A new mammal has been identified on the French island of Corsica,
looking like a cross between a cat and a fox. It is hoped that this
“cat-fox"—which has been legendary amongst locals for generations—can
now be formally identified.
The large cat had been a legend in Corsica for years, before one was accidentally caught in a chicken coop in 2008 in Olcani in the north of the French island. Quoted in Metro, Chief Environmental Technician of the French Forest and Hunting Office (ONFCS), Pierre Bendetti said:
“We believe that it’s a wild natural species which was known but not
scientifically identified because it’s an extremely inconspicuous animal
with nocturnal habits. The cat-fox is part of our shepherd mythology.
From generation to generation, they told stories of how the forest cats
would attack the udders of their ewes and goats.”
The cat is different from a normal domesticated cat in a number of small
ways. It is known in Corsican as the “ghjattu volpe”, the “chat renard”
in French, and the “cat-fox” in English. RFI,
the French current events radio broadcaster, describes it as being
longer than an average cat (measuring around 90 cms) with larger ears,
longer canine teeth and a black tuft on the end of its tail.
The centre has spent over 10 years trying to obtain more information
on the animal. It used infrared traps to obtain hair, which established
that the DNA of the “cat-fox” is different to the European wildcat on
the continent. RFI reports that the ONCFS were then able to trap 16 of
the creatures which live in the Asco Valley up to 2,500 meters above sea level.
The captured cats were tagged with electronic chips so that the
centre could follow their movements; many of which have formed the basis
for the study which was presented to the public this week. Benedetti’s
aim is to see the species recognised and then protected.
The Corsican “cat-fox” is the latest animal to be discovered but there
are other regular discoveries still being made, even in the mammal
world. In 2005, a similar creature to the Corsican “cat-fox” was discovered in Borneo. In 2010, the BBC reported the discovery of a new carnivorous mongoose-like creature in Madagascar. In 2013, the first carnivorous mammal —olinguito
(pronounced oh-lin-GHEE-toe)—to be found in the Americas for 35 years,
was discovered in the cloud forests of Colombia and Ecuador.
i don’t usually have any strong feelings about reboots of the things i grew up with as a kid but that being said i honestly believe that the beanie baby redesigns are proof that we’re living in the worst timeline
who else just wants to go absolutely wild and bake some cookies with a pretty girl?? go nuclear and make some tea?? absolutely lose their fucking mind and curl up under a blanket??
this bug is insane. Its exoskeleton is so tough, if you try to pin a dead one, the pin will just bend. It can only be pierced with a small electric drill.
It’s immune to being stomped on or otherwise crushed with human force, and I’ve even read multiple anecdotes that they can survive being run over by a car.
They were originally called ironclad beetles just because their exoskeleton is so hard, but analysis has shown that their shell actually does contain iron- in addition to calcium, manganese and zinc.
Many invertebrates (including insects, polychaete worms and mollusks) have metal- reinforced jaws or other body parts, but this is the most metal in one animal that I’m aware of… no wonder it’s basically indestructible.
