Tails

Thread view:

Enable EMail Alerts

Start New Thread

Thread rating:

Agent 69 - 04 Dec 2003 04:28 GMT

Why is it that so many cats, especially grey ones, have rings around
their tails like raccoons?

We can also ask this vice versa.

I also think it is remarkable that raccoons carry their young like
mother cats do if it is necessary, and all raccoons can purr!

Did the procyonids really come from cats back in the day? We may
never know.

Reply to this Message

NickKnight - 04 Dec 2003 14:42 GMT

>Why is it that so many cats, especially grey ones, have rings around
>their tails like raccoons?

It's advertising space for the new Lord of the Rings movie.

Seriously I have no clue. I would assume it is just
genetic coloring.

--------------------------------------------
"It took us 15 years to McGyver this thing."
-------------------------Carter on Stargate

To send me e-mail exorcise NO Spam from
my e-mail address.

Reply to this Message

Peter da Silva - 04 Dec 2003 21:22 GMT

Raccoons actually seem to be more closely related to dogs and bears than
to cats.

Signature

Rev. Peter da Silva, ULC. 29.6852N 95.5770W WWFD?

Give a man a fish and you've got a loyal customer forever. Teach a man to fish
and he'll walk away with half your market. (updated for the computer industry)

Reply to this Message

Karla Curry - 10 Mar 2004 19:15 GMT

Cats, dogs, weasels, bears, skunks... a lot of these originated from one
common ancestor before branching off to seperate evolutionary lines... and
the raccoons, skunks, and bears are still nearest to each other. That's why
they have a similar back footprint (with a heel) compared to those of the
cat and dog for instance.

> Raccoons actually seem to be more closely related to dogs and bears than
> to cats.
[quoted text clipped - 4 lines]
> Give a man a fish and you've got a loyal customer forever. Teach a man to fish
> and he'll walk away with half your market. (updated for the computer industry)

Reply to this Message

kilikini - 10 Mar 2004 20:30 GMT

> Cats, dogs, weasels, bears, skunks... a lot of these originated from one
> common ancestor before branching off to seperate evolutionary lines... and
[quoted text clipped - 12 lines]
> > and he'll walk away with half your market. (updated for the computer
> industry)

Or, give a man a fish and he'll eat for a day, teach a man to fish and he'll
sit in a boat and drink beer all day. <g>
kilikini

Reply to this Message

Peter da Silva - 11 Mar 2004 04:08 GMT

>Cats, dogs, weasels, bears, skunks... a lot of these originated from one
>common ancestor before branching off to seperate evolutionary lines... and
>the raccoons, skunks, and bears are still nearest to each other. That's why
>they have a similar back footprint (with a heel) compared to those of the
>cat and dog for instance.

The cat and the dog have digitigrade hind legs because that's an effective
adaptation to their niche. The Tasmanian Tiger, a marsupial completely
unrelated to the carnivora, also had a digitigrade gait.

The fox and the cat both have slit pupils. The cheetah and the wolf both
have heavy non-retractible claws. The flying fox is more closely related
to the primates than to other bats. Dolphins and seals both eat fish and
use echolocation, but dolphins are related to ungulates while seals are
carnivora.

Within the carnivora, there are two families of small carnivores that
have similar body shapes: the viverrids (like the mongoose) and the
mustelids (like the weasel). Despite these similarities they're not
that closely related to each other. The mustelids (including the
skunk) are related to the raccoon, bear, and dog. The viverrids are
related to the hyena and to cats.

Signature

Reply to this Message