African wildcat Felis lybica Least concern
Where the African wildcat lives – recorded in 9 countries, with quick facts from Wikidata and an introduction from Wikipedia.
Pin and shaded countries are approximate. The pin is a representative wild sighting (a central record among 203 open-licence GBIF records), not an official range. Method · Records on GBIF · See small wild cats on the world map
| Scientific name | Felis lybica |
|---|---|
| Group | Small wild cats |
| Status | Least concern (Wikidata, IUCN category label) |
| Found in | 9 countries |
| Continents | Africa, Asia, Europe |
| Class | Mammal |
| Order | Carnivora |
| Family | Felidae |
Where does the African wildcat live?
Open-licence (CC0 / CC BY) wild records published on GBIF place the African wildcat in 9 countries and territories across Africa, Asia and Europe.
Countries with at least a handful of records (a minimum share of the species’ records, to leave out vagrants and escapes). Records with coordinates only; captive and fossil records excluded.
Is the African wildcat endangered?
The African wildcat’s conservation status recorded in Wikidata is “Least concern” (an IUCN Red List category label). Source: Wikidata.
What kind of animal is the African wildcat?
The African wildcat (Felis lybica) is a mammal in the order Carnivora and the family Felidae, genus Felis. (Taxonomy from Wikidata.)
About the African wildcat
The African wildcat (Felis lybica) is a small wildcat species with sandy grey fur, pale vertical stripes on the sides and around the face. It is native to Africa, West and Central Asia, and is distributed to Rajasthan in India and Xinjiang in China. It inhabits a broad variety of landscapes ranging from deserts to savannas, shrublands and grasslands.
The African wildcat is the ancestor of the domestic cat (F. catus). Some African wildcats were domesticated about 10,000 years ago in the Near East. Interspecific hybrids between both species are common where their ranges overlap.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article African wildcat (revision 1370904147), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: lead section excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Quick facts, taxonomy and status: Wikidata Q47482585 (CC0). Countries and pin: GBIF.org occurrence records (CC0 / CC BY 4.0).
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