IUCN/SSC Cat Specialist Group Library

IUCN / SSC Cat Specialist Group - Digital Cat Library

View printer friendly
Gerngross, P.; Ghoddousi, A.
Afro-Asiatic and European wildcats: first IUCN Red List assessments
2022 Cat News (76): 9-11
In March 2022, first Red List Assessments of the Afro-Asiatic wildcat _Felis lybica_ (Ghoddousi et al. 2022) and European wildcat _Felis silvestris _(Gerngross et al. 2022) for the IUCN Red List of Threatened SpeciesTM were completed. There was a need for new assessments of these two species as they were recognized as distinct species in 2017. Both species have a wide distribution across three continents but are threatened by habitat modification and hybridization with domestic cats. Importantly, the distribution of both species likely overlaps in Anatolia and the Caucasus, calling for future genetic studies focused on these regions. The reduced scale of the assessments due to taxonomic split allowed for compiling information at a much higher resolution than in the previous efforts. However, further studies of the distribution and threats are required. Given the available data, both species were classified as Least Concern.
	PDF files are only accessible to Friends of the Cat Group. Joining Friends of the Cat Group gives you unlimited access and downloads in the Cat SG Library for one year, and allows you to receive our newsletter Cat News (2 regular issues per year plus special issues). More information how to join here