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'Cat-fox' found in France could be new species

Cat-Fox - Level 0

Scientists found a new species on the French island of Corsica. It is a "cat-fox". Scientists found sixteen cat-foxes in the mountains. One cat-fox was 90 centimeters long. It has wide ears, a thick coat, and striped front legs. The local government said it was "a wonderful discovery". It said Corsica was a paradise for animals.

The cat-fox was a mythical animal. Farmers told stories about it. People are happy their island has a new species. Scientists think it came from Africa, perhaps as long ago as 6500BC. A scientist said: "It's close to the African forest cat." Scientists need to look at its DNA to find out more about it.

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Cat-Fox - Level 1

Experts found an animal they think is a new species. They found the "cat-fox" on the French island of Corsica. The experts said they found sixteen cat-foxes in a remote mountain area. The captured cat-fox was 90 centimeters long. It has wide ears, short whiskers, a thick coat, and striped front legs. The local government thanked the wildlife team for finding the cat-fox, calling it "a wonderful discovery". It said Corsica was a "paradise of animal...biodiversity".

The cat-fox was a mythical creature. Farmers told stories about it. People are happy their island is home to the new species. Scientists believe it came from Africa and the Middle East thousands of years ago, perhaps as far back as 6500BC. A 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." Scientists said it is a nocturnal animal.

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Cat-Fox - Level 2

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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."

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11 online activities    |    8-page printable   (PDF)

Cat-Fox - Level 3

Wildlife experts have discovered an unusual animal that they believe could be a new species. The animal was found on the French island of Corsica. The experts showed reporters a "cat-fox" that they had captured in the mountains of Corsica. The experts said they found a group of sixteen cat-foxes in a remote area of Corsica. The captured cat-fox measured nearly 90 centimeters in length from head to tail. The creature has very wide ears, short whiskers and a thick coat. It also has stripes on its front legs. Gilles Simeoni, a local government official, thanked the wildlife team for finding the cat-fox. He said: "It's a wonderful discovery." He added that Corsica was a "paradise of animal and plant biodiversity".

The cat-fox has been talked about by local people in Corsica for decades. It had become a mythical creature with farmers, who tell stories about seeing it. Corsicans are now happy and proud that their island is home to a new species of animal. Scientists believe that the cat comes from a little-known species that could have originated in Africa and the Middle East thousands of years ago. It is largely a nocturnal animal. One 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."

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