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Related: Culture Forums, Support ForumsWhat are some of the coolest animals you've seen in the wild?
I've seen foxes in my mother's backyard in SW Ohio. I saw a whale swim up to the shore off the coast of central California, and I finally saw a bear last summer in Tennessee (I'd been dying to see a bear for years).
I've also seen bighorn sheep and mountain goats in Colorado. But that's about it. How about you?
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eppur_se_muova
(41,941 posts)Did the national parks tour back when I was 12, so I've seen a lot of big beasties --but river otters are just more fun to watch than just about any other animal.
Most unusual sighting -- last year I stopped a young snapping turtle from entering the grocery store. He was going full tilt for the door, but I pointed him to a vacant lot next door.
RZM
(8,556 posts)I saw some real kinky ones 69ing at a zoo once. At first I thought it was a coincidence that they were in that position, but they remained there for as long as I looked at them (about 10 minutes).
Cute animals.
Arugula Latte
(50,566 posts)I went kayaking in Monterey Bay (Calif.) one time and otters followed the kayaks just out of curiosity and friendliness. 
emmadoggy
(2,142 posts)They are just so much fun and so adorable.
CaliforniaPeggy
(156,619 posts)Yellowstone is a great place to see animals. I think they know they're protected; the elk came up very close to us as though they knew we couldn't or wouldn't hurt them.
I'll have to scan some pics sometime.
Wait! I did see a bear, from a gondola up on a ski slope in Canada.
RZM
(8,556 posts)I have seen elk out west though. As a kid I was obsessed with animals and Yellowstone was my top choice for family vacations. Could never get anybody to agree to it though 
obxhead
(8,434 posts)Buffalo had taken over the road and refused to move for 2 hours.
Liberty Belle
(9,707 posts)You don't even have to hike. The Haden Valley late in the day is a good place to see bison and elk, and sometimes moose. Our car was surrounded by bison once.
My favorite Yellowstone trip was in early winter (actually late fall, though there was already snow and it was 10 below zero). Heard and then saw the bugling elk, quite moving. Saw more elk in the yellowstone River with frost upon their backs and steam from the thermal river rising way up in the air, freezing on the trees. And moose lolling in lily ponds, just their antlers sticking out.
Then there was the fat chipmonk that jumped in my backpack and helped himself to lunch!
applegrove
(132,210 posts)trip. Seen lots of racoons and smaller critters.
Flaxbee
(13,661 posts)boats said; I saw the whale surface but couldn't see a lot of the whale; wish I'd been able to see more!).
Saw wolves take down an elk in the Lamar Valley in Yellowstone, about an hour later (same valley) a grizzly wandered through the valley. Was one hell of a day.
Some beautiful, huge owls in Kazakhstan.
Turkeys in the wild are pretty neat.
Bison.
Bobcat.
Dolphins off the coast of DelMar and I saw JJ the gray whale while she was being cared for at Sea World before she was released. (Two family members were part of the team that released her).
Golden eagle.
Hawks all over the place here.
I used to live in Appalachia and I saw turkeys quite frequently there. Another thing I noticed was huge flights of hawks/vultures in the fall, while they were migrating. There would be flocks of hundreds at a time. That always struck me as interesting. Never saw anything like that growing up.
Also once saw an owl grab a mouse in the middle of the road while driving in broad daylight.
Seen some dolphins and porpoises on the East Coast as well. Also sea lions in the SF bay (including a group of about 50 barking up a storm under a boardwalk).
crunch60
(1,412 posts)toed sloth over his shoulder, full of green algae, very big eyes. (the sloth) lol
I also raised a porcupine, his mother was killed, and my brother brought me the baby. He was a great pet. He loved to be petted, (always from the head down his back) and he would wrap himself around my leg and would not let go. Guess he bonded with me, thought I was his Mom.
denbot
(9,950 posts)I was in the Navy and happen to be staring at the ocean from the fantail. I spotted the spout first, and waited until the whale came back up. It surfaced, and there is no way to mistake the head.
Blue whale with calf, Mountain Sheep, Sea Otters, Moose (females with calfs), Horned toads (one of my favorite critters), octopus, Orca, Puffans, bears, bobcat, mountain lion, and wild turkeys.
csziggy
(34,189 posts)At dusk one evening, so quiet the noise from their wings was loud. A great horned owl sitting in the tree outside the house - HUGE bird. An otter on top of the hill where our farm is - probably moving from the lakes across the street to the swamp at the bottom of the hill.
A family of gray foxes just hanging out in the pasture. A flock of white ibis grazing in the pasture with the horses. Bobcat with kits crossing the road. The bald eagle that landed just in front of the house as I was on the phone with a campaign volunteer in 2008. The barred owl that caught a bat just above my head at dusk one evening.
The coolest animal I didn't see was the Florida panther that left a track under the boardwalk in the Everglades. We headed out along the walk as the ranger was taking a tour back to the beginning. I spotted the track as we were going out and on our way back met up with the ranger. I pointed the track out to her and asked how long ago it was left because it looked very fresh to me. She was shocked - the track had not been there on her earlier tour. She was sure, because they had been watching a bird near that spot. The panther must have passed just after she left with the earlier tour! I wish we could have seen it.
RZM
(8,556 posts)Once in Maine, but once in suburban Maryland right outside of DC. I thought it was funny I saw the national symbol while driving to the nation's capital.
Gray foxes are pretty rare, from what I remember. Interesting find
I also saw a stork once munching on a vole. I was pretty young, so it was an introduction into the cruelty of nature.
csziggy
(34,189 posts)Now that land has been cut up into 10-12 acre tracts and I don't expect the bald eagles to stick around as homes are built on their lakes.
One afternoon not too long after they opened the road through the old plantation land I drove up that way. On a bend in the road, in a big loblolly pine next to the road, there was a pair of bald eagles just sitting on a branch. I stopped and watched them for a while and wished I had a camera with me.
Where I grew up we'd see ospreys all the time. Now the ospreys and the bald eagle compete for territory and build nests everywhere there is a decent site. My parents live next to a city park and the city had to redo the lights on the tennis courts because the ospreys and eagles were leaving so much trash under the nests they had built on them. Tennis players didn't want to deal with the fish bones and partly eaten fish just so they could play! The city put up nest platforms outside the court areas and the eagles and ospreys are raising babies there again.
In this area gray foxes are the native fox. Red foxes were introduced so the fox hunters would have something for their hounds to chase. Gray foxes are smarter and harder for the hounds plus they tend to lead the hounds places the fox hunters and their horses can't get, like into the swamps. The same year I saw the gray foxes, a family of red foxes was also living on our farm. They were decimated the next few years by a bad infestation of mange. The gray foxes did not get it so I think that gave them a chance at more territory.
emmadoggy
(2,142 posts)come to the northeast Iowa, southeast Minnesota, western Wisconsin area (along the Mississippi River). Over the last 20 years, the population of bald eagles has surged and they are a commonplace sight now. The Decorah eagles are just 20 miles from my house and we stop in to see them frequently.
Driving along the Mississippi (at varying times of the year) you can see bald eagles, great blue herons, egrets, trumpeter swans (in HUGE numbers in the late fall!) all manner of ducks and geese, hawks, golden eagles, gulls, and even pelicans. Not to mention many other species of birds. You can also see turtles, beavers, and other small animals. It is truly awesome!!
pitohui
(20,564 posts)seems to me there must be a bald eagle "trail" of sorts where you can follow them north and south in accord w. the seasons
the southern bald eagle breeds in the winter, so our bald eagle babies have been out of the nest for some weeks now and perhaps now that it's april 30 they have already migrated to the great white north
I don't think it's just the mississippi river that is a trail of the eagles because in western usa (washington) and western canada and on up to alaska they have many bald eagles too
could be interesting to put together a trek following these birds
yellerpup
(12,263 posts)across the street. We live about 20 miles N of NYC. He was so excited that he called 911! Officer, officer! I wish to report a bald eagle! Luckily, our local constables were able to calm him down.... 
Those are big birds!
Art_from_Ark
(27,247 posts)Alvin, Simon, and Theodore befriended an eagle named Stanley that couldn't fly. David Seville freaked out and called the police.
Unfortunately, YouTube had to remove the cartoon 
yellerpup
(12,263 posts)On the Chipmunks? Too funny!
fishwax
(29,346 posts)I grew up in Wyoming so I got to go to Yellowstone a lot growing up and experience some pretty cool wildlife, like hearing the elk bugling during the mating season. Moose as well. Some cool big birds like eagles, peregrine falcons, and trumpeter swans. Never a grizzly in the wild, but I've seen other bears in Yellowstone and in Glacier when I was a kid. There are bison everywhere in Yellowstone, and I always like to see them. And big horn sheep in Yellowstone and Rocky Mountain National Park. Also mountain lions and bobcats in Utah and California.
I've seen a little bit of water wildlife on trips to California--the sea lions on Pier 39 and some seals as well. I don't think I've seen sea otters in the wild (but I have seen river otters). Oh, and last summer I saw alligators in the wild for the first time, which was cool.
All this is making me miss the mountains a bit -- don't see much wildlife here in central Illinois. 
woodsprite
(12,582 posts)Being in town (less than 5 min from Main St) and
having those as regular visitors seems unusual. With
the exception of 10 years, I've lived in this town all my
life and had never seen anything more wild than a
stray blacksnake, groundhog or skunk.
We also see gorgeous birds of prey - owls, hawks,
eagles and vultures.
This summer on vacation in Ocracoke, we saw dolphin
15 ft or so away from us. Also observed a few sea turtles
while we were on a pier, and watched a group of over
100 skate as we drove along the Chesapeake Bay Bridge.
Also have watched gators in my MILs backyard in FL.
alphafemale
(18,497 posts)
Also elk, fox, coyote. I saw a bobcat while riding my bike home from work one day.
pipi_k
(21,020 posts)animal I've seen in the wild was very cool, but here are the ones I've seen in my very own backyard...
deer
moose
coyotes
black bears
a bobcat
porcupines
raccoons
foxes
otters
weasel
bald eagle
Mr Pip is one up on me...he saw a cougar run across a road going into town.
blaze
(8,381 posts)Aboard a 60 passenger cruise ship!
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And then inland a bit:
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And closer to home:
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Flaxbee
(13,661 posts)
blaze
(8,381 posts)Only the "Closer to Home" pics are mine.
The Cruise photos were taken by a fellow passenger and the "Further Inland" shots were taken by the guide on the portion of our trip that took us to Denali.
Trip of a lifetime!
(Those look familiar)
Always my fave.. The bubble feeding.
Gato Moteado
(10,176 posts)i've swam with manatees, dolphins, stingrays, manta rays, sharks and even small alligators.
i've seen otters (in SF bay and in florida canals) and whales and crocodiles, walked among elephant seals, bumped into grey and red foxes in the wild, accidentally came within 3 or 4 feet of a young black bear (didn't see the mother anywhere). i've seen bobcats, pumas, antelopes, mule deer. Watched bald eagles mating in mid-air. Twice i've had everglades black bears cross the road in front of me (on two legs, no less!).
since moving to costa rica i see, on a regular basis, scarlet macaws, toucans and toucanets, squirrel monkeys, white faced capuchins, howler monkeys, two and three toed sloths, ant eaters, coatis, kinkajous, fer-de-lances, huge boa constrictors (even got bitten by one of those!), eyelash vipers, poison dart frogs, green and brown basilisks (that can run across the top of water) and too much more to list.
I have also seen jaguarundis, grisons, tayras, spider monkeys and green macaws. but the coolest thing i've run into so far in the rain forest has to be the time i came within 20 feet of a large adult baird's tapir.
i have not yet seen a jaguar, but that is my life's dream.
HopeHoops
(47,675 posts)
stuntcat
(12,022 posts)a good guy, I can tell
Rhiannon12866
(255,525 posts)When I was a kid, there was a lot next door that was mainly woods and my mother spotted one right on the edge of it, on the side near our house. My mother was always interested in birds, so she knew exactly what it was and made us come and see it. It seemed so large for what it was, LOL, and I'll probably never see another one... 
GOPonziconz
(38 posts)and he's not full grown yet. They beat the heck out of the trees and telephone poles.
Woody Woodpecker was supposed to be one if anyone is old enough to remember.
bluedigger
(17,437 posts)I was working along the B&O Canal in Maryland for the National Park Service, spring of '04. There was a beaver lodge in a cut off meander next to us, and the water level was dropping. While we watched, the adult beavers took their kits out of the lodge one by one on their backs, and swam by us as they moved to another lodge which was better situated. They must have gone by us with half a dozen babies in the water, no more than twenty-five feet away. I took some photos with the company camera, but never saw the exposures.
I've seen quite a few critters in the wild, including otters, black bear and moose, but those beavers were the coolest.
undeterred
(34,658 posts)and at night they would come up on land to eat. I heard this noise that sounded like a stomach growling and I asked what it was... it was hippo stomachs growling and they were not too far from the house. Fortunately they usually eat grass and such and were not coming up to have us for a snack.
RZM
(8,556 posts)Though you probably know that hippos are the deadliest mammals on the planet, and I believe the second-deadliest animal overall after the mosquito. I'd love to see one, though from a very safe distance
undeterred
(34,658 posts)wild animals, having lived in that area all their lives. The animals were somewhat used to seeing humans and as soon as you got a little too close, they would vocalize a little differently to let you know.
Hyenas will go to the top of the trees and look down at you. Every species does it a little differently. Hippos just make more noise. You just stay put and don't take a single step further in their direction. Then you can watch as long as you like... it helps if you have binoculars because you really aren't that close.
Lucky Luciano
(11,863 posts)They kill more people than any other large animal in Africa.
undeterred
(34,658 posts)but there is absolutely nothing in the world that compares to falling asleep to the sounds of the jungle.
Lucky Luciano
(11,863 posts)lunasun
(21,646 posts)hyrax mating calls all night I certainly could have lived without experiencing during a certain jungle night !!!
lunasun
(21,646 posts)scary scary night just one foot on a tent or brushing by would do it
and those teeth they show scare me from 20ft away while I am on land when they are in water during the day
I saw a dead one once floating on its back along a river somewhere all blown up from being dead!
I thought " good it is dead"
and I am an animal lover but some primal instinct whatever has me very scared of hippos
and for some reason emoted a sense of relief at seeing one dead
do not know why..........
Mendocino
(8,492 posts)Ospreys
Bald Eagles
All sorts of Hawks
Grizzzly and Black bears
Fishers
Pine Martens
Mink
Bobcats
Lynx
Cougars
Moose
Elk
Bighorn Sheep
Mountain Goats
Sturgeon
Dolphins
Sea Turtles
Beavers
Alligators
Many types of Owls
Sea Otters
River Otters
Seals
Puffins
Coyotes
Red and Gray Foxes
Wolves
Bison
Antelope
Dolphins
Badgers
Rattlesnakes
Copperheads
Snapping Turtles
TrogL
(32,828 posts)I was young at the time but I swear it was 4 feet tall with a 9 foot wingspan
TrogL
(32,828 posts)I was in the back yard and heard this unearthly noise coming from the North gradually getting louder, then noticed a strange grey cloud moving towards me. It eventually resolved to thousands and thousands of Canada Geese migrating South for the winter. It took the flock about 10 minutes to pass over. 10000 is a wild guess. It could have been even higher
bluesbassman
(20,384 posts)Up in the Los Padres out of Carmel Valley. We we driving along a fire road on a hillside. The bobcat jumped from the high side and landed right on the hood. We were crawling along so it was pretty stable and the bobcat landed perfectly dead center on the hood. He sat there for a few seconds looking right at us through the windshield, then bounded off down the slope. My buddy and I just sat there grinning.
The other cool thing we saw up there was a tarantula migration. There were dozens of them on a road we were walking near dusk. Pretty trippy to see that many at once cruising down the road.
cliffordu
(30,994 posts)a large shark, a billion deer, an elk, a pack of coyotes
All in the wild, not one caged or in a zoo
The lynx, the coyotes, the elk and half of the deer wandered through my yard in Port Townsend.
The mountain lion was 100 feet of the bike path going into town.
Cleita
(75,480 posts)They are truly beautiful animals.
The Velveteen Ocelot
(130,533 posts)bald eagles, pronghorn antelope, bighorn sheep, opossums (in my back yard), raccoons (also in my back yard), kestrels, white pelicans, snow geese, Canada geese, snapping turtles, jackrabbits, woodchucks, wild turkeys and whitetail deer.
They're all cool.
FailureToCommunicate
(14,605 posts)A Studebaker:
sorry...couldn't resist
Lucky Luciano
(11,863 posts)No Animals were harmed of course!
MrSlayer
(22,143 posts)Probably the only wildlife I've seen in its natural habitat.
Generic Brad
(14,374 posts)River otters, wild turkeys, deer, fox, bald eagles, peregrine falcons, owls, coyote, opossum, skunk, ground hogs. When you live near the Mississippi you encounter a lot of wildlife.
stuntcat
(12,022 posts)They all live at Telegraph Hill, something keeps them there I guess. We had to walk around a little but then we heard them, and then we found the tree full of them!
Also I see seals whenever I go there.
One morning a fox walked across my back yard!!
I can't remember other things I've seen wild. Lots of birds and bugs lol, and bats.
Arugula Latte
(50,566 posts)stuntcat
(12,022 posts)I caught most of it on tv once. The next time I visited my best friend in SF I made him go there with me and walk around til we found the birds. I was so happy when I finally heard them!
Liberty Belle
(9,707 posts)Here in San Diego, near the border. They're green with red heads and squawk early in the a.m. so it sounds like a rainforest.
At my old house we had California grey foxes that can climb - they would catch mice on our roof, and I have a photo of one standing on a 7 foot fence.
Also love watching raccoons and skunks. Once saw a mother skunk bring all her babies into our yard. They surrounded my startled cat and were literally turning somersaults, playing like kittens. Thank goodness the cat had enough sense to leave them alone.
Unlike our dog, who managed to get herself sprayed the only time she encountered a striped intruder.
stuntcat
(12,022 posts)Since we're on a hill and our yard wasn't fenced we built a pond. So we have possums and raccoons at night, and foxes and probably coyotes. I'd freak if I saw a skunk!!!
Because of the pond we're getting a low fence built tomorrow to protect the neighbors' toddlers, but I'm going to leave it cracked at night. It's just a fence to deter babies, it won't be a problem for the animals, even when it's shut. Our yard is the only one wildlife can pass through in our block, and I don't want to cut off their critter highway.
Arugula Latte
(50,566 posts)
Baitball Blogger
(52,345 posts)lunasun
(21,646 posts)Arugula Latte
(50,566 posts)We had to get up at the crack of dawn. I'm neither a morning person nor a bird person, but boy am I glad I did it!
Baitball Blogger
(52,345 posts)A wild rabbit and now a frog seems to fit the bill. The frog I came across one afternoon when it was 55 degrees and I was cleaning out all the fish to put them in the heated tub for the Winter. I pulled him up in the net and he was in a state of hypothermia. I figured I should just leave the bottom of the pond full of debris to give him some cover and put him back in, being sure to cover him with sediment and twigs.
He survived the winter and he doesn't hardly bother to hide when I come walking around. I think he's a Leopard frog. Though he's now ready to mate and last night he kept me awake with his croaking.
Xipe Totec
(44,558 posts)
NCTraveler
(30,481 posts)I would go to parks in FL where they were known to be. One one of my camping trips I spent two days hiking looking for bears. I saw all kinds of great wildlife but no bears. Then as I was leaving there was a bear eating eating on a tree limb over the road. It was right next to the exit of the park. Go figure.
Liberty Belle
(9,707 posts)Seemed to be everywhere we went - hiking, river rafting, and a bus tour through Denali. I had the front seat for the latter when a mother grizzly with cubs walked into the road. She reared up on her hind legs right in front of the bus -- amazing.
NCTraveler
(30,481 posts)I would like to make it to Alaska.
TrogL
(32,828 posts)They'd pulled off to the side of the road in Jasper National Park to admire two bear cubs sitting in a nearby field. Some were posing with them and taking pictures. I could see mama bear down in the treeline heading their way so I screamed at everybody until they got back in the bus.
NCTraveler
(30,481 posts)DallasNE
(8,008 posts)Glad I was in the Land Rover at the time but it was awesome to see the Cobra raise up before slithering away in the grass. It was only yards from where 3 very young lion cubs were hidden away by their mother while she was out hunting (according to the guide). Seeing a pair of rare black Rhino's was also exciting.
And then there were the monkeys. The "hotel" was just a large tent and we were told to zip them all the way to keep the monkeys out. One day my wife sent me back to the tent to get something we forgot. When I got to the tent a monkey was standing guard, I could see the tent was unzipped and with the chatter knew some monkeys were inside. I located the first worker I could find for help on how to deal with the situation. What he did was simply charge the guard monkey, waving his arms and yelling loudly. The two monkeys inside and the guard monkey took off. They were looking for food and found the one snack we had inside but things were left alone otherwise, thankfully. I got what I was looking for and tied the cord on the zipper to a loose cord on the other side and that did the trick. But it did teach me just how smart monkeys really are with their teamwork. Oh, they also opened one of those child-proof cans where you have to squeeze one corner to pop open the can. They were in the neighbors tent as well and found and scattered the contents, apparently not liking the taste of whatever was inside.
AsahinaKimi
(20,776 posts)While traveling on various boats, ferries and ships at sea.
Liberty Belle
(9,707 posts)near Hearst Castle--hundreds of them. The bears were the biggest thrill--one young grizzly was in the middle of the river catching a salmon as we rafted past. Also saw bighorn sheep in Glacier National Park and in Colorado, mountain goats from a distance in Washington, dolphins off Catalina Island, otters off Monterey's coast, whales and puffins on a glacier sightseeing trip out of Sewaerd, Alaska, buffalo and elk as well as more moose in Yellowstone and Tetons National Parks, and I did enjoy seeing marmots in Glacier.
The bighorn in Glacier was a pretty amazing experience. We spotted a herd way up the mountain. The screw had fallen out of my tripod so I lay down on a big flat rock to steady the long camera lens. I guess that looked pretty curious to the sheep, so one of them walked down the hill and came right up to me. I changed to a smaller lens, and then an even smaller lens. And finally I backed up! Got a head and shoulders shot, with only a 50 mm lens.
I used to do a lot of wildlife photography in my younger days and learned quite a few techniques - never look an aggressive animal in the eye, which is considered threatening. Walk in a zig-zag pattern and behave like a grazing animal.
Once I inadvertently found myself in a bad spot. While eating lunch by a lake in the woods, I heard a thrashing and saw a mother and baby moose emerge. They waded into the lake and mom began grazing, but all of a sudden the baby bolted into the woods--straight behind me. So I was between Mom and baby, not good. She flattened her ears and started pawing the ground and stuck out her tongue--all textbook signs that a charge is eminent. I was standing up, so decided to just sit down, albeit with a camera tripod in front of me. I look down and tried to look as disinterested in her baby as possible. After a few minutes she settled down.
I have seen many bald eagles in Idaho, and even a pair in San Diego where I live now -- and we have a pair of great-horned owls that I love to watch out my office window at night.
For me, the animal I always wanted to see and photograph, but never did, was a cougar. Never even saw a bobcat in the wild.
sulphurdunn
(6,891 posts)just a dusk.
Botany
(77,323 posts)
Major Nikon
(36,925 posts)Arctic Fox in Greenland.
Marlin near Guam.
Fledgling Bluebirds in my back yard.
Flocks of Geese seen from above while flying over them.
siligut
(12,272 posts)There must have been 6 or 7 crows flying and cawing loudly along side and behind a huge bald eagle. They were chasing him away and other crows were soon flying in to chase him too.
I have seen so many animals in the wild, the most thrilling was the black bears in Banff or the puma in the Pima mountains of Tucson.
avebury
(11,196 posts)It was so cool. We saw the mamma breach several times and she got up pretty close to our zodiac. The captain indicated that she must have been an experienced mom because she didn't see too concerned about us getting close to her and her baby.
livetohike
(24,283 posts)We had to get up before sunrise in order to be sure to see him. One of the park rangers told us where to look and sure enough - he/she was right there!
This is not my picture:
SwissTony
(2,560 posts)A very large ray while snorkeling...it just raised itself from the sea bed, flapped its fins/wings (?) and just zoomed away. I couldn't believe how fast it went.
Dolphins playing in the wake of a boat heading back to Perth (Australia) from Rottnest Island. They had giant grins on their faces and keeping up was no problem.
KamaAina
(78,249 posts)dolphins and more dolphins! Off Makua Beach on the west side of O'ahu.
earthbone
(89 posts)I did something real stupid one time.Anyone here from South Florida?You will know where Black Point Marina is.Took my lab swimming there unaware that a 10/12 foot croc lived there. Even though there is a sign posted warning of the hazard I threw the ball in the water anyway.On the third or fourth throw just as I let go of the ball noticed the croc swimming towards the dog.I panicked,throw a rock at the croc,BIG mistake ,dog went after it.Screaming at the top of my lungs for the dog I picked up another rock and threw it in the water right in front of me as hard as I could.This got the dogs interest and he changed direction and came back towards me.Good thing the lab was a fast swimmer,croc got as close as 20 30 feet of the dog.Got the dog back in the car and got the hell out of there.I think I could have been arrested for throwing the rock at the croc so i didnt go back for about six months and it was without the dog.Not unusual for alligators to eat dogs around here. They live in the fresh water canals but in the Ocean ? You just dont expect that but they are there.
XemaSab
(60,212 posts)Condor tops the bird list, and a MONSTER cottonmouth tops the herp list.
GOPonziconz
(38 posts)in the world.
Check it out, very prehistoric looking.
http://www.google.ca/search?hl=en&rls=com.microsoft:en-CA:IE-SearchBox&rlz=1I7ACAW_en___CA395&q=kori+bustard+bird&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.,cf.osb&biw=1366&bih=595&wrapid=tlif133575566869210&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=YQSeT_zHB4Smgwf5hOHfDg
I saw meercats in the Kalahari Desert in Namibia and a lion was laying in our way when we drove into the bush to meet with a native tribe. You sit under a tree for 2 days until word spreads and they start to arrive.
sakabatou
(46,148 posts)There's a nesting pair that comes down the street once a year
Fearless
(18,458 posts)I was walking past the chancellor's house very very early one morning and had a Canadian lynx cross the road and head into his front lawn about ten feet ahead of me. They are extremely rare in the lower 48 particularly on the East Coast... Craziest "oh shit" moment when she stopped and stared for a second before continuing on her way.
Arctic Dave
(13,812 posts)And I saw monkeys in Thailand. They were fun.
oleander hawkmoth
(10 posts)is the Great Horned Owl (probably-never seen 'em but I hear 'em often enough) that nests outside my window off and on. Not because he's amazing or rare, but because I love listening to him/her in the mornings. :3
I've seen bison, both brown and white, but they've always been domesticated-that, the ponies, and orca are pretty much my big want right now.
-Porpoises, and possibly dolphins, one on either side of the country
-Sea lions
-Smelled a large wild cat, but I've no idea what kind. :C it was enough that I was out in the boonies and smelt it
-coyote
-javelinas
-Still up in the air if the horses I saw were feral or not, but wouldn't that be brilliant?
-I just narrowly missed seeing a black bear, twice, at my Grandparent's house
-Bald eagles at home and on the road
-A massive Red Tail here at home
-Kestrels
-Coopers Hawk
-Sharp Shinned Hawk
-Grey fox
-Red fox
-A piebald mourning dove
-the start of the vulture migration, both black and turkey
-Bats. A lot of them. No idea what sort though.
-Luna moths, both brown and green
-OMG snakes...if it's in Ohio, I've probably seen it
-St Andrews Cross Spiders
-Black Widow (in my tent...)
-Brown Recluse (in my classroom ...!)
-Wolf spiders and harvestmen frellin' everywhere
Did I mention that I'm terrified of spiders? :C They're worse than cats, with the homing in on people...I'm just glad I don't live in Australia.
yellerpup
(12,263 posts)They are so graceful and beautiful. I saw them when we lived in NC walking across one end of the property and at first I thought they were peacocks in semi-molt, but no, mother, father, and 4 or 5 chicks were just passing through. Breathtaking and noble animals.
sinkingfeeling
(57,835 posts)lonestarnot
(77,097 posts)
JCMach1
(29,202 posts)perched on a low limb about 6 inches away from my face.
Was on my way to a HS dance and was getting in the car. Car was under a small tree and that was when I came face to face with the owl. We were both a bit startled ...
There was also one memorable spring day in St. Augustine when I saw a large pod of manatees in the bay. The same day, there were also dolphins everywhere in the bay. This is highly unusual, but very very cool.
byeya
(2,842 posts)Timber wolf; mountain lions; desert bighorn sheep; bald & golden eagles; peregrine falcons; grizzly bears; badgers; wolverine; caribou; beavers; pronghorns; gila monster; American crocodile; black bears; snowy owls
Would like to see a lynx.
4_TN_TITANS
(2,977 posts)canoeing down a river here in Mid-TN. Lived here all my life, but had never seen them before.
oneshooter
(8,614 posts)Despite their appearance Hippos kill more natives than lions do. They are quite fierce in defending both their territory and their ladies.
Lion and cheetah in Rhodesia. The Zulu say that a man feels real fear twice in his life. Once when he hears a lions roar in the darkness outside the fire, and again when he sees his first in the wild.
Lots of Antelope, Gemsbok, DikDik, Thompson's Gazelle, Warthogs, Meerkats.
Spent almost 20 years in Africa, can't say I have seen a quarter of the types of wildlife.
Oneshooter
Sentath
(2,243 posts)
Borrowed picture, I was driving. And I swear mine was bluer..
a fer years ago working out in rural OK I saw and heard a road runner. The cartoon noises aren't that far off considering they are cartoon noises.
Bruce Wayne
(692 posts)He's a sight and a half... Also, if you get up close to an ostrich, they're pretty damn freaky looking. Scary too. I'm sure most ostriches I've met were actually planning on killing me. Mean fuckers, I tell ya.
"I will eat your eyes first, pathetic human."
