OOO #99: Outfits, Ohio, and Other Things I Like
They really hated this outfit, if you see me just take me for a walk, and an important distinction you really should learn
It keeps getting harder to write this newsletter as our administration continues to make appalling, lethal, and short-sighted policy decisions (supporting genocide, bombing people, gutting medical research, gutting national parks staff and resources, selling off federal land for profit, stripping people of healthcare, discouraging investments in education, denying people due process after grabbing them off of the street, endangering the safety and wellbeing of LGBTQ+ Americans, etc—and I’m sure I’ve missed something), but here we go.
Outfits
Various comments on this outfit from October:
“What are those genie shoes? You ever make a wish come true?”
“Why are your shoulders so boxy?”
Person A: “What do you know about the candy man?” Me: “What are you talking about?” Person A: “Your jacket looks like it belongs to Willy Wonka.”
Ohio
On Father’s Day, my family and I went up to Open Air for breakfast and a nature walk. First we went to Emmett’s and then lathered our son up in sunscreen and took him down the stairs on Hudson Street into Tuttle Park and then onto the Olentangy Trail.
We had a great time walking along the Olentangy Trail—we saw the Tuttle Park Rec Center (the pool looked fun!), two games of cricket, a heron, a woodpecker, obviously a bunch of trees, and a lot of people enjoying the trail itself. I’ll be honest, I’m still *very* uneducated in plant identification the role of said plant in the ecosystem other than oxygen (and pollen… living in Columbus with allergies is NOT easy). The good thing about that issue is that it reminds me that there is always something new to learn, and that’s a comforting, hopeful thought.
People joke about Ohio have zero natural beauty (or that the only natural beauty is in Hocking Hills), but that’s probably because they haven’t been to our parks! The Columbus Metro Park system is such a jewel (as is Cleveland’s “Emerald Necklace”) but people ignore, forget about, or don’t know about it (or they are just Ohio haters—whatever). I’ve profiled some of the parks before, and my favorite so far is Sharon Woods (which I don’t think I ever wrote about?!), followed by Scioto Grove. This little walk along the Olentangy Trail reminded me that I just want to be outside more (but not in this heat, RIP Earth), and there are a lot of great places very close to my home to do just that.
Other Things I Like
While I don’t know anything about tree identification, I can, on sight, tell you the difference between jaguar and leopard print.* This is a requirement to receive a high school diploma in the states of New York and New Jersey; I believe it’s always the last question on the Living Environment Regents Exam.
Before getting into the difference in their spots, let’s talk about the difference between jaguars and leopards as critters. I spent a summer during an under-planned internship reading a ton about genus panthera (plan for your interns, y’all), so I really didn’t need a reference to write the rest of this section.
These two species don’t live anywhere near each other: jaguars live in South America, whereas leopards live in Africa. Leopards are smaller than jaguars, and jaguars having bigger, boxier (and arguably cuter) faces. Jaguars love a good swim; leopards are often more in trees as a way of dealing with other apex predators (lions specifically) trying to swipe their food. This article by Panthera.org and this article from WildCatSanctuary.org both have a really nice summary of their differences.
In terms of differences in behavior and temperament, this quotation from WWF’s Natural Habitat Adventures does indeed make me laugh:
Their differences aren’t just physical. Jaguars tend to have a more self-confident and relaxed attitude. They are king of their jungle and they definitely know it. Leopards, though, can be flat-out mean, always having something to prove and are always on the lookout for bigger predators than themselves, such as lions. Jaguars are not known for being aggressive toward people—if confronted, they usually stick to snarling or growling in their direction. On the other hand, there have been reports of leopards attacking people.
Now that we’ve got a clearer picture of who they are, let me get back to my original point: the difference between jaguar and leopard spots—which are better described as rosettes (cheetahs have true spots). Jaguar rosettes have dots in the middle, whereas leopards do not have dots. You’ll remember which is which because there is a dot above the j in jaguar; there are no letters in “leopard” that require dots. See the difference below:
See—don’t these now look different to your eyes?
Let’s test it with real cats. Which is the leopard and which is the jaguar?**
Now, if you’re ever attacked by one of these beauties in the wild and you simply can’t remember what continent you’re on, look for dots in the rosettes of the cat’s fur. If you don’t see any, you’ve got a leopard coming at you. Good luck!
*Cheetah print is just dots, but some people use the term “cheetah print” to refer to any big cat pattern other than tiger stripes. This is offensive to me.
**Jaguar left; leopard right.
That’s it! Have a great rest of your week despite The Horrors!
Absolutely LOVE the trick for remembering the difference between jaguars and leopards. Not a fact I ever thought I would need to know, but now I'm pretty sure I'll know it forever!