Image Source: Isle of Man Post Office
Apple released its latest operating system to the public on Tuesday (Oct 22, 2013) this week. When it was announced during the 2013 Worldwide Developer’s Conference (WWDC), the name was unveiled to be OS X Mavericks. This release marks the beginning of a change in the naming scheme of OS X, departing from the use of big cats and moving to names based on places in California (Mavericks is a surfing location in California). Previous OS names have been called Cheetah, Puma, Jaguar, Panther, Tiger, Leopard, Snow Leopard, Lion, and Mountain Lion, in that order.
The Isle of Man Post Office launched its “Big Cats” postage stamp series in September 2013. The series is a set of six stamps which features original artwork by Island-based wildlife artist Jeremy Paul. The six big cats featured are the tiger, lion, leopard, jaguar, snow leopard and cheetah. Just like Apple! (Minus the puma, panther, and mountain lion.)
The Isle of Man is a self-governing British Crown Dependency. Three jurisdictions hold this status. The other two being the Bailiwicks of Jersey and Guernsey in the English Channel. The Isle of Man is located in the Irish Sea between the islands of Great Britain and Ireland. See the map from Wikipedia below.
The postage stamps release coincides with the opening of the artist’s new exhibition at the Manx Museum in the Isle of Man. Dr Jeremy Paul is a full-time wildlife artist based in the Isle of Man [Source].
And now for some Cat Facts!
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This should be filed under Things I Learn from Reddit. Anyway, someone helpfully wrote a guide to distinguish between jaguars, leopards, and cheetahs.
Jaguars or Panthera Onca — identifiable by its stocky body and head. Easiest way to spot a jaguar: Note the large, square-ish shape of the rosettes spotting its body.
Jaguar
Cheetahs or Acinonyx Jubatus is not actually a member of the Big Cats (which includes lions, tigers, leopards, and jaguars); instead, it is referred to as a Large Cat instead. Has a leaner build and is not as large as leopards. Easiest way to spot a cheetah: Note the solid spots and the malar stripes, also called tear stripes, down its face beneath the eyes (unique to the cheetah).
Cheetah
Leopards or Panthera Pardus is the in-between cat. It is smaller than a jaguar but larger than a cheetah. Its spots are similar to the jaguar’s rosettes, but they are more circular in pattern and smaller. Easiest way to tell a leopard from a jaguar: If the cat’s spots are large and spread out, it’s a jaguar. If they’re small and compact, it’s a leopard.
Leopard. Source: Wikimedia Commons
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