at the pound they told us "that one is crazy" so we got him. We think he is a bombay, but I am still leaning on that science experiment explanation.
Random Thoughts...or...What's on Your Mind?
- Thread starter Sibyl
- Start date
Does he happen to look vaguely like a raccoon?
I had a "coon" as a pet when I was a kid--and have the bite scars too prove it, after he got older--my Dad was a hunter and used them to train the dogs. Though I have never witnessed cross-breeding myself
...Raccoons are about the same size as a domestic cat, though they are generally somewhat larger. Male raccoons, especially tame ones, will voluntarily mate with cats. But mating between wild coons and cats also occurs.
Cats have also been known to nurse baby raccoons (see nursing video below). Under such circumstances, the baby coons would probably become imprinted on cats, so that they would be sexually attracted to cats when they reached maturity. (Imprinting is a widespread phenomenon in mammals and birds.)
(snip)
At least one report about this cross appeared in a scholarly publication. The American Naturalist is a monthly peer-reviewed scientific journal, published by the University of Chicago Press on behalf of the American Society of Naturalists. The October 1871 issue of that publication (vol. 5, no. 10, pp. 660-661) contains the following account authored by Thomas Wentworth Higginson:
Hybrid Between Cat and Raccoon.
http://www.macroevolution.net/cat-raccoon-hybrids.html
Cats have also been known to nurse baby raccoons (see nursing video below). Under such circumstances, the baby coons would probably become imprinted on cats, so that they would be sexually attracted to cats when they reached maturity. (Imprinting is a widespread phenomenon in mammals and birds.)
(snip)
At least one report about this cross appeared in a scholarly publication. The American Naturalist is a monthly peer-reviewed scientific journal, published by the University of Chicago Press on behalf of the American Society of Naturalists. The October 1871 issue of that publication (vol. 5, no. 10, pp. 660-661) contains the following account authored by Thomas Wentworth Higginson:
Hybrid Between Cat and Raccoon.
http://www.macroevolution.net/cat-raccoon-hybrids.html
oh dear, how many naive people will believe the reports in that link? *sigh*
Let me try to explain a few biological facts in a way that laypersons can follow (or so I hope - please don't hesitate to ask if I inadvertently fell into science-babble and something is unclear)
First I must explain 2 expressions I'm going to use: species and genus.
A genus is a group of closely related and rather similar species. For example in the genus Canis (wolve-like animals) we have 8 species: dogs, 3 different sorts of wolves and 4 sorts of jackals, including coyotes.
A species is defined as "a group of individuals who can successfully interbreed and whos descendents all are fertile."
Domestic cats, raccoons, cows etc. are species. And by definition they just can't interbreed (and most definitely not with humans).
In extremely rare cases - usually in zoos and/or with the help of geneticists - hybrids between extremely closely related species can happen. However, either they themselves or their descendants are sterile. (Propably best known example: mules). That still fits with the definition of species as given above.
The only exception are the large cats of the genus Panthera (tigers, lions, jaguars, leopards and snow-leopards). There, only the male hybrids are sterile. The reason for this penomenon is that with this particular genus the development into species started only rather recently (in genetic terms) and hasn't quite finished yet. However, most embryos of those hybrids die at the age of only few days which shows that the separation of the species is already quite far advanced. So, calling them different species is toeing the line but still legitimate.
I love the dove-chicken in that article
It's just an extremely obese dove but looks really chickenly. Well done, whoever filmed it.
The deer-cow just has a crippled tail and propably damaged joints as well, judging by the way it stumbles, poor thing
And the dog-cow is even worse off: it's a normal cow with the cheek split open up to the jaw joint. The poor animal will never be able to feed properly unless it gets surgery to close the gap.
Let me try to explain a few biological facts in a way that laypersons can follow (or so I hope - please don't hesitate to ask if I inadvertently fell into science-babble and something is unclear)
First I must explain 2 expressions I'm going to use: species and genus.
A genus is a group of closely related and rather similar species. For example in the genus Canis (wolve-like animals) we have 8 species: dogs, 3 different sorts of wolves and 4 sorts of jackals, including coyotes.
A species is defined as "a group of individuals who can successfully interbreed and whos descendents all are fertile."
Domestic cats, raccoons, cows etc. are species. And by definition they just can't interbreed (and most definitely not with humans).
In extremely rare cases - usually in zoos and/or with the help of geneticists - hybrids between extremely closely related species can happen. However, either they themselves or their descendants are sterile. (Propably best known example: mules). That still fits with the definition of species as given above.
The only exception are the large cats of the genus Panthera (tigers, lions, jaguars, leopards and snow-leopards). There, only the male hybrids are sterile. The reason for this penomenon is that with this particular genus the development into species started only rather recently (in genetic terms) and hasn't quite finished yet. However, most embryos of those hybrids die at the age of only few days which shows that the separation of the species is already quite far advanced. So, calling them different species is toeing the line but still legitimate.
I love the dove-chicken in that article
It's just an extremely obese dove but looks really chickenly. Well done, whoever filmed it.The deer-cow just has a crippled tail and propably damaged joints as well, judging by the way it stumbles, poor thing
And the dog-cow is even worse off: it's a normal cow with the cheek split open up to the jaw joint. The poor animal will never be able to feed properly unless it gets surgery to close the gap. 
I saw an ad for something called a "temporal scanner thermometer". What does this thing do, take your temperature across all possible parallel universes? 
take your temperatur at your temple?I saw an ad for something called a "temporal scanner thermometer". What does this thing do, take your temperature across all possible parallel universes?
I saw an ad for something called a "temporal scanner thermometer". What does this thing do, take your temperature across all possible parallel universes?
It takes the temperature and tells you what time it is. AT THE SAME TIME.
... it also doesn't measure the temperature but transfers heat to the brain until it is friedThat thermometer goes somewhere besides the temple.
Last edited:
It sounds like a piece of TARDIS-equipmentI saw an ad for something called a "temporal scanner thermometer". What does this thing do, take your temperature across all possible parallel universes?
It took me this long to realize Armin Mueller-Stahl and love of my life Winona Ryder were in two films together, "Night on Earth" and "The House of the Spirits", without sharing a single scene.
C
Captain pl1ngpl0ng
Guest
^ that sparked an old memory...
mid 90's... cover of rolling stone magazine, i had that cover on the wall in my workspace,
i was married then and my wife came by,.... she really hated that i had Winona Ryder up on the wall.
But wow... Winona was the hottest ever, after my ex wife of course.
Yeah i took down the picture of Winona...
mid 90's... cover of rolling stone magazine, i had that cover on the wall in my workspace,
i was married then and my wife came by,.... she really hated that i had Winona Ryder up on the wall.
But wow... Winona was the hottest ever, after my ex wife of course.
Yeah i took down the picture of Winona...
I used to go to a night club on a regular basis. Everything was fine except for an obnoxious bouncer. He was really getting on my nerves. I eventually confronted him with a few friends of mine as witnesses and got him fired. I went to that place only a few times after that and stopped. For some strange reason, the perturbing element gone, the club had lost its appeal.
The temporal scanner thermometer is part of a red angel suit in use by someone trying to stop climate change.
The only nightclub I ever went to regularly was Guitars & Cadillacs. I'm a huge fan of country music, so it was right up my alley. I'd go there almost every night after work - all tricked out in cowboy gear (don't laugh
) - had the hat, string tie, Brooks & Dunn shirts, even learned some line dances. It closed years ago - I miss the HELL out of that place. Had a lot of great times there. 
I even had a 'gold card' so I could skip the cover charge.
Last edited:
Similar threads
