Felis
Encyclopedia
Felis is a genus
of cats in the family Felidae
, including the familiar domestic cat and its closest wild relatives. The wild species are distributed widely across Europe
, southern and central Asia
, and Africa
; the domestic cat has been introduced worldwide.
Members of the genus Felis are all small felines, with a more or less close resemblance to the domestic cat. The smallest species is the sand cat, which may be less than 40 centimetres (15.7 in) in length, while the largest is the jungle cat, which can reach 94 centimetres (37 in). They inhabit a range of different habitats, from swampland to desert, and generally feed on small rodent
s, supplementing their diet with bird
s and other small animals, depending on their local environment.
Genetic studies indicate that the genus Felis first evolved around eight to ten million years ago, probably in the Mediterranean region.
) has seen many permutations over the years, and nearly all other species of the family were at one point placed in the genus Felis.
identified forty taxa previously described as separate species as actually being subspecies
of Felis silvestris, thus greatly reducing the size of the genus. Today, few of these subspecies are recognised as being distinct, while the majority of species of small cat have been separated off into their own genera, such as Leopardus
and Puma
.
Pallas's Cat has an especially complicated taxonomic history. The bloated genus was later split into many smaller genera, resulting in Pallas's Cat being reclassified as the only member of the genus Otocolobus. However, during the late 20th century Pallas's Cat was considered to be closely related to the remaining species of the genus Felis and was classified accordingly. Finally, recent research has shown Pallas's Cat to be closely related to both Felis and Prionailurus
. As a result, the genus Otocolobus has been resurrected and Pallas's Cat has been reclassified (again).
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of cats in the family Felidae
Felidae
Felidae is the biological family of the cats; a member of this family is called a felid. Felids are the strictest carnivores of the thirteen terrestrial families in the order Carnivora, although the three families of marine mammals comprising the superfamily pinnipedia are as carnivorous as the...
, including the familiar domestic cat and its closest wild relatives. The wild species are distributed widely across Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, southern and central Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
, and Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
; the domestic cat has been introduced worldwide.
Members of the genus Felis are all small felines, with a more or less close resemblance to the domestic cat. The smallest species is the sand cat, which may be less than 40 centimetres (15.7 in) in length, while the largest is the jungle cat, which can reach 94 centimetres (37 in). They inhabit a range of different habitats, from swampland to desert, and generally feed on small rodent
Rodent
Rodentia is an order of mammals also known as rodents, characterised by two continuously growing incisors in the upper and lower jaws which must be kept short by gnawing....
s, supplementing their diet with bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
s and other small animals, depending on their local environment.
Genetic studies indicate that the genus Felis first evolved around eight to ten million years ago, probably in the Mediterranean region.
Species
The genus Felis is currently considered to consist of six living species, although the domestic cat and Chinese mountain cat are sometimes considered subspecies of F. silvestris.- Felis chausJungle CatThe jungle cat is a medium-sized cat and considered the largest remaining species of the wild cat genus Felis. The species is also called the swamp lynx but is not closely related to the lynxes....
(SchreberJohann Christian Daniel von SchreberJohann Christian Daniel von Schreber , often styled I.C.D. von Schreber, was a German naturalist.-Career:He was elected Professor of Materia medica at the University of Erlangen in 1769....
, 1777) – Jungle Cat - Felis margaritaSand CatThe sand cat , also referred to as the "sand dune cat", is a small wild cat distributed over African and Asian deserts. The Sand cat lives in arid areas that are too hot and dry even for the African Wildcat: the Sahara, the Arabian Desert, and the deserts of Iran and...
(LocheVictor LocheVictor Loche was a French soldier and naturalist. He was the author of Histoire naturelle des mammifères de l'Algérie and Histoire naturelle des Oiseaux de l'Algérie . Loche first described the Sand Cat , which he identified as a distinct species while exploring the North Sahara.-References:...
, 1858) – Sand Cat - Felis nigripesBlack-footed CatThe black-footed cat is the smallest African cat, and is endemic in the south west arid zone of the southern African subregion. It is one of the lesser studied African carnivores, and has been listed as Vulnerable by IUCN since 2002....
(BurchellWilliam John BurchellWilliam John Burchell was an English explorer, naturalist, traveller, artist and author. He was the son of Matthew Burchell, botanist and owner of Fulham Nursery, nine and a half acres of land adjacent to the gardens of Fulham Palace. Burchell served a botanical apprenticeship at Kew and was...
, 1824) – Black-footed Cat - Felis silvestrisWildcatWildcat is a small felid native to Europe, the western part of Asia, and Africa.-Animals:Wildcat may also refer to members of the genus Lynx:...
(SchreberJohann Christian Daniel von SchreberJohann Christian Daniel von Schreber , often styled I.C.D. von Schreber, was a German naturalist.-Career:He was elected Professor of Materia medica at the University of Erlangen in 1769....
, 1775) – Wildcat - Felis catusCatThe cat , also known as the domestic cat or housecat to distinguish it from other felids and felines, is a small, usually furry, domesticated, carnivorous mammal that is valued by humans for its companionship and for its ability to hunt vermin and household pests...
(Linnaeus, 1758) – Domestic Cat - Felis bieti (Milne-EdwardsAlphonse Milne-EdwardsAlphonse Milne-Edwards was a French mammalologist, ornithologist and carcinologist. He was English in origin, the son of Henri Milne-Edwards and grandson of Bryan Edwards, a Jamaican planter who settled at Bruges .Milne-Edwards obtained a medical degree in 1859 and became assistant to his father...
, 1892) – Chinese Mountain Cat - Felis atticaFelis atticaFelis attica is an extinct felid of the subfamily Felinae. Around 12 million years ago, the genus Felis appeared and eventually gave rise to many of the modern small cats...
(WagnerJohann Andreas WagnerJohann Andreas Wagner was a German palaeontologist, zoologist and archaeologist.Wagner was a professor at the University of Munich, and curator of the Zoologische Staatssammlung ....
, 1857) – (extinct) - Felis lunensis (Martelli, 1906) – Martelli's Cat (extinct)
Formerly placed here
The classification of the cat family (FelidaeFelidae
Felidae is the biological family of the cats; a member of this family is called a felid. Felids are the strictest carnivores of the thirteen terrestrial families in the order Carnivora, although the three families of marine mammals comprising the superfamily pinnipedia are as carnivorous as the...
) has seen many permutations over the years, and nearly all other species of the family were at one point placed in the genus Felis.
Taxonomy
Felis once contained most of the small cats, and at times contained a very large number of species. In 1951, the zoologist Reginald Innes PocockReginald Innes Pocock
Reginald Innes Pocock F.R.S. was a British zoologist.Pocock was born in Clifton, Bristol, the fourth son of Rev. Nicholas Pocock and Edith Prichard. He began showing interest in natural history at St. Edward's School, Oxford. He received tutoring in zoology from Sir Edward Poulton, and was allowed...
identified forty taxa previously described as separate species as actually being subspecies
Subspecies
Subspecies in biological classification, is either a taxonomic rank subordinate to species, ora taxonomic unit in that rank . A subspecies cannot be recognized in isolation: a species will either be recognized as having no subspecies at all or two or more, never just one...
of Felis silvestris, thus greatly reducing the size of the genus. Today, few of these subspecies are recognised as being distinct, while the majority of species of small cat have been separated off into their own genera, such as Leopardus
Leopardus
Leopardus is a genus consisting of small spotted cats mostly native to Middle and South America. Very few range into the southern United States. The genus is considered the oldest branch of the part of the cat family to cross into the Americas, followed by the genera Lynx and Puma...
and Puma
Puma (genus)
Puma is a genus in Felidae that contains the cougar and the jaguarundi, and may also include several poorly known Old World fossil representatives .-Species:*Puma concolor – CougarPuma pardoides Puma is a genus in Felidae that contains the cougar (also known as the puma, among other names)...
.
Pallas's Cat has an especially complicated taxonomic history. The bloated genus was later split into many smaller genera, resulting in Pallas's Cat being reclassified as the only member of the genus Otocolobus. However, during the late 20th century Pallas's Cat was considered to be closely related to the remaining species of the genus Felis and was classified accordingly. Finally, recent research has shown Pallas's Cat to be closely related to both Felis and Prionailurus
Prionailurus
Prionailurus is a genus of four species of small, spotted wild cats found in Asia. They are typically forest-dwelling. Most are able to swim well; some species are actually semi-aquatic and feed mainly on fish and other aquatic animals....
. As a result, the genus Otocolobus has been resurrected and Pallas's Cat has been reclassified (again).