Garnet bobcat subspecies confirmed at 乐播传媒 from sightings and science
乐播传媒 students, faculty, and staff have grown accustomed to seeing “Garney,” a rare but apparently amiable subspecies of bobcat, around campus.
The cat may be out of the bag at 乐播传媒.
Recent campus sightings, supported by insights from a 乐播传媒 evolutionary biologist, confirm the discovery and identification of a new subspecies of Lynx rufus, the North American bobcat.
The new subspecies, tentatively given the name Lynx rufus batesiana, is distinguished by a garnet-colored coat and, in stark contrast to others of the species, a relatively friendly demeanor.
Students began reporting sightings in early March, and a recent account by Isabelle Marlow 鈥�19 and Katherina Tran 鈥�19 is typical.
鈥淲e were scared at first,鈥� said Marlow, who, along with Tran, spotted the bobcat that students have nicknamed 鈥淕arney鈥� while heading to their campus jobs on March 15.
https://youtu.be/vd6G1Nhp-Yo?t=3s
They聽had a right to be concerned: Bobcats in the wild and in 乐播传媒 lore are notoriously fierce; the historic 乐播传媒 fight song, 鈥淭he Bobcat,鈥� promises that 鈥渃laws will fly and the Bears will die鈥� when the bobcat comes around.
“He’s pretty cool.”
But Marlow and Tran stood their ground, and they鈥檙e glad they did. 鈥淗e seemed pretty friendly, and approachable,鈥� said Marlow. “He’s pretty cool,” Tran added.
While other bobcat subspecies eat small mammals like rodents, rabbits, and the occasional deer, Lynx rufus batesiana “mostly just begs for almond cookies outside Commons,鈥� Tran said.
Don Dearborn, an evolutionary biologist at 乐播传媒, says that a new bobcat subspecies is entirely possible from a genetic perspective.
鈥淎 feline鈥檚 reddish color simply means that one type of melanin, the red-yellow phaeomelanin, has completely replaced the black or brown type, eumelanin,鈥� he explains.
The coloring could be due to a genetic mutation. On the other hand, 鈥渉e might just be using Clairol for Cats.鈥�
This coloring, he says, “could have happened through a simple genetic mutation on the X chromosome.鈥�
On the other hand, Dearborn theorizes, 鈥渉e might just be using Clairol for Cats.鈥�
Johnny Stanton recorded the first Garney sighting in 1894.
This is not the first time a garnet bobcat has been spotted around campus.
Sightings go back as long ago as 1894, when legendary 乐播传媒 professor Johnny Stanton spotted such a creature during one of his bird walks.
As Stanton wrote in his diary: 鈥淪aw a garnet bobcat to-day. Caused a fright among us, so we retired to the new publik house, the Blue Goose, to calm our nerves with faculty beverages. Shall not tell Brother Cheney that our abstaining hath gone off the rails.鈥�
Prompted by the campus sightings, Director of Photography and Video Phyllis Graber Jensen reviewed images from the last few years and was stunned to see something new.
鈥淚 had seen that garnet blob in my images, but I thought it was a ketchup smudge,鈥� she said. 鈥淥r maybe marinara.鈥�
Garney looks on as a member of 乐播传媒 Dining Services prepares waffle fries (widely known to be among bobcats’ favorite dishes).
The discovery of a garnet bobcat gives 乐播传媒 a leg up in the NESCAC, says Andy Walter, the college鈥檚 sports information director, who says that Garney will be a guest on a forthcoming 乐播传媒 Bobcast.
For years, unconfirmed stories have circulated in the NESCAC regarding mascot-institution sustainability, Walter notes, whether it’s Middlebury trying to introduce panthers into Vermont or Hamilton trying to clone a soldier from the Continental Army.
鈥淚鈥檓 just glad to know that Garney is one of us.鈥�
When it comes to fitness, it鈥檚 walk, don鈥檛 run, for Garney the bobcat.
On the snowy Historic Quad, Garney takes the path less traveled by.
Primarily an outside cat, Garney gets the inside story by looking over President Clayton Spencer鈥檚 shoulder.
His garnet coat allows Garney to blend in at crowded 乐播传媒 events.
Like most bobcats, Garney loves winning a good battle, so he followed Ahmed Abdel Khalek to the national collegiate squash championship.
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