Wildcat and Housecat Romance @ Switzerland
We came across an AFP news article with a striking headline:“Too Sexy to Survive? Swiss Wildcats' Future in Doubt.” Extinction from being too sexy! What on earth!
The main points of the article were:
In Switzerland, fertile hybrids resulting from interbreeding between male European wildcats and female domestic cats are on the rise.
If this hybridization continues without an increase in the pure wildcat population, the species could be completely overrun by hybrids within 200 to 300 years.
A similar situation has already occurred in Scotland and Hungary, where individuals that are virtually indistinguishable between wildcats and domestic cats are now widespread.
But why is the “wildcat father × housecat mother” combination so overwhelmingly common, while “wildcat mother × housecat father” remains extremely rare? Is it truly a matter of sexual attraction?
As it turns out, research delving into the mechanics of this biased mating pattern actually exists. According to the study, female wildcats are selective (preferring male wildcats of their own species), whereas female housecats are far less picky. This asymmetrical hybridization pattern—where females of one lineage are selective while females of the other are not—is also observed in hybrid zones of other animals, birds, and insects, and is not particularly rare after all.
The world is just endlessly fascinating.