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Post by Deleted on Aug 27, 2016 7:16:02 GMT -8
"Wild" Burros, Custer State Park, Black Hills:
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Post by Deleted on Aug 27, 2016 7:50:31 GMT -8
Elk, Wind Cave National Park: (Sorry about the low quality, but the elk are really wild in that area.)
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Post by Kevin Palmer on Aug 27, 2016 19:29:51 GMT -8
I finally bought a telephoto lens that's small enough to bring backpacking (Nikon 180mm f2.8). Yesterday was my first trip with it and I found this moose cow. This is a heavy crop. Moose Stare by Kevin Palmer, on Flickr Today I also spotted this creature at Willow Lake in the Bighorn Mountains. I'm not sure what it is though. He was eating raspberries and moved very quickly (most of my photos were blurry). I thought it might be a weasel but I've read that they are strict carnivores. This creature was also about 16-18 inches long which I think would be too big for a weasel. Any ideas?
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Mammals
Aug 28, 2016 6:01:02 GMT -8
Post by Coolkat on Aug 28, 2016 6:01:02 GMT -8
Pine Martin?
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Post by Deleted on Aug 28, 2016 9:22:53 GMT -8
I'm not sure what it is though. He was eating raspberries and moved very quickly (most of my photos were blurry). I thought it might be a weasel but I've read that they are strict carnivores. This creature was also about 16-18 inches long which I think would be too big for a weasel. Any ideas? It is a weasel. That is to say, it is in the weasel family, which includes otters, martens, wolverines, ferrets, polecats, fishers, minks, and even badgers. All weasels are classified as carnivores, but many are known to also eat berries or nuts etc. And they range widely in size. Several are much larger than the size you provide. As far as why a carnivore would eat raspberries, well, bears are classified as carnivores and think of all the things they will eat. So we say they are omnivorous, despite their technical classification. The size you provide would be about right, or a little small, for an American Mink. The animal looks like a mink. But mink also tend to have somewhat webbed feet. Whether or not that weasel does is difficult to tell from your photo. Another weasel, the fisher, is known to eat fruits and berries, but fishers tend to be quite a bit larger than the size you provide. Possibly over twice as large. An American Marten would be about the size you provide, and they also are known to eat fruits, berries, and nuts. They often have light-colored fur marking their faces and chests. It's called a bib, and your photo seems to show that. The marten is basically opportunistic in feeding. But all above are weasels. I'm inclined to think your photo is of an American Marten. The size is about right. It appears to have a lighter-tinted bib of fur, and the food habits also match. One question: was the size you provided the entire length of body and tail or just body? If you have even some blurry photos, one or two might yield some more information despite the quality. By the way, I've spent some time at Willow Lake in the Bighorn Mountains, and I think you'll agree there are plenty of rocks there for an American Marten to den among:
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Post by Kevin Palmer on Aug 28, 2016 16:08:55 GMT -8
Wow that is about 30 feet away from where I took the photo. I think I can see the rock where I set down my pack. It was a little tricky getting down to the water but I want to return sometime to camp at the overlook above. Here's another photo. With the tail stretched out, it's definitely a lot longer. When I first saw him eating berries, the light colored fur spots around the eyes stood out to me. Then he disappeared, before reappearing underneath the tree in your photo. When he ran across the rocks, that's when I took a few photos before he disappeared under the tree once again. It does seem to match the characteristics of an American Marten now that I read more about it.
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Mammals
Aug 28, 2016 18:48:38 GMT -8
Post by Deleted on Aug 28, 2016 18:48:38 GMT -8
That's another great photo, Kevin. Next time I make it to Willow Lake, I'll have to look for one of those.
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rebeccad
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Post by rebeccad on Aug 28, 2016 18:57:59 GMT -8
Some nice shots in here. Seems like this summer all I got in the mammal category are marmots.
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rebeccad
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Post by rebeccad on Aug 28, 2016 19:02:11 GMT -8
From 2014 in Peru, a vicuna, unless it's a guanaco (I'm pretty sure the former):
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daveb
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Post by daveb on Aug 29, 2016 6:57:40 GMT -8
Whitetail yearling while on a morning walk through Gus Engling state park here in Texas.
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rebeccad
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Post by rebeccad on Aug 29, 2016 7:07:21 GMT -8
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daveb
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Post by daveb on Aug 30, 2016 6:28:42 GMT -8
Moose cow and calf from Moose Wilson Rd in the Teton Park. My only photo of a Mountain Goat spotted from the "Lunch Table" on the snake river. See the clump of brush about four mountain goats to the left and one mountain goat up? That's where he bedded down and was surprisingly hidden.
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daveb
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Post by daveb on Aug 30, 2016 6:40:44 GMT -8
Little critters. A squirrel from the Death Canyon trail in the Teton park. A bunny from Yellowstone while hiking around the geysers. A pica from the Jenny Lake trail in the Teton park.
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Post by daveb on Aug 31, 2016 6:35:51 GMT -8
Yellowstone elk.
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Mammals
Aug 31, 2016 7:16:03 GMT -8
Post by Coolkat on Aug 31, 2016 7:16:03 GMT -8
I hope to see a couple of these creatures on my hike in October but they will be "michigan" elk instead of yellowstone Elk. I'm told I'll be hiking in bugaling season. I hope that's true.
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