Tag: cat

African Serval

Photographer Unknown, African Serval, Felidae Leptailurus serval

Servals are a small cat species oringinating from Africa. The size of an African Serval ranges between 18 to 40 pounds, with males being the largest. They look similar to a small version of the cheetah, but are in fact an entirely different species. These exotic beauties have a wonderful coat that is yellowish to reddish brown with distinctive dark spots and stripes. There are also a couple of varieties including the all Black Serval, and the woodland Servaline which has much smaller spots in its patterning.

Servals have a long slender build and long legs. The back legs are slightly longer than the front. Their body form is then complimented with a narrow head and very large, prominent ears. Servals are a swift and graceful predator in the African bush. Everything about the appearance and body form of this cat reflects its natural instincts, behaviors, and abilities. Their coat provides a perfect camouflage, their long back legs provide incredible power in a leap, and they have acute hearing with those large ears. What they lack in size they make up for in speed and agility.

They are versatile stealth hunters that will stalk their prey or patiently crouch in the brush listening intently for quarry. With the slightest rustle they leap in a graceful arc, up to 10 feet into the air, pouncing on their prey and striking with a chop of their paws. These incredible cats have a 50 percent success rate, a phenomenal feat in the cat world.

Botero

Botero, “Cat”, Rambla del Raval, Barcelona, Spain

Fernando Botero’s “Cat” was purchased by Barcelona City Council in 1987. From then until 2003, the cat wandered the city’s streets in search of a permanent site. His first stop-off point was the Parc de la Ciutadella, near his fellow animals at Barcelona Zoo. Then he was taken to a site by the Olympic Stadium, and a few years later he was put in a little square behind Barcelona’s medieval shipyards.

Finally, in 2003, the decision was taken to move him to a permanent location at the end of the newly created Rambla del Raval. The sculpture has become an integral part of one of Barcelona’s most widely redeveloped areas and is a favourite meeting place.