Have you ever heard that there are numerous species of cats?
In this massive big world, there are 38 species of wildcats and one domestic cat. The smallest wildcats species is an African wildcat. Their sizes are almost identical to domestic cats. Millions of people are still confused about the difference between African wildcats and domestic cats. They are furry animals with adorable-looking faces whose everyone wants to bring home. They also can be found across Europe, Africa, America, and Asia. In this essay, you will learn about the similarities and differences between African wildcats and domestic cats in terms of their taxonomy, physical appearance, and behavior.
African wildcat. Domestic cat
In taxonomy, domestic cats and African wildcats are almost identical because they share the same kingdom: Animalia, class: Mammalia, order: carnivores, family: Felidae, and genus: Felis. Felidae is animals with a flexible body, muscular limbs, a vital tooth, and a large eye with solid binocular vision. Lion, cheetah, jaguar, and other cats are included. So, domestic cats and African wildcats are apples to apples. However, They have different species. The species of African wildcat is Felis lybica. On the other hand, the species of a domestic cat is Felis catus. The difference between these species can be seen from their physical appearance
At first glance, African wildcats and domestic cats almost look the same because they have retractable claws with solid and flexible forelimbs and a slender-muscular body like an athlete. They also have the same weight, around 4kg. Nevertheless, African wildcats have longer bodies and thicker tails than domestic cats. The tail of an African wildcat is as long as a snake. It helps balance while climbing and chasing prey.
Furthermore, African wildcats are taller than domestic cats because they have longer legs for running, leaping, pouncing, and seeking refuge in trees. They both have similar fur patterns, sandy brown to yellow-grey with a black stripe on the tail. However, the most significant difference is that African wildcats have a rich reddish-brown on the back of the ears, while domestic cats have dark grey or black-backed ears.
Apart from physical appearance, they also have divergent behavior, especially in social interaction. Domestic cats are social animals who live in groups and interact with humans, whereas African wildcats are introverted and solitary animals. To fulfill their needs, Both African wildcat and domestic cats are nocturnal animals and mainly hunt at nighttime using their razor-sharp knives eyes. They typically hunt for rodents, birds, reptiles, frogs, and insects. To survive, both of them can adapt to a range of habitats. However, African wildcats struggle to adapt in a tropical rainforest. Quoted from southafrica.co.za, "African wildcats peak breeding seasons occurs between July and January with the gestation. At the same time, domestic cats breed three times a year with the same gestation period".
African wildcats and domestic cats have more similarities than differences in taxonomy, physical appearance, and behavior. However, that doesn't mean that they are the same. They have some characteristics to distinguish each other, such as longer legs and marks behind their ears. Besides that, African wildcats are more individualist. With all these facts, we can conclude that African wildcats and domestic cats are different species with the same family.
Bibliography African wildcat, International Society for Endangered Cats (ISEC) Canada
The difference between domestic cats and African wildcats, Purina.com
Stories of African Wildcat, Africa geographic
African wildcat, britannica
Cats Breeds & Facts, Britannica
Domestic cat, National Geographic
Domestic cat, Science Direct
African Wildcat, CatSG
Africa Wild Cats - House Tabby Cat or Native? Kittens Play Sleep Purr Knead Scare & Eat, Dolph C. volker
Secret Creatures: African Wild Cat, Lion Mountain TV
By Luna 7A
About: Hi, my name Byalifa Luna Akhsila. You can call me Luna. Writing this essay is so fun, because i love researching. I also learn that actually African wildcat and domestic cats are different.
Your essay is fun to read Luna and well structured. There is a lot of information on the Domestic cat and African wildcat comparison. From reading the metaphors, I can imagine the animals clearly. Great essay!