Forums36
Topics41,028
Posts558,645
Members18,544
|
Most Online3,612 Jan 10th, 2023
|
|
9 members (Boondoggle, Rick O, Retired on 40, Shorthose, gehajake, Knobber, HTNFSH2, Champ59, GhostRiver),
952
guests, and
205
robots. |
Key:
Admin,
Global Mod,
Mod
|
|
|
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 13,783 Likes: 305
Moderator Ambassador Field Correspondent Hall of Fame 2014 Lunker
|
Moderator Ambassador Field Correspondent Hall of Fame 2014 Lunker
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 13,783 Likes: 305 |
Excerpt from Robert Crais' "The Monkey's Raincoat:" "She took another microscopic bite of her sandwich, then pushed it away. Maybe she absorbed nutrients from her surroundings."
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 16,074 Likes: 280
Moderator Lunker
|
Moderator Lunker
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 16,074 Likes: 280 |
I think the Techno Viking is pulling a fast one.
It's not about the fish. It's about the pond. Take care of the pond and the fish will be fine. PB subscriber since before it was in color.
Without a sense of urgency, Nothing ever gets done.
Boy, if I say "sic em", you'd better look for something to bite. Sam Shelley Rancher and Farmer Muleshoe Texas 1892-1985 RIP
|
|
|
|
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 904 Likes: 12
Lunker
|
OP
Lunker
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 904 Likes: 12 |
In agreement: likely not a jaguar after all. Argument: not at all a house cat, and due to the skeptical pressure and resulting frustration, we will have to take some additional reference photos with an animal of known size, in the same place, from the same vantage point, at the same zoom level. Stay tuned... After much thought, my current opinion is that this is another one of the black wild cats that hundreds of people in East Texas and throughout the country claim to have witnessed but never had an opportunity to capture on camera. So I will hold off on suggesting what this cat actually is, but I feel sure about what it is NOT.
It's ALL about the fish!
|
|
|
|
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 904 Likes: 12
Lunker
|
OP
Lunker
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 904 Likes: 12 |
It's ALL about the fish!
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 16,074 Likes: 280
Moderator Lunker
|
Moderator Lunker
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 16,074 Likes: 280 |
Todd, that thing may be one whopper of a feral cat. I've heard stories of black wild cats in East Texas but, like you say, never seen a picture. Reference points would be great.
I don't think Dan checks in her very often. You may have to EMail him and ask him to look. From PB mag: danvtx@verizon.net or 903-821-7054.
It's not about the fish. It's about the pond. Take care of the pond and the fish will be fine. PB subscriber since before it was in color.
Without a sense of urgency, Nothing ever gets done.
Boy, if I say "sic em", you'd better look for something to bite. Sam Shelley Rancher and Farmer Muleshoe Texas 1892-1985 RIP
|
|
|
|
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 5,730 Likes: 289
Lunker
|
Lunker
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 5,730 Likes: 289 |
Extraordinary findings often demand extraordinary evidence.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 904 Likes: 12
Lunker
|
OP
Lunker
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 904 Likes: 12 |
Could have killed the cat..........
It's ALL about the fish!
|
|
|
|
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 904 Likes: 12
Lunker
|
OP
Lunker
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 904 Likes: 12 |
Left a message with Dan VanSchaik
It's ALL about the fish!
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 28,607 Likes: 866
Moderator Ambassador Field Correspondent Lunker
|
Moderator Ambassador Field Correspondent Lunker
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 28,607 Likes: 866 |
Todd:
In that 2nd pic that you just posted, with the cat laying down in the road, that should give you a good estimate on it's size. Head to tail covers about 1/2 of the road width. Measure that area to get an idea of length.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 904 Likes: 12
Lunker
|
OP
Lunker
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 904 Likes: 12 |
It's ALL about the fish!
|
|
|
|
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 4,797 Likes: 14
Moderator Ambassador Field Correspondent Lunker
|
Moderator Ambassador Field Correspondent Lunker
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 4,797 Likes: 14 |
Todd:
In that 2nd pic that you just posted, with the cat laying down in the road, that should give you a good estimate on it's size. Head to tail covers about 1/2 of the road width. Measure that area to get an idea of length. That's what I was trying to reference when I was showing the pics to my wife, who don't believe it's anymore more than a house cat.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 904 Likes: 12
Lunker
|
OP
Lunker
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 904 Likes: 12 |
The road, grassline to grassline, is 8'.
It's ALL about the fish!
|
|
|
|
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 6,692
Hall of Fame 2015 Lunker
|
Hall of Fame 2015 Lunker
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 6,692 |
Todd:
In that 2nd pic that you just posted, with the cat laying down in the road, that should give you a good estimate on it's size. Head to tail covers about 1/2 of the road width. Measure that area to get an idea of length. Good idea. I would guess it is more like 1/3 or so of the road width. Only way to be sure is to collect some DNA through some Scat, Hair, etc... and have it tested. May have to go to an independent lab, but your state may be interested and do the testing.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 904 Likes: 12
Lunker
|
OP
Lunker
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 904 Likes: 12 |
I have a black panther style house cat that weighs 12lbs (I just weighed her myself) and measures 29"max from nose to end of tail. Now anybody suggest a method for extrapolation or estimation of the weight of the cat in the pics?
It's ALL about the fish!
|
|
|
|
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 14,007 Likes: 289
Moderator Lunker
|
Moderator Lunker
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 14,007 Likes: 289 |
Go all Ninja on it and photograph it next to a beaver carcass of known dimensions.
"Live like you'll die tomorrow, but manage your grass like you'll live forever." -S. M. Stirling
|
|
|
|
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 6,692
Hall of Fame 2015 Lunker
|
Hall of Fame 2015 Lunker
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 6,692 |
Go all Ninja on it and photograph it next to a beaver carcass of known dimensions. Good Idea. The cat in the photo's is not an APEX predator. No Muscle mass. Even a small Jag. or Puma would be really built. Too scrawny to be what you think it is. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaguar
|
|
|
|
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 904 Likes: 12
Lunker
|
OP
Lunker
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 904 Likes: 12 |
The cat in the pics has different proportions than a house cat, bigger build, etc, although not as muscular as a leopard or cougar.
It's ALL about the fish!
|
|
|
|
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 21,517 Likes: 272
Moderator Hall of Fame 2014 Lunker
|
Moderator Hall of Fame 2014 Lunker
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 21,517 Likes: 272 |
My guess is the cat is 40 inches and 25 lbs. Roughly twice the size of your house cat.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 904 Likes: 12
Lunker
|
OP
Lunker
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 904 Likes: 12 |
Thanks for that. Also I must point out that the proportions of this wild cat are not simply a scaled-up version of a house-cat IMO. Specifically the rear end of this cat is higher than the shoulder height. Also the tail is longer, with respect to body length, than my "black panther" house cat.
Right now I'm leanin' towards Hybrid or Unclassified species...
It's ALL about the fish!
|
|
|
|
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 6,692
Hall of Fame 2015 Lunker
|
Hall of Fame 2015 Lunker
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 6,692 |
My guess is the cat is 40 inches and 25 lbs. Roughly twice the size of your house cat. I was putting it close to that. Thinking just a tad smaller.
|
|
|
|
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 5,730 Likes: 289
Lunker
|
Lunker
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 5,730 Likes: 289 |
Felis catus is phenotypically very plastic (like domestic dogs). This does not mean this is a house cat, but if the pictures are reasonable proof that this is likely a non-domestic cat species, a local mammalian zoologist should be able to conclude this better than us. While unlikely, this could also be one of the trendy new domestic-wild hybrids that are being sold for very high prices. Due to the cost, I would guess most owners would not let them wander. Let us know what a mammalian taxonomist thinks of the photos.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 6,692
Hall of Fame 2015 Lunker
|
Hall of Fame 2015 Lunker
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 6,692 |
Thanks for that. Also I must point out that the proportions of this wild cat are not simply a scaled-up version of a house-cat IMO. Specifically the rear end of this cat is higher than the shoulder height. Also the tail is longer, with respect to body length, than my "black panther" house cat.
Right now I'm leanin' towards Hybrid or Unclassified species... Whatever it is, it is defiantly an anomaly. See what you can get on it. "Todd Discovers new Feline", Great Headline! Just try to find out. BTW, What really happened last Halloween? I assume that "Eye of Newt" was not in the formal discussions
|
|
|
|
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 5,713 Likes: 35
Administrator Lunker
|
Administrator Lunker
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 5,713 Likes: 35 |
This High Plains Black Panther-Feral cross was sitting on our deck this morning.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 6,692
Hall of Fame 2015 Lunker
|
Hall of Fame 2015 Lunker
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 6,692 |
This High Plains Black Panther-Feral cross was sitting on our deck this morning. Totally Ferocious. That should be photochopped with a Lilliputian dangling and other parts quite obscure a bit below. Then this thread could be a horror/thriller
|
|
|
|
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 11
Lunker
|
Lunker
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 11 |
Todd, definately not a black panther (dark melanistic phase of cougar) or black jag (dark melanistic phase of jaguar). Even immatures of both are 80-100lbs. Both have been documented in South Texas, but not for many years. However, your cat has a higher rump and longer tail than typical feral domestics...very interesting. Hair on your cat is too long to be a dark phase of any regional wild cat; maybe a hybrid? I would live trap him using sardines and take a closer look.
Dan VS
|
|
|
Moderated by Bill Cody, Bruce Condello, catmandoo, Chris Steelman, Dave Davidson1, esshup, ewest, FireIsHot, Omaha, Sunil, teehjaeh57
There are no members with birthdays on this day. |
|
|
|