“Rarest species of feline on Earth”: Unique cat mystifies the internet
<p dir="ltr">A photo of the “rarest species of feline on Earth”, a cat with black and neon yellow stripes, has mystified the internet.</p>
<p dir="ltr">The incredible photo of the “Amazon snake cat” is truly unbelievable.</p>
<p dir="ltr">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”. </p>
<p dir="ltr">“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).”</p>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en"><a href="https://t.co/rpeMQKCF4I">pic.twitter.com/rpeMQKCF4I</a></p>
<p>— Jeff_kamara2 (@Kamara2R) <a href="https://twitter.com/Kamara2R/status/1635669633553367040?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 14, 2023</a></p></blockquote>
<p dir="ltr">A now-deleted Reddit post of the “Serpens Cattus” attracted several comments who flagged the feline as not being real. </p>
<p dir="ltr">“Obvious fake. No known gene can produce natural hair or fur of those (navy and bright yellow) colours,” one commented.</p>
<p dir="ltr">“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.”</p>
<p dir="ltr">The post caught the eye of zoology experts to verify the authenticity of the photo.</p>
<p dir="ltr">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”.</p>
<p dir="ltr">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. </p>
<p dir="ltr">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.</p>
<p dir="ltr">“He’s in the next fantastic beasts,” laughed one user referencing the Harry Potter spin-off franchise.</p>
<p dir="ltr">“Use this s**t for good not to misinform,” another user wrote.</p>
<p dir="ltr">“Stop sharing bulls**t,” a third commented. </p>
<p dir="ltr">It's clear to see the mysterious feline has certainly left some in hiss-belief.</p>
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<p dir="ltr"><em>Image credit: Twitter</em></p>
