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Scientists Discovered A New Cat-Fox Species Which Was Previously Believed To Be A Myth
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Scientists Discovered A New Cat-Fox Species Which Was Previously Believed To Be A Myth

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For centuries, stories recounted by shepherds living in Corsica about meter-long cats with long sharp teeth that would attack ewes and goats at night were dismissed as a myth. However, in 2008 one such cat was accidentally caught in a chicken coop which encouraged scientists to extend their research of the new cat species.

Image credits: AFP

The researchers from the National Office for Hunting and Wildlife (ONCFS) recently captured the animal dubbed as the cat-fox themselves and are confident that this is the creature that was previously believed to be a myth.

Image credits: AFP

Known as cat-fox in English or as the ghjattu volpe in Corsican and the chat renard in French, this cat may look similar to domestic cats but is quite different in some ways. While the domestic cats are 46cm (18inches) in length on average, the discovered cat-fox measures 90cm (35inches) from head to tail.

Image credits: AFP

The cat-fox also has much longer canine teeth, short whiskers, and wide ears. Another important distinguishable feature is their tail with four rings and a black tip.

Image credits: AFP

Chief environmental technician of the National Hunting and Wildlife Office, Pierre Bendetti couldn’t hide his excitement over the find of the animal. “It’s a wonderful discovery,” he told AFP. After all, he got to hold the fox-cat which is believed to be a brand new cat species.

Image credits: AFP

“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,” Pierre Benedetti added.

Image credits: AFP

The animal was captured using nonviolent methods, along with other 12 cat-foxes since 2016. It is estimated that 16 of them inhabit Corsica.

Image credits: AFP

“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,” says another ONCFS agent, Antone Cecchini.

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Image credits: AFP

The researchers hope that within a couple of years, the cat-fox will be officially recognized and protected.

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markymarkandthefunkybunch avatar
Marky Mark And The Funky Bunch
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

What rotten luck. Cat-Fox's big coming out and he picks the same week the Crow-Gorilla story broke. Upstaged. Cat-Fox - you should have listened to your agent and waited till later in the summer to make your appearance.

kanna172014 avatar
Bored Moogle
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It doesn't look any bigger than a regular cat. I'm pretty sure that's what it is. They're pulling our legs.

earringnut avatar
earringnut
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

That was my actual first reaction, then I remembered that rabbits aren't related to guinea pigs despite looking like they are.

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amuletswimfabrics avatar
R.s. Potter
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Just looks like a tabby to me. I could find at least one just like it at our local SPCA.

cassiewilliams avatar
Cassie
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The article says it's nearly double the size of a house cat, but it sure doesn't look so big in the pictures. Adorable tail, though.

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milla_magian avatar
Nina Pispala
Community Member
4 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I'm ridiculously annoyed by the translation of the chat renard. I think it should be "fox cat" - not "cat fox". In french (and probably in corsican too) the describing word comes after the "main" word. But I actually doubt this whole thing. That cat and its teeth look the same size as domestic cats unlike is claimed in this article.

rituparna_nandan avatar
crazy_cat_notAlady
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

uhhhh...the domestic cat is supposed to be 18-inches and not have fluffy ringed tails? i might need some help, what have i been keeping for this long? my cats are well over 30-inches in length and both have exact same tail patterns. damn.

amuletswimfabrics avatar
R.s. Potter
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My big male is about 35" from nose to tail tip. We call him our blue point cougar.

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yoment3 avatar
Useless Panda
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Is it just me or does the guy with white hair look a lot like the guy from the "those bastards lied to me" meme? Screen_Sho...9b7bca.jpg Screen_Shot_2018-12-31_at_11926_PM-5d110af9b7bca.jpg

g_schutter avatar
Greta Schutter
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Looks like a normal feral cat to me. We get lots of them in Australia.

sassybooie avatar
Meeow
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This cat fox is large than a Maine c**n, body lengths of 19”-32” 48-81 cm, but cat-fox is 90 cm. When he holding the cat-fox it just look so small like regular cat, anyway so cute though!

monika-soffronow avatar
Monika Soffronow
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Here is more info, from Le Monde: https://www.lemonde.fr/planete/article/2019/06/14/le-chat-renard-corse-un-mythe-devenu-realite_5476228_3244.html. It seems that 16 individuals have been identified, and of those, twelve have been captured (and released). The collar marks on the fur of the neck is from a GPS-collar this cat-fox had been wearing for 80 days.

mary-tonningsen avatar
Mary Tonningsen
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Very interesting eyes! You don't usually find cats with 2 different eyes unless they're white.

jocooper73 avatar
Jo Cooper
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Feral cats in Australia get pretty large after a few generations

jamie1707 avatar
jamie1707
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I can believe that. My foxes (the two that hang around by back door, but I like to think of them as mine lol) play with the neighborhood cats all the time. They are not aggressive toward the cats and they all lay around with each other while they groom. I guess I should take some pics. No, I haven't seen any type of mating behavior.

circular-motion avatar
Mer
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Erm...I feel like I've missed something here. That cat is smaller than - if maybe the same length as - all three of mine and looks pretty much like any other general domestic short-hair, so...yeah, I feel like I'm missing something. Maybe it's the subtle changes in coloring they're going on about? *shrug* But I do wish those people would have handled the poor cat better.

payet_fabienne avatar
Tahani
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Beautiful cat but leave it alone. How long before people will hunt it just to say they shot a cat-fox????

michelle_muirhead avatar
lou_delue avatar
Zenozenobee
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Of course he was sedate! what would be the point of discovering a new species and kill the only specimen you find?

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mainzamunsanje avatar
Mainza Munsanje
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This cat looks like it's bidding its time, waiting for the right moment to attack the udders of its captors, I'd watch out if I were them.

kennykulbiski avatar
Kenny Kulbiski
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I've got my doubts about this. It looks like a regular cat. My cat is pretty close to that long although I've never attempted to measure him. The same thing with the teeth but I'm damn sure not gonna try to measure them. The part about the cats attacking goat udders is the real red herring for me. Why would any cat do that? To much risk for to little reward.

wh4ok avatar
Jonathon Smith
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Just to clarify, these are not cat-fox hybrids. 'Cat Fox' is just a name

timespin avatar
Florian Bendel
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Almost 2 years ago we got a cat from spain Which looks almost the same like the striped one on the picture. IT also has 3 rings an a Black tip on his Tail. I always thought he has a raccoon mixed in, now maybe a fox.

moconnell avatar
M O'Connell
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Ummm, you do know the 'fox' part refers to its behavior as a predator/pest to livestock? Animals of different genera cannot interbreed. Your cat is not part raccoon, not least of which because there are no raccoons in Spain.

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gerry1of1 avatar
Gerry Higgins
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Cat/Fox .... a C*x ? It's more like a coyote colour than a fox. A Catyote

sequoiahawes avatar
sequoia hawes
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

poor cat-fox. in a cage. it think scientists should just put a tracking collar on it and thats all they're allowed to do.

euniceprobert avatar
Eunice Probert
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It's probably just a wild/domestic crossover. Sometimes Scottish wild cats have had kittens with domestic cats. I hope they drugged that cat and didn't kill it.

hikari-kamui731 avatar
Iceroyalmilktea
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

a bunch of scientists swooning over a cat. it looks like a normal cat, aside from its size.

lamijunk_2013 avatar
Sunzilla
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Kinda looks like Amy Baby to me. I always thought she was part Meerkat. Now it turns out she's part fox. :)

markymarkandthefunkybunch avatar
Marky Mark And The Funky Bunch
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

What rotten luck. Cat-Fox's big coming out and he picks the same week the Crow-Gorilla story broke. Upstaged. Cat-Fox - you should have listened to your agent and waited till later in the summer to make your appearance.

kanna172014 avatar
Bored Moogle
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It doesn't look any bigger than a regular cat. I'm pretty sure that's what it is. They're pulling our legs.

earringnut avatar
earringnut
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

That was my actual first reaction, then I remembered that rabbits aren't related to guinea pigs despite looking like they are.

Load More Replies...
amuletswimfabrics avatar
R.s. Potter
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Just looks like a tabby to me. I could find at least one just like it at our local SPCA.

cassiewilliams avatar
Cassie
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The article says it's nearly double the size of a house cat, but it sure doesn't look so big in the pictures. Adorable tail, though.

Load More Replies...
milla_magian avatar
Nina Pispala
Community Member
4 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I'm ridiculously annoyed by the translation of the chat renard. I think it should be "fox cat" - not "cat fox". In french (and probably in corsican too) the describing word comes after the "main" word. But I actually doubt this whole thing. That cat and its teeth look the same size as domestic cats unlike is claimed in this article.

rituparna_nandan avatar
crazy_cat_notAlady
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

uhhhh...the domestic cat is supposed to be 18-inches and not have fluffy ringed tails? i might need some help, what have i been keeping for this long? my cats are well over 30-inches in length and both have exact same tail patterns. damn.

amuletswimfabrics avatar
R.s. Potter
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My big male is about 35" from nose to tail tip. We call him our blue point cougar.

Load More Replies...
yoment3 avatar
Useless Panda
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Is it just me or does the guy with white hair look a lot like the guy from the "those bastards lied to me" meme? Screen_Sho...9b7bca.jpg Screen_Shot_2018-12-31_at_11926_PM-5d110af9b7bca.jpg

g_schutter avatar
Greta Schutter
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Looks like a normal feral cat to me. We get lots of them in Australia.

sassybooie avatar
Meeow
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This cat fox is large than a Maine c**n, body lengths of 19”-32” 48-81 cm, but cat-fox is 90 cm. When he holding the cat-fox it just look so small like regular cat, anyway so cute though!

monika-soffronow avatar
Monika Soffronow
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Here is more info, from Le Monde: https://www.lemonde.fr/planete/article/2019/06/14/le-chat-renard-corse-un-mythe-devenu-realite_5476228_3244.html. It seems that 16 individuals have been identified, and of those, twelve have been captured (and released). The collar marks on the fur of the neck is from a GPS-collar this cat-fox had been wearing for 80 days.

mary-tonningsen avatar
Mary Tonningsen
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Very interesting eyes! You don't usually find cats with 2 different eyes unless they're white.

jocooper73 avatar
Jo Cooper
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Feral cats in Australia get pretty large after a few generations

jamie1707 avatar
jamie1707
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I can believe that. My foxes (the two that hang around by back door, but I like to think of them as mine lol) play with the neighborhood cats all the time. They are not aggressive toward the cats and they all lay around with each other while they groom. I guess I should take some pics. No, I haven't seen any type of mating behavior.

circular-motion avatar
Mer
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Erm...I feel like I've missed something here. That cat is smaller than - if maybe the same length as - all three of mine and looks pretty much like any other general domestic short-hair, so...yeah, I feel like I'm missing something. Maybe it's the subtle changes in coloring they're going on about? *shrug* But I do wish those people would have handled the poor cat better.

payet_fabienne avatar
Tahani
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Beautiful cat but leave it alone. How long before people will hunt it just to say they shot a cat-fox????

michelle_muirhead avatar
lou_delue avatar
Zenozenobee
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Of course he was sedate! what would be the point of discovering a new species and kill the only specimen you find?

Load More Replies...
mainzamunsanje avatar
Mainza Munsanje
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This cat looks like it's bidding its time, waiting for the right moment to attack the udders of its captors, I'd watch out if I were them.

kennykulbiski avatar
Kenny Kulbiski
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I've got my doubts about this. It looks like a regular cat. My cat is pretty close to that long although I've never attempted to measure him. The same thing with the teeth but I'm damn sure not gonna try to measure them. The part about the cats attacking goat udders is the real red herring for me. Why would any cat do that? To much risk for to little reward.

wh4ok avatar
Jonathon Smith
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Just to clarify, these are not cat-fox hybrids. 'Cat Fox' is just a name

timespin avatar
Florian Bendel
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Almost 2 years ago we got a cat from spain Which looks almost the same like the striped one on the picture. IT also has 3 rings an a Black tip on his Tail. I always thought he has a raccoon mixed in, now maybe a fox.

moconnell avatar
M O'Connell
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Ummm, you do know the 'fox' part refers to its behavior as a predator/pest to livestock? Animals of different genera cannot interbreed. Your cat is not part raccoon, not least of which because there are no raccoons in Spain.

Load More Replies...
gerry1of1 avatar
Gerry Higgins
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Cat/Fox .... a C*x ? It's more like a coyote colour than a fox. A Catyote

sequoiahawes avatar
sequoia hawes
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

poor cat-fox. in a cage. it think scientists should just put a tracking collar on it and thats all they're allowed to do.

euniceprobert avatar
Eunice Probert
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It's probably just a wild/domestic crossover. Sometimes Scottish wild cats have had kittens with domestic cats. I hope they drugged that cat and didn't kill it.

hikari-kamui731 avatar
Iceroyalmilktea
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

a bunch of scientists swooning over a cat. it looks like a normal cat, aside from its size.

lamijunk_2013 avatar
Sunzilla
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Kinda looks like Amy Baby to me. I always thought she was part Meerkat. Now it turns out she's part fox. :)

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