Wildlife experts have found an animal they believe is a new species. They found the "cat-fox" on the French island of Corsica. The experts said they found a group of sixteen cat-foxes in a remote area of Corsica. The captured cat-fox was nearly 90 centimeters in length from head to tail. It has very wide ears, short whiskers and a thick coat. It also has stripes on its front legs. A local government official thanked the wildlife team for finding the cat-fox. He said: "It's a wonderful discovery." He said Corsica was a "paradise of animal and plant biodiversity".
The cat-fox has been a mythical creature for decades with farmers. They tell stories about seeing it. People are happy and proud that their island is home to the new species. Scientists believe it comes from a little-known species originating in Africa and the Middle East thousands of years ago. It is a nocturnal animal. A scientist said the cat-fox could have been brought to Corsica as far back as 6500BC. Another scientist said: "By looking at its DNA, we could tell it apart from the European wildcat. It's close to the African forest cat, but its exact identity is still to be determined."