[NatureNS] Eastern Cougar or ginger tom?

Date: Wed, 09 Feb 2011 16:42:38 -0400
From: Steve Shaw <srshaw@Dal.Ca>
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Hi Derek et al.,
With their own eyes, surely 'yes', because most of us have good  
stereoscopic vision and so see the world three-dimensionally (3D): the  
several available depth cues can easily reveal the difference between  
a domestic cat and a much larger cougar because we automatically  
calibrate for object distance.

In a still photograph, not necessarily so, because the photo contains  
only a flat (2D) projection of the world.  Unless there are good  
secondary depth cues in the photo, like the sizes of trees or other  
familiar objects, apparent size can be ambiguous.  The legend of the  
cat-cougar confound showed up a few years ago when it turned out that  
a photograph purporting showing a cougar in the middle distance really  
pictured a large ginger tom not that far away from the camera.

Talking of sasquatches, the same photographic distance ambiguity was  
used to fake one of the most famous images of the 'Loch Ness Monster'.  
  This had the monster sticking its neck out of the water somewhere  
near the middle of the loch amid largish waves, and was widely  
accepted as being real and unfakeable for decades.  If memory serves,  
it was actually constructed by the faker from a toy submarine under  
water with a rubber extension fixed on top, and photographed just a  
few feet from the water's edge that was stirred with a stick to make a  
few ripples.  As always, the legend is more appealing than the  
explanation.

Steve
  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Quoting D W Bridgehouse <d.bridgehouse@ns.sympatico.ca>

> It may be a naive of me - but - wishful thinking that most people would
> surely recognize the difference between a "house" cat and a "cougar"  ? ? ?

> DB


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