#southern african wildcat

[tigerleopardlion]

Southern African Wildcat | Richard Jessnitz

[amber-tortoiseshell]

Is the gene that makes housecats black/solid the same gene that makes panthers black?

Depends on the species! Leopards have a recessive ASIP mutation just like housecats, but jaguars have a dominant MC1R mutation, the same gene that makes yellow/red variants in a lot of animals. Gain of function MC1R mutations are (co)dominant and make the animal produce more eumelanin, loss of function mutations are recessive and result in more phaeomelanin. (For ASIP, it's the opposite.)

Both genes are responsible for melanism in several felids:

ASIP: domestic cat, leopard, asian golden cat, pampas cat, kodkod

MC1R: jaguar, jaguarundi*, geoffroy's cat

*This one is interesting, because the reddish variant seems to be the original and the more common dark is the later mutation.

And the species with still unknown genetics: serval, oncilla, marbled cat, bobcat, southern tigrina, margay, jungle cat, african golden cat, african wild cat**

**Technically i think it's possible that the melanism of domestic cats is a direct heritage of the african wildcats from before domestication OR that the melanism of african wildcats is an evidence of crossbreeding with domestic cats; either way they would have the same ASIP mutation.

[sunshinerainbowpuppy1224]

stardew valley fave animal HCs ^0^

i've wanted to post this for a bit!!!!!! i thought of em all >:3 !! PLEASE NOTE NONE OF THIS IS CANON -- ALL OF THESE ARE HEADCANONS I THOUGHT UP !! ALL FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES TO LEARN AND KNOW MORE ANIMAL SPECIES THAT MIGHT BE GOING EXTINCT !!! GIANT NERD ALERT !! ` ------------------------------------------------------ Leah fox, specifically Red Fox (Cross Pelt; AKA Cross Fox) and Painted Dogs. Enjoys the Art side of their pelts and adores how they blend in. In her own words, "The art of Nature is within the Fur of the owner" (extra: hognose snake, chameleon) Abigail Mongolian wildcat, panther. Enjoys the cute side of cats as well as the hardcore style of them as well (hence the panther), totally has a panther tattoo somewhere (extra: Bombay cat, silver-pelted red-fox) Emily Aye-aye, monkeys. LOVES little baby monkeys, goes onto rants how she would make dresses for them like the ones on the internet. finds the Aye-aye to be misunderstood-- their cute yet creepy faces making her lil heart melt. no one understands why she likes them so much (extra: rainbow trout) Haley Tigers (White pelt). Firm believer of the "big cat bigger heart". Adores how gorgeous they are, how shiny the pelts look. Though a large lover of all tiger pelts, the black stripes against white fur struck her interest more (extra: leopard, painted dog) Maru Dolphin, Otters (River). really enjoys sea animals, but yet loves smart animals. She believes that they're misunderstood creatures, defending them with all her heart (extra: emperor penguin) Penny Giraffe, Bear (Kodiak breed). LOVES how beautiful they are, yet they keep to themselves. She isn't loud about her love of these animals but yet shares if mentioned (She's usually called a mama bear by the children of Pelican town) (extra: Harp seal) ------------------------------------------- Harvey Whale (Blue whale), Bernese mountain dog. When he was young he owned a Bernese Mountain dog-- Often talks about her when dogs are the topic. "She was the sweetest thing" he often states. Whales are his weird enjoyment, does A LOT of research on them & goes whale watching at the beach. Watched a film where they were flying overhead the main characters like airplanes!! loved them ever since (extra: Holland lop, African bush elephant, glass toad) Elliott (OTHER THEN LOBSTERS I SEE UR REPLIES FROM THE FUTURE) Amur Leopard, Vaquita . enjoys how gorgeous these animals are, the big doe eyes of these creatures giving him a little dopamine. Gets fairly upset once he learned the extinction of the Vaquita (extra: khaki Campbell duck ) Alex Ploughshare Tortoise, Golden retriever. Has had a little tortoise since he was young, he named him "Junior" but spelt it like "joonyer". Alex is very on that "Golden retriever boyfriend" trend and tries his best to be that

(extra: fried egg jellyfish, dik-dik) Shane (OTHER THEN CHICKENS) Hirola (Antelope) and Ant eater (southern tamandua). Finds them so weird, yet finds them so lonely. Finds himself looking into the eyes of Prey and relating so harshly. (extra: hereford cow, tamworth pig) Sebastian (OTHER THEN FROGS. GRRR) Ili Pika , deer ( Axis breed ). Adores cute little animals that own the biggest eyes, yet chose these little critters. Looks up pictures of them and cries (extra: slow loris , axolotl) Sam pangolin ( Philippine breed ) , Bush Dog . Found out about Pangolins through Pokemon, fell in love and looked into Pangolins more. Bush dogs are like little bear cubs to him-- yet has been attacked by one before. Does NOT care though finds them so cute

(extra: sugar glider, duck-billed platypus) ----------------------------------------------------------------- YAYYYYYAYAYAYYYY U GOT TO THE END YAYY

[the-garbanzo-annex-jr]

by Dion J. Pierre

Yates did not mention that the school’s Middle Eastern and North African Student Association said in a statement after Hamas’ Oct. 7 massacre across southern Israel, in which the terror group murdered 1,200 people and kidnapped 240 others, that “we resoundingly support Palestinian resistance to over 75 years of Israeli state-sanctioned violence.”

On Wednesday, Alums for Campus Fairness said it is “exposing” Northwestern University, alleging that the school has deliberately not punished antisemitic behavior on campus. The group plans to air its advertisements online during a streaming of the Las Vegas Bowl college football game between the Northwestern Wildcats and the Utes of the University of Utah. Among other things, ACF is demanding that Northwestern adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism.

The IHRA definition of antisemitism includes examples of anti-Israel bias, such as “claiming that the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavor,” “denying the Jewish people their right to self determination,” and “applying double standards by requiring of it a behavior not expected or demanded of any other democratic nation.” It has been adopted by dozens of governments and hundreds of civic institutions around the world — such as the US State Department, European Union, and United Nations — and is supported by lawmakers across the political spectrum.

“By refusing to define and denounce antisemitism, Northwestern is tacitly endorsing the climate of fear and intimidation for Jews on campus,” ACF executive director Avi D. Gordon said in a statement. “Faculty and student groups are openly supporting Hamas terrorism and calling for the genocide of Jews. It’s beyond time for Northwestern President Michael Schill to take decisive action against individuals violating university policy and adopt the internationally accepted definition of antisemitism.”

[thatswhywelovegermany]

The European Wild Cat (Felis sylvestris sylvestris) is a small feline species currently re-populating vast areas of Germany. Its population is distributed over large areas of Southern and Central Europe from the far west to Ukraine and the Caucasus. It is absent in Northern Europe. After a dramatic drop of the population in the late 19th and early 20th century, which led to a complete disappearance in many regions and entire countries, the population and inhabited areas are constantly expanding again. Today's population is probably vastly underestimated due to the elusive lifestyle. New finds in an area are often made by chance on camera traps. The species has reappeared in Switzerland and Austria in the recent years and is reclaiming forests in Southern and Central Germany. The sharp decline in population was formerly attributed to intense hunting, but paleo-veterinarian investigations found evidence for an epidemic event as the likely cause.

In Germany, the cat prefers to live in large forests with little disturbances. This has led to the assessment that an undisturbed and unmanaged forest with the general absence of humans is required as a habitat for these cats. However, this assessment has come under debate as in Southern Europe, the European Wild Cat lives in more densely populated areas in close proximity to settlements. Camera traps in Germany have shown European Wild Cats living in relative proximity to human settlements. In addition, contrary to former belief, the existence of wide roads is not a major obstacle for the migration and the re-population of habitats. Nevertheless, Germany with its large forested areas provides ideal habitat for the European Wild Cat.

The European Wild Cat is similar in appearance to the common domestic cat, but its body is bigger, more massive, with taller legs and a head that accommodates a bigger brain. In contrast to the domestic cat, the European Wild Cat is regarded as being indomitable.

The status of The European Wild Cat and the domestic cat as two separate species (Felis silvestris and Felis catus, respectively – Felis catus originating fro Felis lybica, the African Wildcat) as defined by IUCN is debated among zoologists, as individuals of both taxonomical units can have viable and fertile offspring, which is usually results in assigning them as subspecies of the same species (Felis sylvestris sylvestris and Felis sylvestris lybica, respectively). Hybrids of Felis sylvestris and Felis catus also occur in nature, which leads among conservationists to the concern that pure-breed Felis sylvestris will die out in the future due to bastardization.

[warriors-rewritten-chaos]

Warrior Cats Prefixes- S

I had a WC Name Generator on Perchance that I made but I don't seem to have access anymore, so I'm remaking it here as just a simple list. The definitions used are the ones that Clan cats have for those things, and thus are the origins of the names. Definitions used are whatever I found when I googled it.

Sable-: "[noun] a marten with a short tail and dark brown fur"

Saffron-: "[noun] an autumn-flowering crocus with reddish-purple flowers, native to warmer regions of Eurasia"

Sage-: "[noun] an aromatic plant with grayish-green leaves that are used as a culinary herb, native to southern Europe and the Mediterranean"

Salamander-: "[noun] a lizard-like amphibian with an elongated body and tail and short limbs"

Salmon-: "[noun] a large edible fish that is a popular game fish, much prized for its pink flesh. Salmon mature in the sea but migrate to freshwater streams to spawn"

Salt-: "[noun] a white crystalline substance that gives seawater its characteristic taste"

Sand-: "[noun] a loose granular substance, typically pale yellowish brown, resulting from the erosion of siliceous and other rocks and forming a major constituent of beaches, riverbeds, the seabed, and deserts"

Sandy-: "[adj] light yellowish brown, resembling sand"

Sap-: "[noun] the fluid, chiefly water with dissolved sugars and mineral salts, that circulates in the vascular system of a plant"

Sapling-: "[noun] a young tree, especially one with a slender trunk"

Sapphire-: "[noun] a transparent precious stone, typically blue in color"

Scale-: "[noun] each of the small, thin horny or bony plates protecting the skin of fish and reptiles, typically overlapping one another"

Scarlet: "[adj] of a brilliant red color; [noun] a brilliant red color"

Scorch-: "[noun] the burning or charring of the surface of something; [verb] burn the surface of (something) with flame or heat"

Scorched-: "[adj] burned by flames or heat"

Scruffy-: "[adj] (of hair or fur) unkempt, untidy, shaggy"

Sedge-: "[noun] a grasslike plant with triangular stems and inconspicuous flowers, growing typically in wet ground"

Seed-: "[noun] a flowering plant's unit of reproduction, capable of developing into another such plant"

Serval-: "[noun] a slender African wildcat with long legs, large ears, and a black-spotted orange-brown coat"

Shade-: "[noun] comparative darkness and coolness caused by shelter from direct sunlight"

Shadow-: "[noun] a dark area or shape produced by a body coming between rays of light and a surface"

Shale-: "[noun] soft, finely stratified sedimentary rock that formed from consolidated mud or clay and can be split easily into fragile slabs"

Shallow-: "[noun] an area of the sea, a lake, or a river where the water is not very deep"

Shard-: "[noun] a piece of broken rock, typically having sharp edges"

Sharp-: "[adj] (of an object) having an edge or point that is able to cut or pierce something"

Shatter-: "[noun] break or cause to break suddenly and violently into pieces"

Shattered-: "[adj] broken into many pieces"

Sheep-: "[noun] a domesticated ruminant animal with a thick woolly coat and (typically only in the male) curving horns. It is kept in flocks for its wool or meat, and is proverbial for its tendency to follow others in the flock"

Shell-: "[noun] the hard protective outer case of a mollusk or crustacean"

Shimmer-: "[verb] shine with a soft tremulous light; [noun] a soft, slightly wavering light"

Shining-: "[adj] giving out or reflecting bright light"

Shiver-: "[verb] (of a person or animal) shake slightly and uncontrollably as a result of being cold, frightened, or excited; [noun] a momentary trembling movement"

Shore-: "[noun] he land along the edge of a sea, lake, or other large body of water"

Short-: "[adj] measuring a small distance from end to end"

Shower-: "[noun] a brief and usually light fall of rain, hail, sleet, or snow"

Shrew-: "[noun] a small insectivorous mammal resembling a mouse, with a long pointed snout and tiny eyes"

Shrike-: "[noun] a songbird with a strong sharply hooked bill, often impaling its prey of small birds, lizards, and insects on thorns"

Shrub-: "[noun] a woody plant which is smaller than a tree and has several main stems arising at or near the ground"

Shy-: "[adj] being reserved or having or showing nervousness or timidity in the company of other people"

Silent-: "[adj] not making or accompanied by any sound; [adj] (of a cat) not speaking"

Silk-: "[noun] a fine, strong, soft lustrous fibre produced by silkworms in making cocoons and collected to make thread and fabric. Silk is also spun by some insect larvae and by most spiders"

Silkworm-: "[noun] the commercially bred caterpillar of the domesticated silkworm moth (Bombyx mori), which spins a silk cocoon that is processed to yield silk fiber; [noun] a commercial silk-yielding caterpillar of a saturniid moth"

Silt-: "[noun] fine sand, clay, or other material carried by running water and deposited as a sediment"

Silver-: "[noun] a precious shiny grayish-white metal; [noun] shiny gray-white color or appearance like that of silver; [adj] made of or colored like silver"

Singing-: "[noun] the activity of performing songs or tunes by making musical sounds with the voice; [noun] melodious whistling and twittering sounds made by a bird or birds"

Siren-: "[noun] an aquatic species of salamander with a stout, eel-like body"

Skunk-: "[noun] a cat-sized American mammal of the weasel family, with distinctive black-and-white striped fur"

Sky-: "[noun] the region of the atmosphere and outer space seen from the earth"

Skylark-: "[noun] a common Eurasian and North African lark of farmland and open country, noted for its prolongedsong during hovering flight"

Slate-: "[noun] a fine-grained gray, green, or bluish metamorphic rock easily split into smooth, flat pieces"

Sleek-: "[adj] (of fur) smooth and glossy; [adj] sinewy or lithe"

Sleepy-: "[adj] needing or ready for sleep, tired"

Sleet-: "[noun] a form of precipitation consisting of ice pellets, often mixed with rain or snow"

Sleepy-: "[adj] needing or ready for sleep"

Sloe-: "[noun] another name for the blackthorn plant; [noun] the small bluish-black fruit of the blackthorn, with a sharp sour taste"

Slug-: "[noun] a tough-skinned terrestrial mollusk which typically lacks a shell and secretes a film of mucus for protection"

Slumber-: "[verb] sleep; [noun] a sleep"

Slumbering-: "[verb] sleep"

Slush-: "[noun] partially melted snow or ice"

Small-: "[adj] of a size that is less than normal or usual"

Smoke-: "[noun] a visible suspension of carbon or other particles in air, typically one emitted from a burning substance"

Smoky-: "[adj] having the characteristics of or resembling smoke; [adj] made dark or black by or as if by smoke"

Smudge-: "[noun] a blurred or smeared mark on the surface of something"

Snail-: "[noun] a mollusk with a single spiral shell into which the whole body can be withdrawn"

Snake-: "[noun] long limbless reptile which has no eyelids, a short tail, and jaws that are capable of considerable extension. Some snakes have a venomous bite"

Snap-: "[verb] break or cause to break suddenly and completely, typically with a sharp cracking sound; [verb] (of an animal) make a sudden audible bite; [noun] a sudden, sharp cracking sound or movement"

Snapdragon-: "[noun] a plant of the figwort family, bearing spikes of brightly colored two-lobed flowers that gape like a mouth when a bee lands on the curved lip"

Snow-: "[noun] atmospheric water vapor frozen into ice crystals and falling in light white flakes or lying on the ground as a white layer"

Snowdrop-: "[noun] a widely cultivated bulbous European plant that bears drooping white flowers during the late winter"

Snowflake-: "[noun] a flake of snow, especially a feathery ice crystal"

Snowy-: "[adj] covered with snow; [adj] (of weather or a period of time) characterized by snowfall; [adj] of or like snow, especially in being pure white"

Soaring-: "[adj] flying or rising high in the air"

Soft-: "[adj] smooth or delicate in texture, grain, or fiber; [adj] marked by a gentleness, kindness, or tenderness"

Song-: "[noun] a short poem or other set of words set to music or meant to be sung; [noun] singing or vocal music"

Soot-: "[noun] a black powdery or flaky substance consisting largely of amorphous carbon, produced by the incomplete burning of organic matter"

Sorrel-: "[noun] a European plant of the dock family, with arrow-shaped leaves"

Sorrow-: "[noun] a feeling of deep distress caused by loss, disappointment, or other misfortune suffered by oneself or others; feel or display deep distress"

Sow-: "[noun] a female pig"

Spark-: "[noun] a small fiery particle thrown off from a fire, alight in ashes, or produced by striking together two hard surfaces such as stone or metal"

Sparrow-: "[noun] a small Old World bird related to the weaverbirds, typically with brown and gray plumage"

Speckle-: "[noun] a small spot or patch of color; [adj] mark with a large number of small spots or patches of color"

Speckled-: "[adj] covered or marked with a large number of small spots or patches of color"

Spider-: "[noun] an eight-legged predatory arachnid with an unsegmented body consisting of a fused head and thorax and a rounded abdomen. Spiders have fangs that inject venom into their prey, and most kinds spin webs in which to capture insects"

Spike-: "[noun] a thin, pointed piece of fur, wood, or another rigid material"

Spindle-: "[noun] a species of flowering plant in the family Celastraceae, native to much of Europe, where it inhabits the edges of forest, hedges and gentle slopes, tending to thrive on nutrient-rich, chalky and salt-poor soils"

Spiral-: "[adj] winding in a continuous and gradually widening (or tightening) curve, either around a central point on a flat plane or about an axis so as to form a cone; [noun] a spiral curve, shape, or pattern"

Spire-: "[noun] the continuation of a tree trunk above the point where branching begins, especially in a tree of a tapering form"

Splash-: "[noun] a sound made by something striking or falling into liquid; [verb] cause (liquid) to strike or fall on something in irregular drops"

Splinter-: "[noun] a small, thin, sharp piece of wood or similar material broken off from a larger piece; [verb] break or cause to break into small sharp fragments"

Spore-: "[noun] a minute, typically one-celled, reproductive unit capable of giving rise to a new individual without sexual fusion, characteristic of lower plants, fungi, and protozoans"

Spot-: "[noun] a small round or roundish mark, differing in color or texture from the surface around it"

Spotted-: "[adj] marked or decorated with spots"

Sprig-: "[noun] a small stem bearing leaves or flowers, taken from a bush or plant"

Spruce-: "[noun] a widespread coniferous tree which has a distinctive conical shape and hanging cones"

Squall-: "[noun] a sudden violent gust of wind or a localized storm, especially one bringing rain, snow, or sleet"

Squirrel-: "[noun] an agile tree-dwelling rodent with a bushy tail, typically feeding on nuts and seeds"

Stag-: "[noun] a male deer"

Starling-: "[noun] a gregarious Old World songbird with a straight bill, typically with dark lustrous or iridescent plumage but sometimes brightly colored"

Steam-: "[noun] the vapor into which water is converted when heated, forming a white mist of minute water droplets in the air"

Stem-: "[noun] the main body or stalk of a plant or shrub, typically rising above ground but occasionally subterranean"

Stick-: "[noun] a thin piece of wood that has fallen or been cut from a tree"

Stoat-: "[noun] a small carnivorous mammal of the weasel family which has chestnut fur with white underparts and a black-tipped tail"

Stone-: "[noun] hard solid nonmetallic mineral matter of which rock is made"

Stork-: "[noun] a tall long-legged wading bird with a long heavy bill and typically with white and black plumage"

Storm-: "[noun] a violent disturbance of the atmosphere with strong winds and usually rain, thunder, lightning, or snow"

Stormy-: "[adj] (of weather) characterized by strong winds and usually rain, thunder, lightning, or snow"

Straw-: "[noun] dried stalks of grain, used especially as fodder or as material for thatching, packing, or weaving"

Strawberry-: "[noun] a sweet soft red fruit with a seed-studded surface; [noun] the low-growing plant which produces the strawberry, having white flowers, lobed leaves, and runners, and found throughout north temperate regions"

Streak-: "[noun] a long, thin line or mark of a different substance or color from its surroundings; [verb] move very fast in a specified direction"

Stream-: "[noun] a small, narrow river"

Strike-: "[verb] hit forcibly and deliberately with one's paw, fangs, or claws"

Stripe-: "[noun] a long narrow band or strip, typically of the same width throughout its length, differing in color or texture from the surface on either side of it"

Striped-: "[adj] marked with or having stripes"

Stump-: "[noun] the bottom part of a tree left projecting from the ground after most of the trunk has fallen or been cut down"

Sugar-: "[noun] a sweet crystalline substance obtained from various plants, especially sugar cane and sugar beet"

Sun-: "[noun] the star around which the earth orbits; [noun] the light or warmth received from the earth's sun"

Sundew-: "[noun] a small carnivorous plant of boggy places, with rosettes of leaves that bear sticky glandular hairs. These trap insects, which are then digested"

Sunflower-: "[noun] a tall North American plant of the daisy family, with very large golden-rayed flowers"

Sunny-: "[adj] bright with sunlight; [adj] (of a person or their temperament) cheery and bright"

Sunset-: "[noun] he time in the evening when the sun disappears or daylight fades"

Sunshine-: "[noun] direct sunlight unbroken by clouds, especially over a comparatively large area"

Swallow-: "[noun] any of numerous small widely distributed oscine birds (family Hirundinidae, the swallow family) that have a short bill, long pointed wings, and often a deeply forked tail and that feed on insects caught on the wing"

Swallowtail-: "[noun] a large brightly colored butterfly with projections suggestive of a swallow's tail on the hind wings"

Swamp-: "[noun] an area of low-lying, uncultivated ground where water collects"

Swan-: "[noun] a large waterbird with a long flexible neck, short legs, webbed feet, a broad bill, and typically all-white plumage"

Sweet-: "[adj] having the pleasant taste characteristic of sugar or honey. Not salty, sour, or bitter; [adj] pleasing in general, aka delightful"

Sweetgum-: "[noun] the North American liquidambar, which yields a balsam and decorative heartwood"

Swift-: "[noun] a swift-flying insectivorous bird with long, slender wings and a superficial resemblance to a swallow, spending most of its life on the wing; [noun] any of five species of fast-flying moths of the family Hepialidae, regarded as primitive in development, having forewings and hind wings similar in size and shape; [adj] happening quickly or promptly"

Swirl-: "[verb] move in a twisting or spiraling pattern; [noun] a quantity of something moving in a swirl"

Sycamore-: "[noun] a large Eurasian maple with winged fruits, native to central and southern Europe"

[animal-families-tournaments]

About a day left to vote in round 2 of the Felidae tournament!

Vote here:

African Wildcat vs Black-footed Cat

Bobcat vs Cheetah

Colocolo vs Eurasian Lynx

Fishing Cat vs Garlepp's Pampas Cat

Guina vs Jaguar

Jaguarundi vs Leopard

Mainland Clouded Leopard vs Margay

Northern Tigrina vs Ocelot

Sand Cat vs Snow Leopard

Southern Tigrina vs Tiger

[icarusthelunarguard]

 This Week’s Horrible-Scopes

It’s time for this week’s Horrible-Scopes! So for those of you that know your Astrological Signs, cool! If not, just pick one, roll a D12, or just make it up as you go along. It really doesn’t matter. Better yet! Check out “Heart of the Game, Fredonia” and see if they can sell you those D12’s with the symbols on them. Tell them “Shujin Tribble” sentcha. And “Hail, Hail, Fredonia!” Home of the Blue Devil!

This week’s someone suggested “Wing or Horn” as inspiration… So, that’s what we’ll do! We’re generating a list of random animals and decide which is more cursed - adding a horn or wings to them. And no, we’re not adding any magic to the mix.

Aries 

Your animal turns out to be… the Whale. Truth be told, adding wings or a horn seems kinda useless: a whale wouldn’t be able to generate enough lift into the air, and there’s already the Narwal out there, granted it’s a tooth and not a true horn. But since we HAVE to choose, you’re getting the wings - so that The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy has a good ending for that whale. This week, buy some petunia seeds.

Taurus 

For you we have the Dhole, or Asian Wild Dog. Let’s just make this simple: WINGS! If you domesticated, even just slightly, this dog and it had a horn, it would run up to greet you and impale you through the stomach. Make no mistake, flying dogs are preferable. This week donate Wee-Wee Pads to a local animal shelter.

Gemini  

Way to go, Gemini. You just screwed up the whole system with your animal, “a Mare”. RIGHT! Ok, so.. Unicorn or Pegasus, right? There’s only one logical choice for you and everyone around you will agree. Unicorn. Because the only way you’ll be able to get near one is by being yourself - meaning a virgin. This week be proud of who you are.

Cancer Moon-Child 

With the numbers stacked against you, RNGezus has blessed you with the Gila Monster. It’s a venomous, slow-moving desert-dweller lizard native to Southwestern US and Northwestern Mexico. And again, we’ll make this simple - give it wings! Imagine it! You’ll get to befriend the Ancient Aztec god Quetzalcoatl and be its loyal minion. This week, start planning on how you’ll take over the world! 

Leo 

This is gunna take a little thought on our part since your animal is The Beaver. After all, it would be pretty bad-ass with a horn, cutting down trees like Woody Woodpecker, but it’s already got a wild tail fin. Let’s give this one a horn, then. Because can you imagine these things flying from dam to dam, clogging up every waterway they can get to? This week, use Google Map’s satellite view to look at your old hometown again.

Virgo 

Let’s start off with a bad joke! What does a 500 Pound Canary say? (*DEEP VOICE!*) “Here, Kitty Kitty!” Ok, that out of the way, you get a Wildcat. And this one could go either way - because they have a tendency of being magic-user familiars. Look we’re not adding magic to THEM, but… if you wanted to be seen as a wizard or witch just get either one of these and you’re set. So in our opinion you’ll get whichever one you want… but only so long as you study quantum mechanics this week.

Libra 

If your animal gets wings it’ll likely be supersonic as soon as something tried to chase it. You get the Hare - the not-yet evolved version of the Jackalope. Which pretty well seals its fate - it NEEDS a horn so it can finally go on the attack instead of running away from all hunters. This week go out hunting duck.

Scorpio 

You’re getting the Tapir. And really, this is another easy one. It looks like a deformed pig, so adding wings to it will just be fodder for all the Southern-Talking people who think things will never happen. So this week take on the impossible with all the courage of a five-year-old wearing a Batman Mask and Cape!

Sagittarius 

This one is trickier than we thought. Your animal, the Oryx, is basically a chad deer from African and Asian deserts. Since it already has two rearward-angled horns, adding a front-facing one is just redundant and a waste of materials… but adding wings to a chad beefy boi like them is a terrifying concept. What will they land on, and will it survive the encounter? Well, a coin flip solves the question… THREE HORN TERROR IT IS! This week get a better TV antenna.

Capricorn 

This one is a slam dunk - Horn. Yes, we’re calling it before we tell you what the animal is, because “Jimmy Here” is gunna freak out just a little. Your animal is the Capybara, and they are so chill they’d just let all the little birds land on it and relax with them. So this week, plan out your relax-day and enjoy it!

Aquarius 

This is a no-brainer! Horn, all the way. Your animal is the Ground Hog, and it deserves to be able to defend itself from all the Michelin tires trying to take out a father just trying to cross the street. This week try to learn a new “Why Did The Chicken Cross The Road” joke every day of the week.

Pisces  

This one is tough, seriously! Your animal mostly feeds on insects, crabs, earthworms, lizards, birds, and rodents and can be domesticated to deal with vermin pests. You get the Mongoose, and honestly the only real choice is wings. They’re too cute to have a horn in their heads - PLUS if they stab the top of a burrow they try to climb through they’ll have a hell of a time getting back out. So this week… look up videos on how to use petrol to blow up gopher holes in someone’s yard… AND DON’T DO THAT!

And THOSE are your Horrible-Scopes for this week! Remember if you liked what you got, we’re obviously not working hard enough at these. BUT! If you want a better or nastier one for your own sign or someone else’s, all you need to do to bribe me is just Let Me Know! These will be posted online at the end of each week via Tumblr, Twitter, Facebook, Discord and BLUESKY.

[olmluvr]

"feline" is not a taxonomic term, but an adjective describing cats. to answer your question, let's dig into the taxonomy of cats as we know them.

there are a lot of animals in the order carnivora, including cats. there are two big suborders in carnivora, which are feliformia and caniformia. basically, we divide carnivores on whether they are closer to cats or dogs.

(credit valkenburgh et al)

the blue shows feliform families, and the red caniform families. the more branches two families have in common, the more recently they shared a common ancestor. there are a lot of animals we consider cat-like which are not cats, like mongooses and hyenas. there are lots of general distinctions we can make between feliforms and caniforms, on the basis of both morphology and lifestyle, but the one true dividing characteristic is the structure of the part of the skull surrounding the inner ear.

we don't have a definitive common ancestor of feliforms in the fossil record, but this phylogeny shows that nandiniidae diverged the earliest. we would call them "basal", because they are closest to the base of the tree. the family nandiniidae contains only one species, the african palm civet.

moving further, we can look at the family felidae. this family actually contains all the animals we think of today as cats, both wild and domestic.

(credit johnson et al)

now, this one is a little trickier to read if you aren't familiar with phylogenies (i couldn't find a good one with pictures), but some of the species names should be at least a little recognizable. at the top are members of the genus felis, which contains our modern housecats and their relatives. felis catus itself does not appear because it diverged so recently that it would be difficult to show. the further down the list of species you go, the longer ago the species diverged, and the less recently the cat has shared a common ancestor with domestic cats. the most divergent is the branch which contains lions, tigers, leopards, jaguars, snow leopards, and clouded leopards. (this image is a couple of years out of date - newer phylogenies have led us to reclassify uncia uncia (the snow leopard) as panthera uncia). the closest branch to felis is that containing several small asian wildcats, including the pallas and fishing cats. there are a lot of traits that are common to all of these cats, including but not nearly limited to: digitigrade feet, a scratchy tongue, whiskers, and a vomeronasal organ (similar to snakes and lizards, this allows them to "taste the air"). cats also lack the ability to taste sugar.

the earliest known members of the family felidae are members of the genus proailurus, who lived in europe and asia around 20 to 30 million years ago.

(credit werdelin et al)

here is an artist's depiction of proailurus lemanensis. so cute!

are we done here? of course not! we can narrow our cat search down even further to the subfamily felinae. these are cats with retractable claws and an ossified hyoid (bone in the throat).

(the further i go, the harder it is to find legible diagrams. credit wikimedia commons)

if we want to be pedantic (and i do), this is not a phylogeny but a cladogram, because it is not time-calibrated. it reads exactly the same, though. this is basically just the top half of the phylogeny we saw before. these genera of cats are all more closely related to domestic cats than the pantherinae lineage, which is what we consider the big cats. though we call it a big cat, cheetahs are actually in felinae!

the oldest known member of felinae is pratifelis martini, from around 10-11 million years ago in kansas. i do not have a picture, because it is only known from one jawbone. other early members of felinae include pristifelis, from 6-9 million years ago in southern europe and southwest asia, and the american cheetah, miracinonyx, from 2.5-0.02 million years ago.

let's take this a little farther, and look only at the genus felis! felis contains several species of wildcat, including the african wildcat, from which housecats were domesticated. i don't have a phylogeny for this one, because no one makes a phylogeny of just one genus. felis likely diverged around 6-7 million years ago. there is one extinct member known from this genus, called felis lunensis. it is known from europe around 2.5 million years ago, and could be the ancestor of the modern european wildcat, felis silvestris.

(credit peter cairns)

lacking a picture for felis lunensis, this is its closest living relative, the european wildcat. a little bigger and meaner than a housecat, but otherwise hard to distinguish.

i hope this answers your very simple question about cats.

studying for invertebrate paleontology final. please ask any and all questions about paleontology, evolution, and biology, and i will answer as well as i (and my bestie "online resources") can!

[tigerleopardlion]

Southern African Wildcat | Ingmar Van der Brugge

[amber-tortoiseshell]

Phylogenetic wild cat tournament

Introduction

Links

Voting period:

-

Finished:

Sunda leopard cat vs Leopard cat

Chinese mountain cat vs African wildcat

European wildcat vs Domestic cat

Sunda leopard cat vs Fishing cat

Chinese mountain cat vs Domestic cat

Fishing cat vs Flat-headed cat

Sand cat vs Chinese mountain cat

Geoffroy's cat vs Kodkod

Eurasian lynx vs Iberian lynx

Flat-headed cat vs Rusty-spotted cat

Sand cat vs Black-footed cat

Kodkod vs Southern tigrina

Bay cat vs Asian golden cat

Eurasian lynx vs Canadian lynx

Rusty-spotted cat vs Pallas's cat

Jungle cat vs Black-footed cat

Jaguarundi vs Cougar

Kodkod vs Oncilla

Ocelot vs Margay

Asian golden cat vs Marbled cat

Canadian lynx vs Bobcat

Pallas's cat vs Black-footed cat

Cheetah vs Cougar

Leopard vs Lion

Kodkod vs Pampas cat

Margay vs Andean mountain cat

Marbled cat vs Canadian lynx

Pallas's cat vs Cheetah

Leopard vs Jaguar

Snow leopard vs Tiger

Kodkod vs Andean mountain cat

Canadian lynx vs Pallas's cat

Caracal vs African golden cat

Jaguar vs Snow leopard

Clouded leopard vs Sunda clouded leopard

Andean mountain cat vs Canadian lynx

Caracal vs Serval

Snow leopard vs Clouded leopard

Andean mountain cat vs Serval

Snow leopard vs Andean mountain cat

[funnywildlife]

Join top notch #wildographers & photosafari guides Helena + Grant Atkinson @atkinson_photography_safaris and a small group of (max 6) photographers in March 2022 as they explore the southern Mara National Reserve in Kenya, in search of big cats and other iconic African wildlife species. * As a bonus on return you can take over our page for a few days to showcase your work. * Visit @atkinson_photography_safaris website for the full itinerary https://www.grantatkinson.com/blog/safari/masai-mara-kenya-march #WildographyandSafaris #atkinsonphotographyandsafaris #wildography #africansafaris #africansafari #magicalkenya #masaimara #lions #leopard #lionsofinstagram #bigcats #bigcatsofinstagram #wildcats #photosafari #grantatkinson #babyanimals #africatravel (at Masai Mara National Reserve) https://www.instagram.com/p/CT4MpoXANjR/?utm_medium=tumblr

[froody]

Interesting facts about the house cat:

They were domesticated 9,000 to 10,000 years ago. Most likely in the Near East instead of Northern Africa like we initially believed. Cats spread to Egypt years afterwards.

The grave of an adult human and a cat dating back 9,500 was found in Cyprus.

Several different species and subspecies of wildcat make up the genetic ancestors of the modern house cat, the African wildcat, the European wildcat, the Chinese mountain cat, the Asiatic wildcat and the southern African wildcat.

House cats are not the smallest feline species. That title likely belongs to the black-footed cat which weighs between 2.4 to 5.4 pounds on average. Average house cats typically weigh between 9-11 pounds with noticeable exceptions. Maine Coons typically weigh 13 to 18 pounds.

[antoine-roquentin]

However, the order does override state orders to suspend operations. And it gives the producers a big fat liability shield. From Mother Jones:

But here’s a theory. Already, 20 meatpacking and food-processing workers have died from COVID-19, and more than 5,000 have contracted the disease, according to the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union. What if workers and their families start suing, claiming that the companies’ practices made them sick? Already, one worker—at a Smithfield plant in Milan, Mo.—filed a lawsuit claiming management was not sufficiently protecting workers from the risk of COID-19, and demanding that it follow Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines.

A president invoking the Defense Production Act to require meatpacking firms to keep their plants running during outbreaks would provide a “solid basis” for shielding the firms from suits like this, said Jennifer Zwagerman, director of Drake University’s Agricultural Law Center. She noted that Walmart was recently sued for wrongful death by the family of a worker who died from COVID-19 complications.

And from Reason:

The big deal in the executive order and interpretations of it may be about meat processing plant liability for employee exposure. From [U.S. Solicitor of Labor Kate S.] O’Scannlain and [OSHA Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Loren] Sweatt’s statement:

Courts often consider compliance with OSHA standards and guidance as evidence in an employer’s favor in litigation. Where a meat, pork, or poultry processing employer operating pursuant to the President’s invocation of the DPA has demonstrated good faith attempts to comply with the Joint Meat Processing Guidance and is sued for alleged workplace exposures, the Department of Labor will consider a request to participate in that litigation in support of the employer’s compliance program. Likewise, the Department of Labor will consider similar requests by workers if their employer has not taken steps in good faith to follow the Joint Meat Processing Guidance.

Even CBS worked out that the worker safety bits were a headfake; relevant agencies merely issued guidance.

Mike Elk’s PayDay report seems to be the only outlet covering Covid-19 strikes; his map now shows 153. Yesterday, Nebraska meatpackers struck. From Elk’s account:

It’s unclear how Trump intends to use the Defense Production Act to force meat packing processing workers back into the assembly line.

Organized labor immediately denounced the move.

“We only wish that this administration cared as much about the lives of working people as it does about meat, pork, and poultry products. When poultry plants shut down, it’s for deep cleaning and to save workers’ lives,” said Stuart Applebaum, president of Retail, Wholesale, and Department Store Union. “If the administration had developed meaningful safety requirements early on as they should have and still must do, this would not even have become an issue.”…

Shortly after Trump announced his intention to issue his executive order, more than 50 meatpackers walked off the job after 48 co-workers tested positive for COVID-19 at Smithfield’s plant outside of Lincoln, Nebraska…

The Nebraska action follows a wildcat strike Monday night at Pilgrim’s Pride meatpacking plant in Cold Spring, Minn.

Another meatpacker facing coronavirus pushback in JBS. In Green Bay, 189 coronavirus cases have been linked to its facility there. Elk informs us that JBS is playing hardball:

At a JBS meatpacking plant in Greely, Colo., 5 workers have died of COVID-19 [6 as of April 30] and at least 100 workers have tested positive for the virus.

However, now JBS is threatening to sue the UFCW because of the negative media attention that they have received.

From KUSA in Denver:

JBS has sent a cease-and-desist letter to the union that represents its workers, arguing that it “has adopted a strategy of generating negative media attention and public opinion” to gain concessions from the company while it battles an outbreak of the novel coronavirus at its Greeley meatpacking plant.

They provided a copy of that letter to the 9NEWS by United Food and Commercial Workers Local 7 on Tuesday, and a rebuttal from the union’s president, Kim Cordova.

“Unfortunately, your cease and desist letter, threatening to stifle our voice, and those of our members, as well as pursuing claims for unfounded, speculative, and unrecoverable damages is rife with numerous inaccuracies, suppositions, and erroneous conclusions won’t spend time rebutting in their entirety,” Cordova wrote.

Have no doubt that that’s also meant to deter the Green Bay workers from making noise. Trump has threatened to use the National Guard to replace strikers; Elk reports that Democratic Governor Tom Wolfe has called in the National Guard to replace nurses who walked out of a nursing home to demand better safety protections after 19 residents died. I wonder how much appetite members of the National Guard would have for the backbreaking pace of meat processing plants.

Here’s a well argued take:

Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts suggested yesterday that workers at meat packing facilities should face loss of unemployment benefits unless they returned to work. This follows on the heels of President Trump’s announcement that he would invoke the Defense Production Act to reopen closed plants in an effort to protect the nation’s food supply-chain. Plants, regardless of safety, will be opened and workers will be coerced with loss of UI benefits so that Americans can get their pork, chicken, and beef in a timely fashion.

Don’t get me wrong. I like meat as much, and probably more, than the next guy and will start getting nervous when these products aren’t in my local grocery store’s refrigerator case. But this one-two policy punch from the White House and Governor Ricketts has a few problems with it. These plants are out of operation not because workers have refused to do their jobs but because of serious COVID-19 outbreaks that forced their closure. There have been hundreds of cases of COVID-19 associated with these facilities and a number of deaths. The counties where the plants are located are becoming their own hot-spots in the unfolding disease crisis. Cramped working conditions and hard physical labor seem to lend themselves to efficient viral transmission.

There’s an even darker side to the situation, though. Somewhere between 30 and 50 percent of the meat-packing workforce is made up of undocumented workers from Mexico, Guatemala, and El Salvador as well as immigrants from East African nations. As Smithfield Foods’ statement on the Sioux Falls outbreak indelicately put it, the living conditions of these immigrants are “different than they are with your traditional American family.” Get it? They are in overcrowded houses with inadequate sanitation. “They” aren’t like “us”. Since many — perhaps a majority — of them lack legal status, they are unable to defend themselves against exploitative or coercive labor practices. As recently as last August, ICE agents were rounding them up by the hundreds for deportation.

We need to make up our minds on a number of issues. On the one hand, we shower praise on “essential workers” in hospitals, grocery stores, sanitation and other occupations. On the other, we engage in acts of economic coercion with vulnerable populations who do some of the dirtiest, most difficult, and most dangerous work around. We build a fence along our southern border to keep out illegal immigrants but then seek to force those who are already here to do jobs American citizens simply will not do.

Why so coy about the source? It’s from Brent Orrell….at the American Enterprise Institute. That American Enterprise Institute. Orrell, at one of the bastions of “free market” ideology, gives a more straightforward statement in support of meatpacking plant workers than I have yet to see from any Democrat.

[unbe--weave--able]

Who's what in this or at least what you've figured out? I think this is really interesting!

!Warning Long Post!

Oh gosh really?! Oh thank you! I love it when people actually like it! I'm grinning like an idiot right now you don't even know!

Right so, I've actually figured out a lot of the characters, so this is going to be a bit of a long post, hope you don't mind.

O!Ciel - Eyelash Pit Viper

Sebastian - Northern Raven

Mey Rin - Northern Flying Squirrel

Finnian - White-Sided Jackrabbit

Bard: European Grey Wolf

Tanaka - Great Grey Owl

Lizzie - Sable Mitt Ferret

Madam Red - American Mink

Grelle - Ethiopian Wolf

Undertaker - Common Civet

Will - Zone-Tailed Hawk

Ronald - Marine Otter

Edward - Beauceron

Frances - Snow Goose

Alexis - Fjord Horse

Claudia - Ocelot

R!Ciel - Fennec

Othello - Scottish Wildcat

Alan - Russian Blue

Eric - Fallow Deer

Claude - Tasmanian Devial

Hannah - Mountain Lion

Soma - Silky Sifaka

Agni - American Black Bear

Lau - Lumholtz Tree Kangaroo

Ran Mao - Desert Night Lizard

Rachel - Pink-Headed Fruit Dove

Vincent - Honey Badger

Alois - Pen-Tailed Tree Shrew

Abberline - Arctic Fox

Joker - Ring-Tailed Lemur

Dagger - Wire-Haired Dachshund

Doll - Sugar Glider

Beast - European Rabbit

Jumbo - Cockatiel

Wendy - Fairy Possum

Peter - Golden Lion Tamarin

Snake - Paradise Tree Snake

Maurice Cole - Blue Morpho Butterfly

Joanne - Southern African Hedgehog

Bluewer - Elf Owl

Greenhill - Black-Backed Jackal

Violet - Spix's Disk-Winged Bat

Wolfram - Polar Bear

That's all I've got so far, still missing a lot of Weston Boys and the blue cult arc characters. And some of the green witch arc ones too!

[theuserformerlyknownas778]

Southern African Wildcat (Felis sylvestris cafra) female ... (captive specimen) by berniedup https://flic.kr/p/23C2oVK