True wildcats are alive and well and living in Scotland, say British geneticists. The researchers have shown that there is still a distinct Scottish population of wildcats, dispelling fears that interbreeding with domestic cats has fatally compromised the wildcat's independent existence in Scotland. The European wildcat (Felis silvestris silvestris) lives in woodland all over Europe, but in Britain it only survives in Scotland. The domestic cat is descended from the African wildcat (Felis silvestris lybica). African and European wildcats diverged from their common ancestor more than 20,000 years ago.
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