by Matthew Cobb
Name those cats, top to bottom!
Image from Journal of Experimental Biology, courtesy of the Cat Ambassador Program, Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden, photos by David Jenike, composite by Greg Hanson.
EDIT: Given it is now no longer Caturday anywhere on the planet, the answer is (highlight next line to reveal):
cheetah, ocelot, serval, domestic cat
Congrats to Russell Blackford who was the first person to unambiguously get it right. He wins absolutely nothing, but Ceiling Cat knows his own. A number of you got all four, but mixed up ocelot and serval.
You can read the original article ‘Interspecific scaling of the morphology and posture of limbs during the locomotion of cats (Felidae)’ by Lisa Day and Bruce Jayne here
Hate to be a cat nerd but Acinonyx jubatus – Leptailurus serval – Leopardus pardalis (maybe?) – Felis silvestris (or possibly a wild looking F. catus?)
A.k.a. cheetah, serval, ocelot, forest cat. I remember when all these were in Felis, a rather long time ago.
Actually, as a bug nerd, I’ll admit I wasn’t sure if ocelot or margay.
Beauty out of death
I’ve followed your Z-letter archive for a couple of years so I think I remember the answers [more or less] ~ so can’t possibly comment. I appreciate your posts both here & there. It’s a pleasure to read the jottings of someone who knows & loves their subject
Happy Caturday to you Matthew
I like quizzes, but i do not know about these cats. May i point you to another quiz on science? It is on proving small pieces such that help creationists to understand… There is even a price of 1000 Euros! 🙂
http://theinstinctofnottobecomeextinct.wordpress.com/2012/01/04/official-announcement-eur-1000-for-the-first-falsification-of-a-crkoc-in-creations-research-literature/
best,
SPAM-FFP
ooops. It is on proofing small pieces such that creationists can understand better …
John, Paul, George and Ringo?
Eenie, Meanie, Mynie, Mo?
That’s no tiger!
b&
I’m assuming that the image is “Photoshopped”. I’m trying to see evidence to probe that. “Paul” and “George” seem to have a slightly different sun angle (compare the head shadows) to “John” and “Ringo”. Otherwise … I can’t see much give away at this resolution.
(Other than the attribution for “composite” to “Greg Hanson”)
Yes it is photoshopped. Getting all those felids in one would be like herding… No higher res version available, sadly.
In one *line*
Well, basically, in one *anything.*
Incredibly cool journal cover!
Cheetah – looks to me like the African variety, the Asiatic is close to extinction sadly; serval; ocelot; european wildcat (?)
Huge cat, big cat, cat, ceiling cat.
Top to bottom: cheetah, serval, ocelot, pussycat?
the bottom on is Gizmo
oops, one not on
back to front cheetah, serval, ocelot, domestic cat
Baihu after moderate Photoshopping, Baihu after slght Photoshopping, Baihu after minimal Photoshopping, and Baihu carrying a few extra ounces.
Cheers,
b&
😀
I’m going to go out on a limb here, just like a margay, and go against the crowd here.
Cheetah
Serval
Margay
Kitty cat, possibly a wild variety.
Third cat looks too small to be an ocelot.
So, do I win the prize?
hmm, i was torn between ocelot and margay, but think it may be the former because i think a margay’s head might look somewhat “roundier” from the side and the eyes would be bigger.
Short cat
Tall cat
Grande cat
Venti cat
Ok, common names:
small one is the domestic cat, bob cat, cheetah, leopard.
Definitely not. Bobcats have naturally short (bobbed) tails. And the biggest one is almost certainly some type of cheetah (not the second one).
Plantation Cat
Farm Cat
Mansion Cat
House Cat
Mafia boss
Henchcat
Small-time dealer
Junkie cat
Here’s a summary of the JEB cover article:
Thanks, that sounds so interesting!
Kan
eye
havea
treat
Cheetah, Serval, Savannah, Housecat.
Glad someone else agrees with me it’s not an ocelot.
Just a guess. I saw a serval recently at our local zoo and noticed how much it resembles a domestic housecat. Sure enough, they can crossbreed with housecats to produce the savannah. Considered getting one, but they are becoming stylish and expensive. Anyway, that’s what the two middle cats look like to me, but I realize there are a lot of cat species and subspecies in north Africa and southern Asia. Many possibilities.
Top Cat
Choo Choo
Brain
Benny.
cheetah, serval, ocelot, tabby
The question really should be is how did they line those cats up? Cat herding is a unique delicate skill that should never be looked over along with origami…presuming this pic isn’t ‘Shop’d.
It is photoshopped. That’s what ‘composite’ means in the credit.
🙁
The small one I think is the African Wild Cat – Felis silvestris lybica
Cheetah
Serval
Pampas cat
Domestic tabby.
I posted this response yesterday but WordPress seems to have eaten it. 🙁
nah pampas cat is fuzzy, tubby with a stubby nose. didn’t know they were patterned actually but it seems they can be
Kitteh, kitteh, kitteh, cat.
Cheetah, serval, ocelot, wild cat…I thought number three was a margay for a second because of the size, but on closer inspection this composite is nowhere near to scale.
OK, guessing is over. I have edited the post and put in the answer plus (not) awarded prizes…
You got them out of order – the serval is next biggest after the cheetah.
/pedant
So many kinds, so little time.
Fluffy, Tigger, Spots McKenzie, Mr. Meowington
OMG, I won! I won! *Gets all excited.*