51
votes
Accepted
Why would a seal be flinging an octopus around above the water and then slapping a kayaker with it?
Sea Lions and Fur Seals are known to eat octopus, but they're a bit difficult for them to eat as is. They're one of many creatures that fling food out of the ocean to tenderise, stun, kill, or rip ...
- 15.4k
50
votes
What is wrong with the rabbit living under my shed?
The fact that you've never seen it eat doesn't mean it's not eating. That just means it doesn't eat while you're watching. Don't feed it. It's not a pet. It's a wild animal and will take care of ...
- 4,384
39
votes
How would you help a snapping turtle cross the road?
Several years ago, I helped two men move a large turtle about 1,000 feet to a stream. They had been driving by and saw the turtle on the road, and saw me in my driveway.
I got a hand-truck and a ...
- 23.4k
36
votes
Accepted
When/Where do foxes attack humans?
TLDR: Foxes do not attack humans. So you can go there day and night. To me this sounds more like a spooking story than reality.
Foxes hunt very small animals, humans are way too big for them. Anyway,...
- 21.7k
28
votes
How would you help a snapping turtle cross the road?
I've actually driven up to a very large (more than 1 foot across) snapping turtle. While it may not be the answer you want, you simply don't.
Things I've tried: This is based on actual experience.
...
- 32.1k
28
votes
Accepted
Which animals would kill porcupines?
What animals can kill a porcupine?
Porcupines are covered with quills that painfully stick into almost any predator that tries to attack them. For this reason, porcupines do not have to fear being ...
- 9,619
26
votes
How to react to cattle charging towards you?
I often encounter semi-wild cattle on the "range" here in Idaho. Much of our land is public, primarily mountainous, and has seasonal cattle grazing (spring to fall). Cows with calves and range bulls ...
- 1,802
24
votes
How would a sea turtle end up on its back?
There are a few possibilities:
Other Turtles
This site about pet turtles mentions the possibility that turtles fighting over a mate (or actually mating) may end up on their backs.
When breeding ...
- 1,119
23
votes
Will a coyote attack my dog on a leash while I'm on a hiking trail?
Has this happened sure,
Traps have been set out after an elderly woman was walking her small, mixed-breed dog on a leash around 10 a.m. on Saturday on Avenida Majorca and a coyote began attacking the ...
- 69.2k
22
votes
How would you help a snapping turtle cross the road?
I know this question has been protected, but since I was invited in a comment to post an answer, especially about things that we shouldn't do, I'm going to add this. There is some great, as well as ...
21
votes
Dozens of earthworms came on my terrace and died there
Purely speculative hypothesis:
Worms are coldblooded, which means they depend on temperatures above freezing for their metabolism to function. They survive the winter by burrowing down below the ...
- 7,491
20
votes
Accepted
Deer activity in the wet
This behavior is well-known to be honest. There's this myth that white-tail activity increases if it rains (the deer seeks shelter). However, the truth is that this doesn't really affect the daily ...
- 23.5k
18
votes
Accepted
Why are these turkeys circling a dead cat?
It looks like a combination of checking out a potential predator and following a leader.
Turkeys, he says, are naturally fearful of cats, which can be a threat to younger, smaller birds. So it’s ...
- 69.2k
17
votes
Accepted
How can I tell if a opossum is truly dead?
How to tell if an opossum is truly dead?
The only safe thing you can do is wait. Commonly after an hour, the ears of the Opossum start to move slightly. This is your indicator to know that it's an ...
- 23.5k
16
votes
Accepted
Frogs in pond attacking one reddish coloured frog?
What you witnessed was almost certainly mating. As this article from TheScientist explains,
“Explosive breeding” is a common reproductive strategy among frog species. Males congregate near sources of ...
- 3,752
16
votes
How to react to cattle charging towards you?
Unlike with most predators, running away works if you can get far enough fast enough. The bull chasing you can run faster than you, but the reason he's chasing you in the first place is only because ...
- 21.4k
16
votes
Accepted
Dozens of earthworms came on my terrace and died there
When checking to find out what kind of earthworm we might be discussing, I found sources listing anywhere from 100 to over 6,000 species. That wasn't very helpful so I'll just skip it and assume you ...
15
votes
How to react to cattle charging towards you?
When I was a child (probably about 10) I had a small herd of cows all run down the hill towards me as I was crossing the field. They didn't look aggressive and there was no bull so I just stood still ...
- 947
15
votes
How would you help a snapping turtle cross the road?
The best way would be to get a thick stick of suitable length and let the snapper bite it. He likely will be stubborn enough to hang on while you drag him where you want him to go. When he is there, ...
- 167
14
votes
When/Where do foxes attack humans?
Urban red foxes have been known to be a tad vicious or territorial and attack people... but it is not a common occurrence by any means, usually it's due to the fox having gotten itself into a cornered ...
- 15.4k
14
votes
Accepted
Is there an easy way to tell if a bee in my yard is being raised in a hive (domestic), or if it's wild (feral)?
I actually had to research backyard beehives not long ago because our Peace Officer discovered someone in town who had hive on their property, and our land use bylaw didn't allow it. I found out that ...
- 53.5k
13
votes
Accepted
Which types of animals would peel bark off this tree?
That was definitely a beaver. Nothing else has quite the chewing power of a beaver, for example accoring to Wikipedia, these trees were cut by beavers in a single night.
Based on the color of those ...
- 69.2k
12
votes
What animal could strip all the bark off the lower 7 feet of this tree?
I originally thought a porcupine did this (see my other answer), but after seeing your new photos and a closer look at the original ones I now have a different theory.
Your tree was first infested by ...
- 21.4k
12
votes
Accepted
Is there a reason for seeing a lot of roadkill badgers in the spring?
Its a combination of the male badgers out looking for mates,
Springtime is the most perilous time for wild animals, says Whelan. “A lot of male badgers are killed in spring because they’re out ...
- 69.2k
12
votes
When should I report a potentially injured-looking animal to authorities in a large, monitored, wildlife area?
In a National Park, unless the animal was harmed by a human, it seems like the park service isn't going to do anything.
“The rule of thumb is that if human activity causes an animal to become ...
- 69.2k
12
votes
What is wrong with the rabbit living under my shed?
Rabbits are crepuscular coprophages. That means they're most active at dawn and dusk so they're most likely to be eating their fresh greens when you're probably not looking because it's dark and when ...
- 301
11
votes
Accepted
What should I do if I disturb a bird of prey with a kill?
The best thing to do would have been not disturb them in the first place, but I do understand the need of this question. So I wouldn't add any advice like "Do not disturb them in the first place".
...
- 31.7k
11
votes
When/Where do foxes attack humans?
It sounds like they were telling tales, possibly for your own good.
Exploring by night can be extremely dangerous, for reasons that have nothing to do with foxes. Tripping, falling, or just plain ...
- 303
11
votes
Accepted
Butterfly Migration over Lassen Peak
I just spoke with a park ranger at Lassen Volcanic National Park. I was told that the huge group of California Tortoiseshell butterflies, Nymphalis californica, spend time at the summit pretty much ...
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible