another big cat sightings 2

[Greyman 29,523]

  On 23/04/2023 at 11:08, Gilbey said:

You get the odd big rat/fox, are they "adapting" or "evolving"? Or have they just been doing well for themselves 

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Urban fox’s are 40% smaller than there rural cousins due to the same reason one predominantly scavenges and one hunts evolution ? 

  On 23/04/2023 at 11:08, Gilbey said:

You get the odd big rat/fox, are they "adapting" or "evolving"? Or have they just been doing well for themselves 

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[fireman 11,021]

  On 23/04/2023 at 14:16, Greyman said:

Urban fox’s are 40% smaller than there rural cousins due to the same reason one predominantly scavenges and one hunts evolution ? 

 

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They have a shorter muzzle as well,feck knows where i read it but a few years back i was talking to a keeper who's not to far from Ipswich with his shoot and he's noticed over the last 40 odd years of keepering that the foxes he's taken have been getting shorter in the muzzle and i did see a article about how it is happening across the UK.It's a rare thing to see adaptation or evolution taking place in ones life time as it usualy takes a good number of years to happen out in the countryside....

[mC HULL 13,997]

  On 23/04/2023 at 14:29, fireman said:

They have a shorter muzzle as well,feck knows where i read it but a few years back i was talking to a keeper who's not to far from Ipswich with his shoot and he's noticed over the last 40 odd years of keepering that the foxes he's taken have been getting shorter in the muzzle and i did see a article about how it is happening across the UK.It's a rare thing to see adaptation or evolution taking place in ones life time as it usualy takes a good number of years to happen out in the countryside....

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is inbreeding evolution ?

[fireman 11,021]

  On 23/04/2023 at 14:45, mC HULL said:

is inbreeding evolution ?

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I'd say out in the wilds it very rarely happens so it'd certainly never happen enough for any traits to stick through inbreeding...

[Gilbey 1,478]

  On 23/04/2023 at 14:16, Greyman said:

Urban fox’s are 40% smaller than there rural cousins due to the same reason one predominantly scavenges and one hunts evolution ? 

 

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Yes we all know that, shite diet and mange etc for generations. 

But all country ferals aren't big are they, just some. The small/normal/big all hunt

[Francie, 2,442]

  On 23/04/2023 at 14:29, fireman said:

They have a shorter muzzle as well,feck knows where i read it but a few years back i was talking to a keeper who's not to far from Ipswich with his shoot and he's noticed over the last 40 odd years of keepering that the foxes he's taken have been getting shorter in the muzzle and i did see a article about how it is happening across the UK.It's a rare thing to see adaptation or evolution taking place in ones life time as it usualy takes a good number of years to happen out in the countryside....

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Why from an evoloution standpoint would you say the muzzles are getting shorter?

[Squirrel_Basher 17,100]

  On 23/04/2023 at 10:01, gnipper said:

I've seen Kellas cats mentioned and videos of them etc and dna says they are hybrids between ferals and sw but at what point could/would a feral start evolving into a bigger cat? Some of them ferals in Australia are pretty bloody big and there's no Scottish crosses over there?

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I would say that if a hybrid was fertile and the breeds that went into it were diminished then it would indeed breed a new sub species .Hybrids tend to happen on the fringe edges of a range of one species and another .The offspring breed with either of the parents being the most common available .Sika ,red hybrids are fertile but there is now a problem with red looking deer carrying sika genes and vice versa .Must be same for cats .The highland range of the Scottish wildcat overlaps both house and feral cats from urban overflow .If nothing is done and  urban sprawl  continues the wildcat in its pure form will be gone for ever but if it’s genes are potent enough in the hybridisation then I’d say the new variant will take its place .Bigger ,stronger and maybe taking down young deer as well as lambs etc .If feral house cats are not controlled however then that sub species is doomed as well .

We are responsible for the eventual  loss of the wildcat and probably left it far too late to address anything now .

[fireman 11,021]

  On 23/04/2023 at 15:32, Francie, said:

Why from an evoloution standpoint would you say the muzzles are getting shorter?

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Just my thoughts but it'll be down to diet and how it feeds, it's not predated on so it'll be diet as nothing else makes things adapt or evolutionize if that's even a word ?....

[South hams hunter 8,937]

  On 23/04/2023 at 15:32, Francie, said:

Why from an evoloution standpoint would you say the muzzles are getting shorter?

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Less need to dig for worms?

[Squirrel_Basher 17,100]

  On 23/04/2023 at 14:50, fireman said:

I'd say out in the wilds it very rarely happens so it'd certainly never happen enough for any traits to stick through inbreeding...

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The sika red hybridisation is apparent with red deer showing signs of sika antler formation mate .Red deer antler have brow tines that grow at roughly 90degrees to the main beam but quite a few now are showing traits akin to sika with obtuse brow tines .The same for sika .Some antler growth as shown in red are present in sika ,larger thicker and hybrids are the subject for debate in scoring sika heads .Sika deer have pronounced metatarsal glands on rear legs which manifest as cream coloured .Hybrids whether throwing to the red or sika both have these glands on show .All deer have the glands but sika are pronounced .

No matter the hybrid ,some form of characteristic will manifest .

[Squirrel_Basher 17,100]

Can’t say I’ve seen a change in foxes over the time I’ve been controlling them .Sizes ,shape varying as with any population of anything .

[Squirrel_Basher 17,100]

  On 23/04/2023 at 14:45, mC HULL said:

is inbreeding evolution ?

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It ceratainly ain’t in the valleys mate .Ask for  a normal pair of gloves and you’ll get glared at .

[Squirrel_Basher 17,100]

  On 23/04/2023 at 11:40, king said:

Its raining..so once again you are ranting on about something you clearly have zero experience of..

Stick to ratting around chicken sheds and poking your stick into piles of rotten chicken shit..you  

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That’s better Dean .No need for copy cat abuse .Your better than that and even if you arnt ,nobodies impressed mate .Please share with us if you do get off the ground though mate .Very interesting .

[Bakerboy 4,736]

Is the myra hindley lookalike still breeding the wildcats.. .and plummers

[walshie 2,804]

  On 23/04/2023 at 14:16, Greyman said:

Urban fox’s are 40% smaller than there rural cousins due to the same reason one predominantly scavenges and one hunts evolution ? 

 

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That's an interesting fact as my personal experience has been the exact opposite. I've shot some massive foxes with heads the size of dogs in suburbia but in the country they've all been average size.