It's a shame the new puma models are so unanatomically plauseable, they look like they've been hit by a car. If they'd maintained correct paw/body size ratios and properly jointed the hips and legs, the coloration of the new models would be amazing. It's sad that they are now the only models that look impossible, every other model is anatomically accurate.

Nightrosefey, it looks like you're dealing with feline anatomy only, do you? Current griffins have severe anatomy problems that are far more obvious then tiny faults on the new puma base. Their wings are broken and their legs are far from ideal. Throdamas have their hind legs attached to abdomen which is something like front paws attached to neck for a mammal. And they have flexible mammal-like neck. It's nonsense and a vivid violation in the terms of real anatomy, but damas look quite consistent and well-thought as for me despite their unrealistic anatomy. Symurgs are completely fantastic and unbelievable creatures in anatomy terms as well. How are they supposed to move their wings with no muscles attached to them? And how they aren't collapsed during flight at all with such skeletal and muscle system? It’s kind of weird to consider these three anatomically accurate and believeable with their obvious anatomy abnormalities, and compare them with puma which is almost a normal big cat. As for me, the new puma is a ton better than the old one but I'm fine even with the old base - it's just pixels, not gameplay. I would probably go see some cat photos if I wanted 100% anatomy accuracy, or offered my artistic services to the game if I was a decent feline artist. 

It's a fantasy game. I can give a guarantee that low gravity, different atmosphere composition, new biologically active agents and chemical reactions in the living organisms will result in more than a bit misplaced hips. Are there xenobiologists who can model _correct_ body / paw size ratio for the terraformed Europa? Not me for sure, though I have a master's degree in zoology. I can only say that it will be quite different from what we see in big cats on Earth. There's no need to demand 100% realistic anatomy for one of the species only because it's somewhat similar to the real cats, and at the same time ignore the vividness of anatomy of other creatures because they are fantastic. The way to ideal anatomy will lead to elimination of two thirds of the existing species  and complete revamp of the rest. I don't want to see this game to go this way. There are games like ADOM and Dwarf Fortress, and they have a lot more popularity then games that put a lot of effort in art and didn't work on gameplay instead. 

Btw, I hope that griffins will get a revamp like pumas one day. Or not. It would be better to have some gameplay diversity for tactic and strategy instead of altering pixels that don't affect gameplay in any way.

Hmm.... I don't see much wrong with the anatomy of the new pumas. Hit by a car is a bit harsh. Compared to the older pumas they look better, but there are some trade-offs. 

Now I'm way too lazy and tired to do this for the other puma.. but: 

The big issues I see is in the hips, shoulder, chest, and neck. I think the chest struts out very far, giving it a very barrel chested shape, lions are very boxy in nature. With this in mind it does not proportion well with the hips and shoulders, which are quite lithe. I went an overlayed an actual lion skeleton (manipulated to fit) over the new skin. I circled the obvious spots in red. I think the neck is what shakes a lot of this off as well. It has too many vertebrae. 

http://i879.photobucket.com/albums/ab351/StillChasingFireflies/puuuma_zps8abd957c.jpg

Now... Let's look at some really awesome guides on Cat Anatomy. From the Amazing Majnouna of Deviant art we find this: 

http://majnouna.deviantart.com/art/Basic-Animal-Anatomy-16337411 (I took a snipping) Sorry it will stetch the page more.

And Dey Varah's (http://deyvarah.deviantart.com/art/Anatomy-Practice-Dump-1-307903910)

As you all can see, lions are quite boxy. 

And the old pumas... 

These pumas have a "little in the middle, but they got much back" (and front) and their feet are quite large. There are many things that are disproportionate about these guys. I mean... those paws.... So I think regardless... the new pumas are a marked improvement. 

See: 

Birdlove makes an excellent point. Though I have not the degree of study as her, I spent a lot of time picking through carcasses for my Wildlife Biology degree. And to be honest, one of our fun (albeit morbid) things to do was to put bones back together in strange ways (like we had never seen the critter) (We did this in Anthropology too). We would come up with some fantastical things. This shows that it can be up to interpretation. Beastkeeper isn't meant to reflect life. It is a fantasy breeding game. Angel can come up with whatever random creatuer she wants! If she wanted a squid with bird wings and porcupine quills- then let it be so! 

Symurghs are actual mythical creatures too! (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simurgh - Sorry that it is a Wikipedia link). But I agreed. Gryphons and Symurghs could use an update to their wing structure.

But this is a game! I never really gave this stuff much thought before. I'm quite happy with what Angel comes up with and am glad she keeps producing quality work. It is also nice to see that there are updates to things that could use it- like puma anatomy. 

I agree with what you are saying bout the body, but I disagree bout the paws...not only is it a trait for big cats (tho ironicly I know a puma is not a big cat....) to have large paws but also if a big cat had those anatomicaly tiny paws like in the newer design it wouldnt be able to do the stuff it usualy does..like hunt..those larger paws developed larger than other species specificaly for hunting..the same goes for running and jumping..its the size of the legs which is so much bigger than other cats that allows it to run fast and jump high and long, and the size also enables them to climb mountains and deal with ruff terrain...its all in the paws

I don't see much problems with new pumas as well, I just believe the opinion of people who are into feline anatomy :) I'm more on the bird part as you can see from my username and avatar :)

So if we're going for realistic anatomy, let's go a bit farther :)

We have a planet that has size like our moon, so it has about 1/6 of Earth gravity. Our fictional humans are using some terraforming technologies and managed to attach atmoshpere there somehow but it has lower density and a lot lower pressure that we have on Earth according to the backstory, so they didn't increase the gravity to the Earth's values. What are the consequences?

*I'm not a xeno or astro biologist, once more, I'm just a zoologist, so this is my poor guess*

Organisms will get different forms than we're used to see. They will have fragile bones and overall lesser muscle bulk because lower gravity allow to make the same result with considerably smaller effort. So visually long slim legs, long slim necks etc. depending on which body parts are ther main instruments for a particular animal. The same thing explains how creatures like dragons and rocs are flying without any magic, and how giant creatures are possible at all.

If we're taking into account that we still have mammals originating from Earth and they have the same physiology, they should have larger lungs and more effective ventilation mechanism to get enough oxygen in the conditions of low atmosphere pressure / density (this part isn't described in the backstory but I suppose that atmosphere density is smaller than on Earth too and somewhat similar to highland areas). Of course, over the thousands of years they have adapted to the lower oxygen levels but they also have mechanisms that allow them to inhale and process more oxygen on all levels (cell, tissue, organ and organism). Though there's another way if humanity made a different atmosphere composition with more oxygen there, and then changed the biochemistry of all living organisms to sustain this level of oxygen and to process it without poisoning, but it's a more difficult way so I'd suppose that they just adapted to lower atmosphere density without altering atmospere composition. Sorry, I lack some initial data to build a more realistic model here.

In these terms the earth based puma isn't very realistic, and the most realistic creature is symurg. And unicorns should look more like akhal-teke horses, not like a light draft horse.

A small update: I found a gorgeous species in DA - Cheederian created by BlackMysticA. This is what a low gravity big feline may look like: http://blackmystica.deviantart.com/art/Cheederians-on-your-roof-170443853

But on the light note I totally agree with Nightingale and I'm satisfied with the current art too :)  I love great art but it's really not the main thing why I'm choosing to play a game.

PortysPride, the current puma base have LARGE paws. Just overlay it over any real photo, lion or something else, though it's better to take a puma since they are calling it a puma. It's just an illusion coming from the comparison with the old base that had cartoony enormous sized paws.

@birdlove I just did an extensive study on the puma/cougar/mountain lion so yea the paw is too small here...if you want prove fine here is a picture of the front leg of a real puma and new game puma..the leg is the exact same size tho a little skinny in the game and the joints are on the same place but the paw..is smaller!

PortysPride, I'd say they are almost the same size. The photo has toes spread on the surface while the game base has them tense and collected like the pet is going to run or jump. Make it relaxed and the paw will become 1,5 longer almost like on the photo. Also it wouldn't be more than the difference between two individuals of the same species even if it was really only the difference in size. The game pet shouldn't be a copy of this particular Earth puma, it would be weird if they were similar up to every pixel and would make me think of art theft. Even this overlay proves that proportions are close to real though anatomy is a bit simplified.

Birdlove, I live how you justify it in a fantasy world setting. The Cheetahdarian is a great example - nice find.

Important thing of note about mountain lion paws... The do have a very prominent leading toe. Which if you want to be anatomically correct...

PortysPride makes an important note too. Form and function! I really want to now think of this puma as a mixture of many big cats.

Also, if this were a cheetah based species the paws would look much different - the claws are non-retractable, for better traction. So this paw has smaller toes and looks less boxy and more triangular... The lion is much more bulky, as is the leopard. As birdlove points out there is a difference between relaxed and tense.

For me the paws are more about personal preference, than anatomy... I like the less boxy look, they are still a bit small, but I like this style so much more.

..

I still dissagree as the pumas paw is always longer wether tense or relaxed...

and as Nightingale says about the toe the puma paw within the big cats is like the wolfs paw within dog beasts..

plus as I said puma is technicaly NOT a big cat..its not classified as it becuase it cannot roar..

and even if it would be precise with its anatomy to a real life animal it would not be considered art theft or anything close to it as its not coppied/traced from an art piece..

and ofcourse simplify the anatomy and stuff but honestly the major signs of the animal should stay precise as thats the part people will recognize the animal for and for a puma its the tail, standing up round ears and big paws..well and usualy blueish green eyes but color in a game is not the best to go by :D 

honestly I get that they call it a puma cuz thats one animal that when imagined you can color the skin anyway you want but most parts of the anatomy is much more similar to a tiger in my opinion...like the said paws and even the head..puma has a round head and doesnt have those fluffy cheaks as a tiger and the game puma has..on the other hand the tail is also now looking more lionish as its thinner in the length with a bigger tuft at the end (pumas tail is thick all the way) so yea Id compromise on it being a mixture of all the wild cats :D

Well... I'm no puma expert but I want to get in the complaining too!

The old puma was cartoon puma. I think we all can agree with that. The new one tho, looks like a mix between a puma and a cheetah, with that after-ribs curve on the body, stuffing it's chest. The face bothers me a little bit with the long mouth. The eyes are hard to draw cause when the view is from the side they're transparent, just look at any cat and you'll see it.

By the way, LOVE those new skins. All of the colors are so much prettier ~(>ºWº)>/*

Also, have reference photos! YAY!

Hugs for all, bye.

Honestly, I like the previous pumas better than these new updates on them. It had visible bone structures and i don't know why but I thought they were sort of bouncy (lol XD) But yeah, this new one is still just a s good as expected. :)

beautiful. i knew they seemed to look different when I went into my Puma section. Finally I was like yes something looks wierd and i checked the front page and saw the update..lol Awesome work, they are so gorgeous now. Cannot wait for the deviants!

and ignore the compainers, they are 100% better, vibrant colors and just look wonderful compared to the old bases.

Excellent work on both the new look and the deviant colors for em, the white is beautiful. I may need to start getting some new breeding stock.

Everyone is entitled to like what they like.

I do like the new ones more, especially the colors. This is exciting!!! :)

Monues the puma deviant color hasnt been release yet...those are just the old colors but fixed nicely :)