The Puzzling Mammal Found In Corsica That Resembles Both A Cat And A Fox

Though the fox-cat (pictured)   — which are longer than a typical house cat with a bushy tail like a fox — was only recently identified by science, these nocturnal prowlers have long tormented Corsican farmers. In 2008, a fox-cat, with wide ears, short whiskers, and developed canine teeth, was caught in a chicken coop. The animal's overall size and the shape of its tail are what primarily draw fox comparisons. The plant covering on the island of Corsica helps defend the creature from its only known predator, the golden eagle. 

In 2019, Chief Environmental Technician of the French Forest and Hunting Office (ONFCS), Pierre Bendetti, told Metro that the fox-cat had long been a part of Corsican shepherd mythology. "From generation to generation, they told stories of how the forest cats would attack the udders of their ewes and goats," Bendetti said. Resembling a traditional house cat but not all the same species, the coat of the Corsican fox-cat is striped, with a black-tipped tail, and a red-orange colored belly. The fox-cat is likely a species native to Corsica, and since it's nocturnal and otherwise inconspicuous, it had managed to evade scientists for centuries, according to Bendetti.

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7qL7Up56eZpOkunB9kGlpbG9iZMGpsYyprLOynJ67qHnMmqSmmZxis7DBzZ1koqZdmLyzv8icmGasmJbBbr7ErJymmpyawG6uzq2fZpldmK61ecCnm2aZXZu8uXs%3D