“Rarest species of feline on Earth”: Unique cat mystifies the internet
A photo of the “rarest species of feline on Earth”, a cat with black and neon yellow stripes, has mystified the internet.
The incredible photo of the “Amazon snake cat” is truly unbelievable.
The image of the so-called “Serpens Cattus”, a feline with black and neon-yellow stripes resembling a snake, made waves online, with social media posts claiming it was the “rarest species of feline on Earth”.
“Serpens Cattus is the rarest species of feline on Earth. These Animals live in hard-to-reach regions of the Amazon rainforest, and therefore they are relatively poorly studied,” a Twitter user claimed. “The first images capturing the snake cat appeared only in 2020. Weighs up to 4 stone (25kgs).”
A now-deleted Reddit post of the “Serpens Cattus” attracted several comments who flagged the feline as not being real.
“Obvious fake. No known gene can produce natural hair or fur of those (navy and bright yellow) colours,” one commented.
“Really rough attempt at a fake Latin name,” a second person chimed in. “One google about species naming would have made this a lot less obvious.”
The post caught the eye of zoology experts to verify the authenticity of the photo.
However, the colours and patterns on the female bare a strong resemblance to the reptilian boiga dendrophila, which is commonly referred to as the “gold-ringed cat snake”.
According to the Smithsonian’s National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute, the snake is found in the same countries where the “Amazon snake cat” was rumoured to be found.
The serpent-like feline slid over to TikTok, where one user claimed that the species lived in Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Guyana, French Guiana and Suriname.
“He’s in the next fantastic beasts,” laughed one user referencing the Harry Potter spin-off franchise.
“Use this s**t for good not to misinform,” another user wrote.
“Stop sharing bulls**t,” a third commented.
It's clear to see the mysterious feline has certainly left some in hiss-belief.
Image credit: Twitter