Re: cheetah
I have seen them described variously as non-retractable or
semi-retractable. The point is that they are retracted much less
than other felines, most of which have fully retractable claws.
The relevance here is that because of this, the tendon attachment on
the bottom is much less developed than in most felids, including
leopards.
At 9:33 AM -0600 11/19/08, Adam Allentuck wrote:
Hodder (2006) reports in the epilogue
of The Leopard's Tale of the only leopard bone found at
Catalhoyuk to date - a third phalanx that was of the retracting
type. Until this discovery, it was not known if the many artistic
renderings of spotted felids at the site represented leopards or
cheetahs. According to Hodder (via N. Russell), cheetahs do not have
retracting claws, but leopards do. However, to my knowledge, the
claws of cheetahs are actually semi-retractable, an adaptation that
helps maintain traction at high speeds.
Adam Allentuck
Date: Mon, 17 Nov 2008 16:06:18 +0100
From: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [ZOOARCH] cheetah
To: [log in to unmask]
Dear
Zooarchs
can anybody
recommend references or give other advice about
the occurence of cheetah in the Anatolia or/and Near East
sites from Neolithic?
Thanks
Gianni
Siracusano
--
Nerissa Russell
Department of Anthropology
Cornell University
Ithaca, NY 14853 USA
(607) 255-6790
fax (607) 255-3747
