Martelli's cat
Martelli's cat (Felis lunensis) is a small wild cat in the Felinae subfamily. It used to live in Europe. It is extinct now. That means there are no Martelli's cats alive now.
| Martelli's cat | |
|---|---|
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| A bone from the jaw of a Martelli's cat. | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Carnivora |
| Suborder: | Feliformia |
| Family: | Felidae |
| Subfamily: | Felinae |
| Genus: | Felis |
| Species: | F. lunensis |
| Binomial name | |
| Felis lunensis | |
Martelli's cat first lived about 12 million years ago. This was during the Pliocene era. It was bigger than most wildcats. It hunted birds and small mammals.[1]
Some scientists think that the modern wildcat (Felis silvestris) evolved from Martelli's cat.[2]
References
- Alexandra Powe Allred (May 14, 2014). Cats' Most Wanted: The Top 10 Book of Mysterious Mousers, Talented Tabbies, and Feline Oddities. Potomac Books. ISBN 9781612342931. Retrieved August 5, 2020.
- Nobuyuki Yamaguchi; Carlos A. Driscoll; Andrew C. Kitchener; Jennifer M. Ward; David W. MacDonald (September 2004). "Craniological differentiation between European wildcats (Felis silvestris silvestris), African wildcats (F. s. lybica) and Asian wildcats (F. s. ornata): implications for their evolution and conservation". Biological Journal of the Linnean Society. 83 (1): 47–63. doi:10.1111/j.1095-8312.2004.00372.x. S2CID 86414815. Retrieved August 5, 2020.
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