Wildlife

Arwen's Mom said:
Sorry no photo, but saw a very large fat snake at 6M today. Dark charcoal grey with very thin white lines going across the whole body. Head was shaped sorta triangular. Head color was a little brownish rather than charcoal grey like the rest of the body. Some boys I saw later told me it was a water moccasin by my description. I did some image searches online and found nothing that looks like it.

any ideas?
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Water Moccasin's, AKA Cottonmouths do not live in New Jersey. People tell me about how they "saw a water moccasin" all the time, it's almost always a Northern Water Snake.

Here's a photo I took of one at 6 mile a few years ago.

They are super aggressive but not poisonous.

6milesnake.jpg
 
capedoc said:
water moccasin's, aka cottonmouths do not live in new jersey. People tell me about how they "saw a water moccasin" all the time, it's almost always a northern water snake.

Here's a photo i took of one at 6 mile a few years ago.

They are super aggressive but not poisonous.

6milesnake.jpg
Click to expand...

that's him!
 
I was in Hawley PA this week and was riding on these snow shoe marked trails that clearly had no use since winter based on the height of the grass which was about 2' high. It was actually tough to see rocks and and stuff with the high grass so I was going pretty slow. All of a sudden about 10' in front of me I see this creature jump up out of the tall grass and leap a couple of strides away from me and then 1 leap sideways off the trail and was gone in like 3 seconds. Now I'm not sayin I saw Sasquatch but I have no idea what this was. It seemed very cat like by the overall shape and I definitely saw a cat like head with pointy ears and by it's movement. It was pretty dark colored and the length of fur was kinda like the dark part and furryness was similar to a racoon but this was not a racoon. I've seen tons of them and this had much longer legs and moved much differently. It wasn't as big as a mtn lion but was definitely bigger than a bobcat. I've searched around and the only thing that looked like it was this thing from Africa which of course ruled out. I was super spooked after seeing this as I was solo and deliberately made noises and sang just so I didn't somehow spook it again and have it jump on me from the bushes. I'm still baffled.
 
capedoc said:
Water Moccasin's, AKA Cottonmouths do not live in New Jersey. People tell me about how they "saw a water moccasin" all the time, it's almost always a Northern Water Snake.

Here's a photo I took of one at 6 mile a few years ago.

They are super aggressive but not poisonous.

6milesnake.jpg
Click to expand...

Saw it last year next to concrete bridge swallowing a fish. It was half way done. Didn't have a camera w me that day, but It freaked me the f out.

Where did u take this pic?
 
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On my commute today I saw what I thought from a distance was a brown leaf rolling across the road. As it kept moving pointedly across the pavement it appeared to be a huge freaking brown and black spider, like a fuzzy tarantula. As I came on it I realized it was really a black and brown bat doing the breast stroke to cross the street. Strange.

I'd have turned around to get a pic but we were both moving pretty fast and as I thought about why a 'nocturnal' bat would be doing the breaststroke across the road at 5:15 in the summer in full light, and since it was soon to be safely off the roadway, I decided I didn't need to go back and see it or to get too close.
 
Cyclopath said:
On my commute today I saw what I thought from a distance was a brown leaf rolling across the road. As it kept moving pointedly across the pavement it appeared to be a huge freaking brown and black spider, like a fuzzy tarantula. As I came on it I realized it was really a black and brown bat doing the breast stroke to cross the street. Strange.

I'd have turned around to get a pic but we were both moving pretty fast and as I thought about why a 'nocturnal' bat would be doing the breaststroke across the road at 5:15 in the summer in full light, and since it was soon to be safely off the roadway, I decided I didn't need to go back and see it or to get too close.
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with that behavior makes me think the poor fella was sick
 
Blk06CompIRL said:
possum head? daamn that is crazy
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We had a possum in our yard which made me look up info on them...Now I wish he'd come back. They are mainly mice eaters. Rarely carry rabies. Are non aggressive. Don't dig up gardens the way skunks and others do.I'd love to see a mom w babies on her back, but they have many enemies.Dogs are one...


BTW--Camping in pa. this weekend we saw a mama bear w 3 small cubs on our ride !! Awesome !!
 
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Just had to share:
Was riding Allaire early saturday. I was flying down a switchback and right when the trail straightened out, I look to my right and there was an enormous barred owl flying right next me. The wingspan was huge and I almost felt that I could reach out my hand and touch it. I kept pace with it for a short while and at one point it looked over at me and we made eye contact. I had no idea they were so big. By far the best encounter I have ever had.....made all those climbs and OTBs worth it.
 
No pics but...

Last night in Stephens, I saw a scarlet tanager, heard but did not see a pileated woodpecker, and in one of the little ponds by Lake Tilcon saw a glossy ibis. What the heck, a glossy ibis like 75 miles inland? That's a first for me. And, when I stopped for a bio break, I noticed on an oak leaf a spectacular moth that I'd never seen before: Giant Leopard Moth. I had to look it up this morning. Also nearly hit a deer. Quite a lot of interesting wildlife for one ride.
 
Coming home from work yesterday I saw a fox crossing the road (Ryders Lane).

Normally I would be excited at seeing one so close (about 100 feet away or so) but this poor fellow looked AWFUL! He was very thin and did not have that big beautiful bushy tail. His/her tail looked like a whip. I am thinking the poor thing has a bad case of mange.

sorry, no photo
 
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