European wild cat
| European wild cat | ||||||||||||
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European wildcat ( Felis silvestris ) |
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| Felis silvestris | ||||||||||||
| Schreber , 1777 |
The European wildcat or forest cat ( Felis silvestris ) is a small cat found in Europe from the Iberian Peninsula to Eastern Europe (western Ukraine), Italy, the Balkans , Anatolia , the Caucasus and the Scottish Highlands . Since it is a relatively common cat, she is in the red list of the IUCN since 2002 as Least concern ( Least Concern ) out.
The European wildcat was selected by the German Wildlife Foundation as Animal of the Year 2018 and in Switzerland by Pro Natura as Animal of the Year 2020.
features
In appearance, the wild cat is bigger and more powerful than the house cat, and in relation to its body it has longer legs than these. Adult male wild cats have a head-torso length of 55 to 65 cm, have a 27 to 32 cm long tail and reach a weight of 3.77 to 7.26 kg. Females have a head-trunk length of 47 to 57.5 cm, a tail length of 25 to 32 cm and a weight of 2.35 to 4.68 kg. The basic color of the fur varies from yellowish-brown to reddish-gray to silver-gray. There is often a typical, continuous black line on the back that ends at the base of the tail. The back and sides of the body are more or less heavily patterned with faded stripes. The stripe pattern is usually more pronounced in the west of the distribution area than in the east. The tail is thick and relatively short, has a typical curl with three to five dark rings and ends blunt, always with a black tip. The skull is similar to that of the domestic cat, but offers space for a larger brain. The eyes are wide apart. There is a small, black spot on the sole. Another feature is the bright nasal mirror (pink).
distribution and habitat
European wildcats mainly live in forests. Large populations occur in deciduous or mixed forests that are not disturbed by humans. They also live along coasts , on the edge of marshland , in riparian forests and in the Mediterranean maquis . You avoid areas with intensive agricultural use, pure coniferous forests, very high mountains, uncovered coastal regions or areas that are covered by more than 50% snow in winter, where the average snow depth is more than 20 cm or where the snow cover is over a period of 100 days or stays there longer. In largely unforested Scotland, the European wildcat often lives at the "feet" of mountains and hills, where tall grass provides cover, as well as in bogs.
Since the 1920s, populations in Belgium , the Czech Republic , Slovakia , France , Germany , Switzerland, and Scotland have been recovering after being nearly extinct since the late 18th century. There are also important stocks in Poland , Italy , Greece , Romania , Bulgaria , Slovenia and Serbia . The wild cats on the larger Mediterranean islands are hybrids between the black cat and house cat or feral house cats.
The German population was estimated at 1700 to 5000 individuals in 2000. In the 2000s, wild cats immigrated to the Black Forest and other areas in southern Baden-Württemberg . There are wildcats in the Hainich National Park , the Bavarian Forest National Park , the Thuringian Forest , the Harz Mountains , the Elm , the Eifel , the Siebengebirge , the Hunsrück , the Palatinate Forest and also in the Saarland . In Northern Hesse , the populations are also growing again today. The populations are to be connected with natural forest corridors or are already there. In 2017, the existence in the Lüneburg Heath was proven.
In Switzerland , cats were severely decimated in the 18th and 19th centuries or, as in the Swiss Plateau, completely eradicated. It has been a protected species since 1962. It is particularly present again in the Swiss Jura , as the Federal Office for the Environment (Bafu) stated in 2011. She is also present again in the Schaffhausen region . A study carried out on behalf of the Bafu between 2008 and 2010 came to the conclusion that in 2011 an estimated 450 to 900 wild cats live in Switzerland on an area of around 600 square kilometers. The study area concentrated on the Swiss Jura, as all the wild cats that have been detected in the last few decades come from this area. However, the degree of hybridization is important for the classification of the endangerment of the wild cat. If the expanding wildcat population in Switzerland mixes too much with domestic cats (as is the case in Hungary and Scotland, for example), there is a risk that the wildcats will gradually disappear genetically.
In Austria , wild cats were formerly widespread in the Alpine foothills of northern, eastern and southern Austria. In the second half of the 19th century the populations were severely decimated and since then only a few specimens have been recorded. They were considered to be extinct, eradicated or lost in Austria, and just a few years ago there was no evidence of a resident reproductive population in Austria. However, reports of sightings south of the Danube have increased in recent years and evidence of an occurrence in the Thayatal National Park has been established .
The largest populations are in Spain , where the wildcat is relatively common, even in fairly humanized areas such as the Sierra Calderona , not far from Valencia , or the Sierra de Escalona ( Alicante province ) near Torrevieja and Orihuela . Smaller stocks exist in Portugal , for example in the Portuguese Reserva Natural Serra da Malcata .
There are also isolated wild cat populations in the Caucasus , which in a revision of the cat system published in 2017 by the IUCN's Cat Specialist Group forms an independent subspecies ( Felis silvestris caucasica Satunin , 1905).
Today the wildcat is threatened primarily by the fragmentation of its habitat and urban sprawl. It lives exclusively in quiet and intact forests with old wood. Only in the near-natural forest can the wildcat find old tree hollows, fox or badger burrows , which it needs for rearing its young. The shy wildcat can only hunt undisturbed in quiet forests. It is often considered a target species that can be used to determine whether a forest is really close to nature.
Lately the populations have recovered somewhat, especially since the species is no longer allowed to be hunted in many states. Nevertheless, in western Europe the wildcat is only found in slightly larger populations in northern Scotland, parts of Spain and eastern France. In south-eastern Europe, on the other hand, the populations of the European wildcat are somewhat larger. The prevailing opinion up to now has been that the cat population had been heavily hunted and therefore extinct in many places , since it was decried as predators until the middle of the 20th century . Recent veterinary-historical studies make this representation appear doubtful, since the stocks also decreased in areas with total protection, such as in Hesse . Pathological examination reports of dead wild cats from the period from 1850 to 1920 suggest that an epidemic event seems likely for the decline of the wild cat .
In the Pleistocene , the wildcat was widespread across Europe. Only with the retreat of the ice did it become a forest animal.
Way of life and behavior
European wildcats are extremely shy and avoid human proximity. Like most cat species, they lead a predominantly solitary life and are mostly true to location. They are stalkers who sneak up on their prey unnoticed and catch it in one jump with a surprise attack. Wildcats only venture into open terrain without cover in exceptional cases. Therefore, in Thuringia, for example, their distribution areas are connected with natural forest corridors in order to reintroduce the species in a stable manner. In many places they are diurnal, but also tend to be active at night in more densely populated areas. Her exceptionally good eyesight in the dark enables her to do so.
Their very highly developed sensory organs, which are superior to the dog's sense of smell, for example, and their intelligence, which is classified as very high, allow them to recognize natural dangers at an early stage. The brain of a European wildcat is significantly larger than that of a house cat, which is also considered to be very intelligent. With 18 retractable long and strong claws and its very strong predator teeth, it is extremely defensive for an animal of its size. In addition, she has extremely short reaction times and is physically strong, but still very agile, which, however, characterizes almost all cat species. All of this makes her an extremely dangerous and successful hunter of small game.
The size of your territory depends on the availability of prey and can therefore be very different depending on the area. If the habitat is optimal, it needs two to three square kilometers; under difficult hunting conditions, the habitat can also cover nine or more square kilometers. Males usually claim larger territories than females.
The mating season of the European wildcat is from January to March. The gestation period is around nine weeks, the female usually gives birth to two to four young in a safe hiding place. At around six to eight months of age, the youngsters look for their own territory. The mortality of the young wild cats is high. Under optimal conditions, they can live to be twelve to fifteen years old.
Since wild cats avoid being close to humans, mixed breeds between wild and house cats rarely occur in wooded areas. In contrast, intensive hybridization between the two species has been demonstrated in less forested areas in Europe (Scotland, Hungary). Hybridization between domestic and wild cats also occasionally occurs in Central Europe. The wild cats kept in European zoos and animal parks are mainly based on such hybrids.
Wildcats are considered to be absolutely indomitable. Even animals born in captivity cannot be used to humans and never allow themselves to be touched by them willingly. Captured or born in captivity animals need large enclosures with hiding places. If you get this, let people watch you if you don't get too close. Wildcats need to feel safe from humans in order to show themselves. Animals raised in captivity tolerate being close to people and can get close to people they know. When feeding, it is not uncommon for them to catch or capture food that has been thrown at them about two meters away. They also come out of their cover completely, but immediately disappear again when they have got hold of the food. Direct contact by humans, on the other hand, is never allowed and always leads to defensive reactions immediately.
Wild animals avoid humans and never return to hiding places that humans have discovered. Pictures of wild animals were first seen in the 1950s and are still extremely rare today. Evidence of the existence of wild cats in a territory is often only possible indirectly, e.g. a. using wooden sticks that are sprayed with valerian as an attractant. Any hair that has stuck to these sticks is then genetically examined.
nutrition
Studies of the stomach contents have shown that wild cats eat 80% of small mammals ( voles , rats , etc.). Only occasionally do they resort to other animals such as birds , rabbits , squirrels , lizards , fish , frogs and insects . On the European mainland hares and fawns are seldom captured, extremely seldom, contrary to what was previously claimed, sick or weakened youngsters and deer calves . The Scottish population, on the other hand, feeds mainly on rabbits and other rabbits. Carrion and vegetable foods are only taken in times of need. The prey is ambushed, e.g. B. on the earthworks of rodents, or it is discovered by chance while roaming the area. If a potential prey has been discovered, the cat creeps up slowly and as close as possible using every possible cover. The prey is held in place with the claws, pressed to the ground and killed by a bite. If it is not eaten immediately, it is kept in dense vegetation, under leaves or in other hiding places until it is consumed.
Reproduction
The European wildcat mates from January to March, sometimes as early as December or later into July. The gestation period is 60 to 68 days and most boys are born in April or May, but less often births take place until August. If the young have an early litter, a second birth can occur in the same year. There are one to four, rarely seven youngsters in the litter, who weigh 65 to 163 g at birth. Young animals that weigh less than 90 g usually do not survive. The young are suckled for six to seven weeks, in exceptional cases up to four months. They open their eyes after 7 to 13 days and walk 16 to 20 days after giving birth. They start playing with each other at four to five weeks old and can follow their mother at twelve weeks old. The milk teeth are fully formed by 42 to 49 days of age and the final dentition is fully formed by 175 to 195 days of age. The young and mother separate after four to five, at most after ten months. They are fully grown at 18 or 19 months of age. Wildcats live to be 7-10 years old, in human care up to 15 years.
Hunter language
The following terms are used in the hunter's language:
On the other hand, outside of the hunter's language, male wild cats are also referred to as hangovers . Domestic cats and wild cats can mate and give birth to reproductive offspring. These are called dazzling cats, and their gender designation is like that of the wild cat.
Danger
Natural enemies
Apart from humans through the fragmentation of actual and possible habitats ( landscape fragmentation ), through traffic deaths when crossing roads and through false kills as a result of confusion with feral domestic cats, lynx and wolf are the main enemies . Eagle owls , white-tailed eagles , golden eagles or hawks usually only prey on young animals. The fox is not a threat to healthy wild cats, but it can be dangerous for the offspring. Today the wildcat is under nature protection in Germany. In Germany it is also classified as a type of responsibility within the national strategy for biological diversity of the federal government.
Industrial landscape
The biggest problem for the wildcat today is the ever more intensive use of the landscape through traffic, settlement areas and agriculture. As a result, the animals were pushed back to a few remaining habitats. These last retreat areas are isolated from each other. The isolated wildcat populations living there are very small and accordingly susceptible to inbreeding and disease. For this reason, the BUND is endeavoring in Germany to connect isolated settlement areas by means of corridors about 20 meters wide, which are planted with trees and hedges, and to develop additional habitats. Feral domestic cats pose a further danger to the wild cat, as this can lead to hybridization and the transmission of pet diseases.
protection
Germany
With the entry into force of the Reich Hunting Act on July 4, 1934 (or partially on April 1, 1935) and the Federal Hunting Act 1952, the wildcat is under its protection. It has been spared all year round since then. In Germany, active members of the BUND in Thuringia began to investigate the migratory behavior of wild cats and the like in the 1990s . a. using wooden sticks sprayed with valerian. The plan arose to work with politicians, authorities and citizens to create a rescue network for the wildcat. A network of bushes and trees for the wildcat and other forest dwellers should run through Germany. In 2007, the BUND presented the "Wildcat Trail Plan". In autumn of the same year, the first 20,000 bushes and trees were planted between the Hainich National Park and the Thuringian Forest . In 2009, the plantings continued in Rhineland-Palatinate, where the Bienwald is connected to the Palatinate Forest . In Rhineland-Palatinate, there are two wildcat sanctuaries in the north (Wildcat Center Wildenburg) and in the south (Wildcat Conservation Center). In 2011, BUND planted the first trees for a green wildcat corridor in the Holzminden district of Lower Saxony .
Since 2011, the BUND's "Wildcat Jump" project has included so-called "green corridors" in Hesse (Rothaargebirge-Knüll), Lower Saxony (Harz-Solling), Baden-Württemberg (Herrenberg region), Rhineland-Palatinate (Westerwald / Taunus-Rothaargebirge) and Thuringia (Greiz region). In this way, forests are reconnected by planting trees and bushes in order to make new habitats accessible to the wildcat, from which other wild animal species such as pine marten , dormouse and Bechstein's bat should also benefit. On the other hand, a nationwide gene database for wild cats is being developed in cooperation with the Senckenberg Research Institute in order to document populations and migratory movements and to optimize protective measures for wild cats. In Baden-Wuerttemberg , the wildcat has been considered to have disappeared since 1912, until animals run over at the Kaiserstuhl in 2006 and 2007 were clearly identified as wildcats and could thus be detected for the first time since 1912. Therefore, plans are now being made to network the habitats generously in these areas as well. For this reason, Baden-Württemberg has drawn up a general wilderness route plan, which should be included in the general traffic route plan. In June 2009, for the first time in decades, living wild cats were found near Bühl . After a dead wildcat was found in the Stromberg in 2010 , a targeted search was carried out in this area with the help of decoy sticks in the winter of 2010/2011. Several hair samples were found that could be assigned to wildcats by means of DNA analysis . In the meantime, an occurrence of wild cats has also been detected in the Kirchheim unter Teck area.
In 2019, the nature conservation association BUND announced that the wildcat is now populating the entire Saarland again. The wildcat is now at home again in almost all of the larger forest areas in Germany.
Austria
The wildcat was officially considered extinct in Austria. After over fifty years, she is back. After Carinthia and Lower Austria , a wildcat was unequivocally identified in the Tyrolean Paznaun Valley in 2015 . There was further evidence of the shy cat in 2016 in the Mühlviertel in Upper Austria , here by chance from a wildlife camera. For Carinthia, it was possible to provide evidence of reproduction for the first time in 2012 . The species is strictly protected in Austria.
Switzerland
There are no special protection efforts in Switzerland. However, the Center for Fish and Wildlife Medicine in Bern documents and examines cat finds. For the numerical survey, gamekeepers placed wooden pegs impregnated with valerian tincture on paths that are regularly used by animals in the study areas. Cats attracted by the smell rubbed against it. Later, molecular genetic methods were used in the laboratory to determine whether the hair was from wild cats or from domestic cats. A study was started in 2011 to find out what degree of hybridization in cats has reached in Switzerland. It will also depend on the definitive status of the wildcat in the partial revision of the Red List of Mammals in 2012.
Taxonomy
The European wildcat was scientifically named in 1777 by the German physician and naturalist Johann Christian von Schreber . The European wildcat population was generally only regarded as a subspecies that forms the species Felis silvestris together with the African black cat ( Felis silvestris lybica ) and the Asian wildcat ( Felis silvestris ornata ) . However, in a revision of the cat system published in 2017 by the Cat Specialist Group of the IUCN , the European wild cat was given species status. The wild cats of the Caucasus are classified as an independent subspecies ( Felis silvestris caucasica Satunin , 1905). The black cat, the South African wildcat ( Felis lybica cafra ) and the Asian wildcat now form the species Felis lybica here .
The domestic cat is not descended from the European wildcat, but from the falcon cat. The forest cat is not to be confused with some semi-long-haired breeds of domestic cats, which are also known as forest cats , such as the American forest cat (Maine Coon) , the Norwegian forest cat and the Siberian cat , also known as the Siberian forest cat .
literature
- Rudolf Piechocki: The wild cat . Neue Brehm-Bücherei Vol. 189. Westarp 1990. ISBN 3-89432-381-7 .
- Ilse Haseder, Gerhard Stinglwagner: Knaur's large hunting dictionary. Augsburg 2000, keyword: Wildkatze p. 920 ISBN 3-8289-1579-5 .
Web links
- Species profile European wildcat; IUCN / SSC Cat Specialist Group (English)
- Wildcat Project of the Federal Environment and Nature Conservation Germany (BUND)
- Wildcat in Austria Information pages of the Wildcat platform
- Distribution of the wild cat in Westphalia (LWL contribution)
- Felis silvestris ( Memento from April 23, 2015 in the Internet Archive )
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d Kitchener AC, Breitenmoser-Würsten Ch., Eizirik E., Gentry A., Werdelin L., Wilting A., Yamaguchi N., Abramov AV, Christiansen P., Driscoll C., Duckworth JW, Johnson W. ., Luo S.-J., Meijaard E., O'Donoghue P., Sanderson J., Seymour K., Bruford M., Groves C., Hoffmann M., Nowell K., Timmons Z. & Tobe S. 2017. A revised taxonomy of the Felidae. The final report of the Cat Classification Task Force of the IUCN / SSC Cat Specialist Group. Cat News Special Issue 11, 80 pp. Page 15.
- ^ Driscoll, C., Nowell, K. (2010) Felis silvestris . In: IUCN 2011. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.2.
- ↑ Animal of the year 2018: The wildcat deutschewildtierstiftung.de
- ↑ The wild cat is pronatura.ch's animal of the year 2020
- ^ A b c d e Mel E. Sunquist & Fiona C. Sunquist: Family Felidae (Cats). Page 165 and 167 in Don E. Wilson , Russell A. Mittermeier : Handbook of the Mammals of the World - Volume 1 Carnivores. Lynx Editions, 2009, ISBN 978-84-96553-49-1
- ↑ Knapp, J., Herrmann, M., Trinzen, M. (2000) Wildcat Species Protection Project (Felis silvestris) in Rhineland-Palatinate . State Office for Environmental Protection and Trade Supervision, Oppenheim.
- ↑ Dahlbender, B. (2009) Wildcats are back in Baden-Württemberg . BUND Landesverband Baden-Württemberg e. V., press conference February 2, 2009
- ^ Animals in the nature of the Bavarian Forest National Park. Retrieved May 20, 2020 .
- ↑ In 2011 the Lower Saxony State Forests found five wild cats in the Elm. Reference to www.landesforsten.de ( Memento from September 7, 2017 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ 2017 was a good year for the European wildcat - BUND succeeded in providing evidence for the first time nationwide. Retrieved January 23, 2020 .
- ↑ Where extinct species reappear: The Schaffhausen Regional Nature Park , on shn.ch
- ↑ Wildcat as a new guest in the Schaffhausen Nature Park , on wochenblatt.net
- ↑ Page 2 - Schaffhauser Bock 2019 No. 02 ( Memento from December 24, 2019 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ Bauer, K. (2001) Wildcat Felis silvestris SCHREBER, 1775. In: Spitzenberger F. (ed.) (2001) The mammal fauna of Austria . Green series of the BMLFUW, Vienna 13: 665–671.
- ↑ Wildcat Reporting and Coordination Office Situation of the wildcat in Austria Naturschutzbund Österreich
- ↑ Nowell, K. and Jackson, P. 1996. Wild Cats. Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan. IUCN / SSC Cat Specialist Group, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK.
- ↑ Witzenberger KA, Hochkirch A. (2014) The genetic integrity of the ex situ population of the European wildcat (Felis silvestris silvestris) is seriously threatened by introgression from domestic cats (Felis silvestris catus). PLOS One 8: e106083
- ↑ Haseder p. 112 and p. 920
- ↑ Species in particular responsibility of Germany on the homepage of the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation, accessed on June 3, 2016.
- ↑ Fremuth, W .; Wachendörfer, V. (2009): Return on quiet paws: Wildcats in Germany. In: ZGF Gorilla, 4/2009.
- ↑ The wildcat is reproducing again at the Kaiserstuhl , on waldwissen.net, accessed on May 20, 2020
- ↑ Wildcats in the Stromberg Nature Park
- ↑ Preserving diversity - Home - Teckbote. Retrieved March 11, 2020 .
- ^ WORLD: Association: Wildcats colonize the entire Saarland again . July 1, 2019 ( welt.de [accessed July 1, 2019]).
- ^ Claus Peter Müller: More shy forest dwellers. In: FAZ.net . June 21, 2016, accessed October 13, 2018 .
- ↑ Austria's wildcat researchers have reason to be happy , accessed on July 30, 2017.
- ↑ Wildcat in Austria , accessed on July 30, 2017.
- ↑ The search for wild cats in Carinthia , accessed on July 30, 2017.
- ↑ Hope for the Wildcat. In: nzz.ch. March 17, 2011, accessed October 14, 2018 .
- ↑ Schreber JCD 1777. The mammals in illustrations according to nature with descriptions. Volume 3 (23). Wolfgang Walther, Erlangen.
Bat (1992) | Wildcat (1993) | Deer (1994) | Apollofalter (1995) | European hamster (1996) | Alpine Ibex (1997) | Toad (1998) | Otter (1999) | Aesculapian Snake (2000) | Brown hare (2001) | Deer (2002) | Wolf (2003) | Dormouse (2004) | Brown Bear (2005) | Seal (2006) | Moose (2007) | Wisent (2008) | Brown-breasted Hedgehog (2009) | Badger (2010) | Lynx (2011) | Chamois (2012) | Mauswiesel (2013) | Wisent (2014) | Brown Hare (2015) | European hamster (2016) | Dormouse (2017) | European wildcat (2018) | Deer (2019) | Mole (2020)
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