Animals of Albuquerque

Some animals are seen around fairly often -- or at least some other creature much like them is spotted now and then. Others are rumoured to have been seen in the past, although the trustworthiness of those stories varies...

A Common Raven
	Sex: Female	Age: Adult	Breed: Corvus corax
	The Common Raven (Corvus corax), also known as the Northern Raven, is a large, all-black passerine bird in the crow family. Found across the northern hemisphere, it is the most widely distributed of all corvids. There are eight known subspecies with little variation in appearance although recent research has demonstrated significant genetic differences among populations from various regions. It is one of the two largest corvids, alongside the Thick-billed Raven, and is possibly the heaviest passerine bird; at maturity, the Common Raven is between 56 and 69 cm (22 to 27 inches) in length, with recorded weights ranging from 0.69 to 1.63 kg (1.5 to 3.6 pounds). Common Ravens typically live about 10 to 15 years in the wild, although lifespans of up to 40 years have been recorded.  In other words, it's another damn bird.
A Large Raven
	Sex: Male	Age: Who can tell?	Breed: Corvus corax
	A rather large black raven, with glossy feathers and a bright, intelligent glint in its eyes.
Black Wolf
	Sex: Male	Age: Adolescent	Breed: Unknown
	This wolf is large for its size, but not too large, with a dark brown coat that goes almost black in places. The yellowish eyes have a hint of green or blue or brown in them, its snout is long and thin, a bit fluffy around the shoulders. It often shows its large fangs without thinking much of the consequences, the rest of it is slung low, an animal used to creeping about, head low.
Pale Cheetah
	Sex: Male	Age: Adult	Breed: Isabelline Cheetah
	This large male cheetah stands a little over three feet tall at the shoulder and weighs just shy of 150 pounds. It's much lighter colored than the typical cheetah, with short and coarse, cream colored fur that's tan spotted, and a white belly. Its chest is deep, for an oversized heart muscle and lungs made for gulping air, its waist narrow to aid in folding its body while running at incredible speeds. The cat's muzzle is very short but filled with sharp teeth meant to tear meat. White claws are only semi retractable, remaining visible at all times and providing superior grip while running, and its long, thick, spotted tail is tipped with tan rings. A long haired, cream colored and tan spotted crest runs between its shoulders, tapering to an end at its mid-back, protective as well as able to display levels of aggression.  The cat's most distinctive feature is the tear-like tan streaks running from the inside corners of its golden eyes and down its nose to frame its white whiskered mouth. Tan spots run down its cheeks from the outside corners of its eyes, helping to give the cat the appearance of crying muddy tears. Its nostrils are wide for increased oxygen intake, and its pointed ears swivel to catch sounds. Thin bodied and quite slim, while it is well muscled as an active animal, its legs appear very thin and even somewhat delicate.
	DUR HUR! Being stupidly cute. Pouncing prey! I can has kiss? Cheetah are notorious car thieves.
Smokey Cheetah
	Sex: Female	Age: Young Adult	Breed: Maltese Cheetah
	This cheetah is lean and leggy. She is a light smokey grey with a liberal speckling of small dark charcoal spots covering her body. Hear ears perch on each side of her broad head and dark charcoal tearstains trail down the sides of her muzzle from the inside corners of her eyes. Her whiskers are thick, a lovely shade of charcoal grey as well. Her body is slender, long and lanky, built for running. She has a long, thick tail that is also heavily speckled with spots down three-quarters of its length. The last quarter is thickly banded with charcoal grey bands of color.
Timber Wolf
	Sex: Male	Age: Adult	Breed: Canis lupus occidentalis
	This appears to be a very healthy adult male timber wolf. The creature could be found on the cover of National Geographic, he's such a fine example of the species. His coat is a thick grey and white with black highlights (lowlights?) about his face and back. The animal has piercing grey eyes that have the spark of alertness and intelligence. The animal is long and lean, though seems very healthy and rippling with muscle under the thick coat. The long legs give him a loping gait when on the move. What, exactly, a timber wolf is doing in this part of the world is anyone's guess, but there it is.