New species of wildcat seen in France – at last

The species, found on Corsica, is the same height as a domestic cat but longer, with thick grey-and-ginger fur and long canine teeth. It could have appeared as early as 6,500BC, according to researchers.

Pierre Benedetti, of the Office national de la chasse et de la faune sauvage (ONCFS), said: “It is not so much a discovery as a revelation.”

The cat has long been the subject of islanders’ stories but it is the first time it has been scientifically recognised.

Researchers have identified 16 cats around the Vallée d’Asco in Haute-Corse and have caught 12. “We study them and then release them back into the wild,” said Mr Benedetti.