The African wildcat (Felis lybica) is a small wildcat species native to Africa, West and Central Asia, extending to parts of India and China. It has sandy grey fur with pale vertical stripes on the sides and around the face, with distinctive dark rings on its legs and a striped tail ending in a black tip. It is smaller and less bushy-tailed than the European wildcat and has longer legs giving it a more upright posture. This wildcat inhabits a wide variety of habitats ranging from deserts to savannas, shrublands, and grasslands, but is absent from dense tropical rainforests. The African wildcat is mainly nocturnal and solitary, hunting primarily rodents, birds, reptiles, and insects. It has excellent hearing and stalks prey patiently. Mating generally occurs early in the year, with a gestation period of about 56 to 68 days, producing litters of one to five kittens. The African wildcat is considered the ancestor of the domestic cat, with domestication events dating back about 10,000 years in the Near East. Hybridization with domestic cats is a significant threat to the genetic purity of African wildcats today, especially near human settlements. This species is territorial and uses scent marking for communication, living across a vast range from North Africa, through East and Southern Africa, parts of the Arabian Peninsula, Central Asia, and into India and China. It adapts well to various environments but prefers rugged terrain in deserts and is more commonly found in areas with sufficient prey populations. In size, males typically range from about 47 to 60 cm in body length with tails around 25 to 37 cm, weighing between 3.2 to 4.5 kg. Females are generally smaller. The African wildcat can live up to 15 years in captivity and possibly somewhat less in the wild. Overall, the African wildcat is a key species in understanding the evolution and domestication of the house cat and remains an important wild feline species across its range.