# Identify this sound?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-sound/818079>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [July 17, 2018, 11:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-sound/818079 "2018-07-17T11:06:01Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Mr.Bill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Mr.Bill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Bill)\
**Post date:** [July 21, 2018, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-sound/818079/21 "2018-07-21T00:57:44Z")

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I once heard a porcupine being attacked by what I think was a fisher. The noise sounded something like your recording, although with more of a tone of anger and distress mixed in.

It’s possible that you were hearing something of the sort. (The squeal at 3:00 and forward and especially at about the 4:00 mark, sounds frightened.)

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**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\
**Post date:** [July 21, 2018, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-sound/818079/22 "2018-07-21T03:44:03Z")

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We do have fishers in the area, so that is a possibility.

But if two animals were fighting, I would expect more movement in the treetops. I saw none. Also, if a predator was attacking another animal, he would get it over pretty quickly. Three hours is a lot to wait to eat your dinner after the appetizer. A baby missing its mom is more likely.

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**Author:** ![Mr.Bill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Mr.Bill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Bill)\
**Post date:** [July 21, 2018, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-sound/818079/23 "2018-07-21T04:25:49Z")

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According to Wikipedia, fishers attack porcupines by repeatedly biting them on the face over a period of 20 to 25 minutes, presumably until the poor porkie weakens from loss of blood. Now that’s not 3 hours, but some of the time might have been preamble before the attack started in earnest, and maybe it was a young, inexperienced fisher or a large, robust porcupine.

Not saying that’s definitely it, but what I heard at the 3-4 minute mark in your recording sure sounded like the attack I heard years ago.

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