# Arabian wildcat

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{{Short description|Subspecies of carnivore}}
{{subspeciesbox
| name = Arabian wildcat
| image = Felis silvestris gordoni.jpg
| image_caption = Arabian wildcat at [Olomouc](/source/Olomouc) Zoo
| genus = Felis
| species = lybica
| species_link = Wildcat
| subspecies = lybica
| authority =  [Forster](/source/Georg_Forster), 1780
}}

The '''Arabian wildcat''' ('''''Felis lybica lybica'''''), also called '''Gordon's wildcat''', is an [African wildcat](/source/African_wildcat) [subspecies](/source/subspecies) that inhabits the [Arabian Peninsula](/source/Arabian_Peninsula).

== Taxonomy ==
''Felis silvestris gordoni'' was the [scientific name](/source/scientific_name) proposed by [David Harrison](/source/David_Harrison_(zoologist)) in 1968 for a wildcat collected in [Oman](/source/Oman)'s [Al Batinah Region](/source/Al_Batinah_Region).<ref name=Harrison>{{cite book |author=Harrison, D. |title=The Mammals of Arabia. Volume II: Carnivora, Artiodactyla, Hyracoidea |location=London |year=1968 |publisher=Ernest Benn |isbn=978-0-8018-9533-3 |page=283 |chapter=''Felis silvestris gordoni''}}</ref>
Discovered and named by Sandy Gordon, hence the name Gordon’s wild-cat.
The Arabian wildcat's [taxonomic status](/source/Taxonomy_(biology)) has been debated since the 1990s:
*In the 2005 edition of [Mammal Species of the World](/source/Mammal_Species_of_the_World), it was recognised as a ''Felis silvestris'' [subspecies](/source/subspecies).<ref name=msw3>{{MSW3 Wozencraft |id=14000065 |pages=536–537}}</ref>
*In 2007, following [phylogenetic](/source/phylogenetic) research, it was subsumed to ''F. s. lybica'', the Near Eastern wildcat.<ref>{{cite journal |title=The Near Eastern origin of cat domestication |author=Driscoll, C. A. |author2=Menotti-Raymond, M. |author3=Roca, A. L. |author4=Hupe, K. |author5=Johnson, W. E. |author6=Geffen, E. |author7=Harley, E. H. |author8=Delibes, M. |author9=Pontier, D. |author10=Kitchener, A. C. |author11=Yamaguchi, N. |author12=O’Brien, S. J. |author13=Macdonald, D. W. |journal=Science |volume=317 |year=2007 |issue=5837 |pages=519–523|doi=10.1126/science.1139518 |pmid=17600185 |pmc=5612713 |bibcode=2007Sci...317..519D }}</ref>
*Since 2017, ''[Felis lybica](/source/Felis_lybica)'' is recognised as a wildcat species distinct from [''Felis silvestris''](/source/European_wildcat), and the Arabian wildcat is now recognised as the [nominate subspecies](/source/nominate_subspecies) ''Felis lybica lybica''.<ref name=Catsg2017>{{cite journal |author1=Kitchener, A. C. |author2=Breitenmoser-Würsten, C. |author3=Eizirik, E. |author4=Gentry, A. |author5=Werdelin, L. |author6=Wilting, A. |author7=Yamaguchi, N. |author8=Abramov, A. V. |author9=Christiansen, P. |author10=Driscoll, C. |author11=Duckworth, J. W. |author12=Johnson, W. |author13=Luo, S.-J. |author14=Meijaard, E. |author15=O'Donoghue, P. |author16=Sanderson, J. |author17=Seymour, K. |author18=Bruford, M. |author19=Groves, C. |author20=Hoffmann, M. |author21=Nowell, K. |author22=Timmons, Z. |author23=Tobe, S. |year=2017 |title=A revised taxonomy of the Felidae: The final report of the Cat Classification Task Force of the IUCN Cat Specialist Group |journal=Cat News |issue=Special Issue 11 |pages=17–20 |url=https://repository.si.edu/bitstream/handle/10088/32616/A_revised_Felidae_Taxonomy_CatNews.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y}}</ref>

==Characteristics==
The Arabian wildcat is quite similar to a domestic cat in size and appearance. Its fur is short and dense, greyish-brown, ash grey or buff, with dark markings on the head and dark banding on the body, limbs and near the tip of the tail. The underparts are whitish, and there are black hairs between the black pads on the soles of the feet.<ref name=DesertUSA/>

==Distribution and habitat==
This cat is [endemic](/source/endemic) to northern [Oman](/source/Oman) and parts of the [United Arab Emirates](/source/United_Arab_Emirates). Its typical habitat is semidesert areas with rock and scrub where males maintain a [territory](/source/Territory_(animal)) which may measure several square km, and females a rather smaller territory.<ref name=DesertUSA>{{cite web |url=http://www.desertusa.com/animals/arabian-wildcat.html |title=Arabian wildcat |author=Sharp, J.W. |publisher=DesertUSA |accessdate=4 December 2015}}</ref>

==Ecology==
The Arabian wildcat is nocturnal; it is a solitary animal and has several dens, rock crevices, hollow trees or empty fox burrows, into which it can retreat in different parts of its territory. It feeds on [jerboa](/source/jerboa)s, [jird](/source/jird)s and other small [rodent](/source/rodent)s, small birds, reptiles and large insects, obtaining most of its fluid needs from its food. It is fierce and agile. Breeding takes place at most times of year.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.uaeinteract.com/nature/mammal/mam13.asp |title=Arabian wildcat |work=Natural UAE |publisher=UAEInteract |accessdate=4 December 2015}}</ref> The male is drawn to the female by the [pheromone](/source/pheromone)s she produces when she is sexually receptive. The gestation period is about sixty-five days and the litter size is usually three or four kittens. The young have spotted coats at first and are weaned after two or three months, but stay with their mother for several months more to learn hunting and survival skills.<ref name=DesertUSA/>

==Status==
The range of the Arabian wildcat is small and it is one of the most threatened subspecies of wildcat. Its habitat is now increasingly being degraded for agricultural purposes. The most serious threat it faces may be that it [hybrid](/source/hybrid_(biology))ises with [feral](/source/Feral_animal) domestic cats, and there may be few purebred Arabian wildcats remaining in the wild. With this in mind, a [captive breeding](/source/captive_breeding) program was started in 1986 in [Abu Dhabi](/source/Abu_Dhabi), and other cats have been relocated to California and Germany, with an international studbook being kept at [Cologne Zoological Garden](/source/Cologne_Zoological_Garden).<ref name=ISEC>{{cite web |url=http://www.wildcatconservation.org/wild-cats/eurasia/wildcat-felis-silvestris/gordons-wildcat/ |title=Gordon's Wildcat ''F.s.gordoni'' |publisher=International Society for Endangered Cats |accessdate=4 December 2015 |archive-date=5 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180105124653/http://wildcatconservation.org/wild-cats/eurasia/wildcat-felis-silvestris/gordons-wildcat/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

{{Carnivora|Fe.}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q521594}}

Category:Wildcats
Category:African wildcat subspecies
Category:Mammals described in 1780
Category:Mammals of the Middle East
Category:Mammals of the Arabian Peninsula
Category:Desert fauna

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Arabian wildcat](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arabian_wildcat) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arabian_wildcat?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.