Scientifically, the Afro-Asiatic wildcat is divided into three evolutionarily similar subspecies. The first, F. lybica lybica, occurs in Eastern, Western and Northern Africa and the Arabian Peninsula.

The precise boundaries of subspecies’ ranges are unclear. Until 2017, these three subspecies were lumped together with the European wildcat and considered subspecies of F silvestris.

Scientifically, the Afro-Asiatic wildcat is divided into three evolutionarily similar subspecies. The first, F. lybica lybica, occurs in Eastern, Western and Northern Africa and the Arabian Peninsula.

The precise boundaries of subspecies’ ranges are unclear. Until 2017, these three subspecies were lumped together with the European wildcat and considered subspecies of F. silvestris.

Ancient Egypt Wooden Cats, Louvre Museum, Paris. Credit: Gary Todd, CC0 1.0 However, two new studies—one from the University of Exeter and another from University of Rome Tor Vergata —challenge this ...

The Asiatic desert cat, a subspecies of the African Wildcat, is already under threat due to habitat loss and human encroachment.

A rare photo of a Cretan wildcat, the island’s sole wild feline but also its largest exclusively carnivorous mammal. Credit: Natural History Museum of Crete The Cretan wildcat, the legendary creature ...

When were cats domesticated? Cats were domesticated around 10,000 years ago. Today's domestic cats descend from Felis silvestris lybica, a wildcat subspecies found in Africa and the Middle East.

Asiatic wildcat Often mistaken for a domestic cat, this small, sandy-colored feline is a desert-adapted subspecies of the wildcat.

The European wildcat is the smallest of Europe’s cats and is a subspecies of the African wildcat, which is thought to be the ancestor of domestic breeds. European wildcats are found in the forests ...

European Wildcat The European wildcat is the smallest of Europe’s cats and is a subspecies of the African wildcat, which is thought to be the ancestor of domestic breeds.