Higher classification Wildcat Order Carnivores | Rank Subspecies | |
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Scientific name Felis silvestris cretensis Similar Wildcat, Felis, Corsican wildcat, Mammal, Southern African wildcat | ||
Felis silvestris cretensis the cretan wildcat
The Cretan wildcat (Felis silvestris cretensis; Greek: φουρόγατος, fourógatos) is a European wildcat subspecies that inhabits the Greek island of Crete and was first described in 1953.
Long feared extinct, participants of an expedition by the University of Perugia, led by Alessandra Bellardinelli, managed to capture an individual in 1996. They named the wildcat that they captured 'Jack'. Two hypotheses of how wildcats arrived on the island have been suggested:
References
Cretan wildcat Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA