News:Australian fur creates yiff chart

May Tursiae has created a chart of sexual activity, past and present, within the Australian furry community.

The OzFurry YiffChart was first announced on Tursiae's LiveJournal late last month, and promoted on FurNet IRC channel #ozfurs. Individuals were invited to submit lists of prior relationships under terms of confidentiality.

Recent updates have resulted in charted individuals being coloured by state, except for those residing in low-population states which might cause them to be identifiable.

This YiffChart is similar to a study performed in 2004 by Peter Bearman of Columbia University and James Moody and Katherine Stovel of the University of Washington, who created a map of sexual relationships in a US high-school.

Unlike the "chains" described in that study, the YiffChart shows a more closely-woven net of relationships, perhaps reflecting the lack of limits on the age of prior relationships. It does have a few clusters roughly correlated by location, but also contains nodes linked to ten or more other individuals, often linking these clusters.

When asked, Tursiae denied borrowing the concept, stating that he "needed to learn awk", and that:

A recent online survey found that over 75% of furry fans in relationships are involved with other furs. About half reported being in a relationship, roughly equivalent to the US average.

The code used to create the graph is available on request, though those wishing to obtain it are cautioned to "ask nicely, and promise not to laugh."