The Makassarese most likely introduced the Dingo to Australia, so it is not
hard to imagine them introducing cats.
Does anyone know if feral cats in this region have a preponderance for bob or
deformed tails? SE Asian "feral" cat carry a bob-tail gene. A higher incidence
of "bob-tails" amongst the ferals in areas of the North where Makassarese
fishermen may have visited.
Cheers,
Carl Clifford
On 08/01/2013, at 21:52, Ian May <> wrote:
> g'Day all
>
> Having spent a considerable amount of time in the Kimberley and Gulf of
> Carpentaria since the early 1970s, it has always struck me as interesting to
> observe the more uniform consistently smaller tabby appearance of many feral
> cats seen north of the tropic of Capricorn, compared to the generally larger
> and diverse coloured animals seen in southern areas such as Simpson and
> Strzelecki deserts. These northern cats appear to have the consistent
> appearance of a wild species compared to the mixed up look of domestic
> animals typically gone wild.
>
> I once read a paper suggesting there was a close DNA link between Kimberley
> feral cats and those found in Sulawesi Indonesia and suggesting cats were in
> Australia long before the First Fleet. It was implied that Macassan traders
> who sought trepang (sea cucumbers) off Australia's northern coast some 500
> years before the First Fleet had brought cats here.
>
> It may not be a popular theory that cats have been on mainland Australia for
> many hundreds of years. However it is probably true and irrespective of the
> fact that they take native prey, the major ecological impacts have probably
> long passed.
>
> I can't remember the paper with certainty but I have seen a reference that I
> think was it.
>
> Baldwin JA (1980) The domestic cat, Felis catus L. in the Pacific Islands.
> Carnivore Genetics Newsletter 4, 57-66.
>
> I would be interested in a copy of the paper if anyone has access to it.
>
>
> Regards
>
>
>
> Ian May
>
> In smoky St Helens, Tasmania
>
>
>
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