Scottish Natural Heritage Commissioned Report 360 Scottish Wildcat Survey 2006-2008 COMMISSIONED REPORT Commissioned Report No. 360 Scottish Wildcat Survey 2006-2008 For further information on this report please contact: Dr Mairi Cole Scottish Natural Heritage Silvan House 231 Corstorphine Road Edinburgh EH12 7AT Telephone: 0131 316 2600 E-mail:
[email protected] This report should be quoted as: Davis, A.R. & Gray, D. (2010) The distribution of Scottish wildcats (Felis silvestris) in Scotland (2006-2008). Scottish Natural Heritage Commissioned Report No. 360 This report, or any part of it, should not be reproduced without the permission of Scottish Natural Heritage. This permission will not be withheld unreasonably. The views expressed by the author(s) of this report should not be taken as the views and policies of Scottish Natural Heritage. © Scottish Natural Heritage 2010 COMMISSIONED REPORT Summary The Scottish Wildcat Survey 2006-2008 Commissioned Report No. 360 Contractor: Naiad Consultancy Year of publication: 2010 Summary Previously wildcat sighting data (surveyed by NCC 1983–87) indicated strongholds in areas of Scotland such as the Cairngorms, The Black Isle, Aberdeenshire and Ardnamurchan. The current survey indicates a similar but less widely distributed population with isolated populations in the west. The report suggests a number of reasons for this however it is difficult to draw too many conclusions from the data. Pelage characters were used to confirm records because of the difficulty in recognition and differentiation between wildcat and other cats. Wildcat tail features, i.e. banded tail and blunt tip, together with striped coat pattern were the most commonly seen pelage characters.