Steppe cat [1] [2] , or steppe cat [3] , or spotted cat [1] ( lat. Felis silvestris lybica ) is a subspecies of wild forest cat .
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| Felis silvestris lybica Forster , 1780 |
This subspecies appeared about 130 thousand years ago. 5 representatives of this subspecies were domesticated in the Middle East about 10,000 years ago and became the ancestors of a domestic cat [4] .
A steppe cat can range from sand-brown to yellow-gray in color with black stripes on its tail. The coat is shorter than that of a European cat . Body length from 45 to 75 cm , tail - from 20 to 38 cm. Weight from 3 to 6.5 kg .
The steppe cat lives in the steppe , desert and in places mountainous regions of Africa , Western , Central and Central Asia , Northern India , Transcaucasia and Kazakhstan [5] . On the territory of Russia, the steppe cat is currently found in semi-desert regions or floodplain shrubs of the Astrakhan region, where it usually keeps close to the water.
Content
Behavior
Basically, a steppe cat eats mice , rats and other small mammals. If necessary, it can also feed on birds , reptiles , amphibians and insects . During the hunt, cats slowly creep up to prey and attack from a distance of about one meter. Steppe cats are mostly active at night and at dusk. During clashes with the enemy, the steppe cat picks up hair to appear larger and intimidate the enemy. In the daytime, she usually hides in the bushes, but sometimes it is also active on cloudy days. The territory of the male partially overlaps with the territories of several females that protect him from uninvited guests. In females, two to six kittens are born, but usually three. A steppe cat is resting and raising kittens in burrows or pits. Pregnancy lasts from 56 to 69 days. Kittens are born blind and need maternal care. Most kittens are born in the rainy season when there is enough food. They stay with their mother for 5-6 months, and after a year they are already capable of reproduction.
Subspecies
According to the results of studies [6] of mitochondrial DNA of 979 domestic and wild cats from Europe, Asia and Africa, Felis silvestris lybica separated from the European wild cat about 173 thousand years ago and from the subspecies Felis silvestris ornata and Felis silvestris cafra about 131 thousand years ago. About 10,000 years ago, 5 representatives of Felis silvestris lybica were domesticated in the Middle East with the beginning of the development of agriculture and the appearance of the first Neolithic agricultural settlements during the transition of humans from hunting and gathering to a settled way of life in the early stages of the development of human civilization [6] . Now they single out a separate species - the African steppe cat Felis lybica Forster, 1780, and the term Felis silvestris belongs to the European forest cat.
Appearance
The steppe cat looks like a domestic cat of "wild" color: plain fawn with small dark spots. On the sides, neck and head, spots sometimes merge into stripes. The color of the coat can range from light yellow to sandy brown. The throat and belly are whitish or gray-white. The coat is quite dense with a well-developed undercoat. The tail is “decorated” with black rings. Body length 49–74 cm, weight up to 6 kg. The tail is long and thin - 24–36 cm. The ears are small, the eyes are greenish-yellow, the pupils are slit-like, vertical. Paw pads naked, without fur. The footprints of a steppe cat are very similar to those of a domestic cat. When walking in the snow, a steppe cat puts its paws strictly upright and tracks in the footprint, just like foxes and domestic cats do. [7]
Notes
- ↑ 1 2 Aristov A.A., Baryshnikov G.F. Mammal fauna of Russia and adjacent territories. Predatory and pinnipeds (In the series: Qualifiers for the fauna of Russia, published by the Zoological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences . Issue 169). - SPb., 2001 .-- S. 409. - 560 p.
- ↑ Flint V.E. , Chugunov Yu.D. , Smirin V.M. Mammals of the USSR / Ed. A. N. Formozova . - M.: Thought, 1965. - S. 151-152. - 438 p.
- ↑ Animal life. Volume 7. Mammals / Ed. Academic V. E. Sokolova . - 2nd ed. - M .: Education, 1989 .-- S. 316. - 300,000 copies. - ISBN 5-09-001434-5 .
- ↑ Nicholas Wade. DNA traces 5 matriarchs of 600 million domestic cats (English) (June 29, 2007). Date of treatment November 1, 2011. Archived on February 8, 2012.
- ↑ Steppe cat on the website of the Institute of Ecology and Evolution A. N. Severtsova RAS
- ↑ 1 2 The Near Eastern Origin of Cat Domestication . Date of treatment November 5, 2009. Archived February 8, 2012.
- ↑ Moscow Zoo. Steppe cat . moscowzoo.ru.