Martelli's cat | |
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A bone from the jaw of a Martelli's cat. | |
Scientific classification ![]() | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Carnivora |
Suborder: | Feliformia |
Family: | Felidae |
Subfamily: | Felinae |
Genus: | Felis |
Species: | F. lunensis
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Binomial name | |
Felis lunensis |
Martelli's cat (Felis lunensis) is a small wild cat in the Felinae subfamily. It used to live in Europe. It is extinct now. That means there are no Martelli's cats alive now.
Martelli's cat first lived about 12 million years ago. This was during the Pliocene era. It was bigger than most wildcats. It hunted birds and small mammals.[1]
Some scientists think that the modern wildcat (Felis silvestris) evolved from Martelli's cat.[2]