Cats Can Fly *

Sharifa

Re: Cats Can Fly

Post by Sharifa »

Wanda wrote:Lovely Sharifa! O/\ LOL at your 'come to Mamma Tsamma!'
Other animal? - AWC?
Thanks Wanda \O Hmmm AWC
Flutterby wrote:Wow, what a beautiful sighting!! ^Q^ ^Q^
\O Flutterby
Lisbeth wrote:Beautiful leopard.....doing things -O

Leopard hunt :-? Not likely during the day and the other animal would be a springbock which is not that interesting.
Caracal affronting leopard, I am 0-
Too cold for snakes 0'
A male leopard?
-O-
0()

Is it a case or does the Driver only "talk" when there is something exceptional coming up? O**
Don't give the Driver ideas Lizbeth. He has job description: drive, cook and listen :evil:

So we have:
Porcupine
Aardwolf
Aardwark
Pangolin
African Wild Cat
Caracal
Male Leopard

and more takers for Timbi ??????


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Dewi
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Re: Cats Can Fly

Post by Dewi »

Magical Leopard pics. \O

Was she chased by Lions?

Did she try for a Honey Badger?

Or dis she fly in the air to catch a Sandgrouse?

0() 0() 0()


Dewi

What is the good of having a nice house without a decent planet to put it on? (H D Thoreau)
Duke

Re: Cats Can Fly

Post by Duke »

While Miss Sharifa is away -O

No, No, No Dewi ^0^

Not Pumbaa nan, not even Timon -O

It is one of these from her list above ;-)

Porcupine
Aardwolf
Aardwark
Pangolin
African Wild Cat
Caracal
Male Leopard


Sharifa

Re: Cats Can Fly

Post by Sharifa »

Thanks Pooky, Bushcraft, Pumbaa, Dewi \O

Just cannot leave the Driver alone for a few minutes 0*\

Tsamma was heading right towards us O/\ O\/ O/\ O\/ O/\ O\/

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She was real close now :-)

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She was crossing the road right in front of us, and we were the only people at 14 O/\ O/\ O/\

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Wow. I was more than happy with this sighting and thought, she will cross the road and disappear into the dunes. Not so.......... :-)


Sharifa

Re: Cats Can Fly

Post by Sharifa »

Thanks Wanda \O . You called it right, AWC ^Q^ ^Q^ ^Q^

Tsamma stopped on the road to pose for us :-)

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and then said, "Hey Mamma, come along, we don't have all day, a cat can fall asleep waiting for you" -O

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She crossed the road, and was walking parallel to the road and she was rasping and stopping periodically to mark.

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then the driver was all excited, saying she has flushed out an African wildcat - look on the road, get a shot of the AWC

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and in the next breath he said here comes Tsamma - get a shot

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and the chase was on

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Sharifa

Re: Cats Can Fly

Post by Sharifa »

The AWC headed for the highest tree

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Tsamma was right behind the AWC

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She had a look at the AWC

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had a look at us

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and then was saying:

Sky is blue
Light is true
Kitty Cat is stuck atop the tree
Time for a photo shoot spree


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Tsamma: Not happy with this :-? , I'll go further up

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How about this

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That is wonderful Tsamma ^Q^ ^Q^ ^Q^


Sharifa

Re: Cats Can Fly

Post by Sharifa »

Remember the song by Right Said Fred -O

I'm a model you know what I mean
And I do my little turn on the catwalk
Yeah on the catwalk on the catwalk, yeah
I shake my little tush on the catwalk
I'm too sexy for my (kitty) cat
Too sexy for my (kitty Cat


The Kitty Cat was forgotten for now as Tsamma did her stuff on the cat walk for us O/\ O/\ O/\

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she posed again

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How about this?

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Just Purrfect Tsamma. Beautiful ^Q^ ^Q^ ^Q^

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I'm a model you know what I mean
And I do my little turn on the catwalk


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Tsamma: OK Mamma, I have a Kitty Cat to catch, back to business ;-)

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Sharifa

Re: Cats Can Fly

Post by Sharifa »

Thanks Wanda, Flutterby, nan, Lisbeth, Bushcraft, Dewi, Mel, Bush Brat, Pumbaa and dup \O

Tsamma did a wonderful job modelling O/\ O\/ but she was on the wrong branch 0*\ Now she could climb down a little and then get to the right branch

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But cats can fly, so ready or not, here I come Kitty Cat

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When you look at that now :shock: O-/ , one wrong move and she could have injured herself. Duke was using the 500 lens and I was usinbg the 100-400 lens. Duke, from the driver's side could not shoot the top of the tree. I had to make a quick decision. Having owned a few cats I anticipated what may happen. I changed to the 70-200 lens sacrificing reach for speed and getting more of the scene in. Will it unfold the way I anticipated :-?

Here Kitty, Kitty. Come to Tsamma or Tsamma will come to you

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We did not think Tsamma is going to go after the AWC, but there she was saying, here Kitty, Kitty,

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I am nearly there Kitty

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and then

0() ;-)


Sharifa

Re: Cats Can Fly

Post by Sharifa »

Do you know the Song "You Can't Catch Me" by Chuck Berry

Now you can't catch me, baby you can't catch me
'Cause if you get too close, you know I'm gone like a cool breeze


Tsamma could only watch as the AWC took off O:V

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You said it Tsamma, Cats Can Fly ^0^

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When you get too close, I'm gone like the cool breeze

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So I let out my wings and then I blew my horn
Bye bye Tsamma, I've become airborne


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We estimated the tree to be about 12 meters. Look at those legs absorbing the shock O:V

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and in the same motion the AWC was gone O/\ O\/ O/\ O\/

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Although, Tsamma came flying down herself

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She was no match for the Kitty Cat ^Q^ ^Q^ ^Q^

Tsamma raced after the AWC and by the time we reached them the AWC had disappeared over the dune with Tsamma still on the chase

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No You Can't Catch Me Tsamma

So how did the AWC do that O:V O/\ O\/

From the moment they're in the air to the instant after they hit the ground, cats' bodies are built to survive high falls, scientists say.
They have a relatively large surface area in proportion to their weight, thus reducing the force at which they hit the pavement. Cats reach terminal velocity, the speed at which the downward tug of gravity is matched by the upward push of wind resistance, at a slow speed compared to large animals like humans and horses.
For instance, an average-sized cat with its limbs extended achieves a terminal velocity of about 60mph (97km/h), while an average-sized man reaches a terminal velocity of about 120mph (193km/h)

Cats are essentially arboreal animals: when they're not living in homes or in urban alleys, they tend to live in trees. Cats can also spread their legs out to create a sort of parachute effect, although it is unclear how much this slows the rate of descent.

"They splay out their legs, which is going to expand their surface area of the body, and that increases the drag resistance," When they do land, cats' muscular legs - made for climbing trees - act as shock absorbers. "Cats have long, compliant legs," "They've got decent muscles. In that they're able to jump quite well, the same muscles divert energy into decelerating rather than breaking bones."

The springy legs increase the distance over which the force of the collision with the ground dissipates, "The impact forces are much higher in stiff collisions,". "If they can increase the collision time over a longer period, that reduces the impact force."And a cat's legs are angled under the body rather than extended downward, like human or horse legs."You're not transmitting the forces really directly," .

"If the cat were to land with its legs directly under him in a column and hold him stiff, those bones would all break. But they go off to the side and the joints then bend, and you're now taking that energy and putting it into the joints and you're getting less of a force at the bone itself."

Referencd from Here

We Just sat there for about 5 minutes neither of us saying anything. We could hear Tsamma rasping and the AWC had got away - she deserved too and it will not even cost her a life ;-) All nine still intact O/\ O/\ O/\


Sharifa

Re: Cats Can Fly

Post by Sharifa »

Thanks SueJ \O

The sightings did make it worthwhile but I think we will stick to the warmer months for KTP :-)

10 August 2013

Our last morning in the KTP and it was also the coldest one at -8 C Brrrrrrrr. As expected with that temperature it was quiet but at 13 Borehole there was a Lanner Falcon with Breakfast

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He was not happy with us and flew off

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About 2 km from Samevloeiing - a road where we have only seen ostrich and gemsbok to date we saw a lone lioness

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and she was calling O:V She was soon joined by the cubs O:V The bouncy bundles gave us a show before disappearing over the dunes

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Too soon we were at Twee Rivieren and then on to Red Sands in Kuruman. Thank you all who flew with us on this one O0 O0 O0

Until next time, take care ;-)


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