Falcon

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The falcon or African wild cat (Felis lybica lybica, Syn.: Felis silvestris lybica) is the nominate form of the wild cat species Felis lybica and occurs in Africa north of the Congo Basin and Rovumas, in the Levant and in the Arabian Peninsula. The falcon is the wild parent form of the domestic cat (Felis catus).

Features
The falcon looks and shapes strongly resemble the (short-haired) domestic cats. It is sand colored (beige to gray or reddish) and slim. Specimens living in arid regions are usually brighter and less markedly striped or dotted than those in humider areas. The coat is soft and the hair often has black tips with a lighter area underneath. The abdominal side is whitish or bright orange, the chin is white. The backs of the ears are strikingly reddish brown. The tail is long and thin, showing two or three black rings in front of the black tip. The bottoms of the paws are black. The length of the head to the tail is 40 to 66.5 cm, the length of the tail is 24 to 37 cm. It usually weighs 2.4 to 6.4 kg. The animals are more long-legged than domestic cats and the body therefore assumes an almost vertical position when seated. It differs significantly from the European wild cat (Felis silvestris) in the morphometry of the skull.

Due to thousands of years of strong (re-)mixing with domestic cats, however, there are almost no pure-blooded falcons anymore, the animals are in many places hardly distinguishable from feral domestic cats.

Distribution and habitat

Falcons are common in North, West and East Africa approximately north of the border between Mozambique and Tanzania, with the exception of the tropical rainforests and the very dry areas of the Sahara, and they are also found in the Levant, in some not too dry areas on the Arabian Peninsula, in southeastern Iraq, as well as on the Italian islands of Sicily and Sardinia. They live in a variety of habitats, from the semi-desert to the savannah and from sea level to altitudes of 3000 meters. In tropical rainforests and regions with less than 100 mm of rain per year, they do not occur. Falcons also live in agricultural areas and on the edges of villages and towns, where they come into contact with domestic cats. They need cover for hunting and to escape larger predators. In the Ngorongoro crater it was observed that they fled in dangerous situations into the earthworks of other species.

Originally, several subspecies of the wild cat were described, which correspond to the falcon type. Today, most are grouped into the subspecies Felis l. lybica. Only in southern Africa, Felis l. cafra is a subspecies distinguishable from the falcon.

Lifestyle and nutrition
Falf cats are usually seen individually and are considered to be loners forming territory. Depending on the local condition