Oh, thank you sooo much! Can we name him “Charlie”?

Charlie it is! Thanks for your support!

Yeah for “Charlie”! Good name choice, Theresa! Now, can you tell us how we untutored people will be able to tell him apart from the others? What spots/stripes/other features should be the ones we look for to identify him? Which are unique?

With the Spotted Hyaenas, I have been finding that the patterns on their shoulders are very marked and obvious. The young ones are very bright, but the older animals are less clear, so the more obvious the pattern the better. With Charlie, the reasons I could instantly pick him out as an animal not currently on my files is the pattern on his right shoulder, as you see here. There is that huge spot at the front, which is in that group of spots of four underneath and two on top. We tend to look for small patterns like that, rather than at the whole coat, as it makes it much easier. The whole coat pattern is unique, but to be able to recognize one quickly, you need something particular to look for. Charlie is so bright and distinctive, he should be easy enough for people to recognize in the field, should they be lucky enough to see him.

Thanks, My beloved cocker spaniel Charlie crossed over the rainbow bridge in 2006. I kiss his picture everyday, he was my baby!

Sorry to hear about that. You must miss him alot. I dread that day coming with Snoopy.