Gordon's wildcat
The Arabian wildcat (Felis lybica lybica) is an African wildcat subspecies that inhabits the Arabian Peninsula.
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NocturnalNocturnality is an animal behavior characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal",...
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CarnivoreA carnivore meaning 'meat eater' is an organism that derives its energy and nutrient requirements from a diet consisting mainly or exclusively of a...
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ViviparousAmong animals, viviparity is the development of the embryo inside the body of the parent. The term 'viviparity' and its adjective form 'viviparous'...
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BurrowingA burrow is a hole or tunnel excavated into the ground by an animal to create a space suitable for habitation, temporary refuge, or as a byproduct ...
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TerrestrialTerrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g., cats, ants, snails), as compared with aquatic animals, which liv...
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CursorialA cursorial organism is one that is adapted specifically to run. An animal can be considered cursorial if it has the ability to run fast (e.g. chee...
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AltricialAltricial animals are those species whose newly hatched or born young are relatively immobile. They lack hair or down, are not able to obtain food ...
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TerritorialA territory is a sociographical area that which an animal consistently defends against the conspecific competition (or, occasionally, against anima...
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Ambush predatorAmbush predators are carnivorous animals that capture or trap prey by stealth, luring, or by (typically instinctive) strategies utilizing an elemen...
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Not a migrantAnimals that do not make seasonal movements and stay in their native home ranges all year round are called not migrants or residents.
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starts withThe Arabian wildcat is quite similar to a domestic cat in size and appearance. Its fur is short and dense, greyish-brown, ash grey or buff, with dark markings on the head and dark banding on the body, limbs and near the tip of the tail. The underparts are whitish, and there are black hairs between the black pads on the soles of the feet.
Arabian wildcats are native to northern Oman and parts of the United Arab Emirates. They inhabit semi-desert areas with rock and scrub.
Arabian wildcats are fierce and agile animals. They are nocturnal solitary; males maintain a territory that may measure several square km, and females have a rather smaller territory. Arabian wildcats have several dens, rock crevices, hollow trees, or empty fox burrows, in which they can shelter in different parts of their territory. They hunt at night locating their prey by sound. When the prey is potted they approach it by patiently crawling forward and using vegetation to hide.
Arabian wildcats are carnivores. They feed on jerboas, jirds, and other small rodents, small birds, reptiles, and large insects. They obtain most of their fluid needs from their food.
Little is known about the mating system of Arabian wildcats. They typically breed at most times of the year. The males find the female by the pheromones she produces when she is ready to mate. After the gestation period of about 65 days, females give birth to a litter of 3 or 4 kittens. The young have spotted coats at first and are weaned after 2-3 months, but stay with their mother for several months more to learn hunting and survival skills.
The range of the Arabian wildcat is small and it is one of the most threatened subspecies of wildcat. Historically persecuted by the Bedouin, its habitat is now increasingly being degraded for agricultural purposes. The most serious threat it faces may be that it hybridizes with feral domestic cats, and there may be few purebred Arabian wildcats remaining in the wild.
The IUCN Red List and other sources don’t provide the number of the Arabian wildcat total population size. As a whole, the African wildcat is currently classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List.
