r/animalid • u/Mry-Mry • 28d ago
What is this cat? đ§±đ« TAXIDERMY ID REQUEST đ«đ§±
Someone is selling this taxidermy wild cat and I'm trying to figure out what it is. There's no pictures of the head before anyone asks.
I'm thinking it's maybe an oncilla? But I'm really unsure It looks quite old
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u/Mry-Mry 28d ago
By the by, they're asking 700 euros for it Which is fucking insane in my opinion
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u/Anotherthrowayaay 28d ago
I really donât know what taxidermy goes for.
Why do you want it?
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u/Mry-Mry 28d ago
I collect only cat related taxidermy and skulls, so I thought the goofy thing might be a good addition.
But seeing how iffy and weird the seller was put me off,, plus not knowing what it was, as it doesn't have any papers that the seller it showing, could potentially be a troublesome and illegal situation I don't want to put myself into.
Taxidermy IS expensive. But old af, poor taxidermy shouldn't be the price of a quality, new piece.
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u/Western_Plankton_376 28d ago edited 28d ago
I think serval. Yes, the ears are really small, but in taxidermy, if you donât remove the cartilage in the ears and replace it with an artificial shape, they will curl and shrink over time. The reddish-brown comes from the way all taxidermy fades over time. These markings used to be black.
Also, the spots on this pelt are clearer, larger, and oriented into lines (like on the neck shoulders) than a Geoffreyâs Cat would be, but seem to match up with Serval markings.
The fur is also short and close-lying like serval.
Oncillas have rosettes; rings of black spots with a dark base color inside. This cat just has spots, no rosettes.
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u/Mry-Mry 28d ago
Ah alright! Thanks! A poor serval it is, haha
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u/My_venting_account_1 26d ago
Iâm replying directly to one of your comments to be sure you see it - I think the tail is too long for a serval, and the horizontally flowing markings on the sides (not the ones near the neck and shoulder) are not common in servals.
Do you think it could be a fishing cat?
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u/Serious-Knee-5768 28d ago
Possibly an Asian Leopard Cat. Without measurement s, side view, ears or facial view, it could be hard to differentiate it from an African Serval.
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u/Mry-Mry 28d ago
Yeah, unfortunately the person didn't send pictures of the head or side view even tho I asked twice. The only picture I didn't add in was some measurement. Looks like it's a bit longer than 50cm, from shoulders to back leg. But otherwise, unfortunately, no more information provided :/
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u/bronyfication 27d ago
My first thought was something under Prionailurus genus like fishing cat or sunda leopard cat
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u/mothwhimsy 28d ago
Why is everyone saying serval? This is not what serval markings look like.
Definitely thinking leopard cat. Oncilla is a good guess too
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u/sb0918 28d ago
Looks like a bad taxidermy job TBH, but my vote would be for Serval. The long legs, small head, and long spots make me think that, however from what I can see, Servals normally have black spots. However given that this looks like a bad preservation job, maybe the spots faded.
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u/Hovercraft869 27d ago
Yes, old tattered taxidermy, faded pelt, with pattern consistent with Asian Leopard Cat, Prionailurus bengalensis.
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u/My_venting_account_1 26d ago
Not a serval. Tails too long. Looks like a fishing cat to me.
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u/Mry-Mry 26d ago
Tail is too long for a serval, I agree. Fishing Cat does seem more likely! The lones on the shoulders/neck line up and it has the small dots as a pattern. So a very old and fucked up fishing cat, I could see it being that. Very sun bleached as well, lost all its colour. Too bad there's no picture of the face to help identify
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u/tengallonfishtank 28d ago
maybe a geoffroyâs cat? i wish the ears were better preserved as that could give more clues. definitely some kind of small wildcat without rosettes, the pattern wouldnât be totally out of place for a domestic cat or domestic and wildcat cross
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28d ago
[removed] â view removed comment
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u/animalid-ModTeam 28d ago
Low effort and sensationalist comments will be removed at moderatorsâ discretion
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u/PipocaComNescau 28d ago
Where's the tail? It seems to be just a stump? I would say Geoffrey's cat, but with that? But it doesn't look like a bobcats either, the coat doesn't match... That's really hard.
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u/Mry-Mry 28d ago
I think some of the tail can be seen? Maybe in the third picture when zooming in between the back legs. Seems like a stumpy tail, thin and not too long. Like a caracal or serval tail, medium length. This cat is just confusing! lol
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u/PipocaComNescau 28d ago
Yeah, it can be a very poor taxidermied serval. It lacks the big ears, the legs need to be longer too... I don't know. It throws me off!
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u/andara84 27d ago
Pretty sure it's a leopard cat, or at least a mix with leopard cat in it. If it's a reasonably pure breed, the price is ok.
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u/Aggravating-Bee4755 28d ago
Can we see the face/head?
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u/Mry-Mry 28d ago
Unfortunately, as I mentioned, the face/head wasn't pictured. I asked for pictures, but didn't get anything in return. So these are all the pictures available. The seller thought I was suspicious for asking for more pictures, but I think THAT behaviour is suspicious. Idk why they didn't have a single picture of the face, it would help so much
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u/Aggravating-Bee4755 28d ago
Totally. The face is the most important part. Itâs probably all fucked up. Hard pass!
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u/talashrrg 28d ago
Pattern looks like a serval to me, and vote serval that was taxidermied kind of poorly.
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u/DatabaseMoney7125 28d ago
Maybe not a serval if the taxidermy isnât actually too terrible and the body habitus is broadly correct. It made me think of maybe of a leopardus species like the oncilla (L. tigrinus).