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I wonder if odd eyes are typical, or if that is something peculiar to the cat in the photo - or if the photo is inaccurate?
Kitty looks a little skinny to me, but certainly has nice thick mackerel tabby fur.
He's a wild cat. He's probably not eating regular meals of too much Fancy Feast. In addition, "skinny" may simply be the body type for this type of cat-- look at cheetahs. Frankly, this cat doesn't look that thin to me; he just is in comparison to overweight house cats.
They note that one eye is damaged, so it could be he was not originally odd-eyed.
I wonder if odd eyes are typical, or if that is something peculiar to the cat in the photo - or if the photo is inaccurate?
Kitty looks a little skinny to me, but certainly has nice thick mackerel tabby fur.
That may be a specific male cat that was said to have an old eye injury probably caused by fighting another male over territory and females.
It's said the fur is especially fine and thick which provides natural protection from fleas, ticks and other biting insects.
From what I've read, the cats thus far seem to be quite healthy and no mention of any of them being thin from lack of food or diseased in any way.
Last edited by marino760; 06-20-2019 at 11:02 PM..
First, the species was known. The only thing at issue is its precise identification. No new animals have been discovered. The only thing discovered (tentatively) is that a certain group of these cats are slightly - emphasis on the slightly - different from other cats.
Quote:
"We believe that it's a wild natural species which was known but not scientifically identified because it's an extremely inconspicuous animal with nocturnal habits," says Pierre Benedetti, chief environmental technician of the National Hunting and Wildlife Office (ONCFS).
Second, as the following paragraph makes clear, this cat is a member of the Felis silvestris species. The only issue at question is the subspecies to which it belongs.
Quote:
"By looking at its DNA, we could tell it apart from the European wildcat, Felis silvestris silvestris. It's close to the African forest cat, Felis silvestris lybica, but its exact identity is still to be determined," Benedetti adds.
So, yeah, this article's headline Corsica's 'cat-fox': On the trail of what may be a new species is wrong. There's nothing wrong with the article. But, as is so often the case with popular science articles, the headline was written by an editor who doesn't understand the science within - in this case, simple binomial nomenclature.
I just read this yesterday I think. Other than the bushy tail, they appear to be very feline to me, even like an average house cat. Interesting discovery and they're pretty in the pix.
There are a handful of wild Feline Species that appear little different than a housecat, though this one runs about 3 feet long...
According to this article, the cat was thought to exist but there was no real proof until 2008 when one was caught in a chicken coop. One theory is that they originated in the Middle East and came to Corsica about 6500 BC.
But you're right in that it's probably a different sup species not species, but it's all still very fascinating. I think in all the excitement people writing the articles and even the French/Corsican authorities are not distinguishing between the two things. In any regard, the cats are different than other wild European cats in appearance in some ways.
First, the species was known. The only thing at issue is its precise identification. No new animals have been discovered. The only thing discovered (tentatively) is that a certain group of these cats are slightly - emphasis on the slightly - different from other cats.
Second, as the following paragraph makes clear, this cat is a member of the Felis silvestris species. The only issue at question is the subspecies to which it belongs.
So, yeah, this article's headline Corsica's 'cat-fox': On the trail of what may be a new species is wrong. There's nothing wrong with the article. But, as is so often the case with popular science articles, the headline was written by an editor who doesn't understand the science within - in this case, simple binomial nomenclature.
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