It looks like a small cat, yet the forest cat is a wildfeline! Long hunted for its skin or its alleged impact on game, it had left the region for the Pyrenees or the Grand Est. But in recent years, theOffice français de la Biodiversité (French Biodiversity Office ) has noticed its return to the forests of the Île-de-France region, thanks to ecological corridors - passages that link natural areas and enable animals to travel safely amidst the region's urbanization.
In an explanatory video from the Muséum national d'histoire naturelle, we discover this feline, stockier and bushier-tailed than the domestic cat, an animal that doesn't appreciate our company and has never been domesticated. It is best recognized by its four full black rings and a black muff at the tip of the tail. Carnivorous and an excellent hunter, it is just as agile on land as in the water, and even in the air, thanks to its tree-climbing skills. Today, many forest cats are hybrids, due to reproduction with domestic cats.
Felines: a special night-time exhibition at the Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle
They're as adorable as they are dangerous: the Natural History Museum's Grande Galerie de l'Evolution is devoting an exhibition to felines, from March 22, 2023 to April 21, 2024. For an even more special visit, take advantage of the nocturne on March 23, 2024. [Read more]
Official website
www.youtube.com
Felines: a special night-time exhibition at the Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle
