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The Southern African wildcat (''Felis silvestris cafra'') is one of five subspecies of the wildcat, and is native to southern and south-eastern Africa.〔 It was formerly considered conspecific with the African or Near Eastern wildcat (''F. s. lybica''), but has been recognised as a distinct subspecies on the basis of genetic analysis.〔Driscoll, C. A., Menotti-Raymond, M., Roca, A. L., Hupe, K., Johnson, W. E., Geffen, E., Harley, E., Delibes, M., Pontier, D., Kitchener, A. C., Yamaguchi, N., O’Brien, S. J., Macdonald, D. (2007). (''The near eastern origin of cat domestication'' ). Science 317: 519–523.〕 Morphological evidence suggests the break between the two African subspecies to occur in the south-east, in the area of Tanzania and Mozambique. In Afrikaans it is called 'vaalboskat'; in Swahili 'kaka mwiw', 'kimbum', or 'kaka pori'; in Herero 'ochawhi'; in Ndebele 'igola'. It is also known in English as the 'bush cat'.〔Hamerton, D. (Felis silvestris cafra (African wild cat) ). Biodiversity Explorer, (Iziko Museums of South Africa )〕 ==Characteristics== The body of the Southern African wildcat is marked with vertical stripes but these can vary from faint to quite distinct. The tail is ringed with black and has a black tip. The chin and throat are white and the chest is usually paler than the rest of the body. The feet are jet black underneath. There are two colour phases; iron-grey, with black and whitish speckling, and tawny-grey, with less black and more buffy speckling. In appearance it is very similar to a domestic cat, although the legs are proportionately longer. The most distinguishable characteristic is the rich reddish-brown colour on the backs of the ears, over the belly and on the back legs. Its body length is with a long tail; and weight range . 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Southern African wildcat」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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