Today we have a very odd tale, not of how the leopard changed its spots, but of how the cheetah changed its name. You see the word "leopard" comes from the Latin, and it is a curious root, defining a cross between a lion (which gives us the "leo") and a pard (which was a spotted beast that appears in a book called "Natural History" which was written by Pliny the Elder, who died in AD 79). Now the pard was thought to be mythical, and it was much used by monks and the like in manuscripts to cheer them up, however as they had no idea what it actually looked like, only that it was spotted, you get some very odd shaped creatures indeed.
It was not until the eighteenth century that anyone took the time to distinguish between cheetahs and leopards, and name the two as separate. In fact they are quite differently marked, with the true leopard having open spots, where there is a distinct ring around an open area, and the cheetah having solid circular spots. Cheetahs also have lines of black from the corner of their eyes, which leopards do not. Then there is the difference of the structure of their feet, as leopards can put their claws out and pull them back in just like a cat, whereas the cheetah`s claws are fixed, like a dog - and this is the most telling fact of all, as the leopard is in the panther family, and the cheetah, believe it or not, is in the same family as the cat.
This set is a very attractive one, despite the rather grisly subject, and only the cards of the wolf and fox show the animal with its dinner. The cards are :
- La tigre - Felis Tigris - Der konigstiger
- Le jaguar - Felis Onca - Der Jaguar
- Le loup - Canis Lupus - Der Wolf
- Le renard - Canis Vulpes - Der fuchs
- L`Ours blanc - Ursus Maritimus - Der weiss Bar
- L`hyene rayee L`hyene lechelee - Hyaena Striats Hyaena Crocuta - Die gestreifte hyane Die gefleckle hyane
- Le Guepard - Cynailurus - Der Gepard
- Le Lion - Felis Leo - Der Lowe
- L`ours brun - Ursus Arctos - Der braune Bar
- La panthere noire - Felis Leopardus Melas - Der schwartze Panther
- Le lynx - Felis Lynx - Der Luchs
- Le couguar - Felis Concolor - Der Kuguar