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Cat

Felis catus

Photo by Diana23
Published on Project Noah
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Field Notes

Description:

This particular felis catus, better known as "cat", was found in Stonewall, Louisiana under a truck as a feral, wild kitten (the term for the youth of its species). This particular specimen is not necessarily representative of its species; do not let its domestication fool you. This animal is capable of running 31 miles per hour and jumping five times its own height in a single leap! It has reflective components in the back of its eyes that allow it see in only a sixth of the light that humans need to view prey in the dark. Their whiskers, approximately twelve on each cheek, are rich in nerve endings that allow them to navigate in the dark as well and familiarize themselves with their surroundings.They also are unique in that they have a "righting reflex". This means that at 3 to 4 weeks a cat begins to develop the ability to land on its feet almost always. It can do this because it lacks a clavicle (collarbone) and has an unusually flexible backbone. They are more efficient hunters than larger cats; they have wider hunting ranges and better flexibility in their joints, which are always in crouching position during this time. They are emotionally speaking more similar to humans than they are to dogs. They communicate with flicks of their tail, and the Ancient Egyptians were the first to show us they can in fact be domesticated.

Habitat:

Feline catus lives all over the world. According to "Atlas of Living Australia", "feral cats can live in forests, grasslands, tundra, coastal areas, agricultural land, scrublands, urban areas, and wetlands." They inhabit every continent except Antarctica.

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