Logical Reasoning

PT153 · S3 · Q4 The coat patterns of large cat species

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The coat patterns of large cat species correspond to the habitats in which those species live and hunt.

Given that ...

Coats of cats match habitats: - spotted coats go with trees / forests - plain coats go with open plains

How can we explain that ...

The cheetah is a spotted cat that lives in the open savannah?

Evaluate

We can use a little real world common sense here to help us with this one (normally that's a dangerous move on Paradox, but on earlier questions they tend to align with our real world common sense).

Why do coat patterns normally correspond to a habitat?

Because cats are hunters who camouflage themselves and lie in wait. So in a big golden plain, a plain coat is camouflage. In a densely contoured forest environment, spotted coats help blend in with the dappled mix of sunlight and shadows.

So how come the cheetah gets away with living in the open savannah, with some loud coat of spots? Doesn't that keep it from being able to camouflage itself?

Goal

The correct answer will probably explain to us why the cheetah doesn't need camouflage (it doesn't have to hide from any predators / it doesn't need to hide from its prey because it's so fast it'll catch ya no matter what), or it will explain some other means cheetah have of obtaining the camouflage effect of having your coat match your habitat.

In general terms, we want an answer to show us why a cheetah doesn't need to have a matching coat for the sake of camouflage.

4.

Which one of the following, if true, most helps to explain the anomaly described above?

  1. Correct

    Unlike all other large cat

    Why this is right

    This gives us the needed distinction that makes the cheetah seem like "the only anomaly". It is unlike all other large cat species. If it relies on speed to catch its prey, then it doesn't need a coat that matches its habitat in order to stealthily hide in the tall grass until the prey gets close enough.

    Skill tested: Paradox · how this choice captures the argument's function is the move to repeat next time.

    86% picked this

  2. Of all the large cat

    Deepens the Paradox

    The fact that other animals steal their caught prey from them shows a reason why a cheetah would love to be camouflaged and blend in. Thus it deepens our surprise that a cheetah's coat does not allow it to blend into its surroundings.

    1% picked this

  3. Because they have wide paws

    No Impact / Explains Background

    This explains the background fact that cheetahs aren't evolved to live in trees. They've evolved to live in the open savannah (they don't have the hardware to climb trees). But if they're not evolved for trees and are evolved for the savannah, then how come their coat doesn't match the plain coloring of the savannah, as it does for lions?

    11% picked this

  4. Unlike lions, cheetahs are typically

    Unclear Impact

    It's not clear how we would get from "cheetah hunts alone" to "cheetah doesn't need its coat to match its surroundings for the sake of camouflage". That latter trait doesn't seem to be connected in any common sense way to whether you hunt alone or in packs.

    2% picked this

  5. Unlike all other large cat

    Unclear Impact

    It's not clear how we would get from "cheetah can't roar" to "cheetah doesn't need its coat to match its surroundings for the sake of camouflage". That latter trait doesn't seem to be connected in any common sense way to whether you can roar or not.

    0% picked this

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