Big black cats ( panther) Australia

[El_Lagarto]

how dose it not make sense? a

hmm...

I don't think your average feral would have a bowl full of nutritious treats and kibble put out for it every day so I think it's safe to assume they are not as well fed as domestics.

The fact is that the the genes for huge size simply don't exist in cats and despite improved nutrition and disease control, cats have stayed pretty much the same size since they were first domesticated.

See below link, it is consistent with Fuscus' comments re giantism. it even refers to the Gippsland giant cat as a case study.

THE MYTH OF GIANT FERAL CATS

 

[ozestrange]

I'm becoming more an more convinced that there is something out there being oversized ferals

There is mate.
Gave up waiting for you to reply to the pm.
I am out of here..

 

[Aussie-Pride]

There is mate.
Gave up waiting for you to reply to the pm.
I am out of here..

lol you were writting that comment as I was replying to the pm, once you get it get back to me.

 

[Snakewoman]

If you read about the subject...you will be stunned to find out that people do think for themselves..and can do that when they are faced with something they do not understand.
Are books are no go zone as well.?
If books are out..then it would boil down to personal experience to make judgement calls on complex subjects..and the question would be..and what do you base your opinion on then??.
Everyone can have an opinion...but not all opinions are equal. LOL

If you had looked properly you would have seen that what you actually quoted was my signature which comes up at the bottom of every post I make, it has nothing to do with this particular subject. LOL.

With the exception of the little girl in #7 they are all people holding the cats are using the fishermans pose. I would like to see an image of one with a tap measure.

I'd like to see a photo like that too, I'll see if I can find one.

 

[Aussie-Pride]

I believe you, but end of the day, pics or it did not happen.

lol I'm surprised that comment hasn't come up earlier. There is pics mate my computer just won't load them up on here for some reason, if you can do me a favor and search Kurt Engal large feral cat shot there's two pictures, one of him posing behind his dirt bike with it strung up in a tree and one with it roped up at his house..

 

[mysnakesau]

Pictures can lie, very easy. Hold something out in front of you and it can look bigger than it is. How many ppl claim to have photo footage of ghosts or UFO's yet still plenty don't believe them that it could be true. Ppl have given the media blurry images that may look like panthers, but I have never seen a clear, in focus shot. Besides, if they really are in our bush, why are they so scarce? There has been sightings for years yet they aren't breeding in large population and cubs are never seen. Why are they only witnessed by few yet others can spend days in the bush and see nothing?

 

[viciousred]

El-Largato have you ever heard of natural selection?
A bigger cat, can catch larger food items, there for eat more, and feed more young. over the years, the biggest cats survive, sure there are little ones out there but there most likely fresh lines from recent ferals, there would be bloodlines out there from 200 yrs ago at least. plenty of time for it to happen. big cat+big cat= Bigger cats. how do you think we have created the cat breeds we have? selective breeding. out there is the same things. survival of the fittest. Sure they may not be leopard size but they are bloody big.

 

[Jeffa]

lol I'm surprised that comment hasn't come up earlier. There is pics mate my computer just won't load them up on here for some reason, if you can do me a favor and search Kurt Engal large feral cat shot there's two pictures, one of him posing behind his dirt bike with it strung up in a tree and one with it roped up at his house..

Just reading

Scribbly Gum Forum: content of posts and threads

 

[viciousred]

To get the size of a Maine Coon Google the" breed standard for showing Maine Coons" it will have all the measurements

 

[Aussie-Pride]

Pictures can lie, very easy. Hold something out in front of you and it can look bigger than it is. How many ppl claim to have photo footage of ghosts or UFO's yet still plenty don't believe them that it could be true. Ppl have given the media blurry images that may look like panthers, but I have never seen a clear, in focus shot. Besides, if they really are in our bush, why are they so scarce? There has been sightings for years yet they aren't breeding in large population and cubs are never seen. Why are they only witnessed by few yet others can spend days in the bush and see nothing?

I agree with you, pictures can be deceiving to say the least though the photos I'm talking about are of a very large feral cat that was shot in Gippsland by Kurt Engal a few years ago when he was hunting samba deer and came across the animal,they are quite clear shots and one of the shot in particular show the size of the animal and have things to judge the size of it in the foreground.

Just reading

Scribbly Gum Forum: content of posts and threads

yeah I've had a quick look over that same thing that was the one I'm talking about though there are no pictures of it there. Did you see the photos I'm talking about..

 

[viciousred]

Maine Coons at CFA show - YouTube

 

[PythonLegs]

hmm...

I don't think your average feral would have a bowl full of nutritious treats and kibble put out for it every day so I think it's safe to assume they are not as well fed as domestics.

The fact is that the the genes for huge size simply don't exist in cats and despite improved nutrition and disease control, cats have stayed pretty much the same size since they were first domesticated.

When they're hungry enough, big cats will eat small cats. When only the biggest survive and breed..it's called 'Natural selcection' Crazy! And 'cats have stayed pretty much the same size since they were first domesticated'?? You don't really think that's true, do you?
'

 

[Aussie-Pride]

Maine Coons at CFA show - YouTube

check this out this and the savannah cat at the top the list next to the video..

SEE ONE OF THE MOST EXPENSIVE PET CATS IN THE WORLD - YouTube

 

[Snakewoman]

This Maine coon is 48 inches long and weighs 35 pounds:

Biggest Maine Coon Cat; the Largest Maine Coon Cat is Leo, Guinness World Record holder

Bigger than the average Maine Coon, but the average ones are still bigger than most other breeds.

Maine Coons are one of the largest breeds of domestic cat. Males weigh from 15 to 25 lb (6.8 to 11 kg) with females weighing from 10 to 15 lb (4.5 to 6.8 kg).[SUP][17][/SUP] The height of adults can vary between 10 and 16 in (25 and 41 cm) and they can reach a length of up to 40 in (100 cm), including the tail, which can reach a length of 14 in (36 cm)[SUP][18][/SUP] and is long, tapering, and heavily furred, almost resembling a raccoon's tail.

Maine Coon - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[dean30bb]

hmm...

I don't think your average feral would have a bowl full of nutritious treats and kibble put out for it every day so I think it's safe to assume they are not as well fed as domestics.

The fact is that the the genes for huge size simply don't exist in cats and despite improved nutrition and disease control, cats have stayed pretty much the same size since they were first domesticated.

See below link, it is consistent with Fuscus' comments re giantism. it even refers to the Gippsland giant cat as a case study.

THE MYTH OF GIANT FERAL CATS

mate you have to be kidding your self if you dont think that natural selection wont create larger and stronger animals. i have seen large feral cats first hand.

over hundreds of years cats have become larger, there head shape and everything has evolved. i will post a picture later of a young cat we shot and had stuffed and it is alot different to domestic cats mate.

 

[Wrightpython]

i have shot a lot of feral cats most are small normal looking cats although they are normally skinnier than mine. i have shot a huge tom out at cunnumulla he weighed 11 kgs and when held by tail at my shoulder height his head was on ground im 5'7. That was a one off yes he was black but he was a normal feral. Just because he breeds doesnt mean all his kittens will be large. It takes hundreds and thousands of years for that sort of evolution not a 100 years or so.

 

[Red-Ink]

Seems like a lot of people on here have come accross large feral cats (myself included)... Unfortunately It would also seem like we are all lying/exaggerating according to scientific studies.

As it seems according to studies large feral cats (not the mythical black panther but large feral cats) are a genetic dysfunction and rare with low possibilities of passing on this genetic trait. Is it a possibility us witnesses have been seeing the same geneticly dysfunctioned cat with a very very big range as it has been reported in Cunnumulla, Barmah state forest (Vic-NSW border), Townsville even all the way up near Darwin.

 

[MathewB]

It's all fun and games and speculation until someone gets attacked

 

[Wrightpython]

It's all fun and games and speculation until someone gets attacked

Government will cover that up as well

 

[El_Lagarto]

Couldn't have said it better myself. Nobody is denying that the odd slightly larger than normal cat will pop up in the wild and possibly even survive to produce offspring.

However, as Wrightpython correctly points out natural selection takes a very long time and, in my opinion, cat's haven't been in Australia long enough for that to take place.

Think about how hard it is to even line breed for a particular trait in reptiles (or any other animal) and the amount of variation you see in each clutch. In the wild line breeding would be extremely rare and probably a one off event.

I have seen and trapped a lot of feral cats (mostly in central Australia) and none have been any larger than a normal domestic. That doesn't mean there aren't a few larger than average specimens out there in other areas but I don't believe it is the norm and the science backs up this view.

What, I know for sure is that there is no feral (domestic) cat in Australia that has 'evolved' to be size of average Leopard.

i have shot a lot of feral cats most are small normal looking cats although they are normally skinnier than mine. i have shot a huge tom out at cunnumulla he weighed 11 kgs and when held by tail at my shoulder height his head was on ground im 5'7. That was a one off yes he was black but he was a normal feral. Just because he breeds doesnt mean all his kittens will be large. It takes hundreds and thousands of years for that sort of evolution not a 100 years or so.