50
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
49
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 ...
- 4,364
38
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 ...
- 24k
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 ...
- 9,609
27
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.
...
- 32.2k
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
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 ...
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 ...
- 69.4k
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 ...
- 7,501
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 ...
- 69.4k
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 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
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 ...
- 53.7k
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 ...
- 69.4k
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 ...
- 69.4k
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 ...
- 69.4k
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
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 ...
11
votes
Accepted
Will a live clam on the beach have a better chance of staying healthy if I put it in the water?
I assume you mean the little clams you get on the beach (Part of the Bivalvia group?) rather than bigger beasts like razors, scallops, mussels, or oysters.
You could plop it in a pool of water, it ...
- 15.4k
11
votes
What is wrong with the rabbit living under my shed?
The rabbit doesn't look like it's going hungry, so it's probably just not interested in what you're giving it. Rabbits favor grasses and leafy plants, so if you insist on feeding it, try something ...
- 2,998
10
votes
How do you keep rodents out of your vehicle when it's parked at the trailhead?
Stop coating your wires with peanut butter!
In all seriousness though, squirrels can and will eat wires. However this is a very unlikely occurrence, as noted by ShemSeger in comments. I have known ...
- 32.2k
10
votes
Accepted
How would a dragonfly get to above 13,400 ft (4000m)?
I am not an expert, but this caught my attention.
The image appears to be of a common green darner(Anax junius) which is one of 16 North American dragonflies known to migrate
Dragon flies are known to ...
- 30.4k
10
votes
How would a sea turtle end up on its back?
In addition to the reasons given in @John Hughes answer, Predators may be another cause.
This SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment page on the longevity and causes of death of sea turtles lists tiger ...
- 201
9
votes
Accepted
At what age do black bear cubs have a good chance of surviving on their own?
There is probably no perfect answer to your question as different studies will indicate some amount of variation. However it seems that black bear cubs which are usually born in January and generally ...
- 9,609
9
votes
How would you protect yourself from Rocky Mountain Goats?
The article you linked to seems to indicate that this is not something you need to worry about very much.
Rare and tragic events...
...potentially the first fatal attack by a mountain goat ever ...
- 1,543
9
votes
Accepted
Do jellyfish actively avoid swimmers in Mediterranean?
Jellyfish, while mobile, are not capable of much evasion. They can steer their bodies, but they are limited in their ability to get out of the way of a faster organism - which is why the majority rely ...
- 25.1k
9
votes
What animal could strip all the bark off the lower 7 feet of this tree?
In most ways, it looks like porcupine to me. The scratch marks going perpendicular to the tree trunk make it less likely to be bear, deer, or elk. Bear will strip a tree like this if it is rotten ...
- 1,816
9
votes
Accepted
Do squirrels have front and full peripheral vision?
Like many prey animals, vision is optimised to detect danger coming from anywhere. They can see you with one eye very easily, and their reflexes are on a hair-trigger to take them away from incoming ...
- 25.1k
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible