TRUE wildcats are alive and well and living in Scotland, say British
geneticists. The researchers have shown that there is still a distinct Scottish
population of wildcats, dispelling fears that interbreeding with domestic cats
has fatally compromised the wildcat’s independent existence in Scotland.
The European wildcat (Felis silvestris silvestris) lives in woodland
all over Europe, but in Britain it only survives in Scotland. The domestic cat
is descended from the African wildcat (Felis silvestris lybica).
African and European wildcats diverged from their common ancestor more than
20,000 years ago.
To study the effect of interbreeding, Mark Beaumont of…
