An article in Science looked at the origin of Madagascar’s forest cats. The cats, which are twice the size of domestic house cats, are a bit of a problem for the island. The tabby-coated felines have quite an appetite for birds, snakes, rodents, and lemurs, which, of course, are the most famous animal in Madagascar.
Researchers believe the cats descended from domestic cats who jumped off of Arabian trading ships over 1,000 years ago. The researchers used DNA from the forest cats and compared it to other cats. The closest match was from domestic cats in the Arabian Sea region. While more work needs to be done, the discovery may help Madagascar find a way to gain control of these feline predators.
