Felis (source code)
= Felis
{c}
<Felis> is a <taxonomic genus> within <Felidae>, the cat family in <Carnivora>. It includes the domestic <cat> and several small wild <species>, including the <European wildcat> and <Afro-Asiatic wildcat>. Thus <Felis> is broader than the domestic <species> Felis catus but narrower than the entire family of cats.<European wildcat species account by the IUCN SSC Cat Specialist Group>[Taxonomy: genus and recognized species]{ref}
This hierarchy makes an identification example useful. A specimen identified only as <Felis> has been assigned to a <taxonomic genus>, not necessarily identified as a domestic <cat>. Conversely, a <cat> does not leave <Felis> when it begins living independently of people. Taxonomic membership and current living conditions answer different questions.
The distinction also matters when comparing <DNA>. Regional wildcat lineages can share close ancestry and undergo <hybridization> without every comparison using the same species boundaries. A study's names should be interpreted with its stated classification and sampling, especially when older accounts placed several lineages within one broad wildcat species.
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