Approximately 16 creatures roam elusively in the northern area of the Mediterranean island of Corsica, France, looking similar to larger-than-average domesticated cats, and they’ve recently gone from myth and legend to an officially recognized species of animal, adorably named “chat-renard,” or cat-fox.
The beasts that resemble our beloved domesticated cats measure 90cm (35in) from head to tail, with “extremely broad ears,” short whiskers, and “well developed” canine teeth among their traits. Not only that, but their fur resembles that of a fox, with a rich, silky coat, stripes on the front legs, very dark back legs, and a russet stomach, according to local biologists. In addition, the cat-tail fox normally has two to four rings and a black tip.
“Because it’s an exceedingly unnoticeable animal with nocturnal habits, we assume it’s a wild natural species that was known but not scientifically classified”, reported National Hunting and Wildlife Office Chief Environmental Technician Pierre Bendetti.
The cat-fox is part of our shepherd mythology, according to Mr Benedetti’s colleague Charles-Antone Cecchini. They passed down legends of forest cats attacking the udders of their sheep and goats from generation to generation.
Fleas, ticks, and lice are naturally repelled by that lovely coat of fur.
The cat-foxes, known on the island as Ghjattu volpe, are found in the Asco forest and have a secluded environment with “water and plant cover offering refuge against its major predator, the golden eagle,” according to Cecchini.
Benedetti has been studying rare species for over ten years and reveals that it was only after years of “cat and mouse” with the species that one was shockingly and unexpectedly caught, purely by chance, in a chicken coop, of all places, in Olcani of Cap Course.
It took a few more years for research to get rolling, but they were able to figure out the cat-genetic fox’s make-up using a procedure that involved a cat-appealing essence and a wooden pole that the rodents would brush up against, leaving traces of their fur.
Mr. Benedetti added: “We were able to distinguish it from the European wildcat, Felis silvestris silvestris, by looking at its DNA. It looks a lot like the African forest cat Felis silvestris analysis has been done, but its exact identity is unknown”.
Many mysteries and unknown facts still surround the cat-fox today.
“If the hypothesis is correct, its origins are Middle Eastern,” says Benedetti, who believes the cat-fox was transported to Corsica by farmers about 6,500 BC. For the time being, other tiny mysteries remain, such as the cat-food fox’s and reproductive tendencies, which have yet to be thoroughly investigated.
Benedetti was familiar with the cat that was humanely seized; an identifying chip in the creature’s neck revealed a familiar male between the ages of 4-6 years old who had been caught a few times before. One of his eyes, a green one, and the other, a brown one, had been injured in a struggle with another male cat-fox. Benedetti and his colleague remove the GPS collar and replace it, allowing them to review 80 days of data before carefully releasing the cat-fox back into the wild.
