Wild+cats

= Wildcats =

The wildcat is categorized in the animal kingdom as carnivores. The wildcat can weigh from 7 to 18 pounds and stand from 14 to 16 inches tall. The animal can vary in color displaying gray, brown, and black, many with stripes. The wildcats in Machu Picchu are usually tan/brown with dark brown/black stripes. Wildcats normally live in the forest or occasionally in rocky or woodland areas. A wildcat can give birth to 1 to 5 kittens in a litter. At birth, wildcat kittens can weigh about 2.75 to 4.5 ounces, but the kittens normally won't open their eyes till the 10th day after birth and do not walk until the 16th to 20th day after birth. They began to walk at 12 weeks and become independent by 5 months. Wildcat's main diet consists of rodents, hares, birds, reptiles, amphibians, young antelope, insects and arachnids. The main threat for this cat is the hybridization of the population with domestic cats. Wildcats are not extremely rare but are hard to find. There are around 180 in zoos worldwide and 66 being in the U.S.

By: Leah Barys