#crocodillians

Raleigh was actually kinda difficult to pin down, as he is pretty much just a generic non-descript frog. Looking at a list of amphibians in the British Isles didn't exactly narrow it down, as the UK also has several non-native species of frogs with varying degrees of naturalization. Eventually I settled with the species that I thought best matched his colouration, the marsh frog (Pelophylax ridibundus)

At up to 4 inches long, the marsh frog is the largest and one of the most widespread frog-species native to Europe, although it isn't native to the UK, being introduced in the 1930's. Within the UK it is primarily found in south-eastern England. Researchers are still undecided as to wether or not it poses a threat to the local ecosystem.

True to their name, marsh frogs are generally found in marsh regions, being more tolerant of saltwater and pollution than other frog-species. Like most frogs they primarily feed on insects and other invertebrates, but thanks to their size they can also prey on smaller fish, birds, and rodents.

In contrast, Muggshot was fairly easy to figure out. He is unsurprisingly an american bulldog, particularly of what is called the "bully"-type. Domestic breeds generally aren't my forté, but I'll do my best.

American bulldogs were originally an offshoot of the english bulldog, which were brought to America following the colonization, where they were primarily used as livestock guardians and catch dogs. The "bully"-type ( also known as the "Johnson" or "Classic"-type) was created by dog-breeder John D. Johnson in the mid 19th-century, by crossbreeding standard american bulldogs with an english bulldog, resulting in a line of dogs that are bigger, more muscular, and with a more pronounced underbite than the standard variation, all very reminiscent of Muggshot.

Primarily used as guard dogs nowadays, american bulldogs are considered to be a loyal and courageous breed with strong protective insitncts. They riquire rigourous training and exercise in order to stay healthy (and make sure they don't skip leg-day, like a certain someone)

Mz. Ruby also proved to be alittle bit tricky. I had originally pinned her as an american crocodile (Crocodylus acutus) given that she lives in Haiti, where the only native crocodillian is the american crocodile. The Sly Cooper Wiki refers to her as an american alligator (Alligator missisipiensis), but there is nothing in-game that confirms this. However, i then realized that she is probably Cajun given her accent. The Cajun culture originates in Louisiana, where the only crocodilians are american alligators, so that kinda seals the deal.

You wouldn't really know that just by looking at her though. Alligators are distinquished by having short, broad snouts with an overbite. If we look at Mz. Ruby, while her her snout is kinda broad, she sure as hell doesn't have an overbite.

Petty taxonomy bullshit aside, american alligators are found throughout the swamps, rivers, and lakes of the south-eastern United States. They are the apex predators of their environment, and eat pretty much any animal they can get their jaws on. Although their range overlaps with that of the american crocodile in Florida, the two species generally don't compete over resources.

American alligators are some of the most cold-resistant reptiles, being able to survive temperatures as low as 40 degrees fahrenheit or 7 degrees celsius. Should the water they live in freeze over they can go into a kind of suspended animation, by digging a hole in the ice to breathe through, whilst lowering their metabolism and bodily functions to a minimum. Not quite the breaking of the laws of life and death that Mz. Ruby has got going on, but still pretty cool.

Moving unto the Panda King, and yeah... There is no getting around the fact that he is clearly meant to be a giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca). I briefly toyed with the idea of him being one of the many extinct species of Ailuropoda, but that was too far-fetched.

Giant pandas are of course renowned for their cute appearance, strict bamboo diet, and for being the face of animal conservation. Though infamously endangered by habitat-loss in their native range in China's mountain regions, they are considered less endangered nowadays, being given the IUCN-status of Vulnerable.

And no, pandas aren't an evolutionary dead-end or a lost cause in terms of conservation, and don't deserve to go extinct. Anyone who tells you otherwise likely doesn't understand ecology.

The giant panda is notable for having an extra long sesamoid bone on its front paws, in additon to its five fingers. While not a true finger, this bone practically works like an opposable thumb, which comes in handy when handling bamboo shoots (though it'll take some time before they master the art of pyrotechnics)

Finally we have Clockwerk, the immortal arch-nemesis of the Cooper Clan. His in-game description doesn't give us much to work with, other than that he is an owl of some kind. We do know that he apparently had an orange plumage before becoming a cyborg. Due to his large size and having a base in Russia, some people have identified him as a eurasian eagle-owl (Bubo bubo), which I can defintiely see.

I however subscribe to the theory that Clokcwerk was originally from Ancient Egypt, and thus like to think that he's a pharaoh eagle-owl (Bubo ascalaphus).

With a wingspan of about 3 feet, the pharaoh eagle-owl is actually one of the smaller members of its genus. It is found throughout Northern Africa along with parts of the Arabian Peninsula. It likes to nest around cliffs and river valleys, where it primarily feeds on rodents, reptiles, and other birds, but occasionally takes on prey as large as hares and desert foxes.