Comments on: Mystery Cryptid Pic From Tampa

By: Rogutaan

Rogutaan — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 20:27:06 +0000

Hmm, interesting. I hadn’t heard of this at all, and I live 15 minutes away from the Hillsborough…

By: lukedog

lukedog — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 06:45:04 +0000

I’m sure most viewers at this site enjoy mystery photo’s as much as I, But if we aren’t allowed to even comment on what we think it to be ,whats the point of even posting it.
From posts I’ve read, no one has demanded that their opinion is Gospel,[DWA hasn't posted yet] so post and let post people, and dont be afraid to hazzard a guess.

By: charlie23

charlie23 — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 06:38:15 +0000

While I agree with Spinach Village in principle, after sharpening and enlarging the photo in photoshop it does indeed look very much like a housecat, with about 1/2 of the face visible.

By: cryptidsrus

cryptidsrus — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 22:45:35 +0000

Spinach Village:

Good show.

I second what SOCALCryptid said.

By: Fhqwhgads

Fhqwhgads — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 21:56:42 +0000

Spinach, that’s a load of hooey, and it’s not the way anyone lives their lives. Example: I just got some cash out of an ATM, mostly in $20’s. One or more of those bills COULD BE counterfeit! Do I break out into a cold sweat? No. Even though there is a slight possibility that one or more is counterfeit, I know that statistically the odds are against it, and no reason has been given for me to believe there is a counterfeit bill in my pocket. It’s not “desperation” to play the odds in the absence of evidence to the contrary.

So maybe this thing in the tree is something unusual (no one has yet mentioned a fat Eurasian Red Squirrel), but given how many pet ginger cats there are (relative to the number of monkeys) and the total lack of any reason to think this is NOT a cat based on either photographic evidence or reported behavior, I’ll go with “cat” as my default.

By: bray_beast

bray_beast — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 20:24:16 +0000

Now Spinach, while I agree that demanding everyone acknowledge that it is one thing or another is ridiculous, I don’t know of a website where it is more appropriate to list possible candidates for the identities of blobby photos and debate the merits of all said possibilities.

By: SOCALcryptid

SOCALcryptid — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 19:50:31 +0000

Thank you Spinach Village. I could not have said it better myself.

By: Spinach Village

Spinach Village — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 19:01:15 +0000

Looking at the picture and judging on simply the visual evidence alone, it could be a lot of things. But seriously, can anyone point out the distinct form of an orange cat? No, of course you can’t. The form is greatly obscured by the leaves and branch.

There is not enough visual evidence to suggest that this animal is a house cat just like there is not enough visual evidence to suggest anything else. It is a mystery. If someone is immediately claiming that the animal is a house cat, then I feel that, that person is prejudging and not being objective at all.

It seems to smacks at desperation, at the need to have a logical answer for everything.

By: bray_beast

bray_beast — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 18:19:20 +0000

Here's a link to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission detailing some sightings of coatis (mostly in southern Florida), and admitting that they are most likely established as a breeding species.

By: bray_beast

bray_beast — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 18:18:56 +0000

That is a terrible photo. Judging by the coloration and probable size, my guess is housecat or coati mundi. Florida seems fairly perfect for the establishment of a wild coatis population.