Final part.
A relatively new charity, the Scottish wildcat association has a range of projects, including the establishment of a wildcat haven and captive breeding to boost numbers and the long term survival of this magical animal. Wildcats also have the same range of vocalisations as domestic cats, including purring,meowing,hissing and growling. Except during the mating season, they tend to be quiet animals, vocalising only when they are close to each other. The wildcat is extremely wary of humans, and tends to avoid approaching human settlements. Legends of cats hanging from tree branches by a hook at the end of their tail, dropping onto passing crofters and tearing out their throats are the stuff of fantasy, left over from the middle ages suspicion of cats as agents of witches and maintained through the Victorian era to fuel and justify the persecution of the cats.
Showing posts with label scottish wildcat. Show all posts
Showing posts with label scottish wildcat. Show all posts
Wednesday, 6 June 2012
Thursday, 17 May 2012
Scottish wildcat.
Part three.
Wildcats typically breed only once a year, from January to March, with most births between April and May. Litters of kittens are typically between one and five. Males tend to hold larger territories than females, and their ranges often overlap with three to six neighbouring females. Wildcats of both sexes mark their ranges by depositing faeces in prominent locations and by leaving scent marks through urine spraying, cheek rubbing and scratching the ground. Female wildcats come into heat once a year for a short period in January or February and advertise their readiness for mating through scent marking and night time caterwauling miaows. If a male is in the locality, the pair come together for a brief mating before parting forever. The wildcat is a carnivore, most of its prey consists of small mammals, mainly rodents and rabbits. Wildcats are less fearful of water than domestic cats and are thought to occasionally fish, dipping their paws into shallow burns or loch edges to try and scoop out passing fish.
Wildcats typically breed only once a year, from January to March, with most births between April and May. Litters of kittens are typically between one and five. Males tend to hold larger territories than females, and their ranges often overlap with three to six neighbouring females. Wildcats of both sexes mark their ranges by depositing faeces in prominent locations and by leaving scent marks through urine spraying, cheek rubbing and scratching the ground. Female wildcats come into heat once a year for a short period in January or February and advertise their readiness for mating through scent marking and night time caterwauling miaows. If a male is in the locality, the pair come together for a brief mating before parting forever. The wildcat is a carnivore, most of its prey consists of small mammals, mainly rodents and rabbits. Wildcats are less fearful of water than domestic cats and are thought to occasionally fish, dipping their paws into shallow burns or loch edges to try and scoop out passing fish.
Sunday, 13 May 2012
Scottish wildcat.
Part two.
Originally a forest creature, Scotland's heavy deforestation has forced the wildcat to evolve and utilise everything available to it. They require some degree of cover from which to stalk or ambush their prey, but almost any form of cover is suitable, including scrubland, rocky terrain and agricultural land. The main threats to the survival of the wildcat are hybridisation, and competition with feral domestic cats. Other significant threats are on-going habitat loss, fragmentation and degradation in some areas. Road kill and in some areas, persecution are also problems.
Originally a forest creature, Scotland's heavy deforestation has forced the wildcat to evolve and utilise everything available to it. They require some degree of cover from which to stalk or ambush their prey, but almost any form of cover is suitable, including scrubland, rocky terrain and agricultural land. The main threats to the survival of the wildcat are hybridisation, and competition with feral domestic cats. Other significant threats are on-going habitat loss, fragmentation and degradation in some areas. Road kill and in some areas, persecution are also problems.
Monday, 30 April 2012
Scottish wildcat.
Part one.
The wildcat is, pound for pound, one of the most impressive predators in the world. The secretive feline used to roam across the UK, just as the lynx and the wolf once did, but today, there are fewer than four hundred wildcats remaining in the sottish highlands. They may look a little like your pet cat but they are tough, untameable and sometimes called the tiger of the highlands. The wildcat resemble a very muscular domestic tabby in appearance, with yellow/ medium-brown fur and black spots or stripes. Most apparent is the beautiful tail , which is thick and ringed with perfect bands of black and brown ending in a blunt black tip. The Scottish form is the largest in the wildcat family, with males typically between 6-9 kgs and females between 5-7 kgs. This is about 50% larger than a domestic cat. A study suggests that current house cats are descendants from a group of self-domesticating wildcats 10,000 years ago, somewhere in Eastern Europe. Fossil remains suggest that the biggest ever wildcat measured 1.2 m from nose to tail and may gave weighed 14 kgs.
The wildcat is, pound for pound, one of the most impressive predators in the world. The secretive feline used to roam across the UK, just as the lynx and the wolf once did, but today, there are fewer than four hundred wildcats remaining in the sottish highlands. They may look a little like your pet cat but they are tough, untameable and sometimes called the tiger of the highlands. The wildcat resemble a very muscular domestic tabby in appearance, with yellow/ medium-brown fur and black spots or stripes. Most apparent is the beautiful tail , which is thick and ringed with perfect bands of black and brown ending in a blunt black tip. The Scottish form is the largest in the wildcat family, with males typically between 6-9 kgs and females between 5-7 kgs. This is about 50% larger than a domestic cat. A study suggests that current house cats are descendants from a group of self-domesticating wildcats 10,000 years ago, somewhere in Eastern Europe. Fossil remains suggest that the biggest ever wildcat measured 1.2 m from nose to tail and may gave weighed 14 kgs.
Sunday, 11 September 2011
Habitats.
Part nine life in a natural pine forest.
Fragments on Britain`s primeval wilderness live on in Scotland, where they harbour a wealth of rare wildlife. Britain`s only large native conifer, the Scots pine, was once more exploited for its valuable timber, but now most forest tracts containing this survivor from prehistoric times are protected in nature reserves. They can be seen in such places as Glen Affric, which is west of Inverness, on Deeside and Speyside, they can also be found in the black wood of Rannoch. The pine forest protects, in turn, the elusive pine martin and the Scottish wildcat(i will be doing a separate blog about the Scottish wild cat in a later blog). The Scots pine also shelter the capercaillie. This amazing bird, with its fantastic mating call and ritual was once extinct in the British Isles. The crested tit also has a population, using hollows in some of the old trees to build their nest. There are also rare and unusual wild plants that flourish in the pine forests. These include chickweed wintergreen, common wintergreen, there are orchids such as the creeping lady`s tresses. Heather and bilberry`s are common throughout the pine forest. Bell heather grows in the driest areas, white cross-leaved heath, bog asphodel, grass of parnassus and the amazing bog myrtle and its beautiful fragrant are found in the damper areas. Its also an amazing place to come and watch Britain's largest land mammal, the red deer. Birds of prey such as the hen harrier also flourish in the pine forset. The osprey is also now well established on the forest lochs, where it can be seen hunting for fish. The Golden eagle is also well established amongst the pine forest. The remnants of the once-extensive Caledonian pine forests today form attractive, open woodlands which regenerate themselves freely and contain trees of various ages. The older trees have flattish tops and bare stems, whereas younger trees are narrow-crowned, with branches to the ground. Young pines spring up in the open woodland unless the heather and moss become very dense, then the pine seeds cannot reach the soil. There is another native conifer that has established itself in the pine forset, the much smaller juniper. The remoter areas of the pine forest provide cover and feeding ground for the three native (shy) animals, the red deer,the Scottish wildcat and the pine martin, although the latter can be lured out by jam sandwiches.
Fragments on Britain`s primeval wilderness live on in Scotland, where they harbour a wealth of rare wildlife. Britain`s only large native conifer, the Scots pine, was once more exploited for its valuable timber, but now most forest tracts containing this survivor from prehistoric times are protected in nature reserves. They can be seen in such places as Glen Affric, which is west of Inverness, on Deeside and Speyside, they can also be found in the black wood of Rannoch. The pine forest protects, in turn, the elusive pine martin and the Scottish wildcat(i will be doing a separate blog about the Scottish wild cat in a later blog). The Scots pine also shelter the capercaillie. This amazing bird, with its fantastic mating call and ritual was once extinct in the British Isles. The crested tit also has a population, using hollows in some of the old trees to build their nest. There are also rare and unusual wild plants that flourish in the pine forests. These include chickweed wintergreen, common wintergreen, there are orchids such as the creeping lady`s tresses. Heather and bilberry`s are common throughout the pine forest. Bell heather grows in the driest areas, white cross-leaved heath, bog asphodel, grass of parnassus and the amazing bog myrtle and its beautiful fragrant are found in the damper areas. Its also an amazing place to come and watch Britain's largest land mammal, the red deer. Birds of prey such as the hen harrier also flourish in the pine forset. The osprey is also now well established on the forest lochs, where it can be seen hunting for fish. The Golden eagle is also well established amongst the pine forest. The remnants of the once-extensive Caledonian pine forests today form attractive, open woodlands which regenerate themselves freely and contain trees of various ages. The older trees have flattish tops and bare stems, whereas younger trees are narrow-crowned, with branches to the ground. Young pines spring up in the open woodland unless the heather and moss become very dense, then the pine seeds cannot reach the soil. There is another native conifer that has established itself in the pine forset, the much smaller juniper. The remoter areas of the pine forest provide cover and feeding ground for the three native (shy) animals, the red deer,the Scottish wildcat and the pine martin, although the latter can be lured out by jam sandwiches.
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