---
title: "Gato-bravo"
description: "Felis silvestris — Mamíferos. The European wildcat (Felis silvestris) is a small wildcat species that was described in the late 18th century."
canonical: https://animalchecklist.com/pt/animal/european-wildcat
last_updated: 2026-09-20
---

# Gato-bravo

> Felis silvestris — Mamíferos. The European wildcat (Felis silvestris) is a small wildcat species that was described in the late 18th century.

- Scientific name: *Felis silvestris*
- Category: `mammals` (Mamíferos)
- Habitats: `forest` (Floresta)
- iNaturalist observations: 1989
- Wikidata: [Q43576](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q43576)
- iNaturalist taxon: [922459](https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/922459)

## Names

- en: European Wildcat
- de: Europäische Wildkatze
- es: Gato montés
- fr: Chat sauvage d’Europe
- it: Gatto selvatico
- nl: Wilde kat
- pt: Gato-bravo
- pl: Żbik

## Countries with the most observations

ES (283), FR (171), HR (168), GR (118), DE (89), IT (74), LU (72), RO (69), BE (51), UA (32), CH (26), SI (25)

## Summary

The European wildcat (Felis silvestris) is a small wildcat species that was described in the late 18th century. Its fur is brownish to grey with stripes on the forehead and on the sides. It has a bushy tail with a black tip. Its head-to-body length reaches up to 65 cm (26 in) with a 34.5 cm (13.6 in) long tail, and it weighs up to 7.5 kg (17 lb).
The European wildcat is native to continental Europe, Scotland, Turkey and the Caucasus. It primarily inhabits broad-leaved and mixed forests. In France and Italy, it is predominantly nocturnal, but also active in the daytime when undisturbed by human activities. It preys…

Text: Wikipedia (en), CC BY-SA 4.0 — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_wildcat

## Photo

![Gato-bravo](https://animalchecklist.com/img/animals/european-wildcat/medium.jpg)

Photo: Žan Babič · CC0 · inaturalist — https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/285407232

## Machine access

`GET https://animalchecklist.com/api/v1/animals/european-wildcat?lang=pt` — see [openapi.json](https://animalchecklist.com/openapi.json).