Unfortunately, there are many more species in whose extinction cats have had a hand. In Australia, the paradise parrot, the short-tailed and the long-tailed hopping mice are no more, partly because of feral cats. In total, Australia lost 27 species with the "help" of cats. Today, 124 animal species are endangered because of cats, and the government takes serious measures to control the population of feral cats.
So, technically, cats aren't aliens. But you know what other animal might be? The octopus! A controversial 2018 study suggested that octopuses may have come to Earth in an icy comet. Why did the scientists make such an outrageous claim? After studying their DNA and genes, they concluded that there is too great of an evolutionary jump between the octopus and its ancestral species.
"Its large brain and sophisticated nervous system, camera-like eyes, flexible bodies, instantaneous camouflage via the ability to switch colour and shape are just a few of the striking features that appear suddenly on the evolutionary scene," the researchers write.
However fun it may sound, this theory is considered bogus in the scientific community. "There's no question, early biology is fascinating – but I think this, if anything, is counterproductive," a professor of biology at Portland State University, Ken Stedman, told Live Science. "Many of the claims in this paper are beyond speculative, and not even really looking at the literature."
Karin Mölling, a virologist at the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics in Germany, also commented that the claim "cannot be taken seriously."
But what do you think, Pandas? Are there any animals you think might actually be extraterrestrials? Let your imagination run wild for a minute and imagine that a meteor did bring some weird creatures back in the day. Who would be the most likely candidates? The blobfish? The vampire squid? The goblin shark? Let us know your picks in the comments!
