Wildcats
WildCats & WildKittens at the Highland Wildlife Park, Inverness 2012.
How Genetic coding is helping identify and protect this important species.
The Scottish wildcat evolved from a population of European wildcats which became isolated by the English Channel over 9000 years ago.
They are the largest of the wildcat family and can be double the size of a domestic pet cat and infinitely more ferocious.
The Scottish wildcat fur is a great deal thicker than that of a domestic cat.
It displays very distinctive solid black and brown stripes. Spots, broken stripes or white fur are all indications of hybridisation with domestic cats.
Another notable feature is their thick banded tail, perfectly ringed with no dorsal stripe running off of the spine. Imperfect rings or dorsal markings are further signs of hybridisation.
Like all cats, they have outstanding hearing, retractable claws, perfect night vision and a strong powerful body conducive to sprinting and pouncing.
Scottish wildcats are solitary, independent super-predator and mysterious, a wild spirit of the Highlands.