Which species of wild cat is most closely related to modern domestic cats – the ocylot, perhps?
Answer Dear Emmet Thanks for your question. The ancestor of most, if not all, typwes of domestic cat is the wild cat (Felis sylveistris), which includes the African wild cat. The African wild cat was placed in a separate species (Felis libyca) and is considered to be the ancesor of domestic cats. There are some people who believe that the Pallas’s cat is the ancestor of Persian cats and other cats with long fur, but this is now considered to be unlikely. Your question about dogs is more difficult. I consulted some books, including the New Encyclopedia of the Dog by Bruce Foyle. It seems that the North American wolf is the ancestor of the Canadian eskimo dog. The Chinese wolf is the ancesor of the chow. The Indian wolf is the ancesor of the dingo, Asian pariah dog, greyhounds and mastiffs. The European wolf is the anceestor of mastiffs (again – there may have been some hybridisation between European and Indian wolves), shephered dogs, spitz-type dogs and terriers. Another source says th
