Looks like you're in scorpion city now.....Quote:
Originally Posted by ChickNorris
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Looks like you're in scorpion city now.....Quote:
Originally Posted by ChickNorris
When I lived in Patagonia AZ, I saw coatis fairly often. This is part of a group of 27 coati I saw on the continental divide in Costa Rica. Very raccoon like in their habits.
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Took this awhile back.Quote:
Originally Posted by rondog
One of the first things I learned when we moved to Tucson in 1968 was always shake your shoes out before putting them on because of the scorpions! My late father was a docent at the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum and I spent a lot of time there as a kid watching all the "strange" desert animals I'd never seen before for hours lol. Last time I was in Tucson was 2009, need to make a trip back.
Found both these guys on Wed after mowing the grass (which had grown quite tall because of the rain).
First is an Eastern Yellow Bellied Racer. He was aptly named and lightning fast. Harmless and non-venomous. This one was actually quite long...about 3 feet...and very thin.
Second is an Eastern Hognose (aka Spreading Adder). Venomous, but it's very mild causing only local irritation and maybe mild inflammation around the bite site, and they (the snake experts at OSU) say they almost never bite humans. They go thru an elaborate process of pretending to be hurt or even dead when they feel threatened. This little guy opened his mouth really wide and rolled over on his back trying hard to play possum on me. He's trying to do his best cobra impression, I think, to convince me he's dangerous.
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It's also the season for turtles. Unfortunately, the best place to find them is on the road. Many of them get run over because they like to hang out on the road in the morning and evening. This guy/gal (not sure of his pronouns...[LOL]) lives by my shop, somewhere. The Corgis always find him when he's out and about.
Three-Toed Box Turtle...
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bailey Guns
Hognose snakes are neat critters, usually gentle. The nose is upturned to a point which helps them burrow into the ground. Back when I ran the concrete plant for the Brush power plant, I found one under some sheet metal in a field. It raised up, exposed it's fangs and shook it's tail to mimic a rattlesnake. When I realized it didn't have tail rattles and that it's skin was slightly injured by the metal, I captured it and gave it to my cousin who kept a few snakes. HN as it was called, for Heterodon nasicus, the Western Hognose, lived another nine years in captivity.
I handled HN often and he would hang out in my shirt pocket with it's head looking out. My cousin raised mice and fed the pinkies to the snakes. One time I watched as he dangled a pinkie when HN struck his finger and cousin fainted and fell to the floor. Shock. He soon woke with zero after effects, no venom.
It was nearly dark when this young cinnamon sauntered through the meadow and walked toward me. When I moved to snap a photo he stopped at ten feet away.
I had not seen this bear before and it acted like it had never been bitten by the electric fence. My guess is that he will sometime soon. Anyway, once he spotted me, he skedaddled.
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Too cool, Hummer.
But one has to wonder if there is such a thing as too many bears. :o
-John
Quote:
Originally Posted by arbol
There certainly can be, like when some numbskull neighbor was illegally baiting wildlife in order to kill them. For a time we had six different bears moving through the yard day and night. It led to problems with neighbors all around the area, including one young man that was dragged by the skull from his tent. I had to put up electric fencing, then finally caught him when shot one of the bears.
One more of the cinnamon. Would like to get better images but I don't often see them in daylight and you have to be camera ready.
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