Animals are a passion of mine, and I have been lucky enough to have been around and touch some pretty "exotic" animals. I stood on a platform next to a killer whale. I have never felt so small and helpless in my life. I could only imagine, or hope for a quick end if I was in his enviroment and he not in mine. They are hard as marble, and smooth like wet marble. A manatee is bumpy and course like a wet elephant.
Big cats are just thick, the hair is fairly course, I have got to touch lions, both adults and cubs, as well as some of the "lesser" cats. And while their fur is thick it is fairly course. Could have been just dirty don't know, but that is how it felt. They are also hard as a rock, even those in capativity are nothing but muscle, I can't imagine one in the wild that moves all day and hunts. Wolf, coyote and fox are also interesting. A fox IMHO is a cat in a dog suit, their manners are more cat like, and "smart as a fox" is really something. They figure stuff out, real problem solving skills. The other two are smart to, and a white wolf has to be one of the most powerful K9's on the planet, I had a chow/st. bernard cross and his feet, just huge, about the size of my hand. The wolf was wider then my hand, and the nails hit the tips of my fingers.
Animals are amazing.
