Questions tagged [animals]
Questions about animals likely to be encountered outdoors, whether from the perspective of food (hunting, preparing, eating); shelter (skinning); avoidance (bears, lions, other dangerous animals); enjoyment (bird and other animal watching, care, understanding of behavior).
154
questions
0
votes
2
answers
747
views
Why would a raccoon hold its ground in the middle of the road with oncoming traffic?
I was driving on a suburban road at night when I noticed an animal at a distance in the middle of the road. As I approached, I was able to see it was a raccoon. I stopped.
It was just standing in the ...
- 181
2
votes
4
answers
432
views
How to defend from animals while camping (golden jackals, boars, foxes)?
I want to go camping somewhere (I am from Eastern Europe) but the zone is full of golden jackals/foxes. They are a bit larger than a fox, but they stay in packs. I have a husky dog that wouldn't be ...
- 139
0
votes
2
answers
77
views
Can arctic terns be spotted everywhere?
I’ve come across a lot of resources that highlight the migration routes of these amazing birds, but when it comes to specific locations, I’m coming short on finding the answer. Have these birds been ...
- 1
5
votes
3
answers
4k
views
How effective are Air Pistols and AIr Rifles, bought in Canadian retailers, against dangerous animals?
To what degree can Air Pistols and Air Rifles fend off wild dangerous animals, such as coyotes, wolves, bears and snakes?
Are pistols less effective than rifles? My family lacks any firearms license ...
- 195
1
vote
2
answers
341
views
Do puff adders really not bite you if you step on them?
I had understood the puff adder to be one of the most dangerous snakes in the world; apparently, it kills more than thirty thousand people each year. From which I had concluded that it must be very ...
- 1,691
14
votes
2
answers
5k
views
Why do predators seem as abundant as prey in trail camera footage?
From basic thermodynamic principles, I would normally expect prey species to be much more abundant than predators. Applying that to North American species like deer, wolves and bears, I would expect ...
- 1,691
2
votes
0
answers
139
views
Density of game trails in old-growth forest
In old growth forest, that has large animals like deer, bears etc., specifically in the wildest areas of Pennsylvania (though if estimates are available for other areas with some similarities, I will ...
- 1,691
14
votes
1
answer
2k
views
Wildcats in Scotland
I know there are a limited number of wildcats still roaming free in Scotland but is it ever very realistic to see one? and are there any places that are particularly good to spot them? I also know ...
- 365
0
votes
3
answers
399
views
Fear of wild animals on a Island while I am sleeping in tent alone at night
I have been camping solo at various places(Hills, riverside) for 3 years of my life. I have also seen various techniques online to survive alone on the Island. I often wonder how do you deal with wild ...
Vishwa Ratna
5
votes
2
answers
568
views
What animals pose a threat to humans in the Vienna Woods/Wienerwald?
Imagine someone hikes in the Vienna Woods, gets lost and spends the night in the woods.
Is there a real danger for such a person to be attacked or killed by wolves, bears, or other dangerous animals? ...
- 153
4
votes
1
answer
258
views
What should I do with a newborn squirrel found in parking lot?
We found this newborn squirrel in a parking lot and brought it home (obviously would have left it where it was if it was in a more safe location and wouldn't have been run over).
It was pretty lively ...
- 141
3
votes
1
answer
111
views
Does groundhog seasonal shedding cause itching
We live in a heavily wooded area with a heavily wooded bluff off our back yard. Wildlife is abundant here, including groundhogs. Until we installed cams to watch wildlife I’d never witnessed the ...
1
vote
0
answers
138
views
Can lions hunt on cloudy moonless nights?
Lions have truly remarkable night vision, to the extent that they not only hunt at night, but actually prefer to do so when there is no moon in the sky, because the lack of moonlight makes them nearly ...
- 1,691
11
votes
2
answers
3k
views
Do wolves hunt on moonless nights?
Wolves have better night vision than we do, enough that they can quite happily hunt on moonlit nights.
But what about when there is no moonlight? Intuitively it seems to me that with no moon or nearby ...
- 1,691
-1
votes
1
answer
320
views
How to sanitize rabbit legs found outdoors in a way that keeps them intact?
Last week I found the rear half of a rabbit in my yard. It was probably eaten by a large bird of prey. The hind legs were untouched so I hung them to desiccate. One week later, they have not visibly ...
2
votes
2
answers
147
views
Travelling to the Kruger National Park
I'm planning a trip through Kruger National Park with a group of friends sometime around the end of July or early August time.
Firstly, how many days are needed to get a great safari experience in the ...
2
votes
5
answers
1k
views
How frequent are encounters with bears/mountain lions/etc?
I'm wondering how common it is to see or encounter large carnivores like bears and mountain lions in the lower 48 when hiking in the United States (okay, bears are tehnically omnivores, but you get ...
- 616
8
votes
2
answers
676
views
How to avoid slugs on the face in a bivvy bag
I slept out in my bivvy bag (UK army surplus goretex bag with a synthetic sleeping bag inside) in the woods recently, and woke twice to find a big fat slug on my face. It's never happened before. I ...
- 2,330
8
votes
1
answer
159
views
Can an animal with cheek pouches vocalize normally when those pouches are full?
When an animal such as a squirrel or chipmunk is holding objects in its cheek pouches, does it effect the animal's ability to vocalize normally? Do such obstructions prevent vocalization entirely? Do ...
- 353
2
votes
3
answers
218
views
Simple general rules to decide if an animal is wounded badly enough that killing it is the right thing to do?
Sometimes I encounter animals which are obvisouly wounded or sick (either visible open wounds, broken bones or else because they miss the typical flee reaction for the species or hardly move at all). ...
- 871
9
votes
1
answer
557
views
Is this a baby bat and what should I have done?
Yesterday we were outside obliterating some grass when my wife suddenly noticed something small and black in front of her mower. It was a tiny little bat!
Now, the day was quite hot and sunny and the ...
- 193
4
votes
1
answer
189
views
There have been a family of hedgehogs in my garden over the winter and the mother has recently disappeared
There have been a family of hedgehogs in my garden over the winter and the mother has recently disappeared.
I have a hedgehog house in my garden and there was a mother hedgehog that was there over the ...
- 349
4
votes
1
answer
504
views
Why do squirrels chew on metal planter?
I have a metal planter on my patio. Why do squirrels come up and chew on the sides of it? Are they sharpening their teeth?
- 41
2
votes
1
answer
1k
views
How to Safely Relocate a Robins nest?
Right outside of my backdoor to my house, a robin has decided to build a nest on top of my homes electrical meter:
So far, I do not see any eggs in the nest There is now one egg present. How can I ...
- 1,349
1
vote
2
answers
99
views
Chemicals sprayed on balcony concerned its harmful to my cat [closed]
I live in a 2nd floor apartment and I let my cat lounge on the balcony. I have had an insect infestation on the balcony that I treated with a permethrin spray.
It's been 8 hrs since I sprayed the ...
- 19
21
votes
1
answer
4k
views
What is this weird mechanical thing I found in the woods?
I hope this is the right community.
I was walking through the woods and found this weird thing, it was in front of a hunting tower, and a wildlife cam was pointed at it.
There where traces of deer(?) ...
- 313
27
votes
4
answers
12k
views
What is wrong with the rabbit living under my shed?
So there is this rabbit that lives under my shed, and I've been watching it through my window for the past few days. It comes out in the mornings, and sits next to its hole crouched in a tight ball, ...
- 279
7
votes
1
answer
213
views
What kind of toad is this?
I found him late at night in my backyard. I live in Arkansas, USA. He was fairly large (probably the size of my fist). I know absolutely nothing about amphibians, but I am thinking maybe an American ...
- 71
12
votes
2
answers
438
views
Do animal trails have switchbacks?
When hiking in a rarely frequented area, trails may be very faint to the level of being essentially invisible. In such situations, it has happened more than once that I accidentally followed an ...
- 27.1k
3
votes
1
answer
262
views
Wild animals in Finland and Norway
Next summer I am planning to ride a bike from Belarus to the north of Norway through Finland. What measures should I take to be protected against wild animals (bears and wolves)?
- 257
3
votes
3
answers
355
views
How do you overcome a preventative fear of dangerous wildlife
I live in Colorado and love hiking alone, it's quiet and peaceful. I want to be more 'free' to hike in early morning or late evening when it's dark or backpack in remote places, but at this point I ...
- 153
3
votes
2
answers
605
views
What's the best way to preserve a skull, without bleaching?
My grandpa found this deer skull way out in the back of a golf course (he works there) and brought it home for me. I don't mind leaving the color the way it is, I just wonder, what is the best way to ...
- 31
0
votes
0
answers
59
views
Are kangaroos dangerous? [duplicate]
When I first saw a man get kicked by a kangaroo, I said "nope to Australia" because that is mainly where kangaroos are. Then, I looked on google and it said kangaroos are not dangerous. So now I'm not ...
3
votes
1
answer
390
views
How to protect yourself from horses?
Me and a group of about twenty of my friends were passing through the ranch of my neighbor. There is a large prairie with his horses. Suddenly, a group of about 10 horses charged us. All of a sudden ...
- 133
6
votes
1
answer
339
views
Why don't rainforests and jungles smell like rotten corpses?
If animals eat each other daily and defecate, why don't rainforests and the natural world smell like rotten corpses and feces? Wild animals don't have recycling people.
user18223
4
votes
2
answers
270
views
Do I need protective measures against wild animals in Yosemite National Park?
I know that hundreds of black bears roam around Yosemite, however they are considered harmless and an attack towards humans has not been reported so far. However, are there any other possible dangers ...
- 707
11
votes
1
answer
321
views
What should I do when I find a dying dog?
A few years ago I was on a cycling holiday - on my own - in remote mountainous countryside in the north of Greece. One day, I came across a dog lying by the side of the road. I had passed quite a few ...
- 113
3
votes
1
answer
1k
views
When, and how, is it safe to relocate a burrow of chipmunks without harming the young?
One of my neighbors is terribly concerned that her resident chipmunks will harm her flower beds. They dig holes, and she finds the holes unsightly. She wants to trap them and relocate them.
...
- 23.4k
6
votes
1
answer
5k
views
Why is this woodchuck losing its fur?
This woodchuck has been in and out of our yard in Massachusetts, United States, for a few weeks, since early May. It comes out from under our large rhododendrons which have a small area of woods ...
7
votes
1
answer
8k
views
Why does a fox defecate on my patio, which I use as a feeding station for critters?
This question is inspired by the question of @Sue on the peripheral vision of squirrels. It is a much less appealing question, but I figure if we can ask about animal behavior at feeding stations, my ...
- 23.4k
2
votes
1
answer
136
views
Where to find pronghorn sheds?
Each year pronghorn shed the outer covering of their horns, and while they don't last as long as deer sheds you can still find them.
All of the ones I have found have been by accident, if one was to ...
- 69.2k
8
votes
3
answers
1k
views
Who to contact for a bird with broken wing in Portugal, Algarve?
I saw a bird with an injured wing among the rocks on a beach in Portugal (Algarve). The bird has been on the beach since Friday evening, and her wing feathers have completely dropped off by now.
It's ...
- 141
3
votes
1
answer
952
views
What animal could entirely strip the bark of a birch like this?
I was snowshoeing in Quebec and saw these birch trees completely removed. There were fine what appeared to be teeth marks. The was moss that was left trees.
- 31
4
votes
1
answer
362
views
How can I tell if there's a camouflaged octopus in a coral reef, so I can keep from disturbing it?
This question is based on my desire to avoid disturbing, injuring, or scaring away an octopus which is camouflaged to look like a coral reef. Since it's so difficult to see, I'd like to know how to ...
2
votes
1
answer
234
views
no weapons Fighting large cat with bare hands
Recently there was a news article about a Colorado jogger who was attacked by a mountain lion and killed the mountain lion with their hands (ie, no weapon).
What are the effective ways, with no ...
- 129
1
vote
1
answer
331
views
Is there proof that it's good for animals in captivity to do activities such as painting? [closed]
Last spring, we went to the Mystic Aquarium in Connecticut, United States.
We don't like places with captive animals, unless they're work is essential for the survival of life on the planet. We may ...
6
votes
2
answers
801
views
Do chipmunks hibernate in woodpiles, and, if so, how do I avoid disturbing them when taking wood from the pile?
We have a woodpile, protected from wind and precipitation, under the eaves of our house. Earlier, perhaps a month earlier, I several times saw two chipmunks emerging from, and going back into the ...
- 23.4k
6
votes
2
answers
3k
views
Bird identification from feathers - brown-black feathers, medium size, West Sweden
While hiking in western Sweden in October this year, I came across a bunch of feathers on my trail:
To me it looked like the leftovers of a small to medium bird of prey, which was seemingly eaten by ...
- 4,329
6
votes
0
answers
187
views
Nepali / India bioacoustics hiking
Has anyone recorded animal sounds while trekking the Annapurna trail (Nepal) or in Ladakh (India)? If so, where are the richest acoustic areas?
- 315
5
votes
1
answer
796
views
Are urban coyotes a danger to small children?
I live in a city in Ontario, Canada. If city coyotes are not showing signs of aggressive behaviour the city does not normally do anything.
My concern in my area is that this is a pack of at least 5 ...
- 67