Native Wild Cats Uk

European wildcat in Britain.

Native wild cats uk. The jaguar is a solitary wild cat and normally lives and hunts alone. According to media reports mysterious big cats have been seen all over Britain including in Staffordshire Lincolnshire Devon Fife and Hertfordshire. Today there are only three European wild cats that are native to the area the European wildcat Eurasian lynx and Iberian lynx.

Wild Ireland Lynx. Most wild cat species are proficient climbers often entering the trees either to rest hunt or to seek refuge from predators. These predators are not domestic cats which have become feral.

Wild cats are solitary territorial animals. The original Celtic Tiger the Eurasian lynx is a large cat that once roamed Ireland. Of the 40 wild cat species only the lion typically lives and hunts in groups.

Jaguars normally hunt on the ground but will also climb trees and pounce on their prey from above. Britain has only one species of native cat the European wildcat. They are therefore one of our native cats along with the long-extinct lynx.

The Scottish wildcat was once widely distributed across Great Britain but the population has declined drastically since the turn of the 20th. In 1903 the body of a Canadian lynx was donated to Bristol Museum. A long time ago Europe was home to many different species of wild cats.

A number of exotic breeds are being hybridised with domestic cats to create wild-looking pets with docile temperaments eg. The Chausie and the Bengal. The name jaguar is derived from the Native American word yaguar which means he who kills with one leap.