It's common to be confused about which animal print belongs to which animal. A big confusion is the difference between cheetah and leopard spots. Some people don't even know they carry an ostrich print clutch around everyday, or wear cow print clogs. Some prints may be obvious to you but just in case, I will give plenty of examples and tips on how to tell which animal print you are wearing. I'll start by showing you an actual picture of the animal so you will get the real inspiration!
[FYI: Please wear faux fur or vintage animal prints. Don't be heartless. Fashion is not worth the lives of these precious animals. Look at the pics below. These animals are not only nature's most majestic creatures, they are just so fricken' adorable as well! :)]
Cheetahs
Cheetahs have spots that are solid black & round/oval shaped. Notice their black "tear streams" flowing from the corner of their eyes.
Leopards
Leopards have beautiful spots similar to cheetahs. However, you can identify a leopard spot by noticing the
clusters of solid black spots around a darker brown shape. They form a
broken "O" shape called
rosettes.
Snow Leopard
I wanted to mention the snow leopard as well even though they have the same clusters of solid black spots as the leopards do. They form rosettes as well but their colors vary from a smoky gray to a yellowish-tan color.
Tiger
Tigers are easier to identify than the other big kitties. They have
vertical black stripes against a near-white to yellowish/orange fur coat.
White Tiger
Like the snow leopard compares to the leopard, the white tigers are similar to the tigers but their
vertical black stripes lie against a white smokey background. I just couldn't resist this picture below of the mama bathing her little cub! :)
Zebra
Zebras are often confused with white tiger stripes in the fashion industry. Their
black and white stripes are very smooth and close together compared to the tiger whose stripes are a little more "crazy" with zig zags and stripes that are further apart.
Giraffe
These prints consist of
fairly large, irregular polygons (usually 4-6 sided) that are dark brown against a lighter yellow/tan background. The light-colored space between each polygon is very even and thin.
Ostrich
These silly looking birds have found a place in fashion due to their unique, bumpy skin texture. Their skin is often made into ostrich leather. Look for a
smooth, leathery-textured surface with evenly spaced, spots that are raised up above the surface.
Snake
There are many, many different types of snakes. However identifying snake prints is easily recognizable by the
scaly, bumpy texture. There are many beautiful,
geometrical patterns found on snake skin. The more
neutral tones, sometimes with
hints of yellow and green are brought into fashion.
Black & White Cow
This is an animal we all may be familiar with if you live in rural American towns. I can drive less than 10 minutes and come across many, many farms with dozens, even hundreds of cows! Their pattern consists of
extra large, irregular black spots scattered on a white background.
Brown & White Cow
With the western themed look coming more in style, the brown cow gets a lot of attention.Their print is considerably different than the black & white cow. Instead of the assumed brown spots on a white background, they are more brown with extra large white irregular shaped spots.
