
Corsica's 'fox cat': On the trail of what may be a new species - lelf
https://phys.org/news/2019-06-corsica-cat-fox-trail-species.html
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Swivekth18
Interesting that it might be related to the African wild cat, and thus to the
Sardinian one ("su gatu areste") as well.

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Nasrudith
Domestic cats are also descendants of African Wildcats with some divergences
like not quite as long fangs and less human pleasant voices (in addition to
attitude differences).

I am not saying they aren't a distinct species but I wonder what separates
them from ferals. Time and genetic distance making them their own distinct
collection of features not usually found?

Mere interbreedability doesn't work too well as evidenced by the hybrid
domestic cat breeds.

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naushniki
Is it bigger or smaller than a maine coon?

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sandworm101
Smaller.

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zeristor
The article mentions there are 16 cats, isn’t that far too few for a
genetically healthy population?

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soapdog
16 they know about. Giving how fast cats can multiply if unchecked, I expect
the actual population to be larger.

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zeristor
Considering they’re thought to arrived several thousand years ago, are they on
the way out, or is this just from one town.

Cheetahs had a genetic bottleneck of 11 individuals, severely constraining
genetic diversity, which they may not naturally recover from.

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type-2
so fox-cat?

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danielovichdk
I have always though cats were super interesting. They are still so bound to
their natural mindset if you want, and I have never experienced any cat being
as pet-like as dogs.

They have an interesting mind and can be super funny to observe, because of
their natural patterns.

Great story this

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Retric
You can train cats to be more pet like, but you need to start at a really
young age. (Hold them a lot as a kitten, etc) People also regularly train cats
to do tricks, but that’s more dependent on the cat.

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dmix
I did this to my cat, he's the most dog-like friendly cat ever, but it's still
not the same as a dog. They are much more clever and manipulative than dogs
when it comes to getting what they want, which is both amusing and annoying.

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lordleft
In typical cat fashion the cat-fox seems very un-enthused about being held

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fhood
I wonder what evolutionary pressure produced my intense desire to pick up
kitty cats and bury my face in their tummies if possible. Because reflecting
on it, it does seem like an odd behavior.

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moufestaphio
Toxoplasmosis - a parasite cats carry that can change your behaviour.

[https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/are-cats-
responsi...](https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/are-cats-responsible-
for-ldquo-cat-ladies-rdquo/)

~~~
alfromspace
Probably has more to do with how humans are wired to react to their "cute" or
baby-like appearances, e.g. large eyes and heads.

I can also say I've always wanted to bury my head in cat tummies, and I
recently tested negative for Toxoplasmosis. AFAIK, the infection is more
correlated with making men more introverted and depressed and women more
extroverted and manic.

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howard941
I continue to satisfy my snuggle urge with the rest of you all in spite of 2
out of 3 @home kitty's reaction, latching onto the sides of my head with claws
fully extended with vigorous rabbit kicks thrown in because why not? Since I
keep doing it I think I need a toxo test, ECT, or something. Is the test for
toxoplasmosis a blood test that requires a prescription?

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alfromspace
Again, I don't believe there's any evidence Toxoplasmosis makes people
irrationally interested in cuddling with cats. I had a blood test done at my
doctor's office to investigate a swollen lymph node and they included the toxo
test on the panel.

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blisterpeanuts
So, not related to the fox. Also, not a new species but rather a probable new
subspecies. Other than that, the title is accurate.

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LeonB
Common names of animals often have common names of unrelated animals,
(elephant beetle, dog fish, tiger shark... none of these are hybrids ;) ).

Also I heard recently that a fox is cat software running on dog hardware.
Seems true.

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paganel
Also, in French bat is called "chauve-souris", which can literally be
translated as "bald mouse".

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tomjakubowski
I think I have a new favorite false etymology, for "chauvinist".

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dredmorbius
The actual etymology is pretty interesting:

[https://www.etymonline.com/word/chauvinism](https://www.etymonline.com/word/chauvinism)

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allenrb
Hey, I know a house cat when I see one. You’re not fooling anyone with your
“science”!

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allenrb
Sure hope I’m being downvoted for not being funny. Am afraid that in today’s
world, some of you really think I’m anti-science. Scary!

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charliesharding
Considering cats are the subject of some of the most ancient memes and foxes
are arguably trending in their meme status... Could this new hybrid
revolutionize memes as we know it? We live in exciting times

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jdmichal
The article didn't mention anything about them being a hybrid species. And I'm
pretty sure they are a feline species that earned the name based on looks.

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dsign
I feel a lot of pity for all wild cats, because their domestic cousins have it
soo good. This cat-fox in a remote swamp in a remote island is dearly missing
out big in the perks of civilization. Then again, we even let people do that
...

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gpderetta
Remote island?!?!

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dustfinger
>While resembling a domestic cat in some ways, the ring-tailed feline measures
90 centimetres (35 inches) from head to tail, has "very wide" ears, short
whiskers and "highly developed" canine teeth.

I am sceptical. Why didn't they show a picture of the canine teeth? I would
imagine that feature would be the most exciting phenotype to show off. The
ears don't look "very wide" to me either. Not that I am an expert. I am just
surprised that they did not provide more pictures to backup their claims.

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skolos
The second picture shows how they are measuring canine teeth.

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dustfinger
Wow, I have blinders on today. Thanks for pointing that out.

