Part 3 - Life Finds a Way …13 Creatures That Didn’t Exist 100 Years Ago

Life finds a way…that’s a quote from the movie, Jurassic Park.The scientists from Colossal want to bring back extinct animals like the dire wolf. Someone from Animal Planet wrote a cautionary post so fascinating I had to write about it too.

                 The Link: https://www.rindabeach.com/blog/game-of-thrones-are-dire-wolves-back
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I just found a post from Animals Around the Globe that makes that quote even more true. Here are 13 creatures that now exist because somehow, life found a way.

                                                That link: 13 Creatures That Did Not Exist 100 Years Ago

                                                                          #7. Savannah Cat 
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Here, kitty, kitty ! This one is only four months old, but it’s rather extraordinary. Part house cat. Part serval. That’s a medium sized wild African cat. The first one was born in 1986 when someone put a wild and tame cat together. I thought wild animals stayed wild at heart.
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Savannah cats have long legs, sharp ears, and a spotted coat. They have a house cat’s temperament and a wild cat’s energy and intelligence. They’re great at jumping and solving problems, yet they’re loyal like dogs. Would you believe the International Cat Association recognized them in 2001, or that they won championship status in 2012? 



           

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8. Wholphin

A what? Break the word in half, and you get a creature who’s part whale, part dolphin. The first documented, born in Hawaii in1985. It was an unplanned birth. The mother, a female bottlenose dolphin, shared a tank with a male false killer whale. Their calf, the first wholphin ever. Her color, a shade in between her parents. She has 66 teeth, a number in between too. Her mom had 88. Her dad, 44. Her size, would you believe in between? Bigger than mom, but smaller than dad.  

BTW, a false killer whale is one of the largest members of the dolphin family. It makes me wonder if they’re hybrids too, but I couldn’t find any proof. Another fun fact, the first wholphin went on to have a few calves of her own. Wholphins are rare because their parents would never ever meet in the wild. 



                                                                                          #9. Belgian Blue Cattle

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​Sounds like a normal breed, but it all started with a natural mutation.  Before selective breeding, the Belgians were big milk and meat producers. Then cattlemen discovered a mutation…it regulates muscle growth. It lets Belgians develop 20-30% more muscles than their nonmutated cousins.

That means Belgians are lean and mean. Their nickname, ‘bodybuilder cattle.’ Can you see it in this photo? The good news—their meat is less fatty, has more protein. The down side—most female Belgians need a Caesarean section to give birth. If you look up Belgians on Wikipedia, you’ll see a female. It looks like she has a huge patch on her side. It’s a scar from giving birth. Sad fact—the modern Belgian looks completely different from their nonmutated great grandparents a hundred years ago.
 
                                                          Tomorrow: The last four incredible creatures