A wildcat has been recently caught on camera in a forest in Romania's Retezat National Park. Several pictures were shared on social media, where they gathered much appreciation. 

"For cat lovers, we want to share a wonderful specimen of a wildcat (Felis Silvestris) from the Retezat National Park, captured by our colleague Lucia Ursu, Education and Communities APNR, during a monitoring action last week," park representatives wrote on the official Facebook page.

The wildcat resembles a domestic tabby cat but is larger and more robust. It has darker, thicker body stripes with no white patches and thicker, bushy tails with distinctive stripes and blunt black tip, according to Mammal.org.uk.

The wildcat lives in forests and rocky cliffs where it can easily hide, but also in swamps of wild rush beds and remote places. In Romania, the species is found in alpine areas but also in the Danube Floodplain.

Romania's Retezat National Park is home to a total of 55 mammal species, representing over 23% of Europe's terrestrial mammals. It provides conditions for the survival of some of Europe's most important large carnivores, such as the lynx, bear, and wolf. 

The Retezat National Park is located in the southwest of the country, in Hunedoara County.

radu@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Facebook/Parcul Național Retezat National Park, credit: Lucia Ursu)