my ABC sighting

locatoin : france [ dept eure ]

terrain - a rural semi derelict track [ chemain de halage ]

local " civilisation " - none apparent within 2km

sighting - a feline body lengt 60cm . and lean ran across the track infront of me - and disapeared

it had a dark pelt - and long tail - too fleeting for any better description

no tracks // footprints - due to hard baked clay // gravel surface

and that was it

my only imperative to post - my argument from incredulity " it was too big for a feral // domesitic " and the disance to any human habitation

a reply to: ignorant_ape

Was the tail nearly as long as the body?
It is leopard sized, so I supposed it could be a melanistic leopard that was released or escaped.

What time of day / night was it , and was it cloudy or windy ? My first impression was an otter. Are you sure it was feline ?

a reply to: ignorant_ape

It sounds like a black panther. Apparently, there have been several sightings of them in France, Great Britain, and Scotland over the last several years.

a reply to: ignorant_ape

*sigh* What is "ABC" shorthand for?

all replies aggregated :

ABC = alien big cat - its a sufficiently common term in crytpozoo that IMHO it does not need explaining every thread

weather etc - late afternoon - schorchio sun - and thankfully - a strong breeze [ 15kph ]

my opinion was deffor more feline than anything else - absolutly not otter

other trip sightings - deer , mink [ in a small creek ] , a feral boar , rats [ lots of rats ]

tail length - unsure - due terrain - deffo > 1/2 body lenth and slender // high

a reply to: ignorant_ape

Hi.

Could it have been a wild cat? They almost get up to 60 cm in body size.

en.wikipedia.org...

a reply to: ignorant_ape

One more question , if I may .... Did it seem real or unreal ?

a reply to: bluemooone2

i is unsure i undersands the question .

it was [ to me ] as real as everything else i encountered that day :

the feery was real

the track was real

the animal was real

the fallen tree was real

my picnic was real

the detour cos the track ended was real

begging water from a farm was real

i my be over thinking - but - i has never has an incident i thougt was " unreal "

a reply to: ignorant_ape

So, did you consider a wildcat before jumping to an ABC?

Melanistic wildcats have never been recorded in Europe.
catsg.org

a reply to: ignorant_ape
Perhaps you will see it again sometime.

a reply to: butcherguy

I didnt see him saying it was melanistic. He said dark pelt. If it was melanistic he probably would have said black.

At 60 cm you think of a leopard? Maybe the OP can chime in. What was the shoulder height?

originally posted by: AntonGonist
a reply to: butcherguy

I didnt see him saying it was melanistic. He said dark pelt. If it was melanistic he probably would have said black.

At 60 cm you think of a leopard? Maybe the OP can chime in. What was the shoulder height?

Sorry, I got a little dyslexic, I think. I thought it was 90cm.

Melanistic animals are not necessarily black. They are often just darker than normal. Melanistic jaguars and leopards may have spots.

a reply to: butcherguy

So then what was your point? Are there no wildcats with a dark pelt?

originally posted by: AntonGonist
a reply to: butcherguy

So then what was your point? Are there no wildcats with a dark pelt?

I think the description was sufficiently vague to allow me to picture a dark cat in my mind.
What is your point in pestering me about my point?

How about this, I will say that the OP saw a European Wildcat and there is no way that he saw anything else.
Does that make you happy now?

a reply to: butcherguy

Pestering you? You mean asking for clarification of a point that didnt make sense, besides the whole point being based on an error in the first place?

No need to get so defensive.

originally posted by: AntonGonist
a reply to: butcherguy

Pestering you? You mean asking for clarification of a point that didnt make sense, besides the whole point being based on an error in the first place?

No need to get so defensive.

Your screen name is fitting.
I am not being defensive, I conceded what is apparently your end point to you.

a reply to: AntonGonist

i considered many things - including but not limited to wildcat and lynx .

but it was lean - while wildcats have a range of size // weight distributions -

it [ the sighting ] was a considerable distance from established // know wild cat terretories

yes - wildcats are seen way outside thier conventional " range "

bottom line - i saw it for just a few seconds - and an unfavourable distance

it COULD have been several things - my only certainty - is a list of things it was not

wild cat - is not on the list i reject - but if it was a wild cat - i is sure that french naturalists would be most interested

i saw " something " - and made a thread - thats the best i can give you

ETA - clarification - the exact spot - was some 20k upstream of duclair - on the banks of thie siene .

which puts it - way outside conventional wildcat ranges

so if wildat it was as " out of place " as any more exotic ABC

a reply to: ignorant_ape

Would they not be interested in an ABC? Was it a known territory for ABC's? Not sure I follow the logic of your arguments.

At 60 cm body size, what makes you suspect an ABC over a wildcat?

Sorry but I am very skeptical. Btw is there a problem with your keyboard?