Keywords
Felidae
Melanism
Phenotype
Pigmentation
How to Cite
Accepted 2026-04-03
Published 2026-08-11
Abstract
We report the first confirmed instance of melanism of an African wildcat, Felis lybica Forster 1780. The melanistic individual was observed and photographed on a night drive at approximately 20:48 hours on 16 July 2025 in Tarangire National Park, Manyara, Tanzania. This record brings the total number of documented felid species to exhibit cases of melanism to 16 of the 42 extant species.
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