The wild cat in Spain is found in the most remote, wild and lonely wooded areas of our peninsula. It is an animal that is very negatively influenced by the proximity of human beings.
The proliferation of housing developments throughout Spain has pushed back the habitat of this beautiful wild cat. In this article our site will reveal some places where this jewel of nature is still found.
Discover the distribution of the wildcat in Spain, yes, never with the intention of harming the species, rather as tool to enjoy some of the wild animals that still inhabit the peninsula.
Personal experience
A few years ago I was riding my bike through a very remote forest, close to the tiny town of Espoya. A town near Capellades, in the province of Barcelona, when I came out of a bend in a rocky path, I ran into a wildcat perched on an ancient and thick tree
I hope the big cat was as scared as I was, I suppose I lost a few months of life as a result of the scare I got.
Looking at him in photographs or evoking the distant memory of him sitting on the sofa at home, I see a beautiful and powerful animal. However, finding it out of the blue four or five meters away and on your head, I assure you that it is a slightly spooky experience. That icy gaze still makes me shiver.
At that moment I couldn't appreciate her undeniable beauty. As the saying goes: "Things are, depending on the glass through which you look".
Wildcat species in Spain
In Spain there are three varieties of wildcat:
In the north and Mediterranean area of the Iberian Peninsula there are specimens of Felis silvestris silvestris, which is the typical variety Mediterranean forest.
Its specimens are more densely distributed along the Cantabrian Coast and the Pyrenees. In these places it inhabits deciduous forests and alpine rocky areas. They feed mainly on wild birds and rodents. On the Mediterranean slope, the population of the wild cat is lower, due to the greater human density.
The wildcat of the downtown area
The wildcat that inhabits the central zone of the Iberian Peninsula is the subspecies Felis silvestris tartessia.
This bobcat is larger and has darker fur than the peripheral bobcat. Perhaps it is because said cat integrates the rabbit into its diet. The banks of the Duero River and the Tagus River are areas with a high density of this subspecies. There are also important colonies in Andalusia.
The wild cat in Mallorca
On the island of Mallorca there is a subspecies of wildcat known as Felis lybica jordansi. This subspecies comes from the African wildcat.
Its size is smaller than that of the two previous subspecies but no less beautiful for that. We can highlight that its color is lighter, with sandy tones in its coat, which is shorter.
State of the wildcat in Spain
It is a wildcat It is a threatened species in Spain. Agriculture and the expansion of rural areas make life difficult for wildcats. Although it is true that they occasionally mate with female domestic cats, after which they create hybrids.
There are wildcat protection programs, considered fauna of special interest. We must be clear that it is of the utmost importance to care for and respect the species in order to continue enjoying it in the future.
