Animal Spots

The other day on my Facebook page I shared a post about my efforts to learn--or re-learn--the difference in various animal prints--particularly large cats with spots.  Since we chose a name for Baby that means "Like a leopard", I figured I should really know the difference between the various prints.  Although I wasn't necessarily a fan of animal prints in the past, it turned out to be inevitable that my leopard-named child would end up with some pieces  adorned with the animal's spots.

Admittedly I'd typically just do a quick internet search in order to satisfy my query on the subject.  However, in this case it was one of Baby's books about big cats that filled me in on what I wanted to know.  While I'm sure I must have learned this information at some point in school, the book---even in it's inherent simplicity--gave me a thorough understanding of the difference in appearance of various big, wild cats.  Most notable of them are the leopard, the cheetah, and the jaguar.

Here's a quick break down to assist with distinguishing which print is which, particularly when it comes to clothing and accessories.

Leopard

Leopard spots are two toned, with the overall coat color being a shade lighter than the color of the inside of the spots. 

Prints such as this can be found in a range of colors.

Now, this is also considered leopard even though the background color is the same as the color inside the spots.

Not a true representation of the print, but as a stylized design, it works. I'd be more inclined to choose this print than the one above it.  

Cheetah

The spots of a cheetah are simple.  They're probably more in line with what people think of when they think of spots.

If you do a search for cheetah spots, though, you'd probably come up with a whole page of results that look like the leopard print images shared above.  

Jaguar

I'm not sure that I've seen jaguar a whole lot or at all on fabric, but it's similar to leopard, except there are small dots inside the larger spots.

Unlike with leopard or even cheetah print, I wasn't able to find examples of this print in various colors.  It seems that designers of cat spot fabrics and graphic designers aren't too much into the jaguar look.



I've only got one leopard print garment, a dress I made when I was about 5 months pregnant...

While little Ms. Leopard Girl--who's now 8 months old--has a few, including these two hats.

I'm sure having such pieces in her wardrobe will be a constant, at least while she's young.

:-)