-brown with a short tuft of black hairs
(to 15 mm) on the ear tips. The tail is proportionally shorter than that
of the Wild Cat. The overall body colour is pale sandy-brown, with
indistinct markings on the sides and legs. The underparts are paler.
Size Shoulder height 45 cm.
Weight 2.5–12 kg.
Habitat and Behaviour The Jungle Cat is usually found in wetland
associations with good cover such as reed beds, riverine thickets,
forest and agricultural land adjacent to these habitats. It is generally