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Dragesco-Joffe, A.
The African Wildcat, ancestor of the domestic cat
1993 Book Chapter
Wildcats living in the Sahara have the peculiarity of being a little smaller than those which live in other regions of Africa. The males measure an average of 1.05m. in total length (their tail of 35 cm included) and seem rarely to weigh more than 4 kg (maximum 5 kg). The females are even slightly smaller (5 to 10%). The name of "tawny cat" (Falbkatze), given to the species by the Germans, well suits those forms that live in the steppes and deserts, whose coat always has yellow verging slightly on rust as the dominant colour. At the same time, I noticed that, in Niger, there could be significant differences between individuals. was this due to mating with feral cats? The wildcat which illustrates this chapter, for example, is distinguished by an almost uniform greyish-yellow coat and, above all , by the absence of brown rings below the elbows and knees: it was photographed on 27 October 1983 on the Azouak plain.
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