 Based on a mitochondrial DNA study of 979 domestic and wildcats from Europe, Asia, and Africa, the African wildcat is thought to have split off from the European wildcat about 173,000 years ago, with the North African/Near Eastern wildcat splitting from the Asiatic wildcat and the Southern African wildcat about 131,000 years ago.About 10,000 years ago, some African wildcats were tamed in the Fertile Crescent and are the ancestors of the domestic cat.Domestic cats are derived from at least five "Mitochondrial Eves".