New Species of “Cat-Fox” Seen Roaming Around French Island

• The majestic creatures have been spotted in the island of Corsica.
• The cat-foxes are said to be bigger than the typical housecat, with large tails, and very sharp teeth.
• The feline has become a local legend, with nocturnal and predatory habits.

Cat lovers will definitely rejoice with this one. There may be a new species of cat and reports say it looks like a fox. The golden striped beauties have been spotted prowling the island of Corsica in France.

Wildlife rangers from The National Hunting and Wildlife Office in France have sighted 16 of these cats. They are described as bigger than the typical house cat and have large, ringer tails.

Their appearance has prompted the rangers to call them chat-renard, or cat-fox in English.

According to scientists, the new cat is part of an unknown species, with origins in Africa or the Middle East going back thousands of years ago.

The feline has become a local legend, with nocturnal and predatory habits.

In an AFR report, Pierre Benedetti, chief environmental technician of the National Hunting and Wildlife Office, said:

“By looking at its DNA, we could tell it apart from the European wildcat, Felis silvestris silvestris. It’s close to the African forest cat, Felis silvestris lybica, but its exact identity is still to be determined.”

After the first batch of the “cat-foxes” were captured in non-violent methods in 2016, secondhand stories of the animal have gone around the island for many years.

The cats have advanced canine teeth and dense coats (which serves as protection against ticks and fleas).

The captured cats were tagged with electronic chips.

One male cat in particular has a striking feature – it has one brown eye and one golden eye, which was acquired from a fighting injury.

The National Hunting and Wildlife Office hopes to capture, study, and tag the animals in the next few years so the creatures can get recognized and protected.