The Misidentified Animal Blog

We try to correctly identify animals that people on the internet think are other animals.

[correctanimal]

I just went through the entire post archive in order to clean house a little bit! If you're interested in this blog, here's what you can expect:

Here's our masterlist of tags

1. In the past we used to go into animal tags and reblog just about everything that was tagged wrong. But I'm narrowing the focus to JUST things that are misidentified in the actual text of the post. I only kept the older posts that were somewhat informative or pictured lesser-known species. (As much as possible I also hope to avoid reposts so that photographers and bloggers get the credit they deserve for their content.)

2. I'm looking for actual photos, not art or sculptures. I tag it when an animal's appearance has been obviously edited, such as eyes or fur being photoshopped or otherwise altered. But I'm not looking to do art critiques here.

3. I tag for content I think people might find upsetting. You can blacklist terms like taxidermy, animal abuse and animal death to keep those things off of your dash!

4. In general, I want to have an upbeat and educational vibe. I'd rather not attack anyone over simple knowledge gaps that are easy to fill in! Animals are fascinating and it's really interesting to learn about them. Consider me a Snopes.com specifically for animal misinformation.

5. I accept submissions and suggestions! If you see an animal on tumblr and want to know what it is, or if you think it's being misrepresented or misidentified, send it to this blog. If it fits, I'll reblog it with the correct information.

[hapalopus]

Kinda surprised how many different animals can be black and tan

[correctanimal]

[beetlebuggsblog]

I've brought you.. a gift!

[misidentifying-animals-in-posts]

Hoffman's two-toed sloth (Choloepus hoffmanni)

[saxophonechihuahua]

[armengoldira]

[curious161]

😂😂😂😂

[beardedmrbean]

For anyone that might want to say this is bad to do, the strong man knew losing was a option so his feelings shouldn't be hurt and you're not going to get a lioness to do something it doesn't want to do and it apparently wanted to show up a strongman.

[goodfriendo]

tug of war is enrichment for many big cats! and she is partaking in this wonderfully and making him Very Red

[correctanimal]

I believe this is actually a tiger! She has very few visible stripes so I understand mistaking her for a lioness at a glance. She appears to be a golden tiger or a hybrid big cat with light striping.

Unfortunately, this encounter was filmed in Fame Park, a private zoo in Dubai that appears in many videos posted by celebrities, such as this one. You can see the same facility in this threads post.

Andrew Tate, misogynist and all around asshole, even claimed to be purchasing the tiger he played tug of war with. You can see the background is identical to the other videos:

Breeding endangered and dangerous wild animals and selling them to private buyers should not be allowed or supported. Reputable zoos do NOT breed big cat hybrids or color variants on purpose. Inbreeding is often necessary to breed “rare” tiger colors, reducing the gene pool in captivity and working against the goals of species conservation.

The general idea of tug of war with large animals is highly criticized by some animal activists. The one that made the most headlines was at the Dartmoor Zoo in England, a nonprofit facility that charged a fee for guests to participate. However, most people see it as a unique form of enrichment and exercise, provided no animals are forced to participate and it is safe for all parties. Here’s a great article that breaks down both sides.

Other zoos have also integrated this into large animals exhibits for the purpose of enrichment and audience engagement, like this one in North Dakota!

[correctanimal]

Back when I worked at a humane society as an adoption coordinator, I took advantage of a slow day to look through the shelter archives.

I was curious to find out if my Florida-based shelter had ever taken in a real wolf hybrid. There were likely a few that were surrendered husky mixes mis-labelled by the previous owner, but I did find ONE that actually looked like it could be a low-content wolfdog.

This animal still had a LOT of dog in him and could have been a very wolfy-looking german shepherd mix. There's no way to say for sure without a dna test. But this was still an interesting find!

[correctanimal]

Understandably, some folks might be quite upset if you try to tell them their super special definitely-part-wolf pet dog actually.... isn't. Sometimes it means they made a false assumption, believed a lie, or misunderstood their dog's paperwork. Sometimes it means they spent too much money on what's essentially a mutt. People don't like to feel like they were made to look like a fool. I've met two people who claimed their dog is part wolf. One was a white-freckled blue-eyed husky I met in my neighborhood. The dog's breeder told my neighbor he was part wolf, and I didn't think they would believe me if I told them he definitely wasn't.

The other was a young man at a farmer's market, proudly walking around with a dog that I immediately pegged as a husky/lab mix, that looked something like this:

When I stopped to compliment her and give her pets, I asked 'do you know what she's a mix of?' You can imagine my surprise when he answered with a proud, 'yeah! she's an alaskan wolfdog' and shared that she was training to become his ESA or possibly a service dog.

I paused. I asked where he got her from, and he said from a Florida animal shelter. Pairing this with the odd phrasing of 'Alaskan', I connected the dots and can only assume that the shelter listed her in their database as an Alaskan Husky, and that some assumptions had been made, or someone made an offhand comment about her 'wolfy' features. But instead of calling him a liar or making him feel foolish, I said "Oh, you might want to be careful about who you tell that to."

He was confused and intrigued, and asked me why. Conspiratorially, I continued, "Yeah, especially if she's going to be a service dog. Wolfdogs can't be legally recognized as being vaccinated for rabies, even when they physically receive the shots, so if anything ever happened or if she got out, she'd have to be euthanized instead of returned to you. It's not legal in Florida to own a wolfdog without a wildlife license. I'm only telling you this because I don't want her to be taken away from you!"

Frightened, he asked what he should tell people instead. "You might want to look back at the shelter paperwork and see what they used. I'll bet anything they said she was an Alaskan Husky, so you might want to start calling her that instead, just to be safe."

He thanked me and agreed, deciding then and there to call her an Alaskan Husky and not to mention the wolfdog thing anymore. He may still believe a little bit that she has some wolf in her, but at least he won't advertise that to other people if he's worried about his dog being taken away.

And none of what I said was untrue. The blog yourdogisnotawolf is now gone, but it used to have all kinds of horror stories about dogs being shot because a hunter mistook them for wolves, adoptable dogs in shelters being euthanized because they were improperly labeled as wolfdogs, and real wolfdogs suffering or being placed into wildlife facilities because the people who owned them had no idea what they were getting into due to the misrepresentation of domestic dogs as wolf hybrids.

[bunjywunjy]

Stoat?

stoats and ermine are actually the same animal! and to top that off, in some places they're also called "short-tailed weasels". but it's all the same critter:

(let's call him "Maurice". hello, Maurice!)

of course, this means that every ermine coat you've ever seen in a fashion magazine or on the rack of a thrift store being fondled by Macklemore has actually been made... out of stoat... this entire time.

that's right,

it's a stoat coat.

[evilferretoverlord-blog]

An eminent, erudite ermine

Said "There's one thing I cannot determine,

Why when a dame wears my coat,

She's a person of note,

But when I wear it, I'm called only vermin."

[the-witchy-bitchy-girl666-deact]

But-But ISN’T STOAT A DRINK?????

[fandom-hoarder]

You're probably thinking of stout...

A stoat stout.

A stout stoat. For comparison. ❤

[bunjywunjy]

my thanks for the wordplay dude but that last pic is fully an otter

[correctanimal]

They do look very similar but that’s not an otter. I was able to track down a possible origin of this image that isn’t reddit!

[x]

The image is credited to Fur Commission USA and if you look up farm minks you can see that they look just like this critter (maybe a little less chunky).

A white otter, for comparison:

[great-and-small]

When I started volunteering with a wolf preserve, something I learned very quickly is that a LOT of people like to think their dog is a wolfdog. This is seriously so so common to hear from people:

“Oh yeah I know how rowdy wolves are; I’ve actually got a husky/Timberwolf mix at home!”

I mean... maybe, but most likely no you do not. Wolves are misrepresented so often in media that it seems many people struggle to identify the features that come from true wolf genetics, as opposed to those from northern dog breeds. Irresponsible breeders know this, and they also know that claiming the malamute puppies they’re selling are 1/4 wolf will make those pups seem interesting and desirable to buyers. As a result, uneducated dog owners label their pet as a “Wolfdog” without knowing the serious consequences of doing so. It may seem like a harmless phenomenon but it really isn’t.

So why should we care if someone mislabels their dog a wolfdog? I feel there are 2 really big reasons why this is so dangerous

1- if you tell people your dog is a Wolfdog, some may believe you. They may think “Luna is just the most beautiful dog, sure she’s energetic but nothing I can’t handle. Maybe I should get a wolfdog too”. This is a problem because that individual could seek out a wolfdog to purchase and end up owning the genuine article, as opposed to your dubious backyard “wolfdog”. Wolves and dogs are SO different, due to the fact that humans spent thousands of years breeding out the traits that make them unsuitable for daily companionship. Wolf dogs will have a lot of those genes! They need a tremendous amount of space and diligent, specialized care from an experienced keeper. A rambunctious husky is not even close to the same level as a high content wolfdog. When unprepared people decide to own a wolfdog, it often ends very poorly. The sanctuary where I volunteered has had to take in several wolfdogs that were surrendered by owners who could not handle them.

2- The laws of ownership regarding wolfdogs are very different from those that govern pet ownership. Each state has varying legislation, with some requiring licenses based on the animal’s wolf content. If you claim that your dog is a wolfdog, they will likely be subject to laws that classify them as captive wildlife rather than a pet. Due to the fact that there is no approved rabies vaccine for wolves/wolfdogs, animal shelters that take these cases are often forced to euthanize any dog that has been classified as a “wolfdog” due to public safety concerns. There have been several tragic cases where dog owners mislabeled their pet as part wolf, and were unable to reclaim them from a shelter when the animal could not be certified rabies free. Telling people (even online) that your malamute a wolfdog can get it killed.

Wolves are great, dogs are great, and wolfdogs are great. We have devoted so much time to the study and care of all these animals that there is really no excuse for misrepresenting them. If you love your dog, love it for what it is! Mislabeling your pet as a wolf is really irresponsible and can cause misery for others that you never even see. For reference:

100% Grey Wolf

LOW content wolfdog

Absolutely 0% wolf 😅

[flandelle-deactivated20180712]

[pathfinderisbestpony]

What an adorable start to a murder

[fantasy-loving-witchling]

CROW BABIES

[ugly-mane]

no!!!!

this is a corncrake chick, also commonly misidentified as a rail’s chick! crow babies are MUCH uglier…

putrid little man

[ms-demeanor]

i love a putrid little man

[correctanimal]

Baby crows are so dumb and I love them.

[babyanimalgifs]

they actually do tho

[correctanimal]

Actually this alpaca IS a toy/stuffed animal. Real alpaca babies are about the size of a goat and have awkwardly long necks and legs.

[clothsofgoldd]

[aggrokawaii]

forest puppy

[fugaazi]

that’s a deer

[daniel-noise]

its a forest puppy

[glumshoe]

the real horrors of Halloween

[fruitsgardens]

the end ! this has been a bird psa 

[thehotgirlproject]

Boots

[debreran]

The Banded Linsang (Prionodon linsang), or “tiger-civet”, is a carnivorous aboreal mammal and is a member of the Viverridae family and the rarest of all civets. It inhabits Thailand, western Malaysia, Sumatra, Borneo, and western Java. Its diet consists of squirrels, rats, birds, and lizards. It’s 74cm long (including tail) and 700g (25 oz).

[cimerie]

I love this overripe banana cat

[leafcrunch]

i refuse to believe my eyes in this situation,

[vondell-txt-deactivated20180105]

how did i not know this was just out there in the world

[myrinthinks]

@elodieunderglass, what do you have to say about this?!

[elodieunderglass]

I don’t know what you mean, this dog is a perfectly reasonable animal

[bitterfucked]

if you’ve never seen one before

deer are smaller than you think

raccoons are bigger than you think

bears are smaller than you think but you were pretty close

otters are bigger than you think no even bigger than that

wolves are bigger than you think

wild cats are smaller than you think but hopefully you’ll never see one

chipmunks are smaller than you think

so are mice but you’ve seen a mouse right

you were right about the size of moose, mostly

pigs are bigger than you think

coyotes are that size

so are foxes

woops bears are bigger than you think but only that one type

this is an informational post about mammals if you know more please do tell

[legislacerator]

buffalo are bigger than you’ve ever even imagined. you’ve never seen anything that big in your life i promise

[leafcrunch]

i support this post except you have no idea how big are moose

[tramampoline]

moose are fucked up big and nothing will ever prepare you for it

[psyched-over-sykes-blog]

CORGI HUSKY MIXED. THEY STAY THAT LITTLE IM DYINGGGG

[correctanimal]

NO THeY DON’T Oh my GOD no they don’t

There is no such thing as a forever puppy. Please stop misinforming random internet-goers when it’s already so hard to educate people about dogs and dog breeds. I used to work at a shelter and SO MUCH of the job was just gently adjusting people’s expectations for how big a particular puppy might get.

[yumearashi]

White tiger fact vs fiction

White tigers can be very beautiful animals.  As a child, I delighted at a rare chance to see some on a family trip to Vegas.  But there’s a lot of incorrect information out there about white tigers.  Let’s take a look at some white tiger facts.

White tigers are not a species nor a breed.  They are a color mutation called leucism which is carried on recessive genes.  While white tigers can occur spontaneously in nature (very rarely, about 1 in 10,000 births), they can only be deliberately created by severe inbreeding - father to daughter, mother to son, brother to sister.  They are not Siberian tigers, or tigers that have adapted to blend into snowy environments.  The gene comes from the Bengal species, which is (sub)tropical.  Naturally occurring white tigers seldom survive long in the wild due to their lack of camouflage.

White tigers are not a conservation concern, and campaigns to ‘preserve the rare Royal White Bengal Tiger’ and the like are a deliberate misrepresentation for the sake of profit.  Almost all white tigers are ‘man-made’ - that is, the result of deliberate breeding by humans, rather than naturally occurring - the existence of white tigers per se does not do anything to maintain genetic diversity among the species.  Furthermore, almost all of the white tigers you see on display are mixed species - for example, half Bengal, half Siberian - making them worthless for conservation purposes. 

White tigers are not healthy animals.  The close and multi-generational inbreeding required to produce white tigers has resulted in a number of genetically driven defects, such as spinal and facial deformities, defective internal organs, immune deficiency, neurological disorders, club feet, cleft palates, hip dysplasia, crossed eyes, and more. 

The breeding of white tigers is not approved by the American Zoological Association (AZA).  The AZA has banned the breeding of white tigers (along with white lions and king cheetahs) by their accredited zoos. Their report reads, “intentional [in]breeding to achieve rare color-morphs […] has been clearly linked with various abnormal, debilitating, and, at times, lethal, external and internal conditions and characteristics.”

Breeders do not always get the animals they want on the first try.  Because the gene is double recessive, attempting to breed for white tigers often results in normal-colored tigers that still have the same genetic health problems.  These and other undesired cubs - those with visible deformities, serious health issues, and/or poor temperament or intellect - may be destroyed at birth, or raised in spartan conditions for their body parts, valuable on the black market.  One estimate calculates that 30-60 cats must be destroyed in order to get one profitable white tiger. It is true that white tigers are beautiful, as are other big cat color variants such as golden tigers, white lions, and king cheetahs.  Cherished because they are so rare, they have been the source of myths and legends.  Let’s keep white tigers as treasured happenstance, beautiful accidents created by mother nature instead of cruelly manufactured genetic ruins.  Don’t support those who inbreed these animals for profit.  As hard as it may be to miss out, you can end the cruelty.  It’s a simple as turning your back.

[officialnormfanblog]

i feel like as character designers and animators we have to take it upon ourselves to always put research into our projects. because its us who normalize what gets constantly seen in the media, and if we show something like white tigers as being normal and okay, uninformed audiences will think that too. white tigers are inbred disasters and hinder real tiger conservation efforts.