< The Case of Mistaken Identity Part 3

~tracker

I much appreciate the little bit of research that Holmes is engaged in. Might I add a bit more information to help our good detective?

In contrast to canines, who hunt in a steady trot, leaning forward and drawn down trails by their noses, felines have a habit of sneaking from cover to cover, sitting back on their palm pads and seeking game by sight and sound. This shows clearly in their track sets with the canine displaying larger toes, smaller palm pads, and (frequently) claws and the feline displaying smaller toes, larger palm pads, and (rarely) claws. Also due to their different gaits, the trotting canine's trail will tend to be narrower with a longer stride length whereas the feline's walking trail will tend to be wider with a shorter stride length. When prey is run down, the canine attacks with its jaws first and only afterwards pins the animal down with its front feet while feeding. The feline will attack with a sideswipe of its retractable front claws, turning their wrists as they swing. This difference shows up in the two animals' foot morphology as well. The canine's toes are symmetrical around the palm pads with the weight firmly forward in the toes whereas the feline's toes are aligned asymmetrically around the palm pads with a more obvious "index finger" and "pinky" much like a human hand (minus the thumb, of course).

Write a reply