Two kittens have '18 extra toes' between them

Two kittens have been discovered with 18 extra toes between them.

Ned and Fred were handed in to the Gosport Town branch of Cats Protection in Hampshire.

Normally cats have five toes on their front paws and four on their rear, but Ned has an extra eight toes and his brother Fred has 10 extra.

Dr Andy Sparkes, from the Feline Advisory Bureau, said the four-month-old kittens were "very unusual" due to the large number of extra toes.

'Poor condition'

Cats Protection field veterinary officer Karen Hiestand said Fred's extra toes on his back paws as well as his front paws were also an "extreme case".

She added that the extra toes did not affect their health.

The kittens had come from a "multi-cat household" and arrived at the charity branch in a "poor condition".

They are still with the centre, but are due to be rehomed with a new owner in two weeks.

Cats with extra digits are known as polydactyl and usually have just one extra toe on each paw, but some can have two or three extra on each paw.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-16474354

'Lost' lichen found after over 100 years near Andover

One of the UK's rarest lichens has been rediscovered in a field in Hampshire.

Before the discovery at Goodworth Clatford, near Andover, the lichen, which has an orange disc-like fruit, was thought to be extinct in the UK.

It was found growing on a twig by Neil Sanderson from the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust during biodiversity survey work.

The last recorded sighting of Caloplaca Haematites which resembles a vol-au-vent was 122 years ago, the trust said.

Mr Sanderson said: "I'm thrilled to have made this discovery of a small but beautiful lichen known to the Victorian pioneers of the study of lichens but long thought to have been extinct in Britain."

The lichen, which is a cross between a fungus and an algae, was found growing on a twig of a white poplar tree near the River Anton.

It was last collected from fruit trees and white poplar twigs in Cambridgeshire, South Devon and Worcestershire but had not been seen 1889.

Also referred to as "firedot lichens", conservationists feared it had been wiped out due to a decline in traditional orchards and air pollution.

The rediscovery was verified by Dr Brian Coppins, a lichenologist at the Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-14515352

Sparsholt woman's encounter with mystery animal (via Rebecca Lang)

A WINCHESTER woman is recovering from the shock of seeing an large unidentified animal near her home.


Marion Robinson was driving along Sarum Road last Saturday when she spotted a large animal in the middle of the road.

She said: “I saw it in full beam. It was walking along the road; it was very white-haired with big feet. It is hard to say what it was. It wasn’t a dog.”

Mrs Robinson, secretary, 53, of Ham Green, Sparsholt, added: “It was very peculiar and it freaked me out. I have never seen anything like it. It was a big-cat size, bigger than a dog, the size of a small pony.

“I watched it for five minutes as it walked down the road, a good few hundred yards. I just wish I had taken photographs. I’m kicking myself.

“It was swankering down the road. He wasn’t going to get a move on.”

The latest sighting comes only weeks after a spate of incidents involving a large cat-like animal in Valley Park, Chandler’s Ford.

Experts at Marwell Wildlife near Colden Common are sceptical of the likelihood of big cats in Hampshire, even though there have been numerous sightings over the years. The zoo argues big cats need big meals and would need to hunt animals like cows and horses which would rapidly lead to its exposure


by Andrew Napier http://www.hampshirechronicle.co.uk/news/8451873.Sparsholt_woman_s_encounter_with_mystery_animal/

Sparsholt woman's encounter with mystery animal (via Rebecca Lang)

A WINCHESTER woman is recovering from the shock of seeing an large unidentified animal near her home.


Marion Robinson was driving along Sarum Road last Saturday when she spotted a large animal in the middle of the road.

She said: “I saw it in full beam. It was walking along the road; it was very white-haired with big feet. It is hard to say what it was. It wasn’t a dog.”

Mrs Robinson, secretary, 53, of Ham Green, Sparsholt, added: “It was very peculiar and it freaked me out. I have never seen anything like it. It was a big-cat size, bigger than a dog, the size of a small pony.

“I watched it for five minutes as it walked down the road, a good few hundred yards. I just wish I had taken photographs. I’m kicking myself.

“It was swankering down the road. He wasn’t going to get a move on.”

The latest sighting comes only weeks after a spate of incidents involving a large cat-like animal in Valley Park, Chandler’s Ford.

Experts at Marwell Wildlife near Colden Common are sceptical of the likelihood of big cats in Hampshire, even though there have been numerous sightings over the years. The zoo argues big cats need big meals and would need to hunt animals like cows and horses which would rapidly lead to its exposure


by Andrew Napier http://www.hampshirechronicle.co.uk/news/8451873.Sparsholt_woman_s_encounter_with_mystery_animal/