Skip to main content

Catahoula Leopard Dog

Red Merle Catahoula Leopard Dog
The Catahoula Leopard Dog (also known as the Catahoula Cur) is an American dog breed that has an ancestry dating back hundreds of years. Many believe that they are the result of crossings between native bred dogs and the sight-hounds and molossers brought over by European explorers in the 16th century. An alternative theory is that their origin may be more recent-- when 19th century French Settlers brought over Beaucerons those dogs bred with the native stock.

Regardless of their exact date of origin (heck, both theories could even be true!), a mixing of European and North American bloodlines certainly created this interesting looking breed, which is named after a Parish in Louisiana and was designated as their State Dog in 1979.

Catahoula Leopard Dogs were bred to be working dogs, and their most common purposes are for tracking and hunting, and also for livestock herding. They also serve as search and rescue dogs as as drug snigging dogs.

Because the working ability was more important than the appearance, Catahoula Leopard Dogs come in a huge variety of coat colors and lengths, though the short merle and patchwork coats are the most iconic. They can also be found in other combinations of black, grey, and brown, and have coats that are more coarse or more woolly. They even have variations when it comes to their tails! Most are born with tails, while some are born without!

These dogs are described as being incredibly energetic, immensely intelligent, and incredibly hard working. They crave interaction and require a great amount of stimulation in order to stay at their happiest.

Status : Domesticated
Location : Originated in the Southeastern United States
Size : Height 20-26in (51-66cm), Weight 40-90lbs (18-40kg)
Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Mammalia -- Order : Carnivora
Family : Canidae -- Genus : Canis -- Species : C. lupus -- Subspecies : C. l. familiaris

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Bornean Orangutan

The Bornean Orangutan is one of two extant Orangutan species in the world. It is the third largest primate (after Gorillas) and is the largest primarily tree-dwelling animal in the world. Males are substantially larger than females, and average at around 165lbs. Bornean Orangutans are largely solitary. A handful might live within a small range but they will seldom interact with one another. Males and females only meet up to breed, which happens only once every several years. A young Orangutan will stay with it's mother for about five years, and the females tend to go about eight years between births. That is the longest interim period of any animal! Sadly, the Bornean Orangutans are in a lot of trouble. They need large forests in order to thrive, and deforestation and habitat degradation has left many homeless. They are also hunted for meat and for traditional medicines. Conservation areas are being established to help these guys in the wild, and it is believed that there are a

Halloween Crab

Gecarcinus quadratus The Halloween Crab goes by many names, including the Red Land Crab, Whitespot Crab, and Moon Crab. I personally like Halloween Crab though, since it really reflects the interesting colors. They have black carapaces, orange-red legs, and purple claws! Halloween Crabs live in the Pacific coast mangroves and forests of Central and South America. They actually live in the forests as adults, and return to the ocean in order to reproduce. Did you know that they live as far away as 18 miles (30km)  from water? Not where you normally think Crabs to be! While living in the forest, the Crabs forage nocturnally for different plant matter, including leaves and sapling. They also dig long burrows into the ground for protection. These burrows can measure nearly 5 ft long! Halloween Crabs are sometimes kept in captivity, and can be very tricky pets due to their excellent climbing skills. IUCN Status :  Not Listed Location :   Cent

Four!

For anyone who was counting, yesterday was our birthday-- four years! Four years filled with animals from A to Z, more than 1,100 of them! I can't thank my readers enough, it's been wonderful! And in celebration of that milestone... I'm taking a break. Hopefully not forever, but for a little bit at least. In the mean time I plan on getting a new layout out, along with some updates to some of the older articles. I'll post updates here and on the Facebook page, I'm also brainstorming some new animal-related projects, so keep an eye out! Thanks again for four awesome years!