# What kind of wildlife do you see? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 11, 2007, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-wildlife-do-you-see/426025 "2007-11-11T17:00:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Desert\_Nomad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desert_nomad/32/177_2.png) [@Desert\_Nomad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Desert_Nomad)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2007, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-wildlife-do-you-see/426025/21 "2007-11-11T19:35:31Z")
camels. ---
**Author:** ![danceswithcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9e8a1a/32.png) [@danceswithcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danceswithcats)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2007, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-wildlife-do-you-see/426025/22 "2007-11-11T19:40:19Z")
Hummingbirds Falcons and hawks Owls Various songbirds Deer Opossums Raccoons Tree rats Chipmunks Mice, voles, and moles Groundhogs Fox (rarely) Bunnies (rarely) I’ll gladly trade tree rats with any person who has an abundance of bunnies. 😉 My location is south central PA just north of the MD border. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2007, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-wildlife-do-you-see/426025/23 "2007-11-11T19:41:25Z")
[QUOTE=Desert Nomad] camels. [/QUOTE] Ever see any of [these](http://applematters.com/images/uploads/camelspider.JPG)? ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2007, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-wildlife-do-you-see/426025/24 "2007-11-11T19:47:35Z")
[QUOTE=Desert Nomad] camels. [/QUOTE] That is cool, I did not realize there were still wild camels near Dubai. \*\*fachverwirrt \*\* I am jealous of your whales. [QUOTE=danceswithcats] I’ll gladly trade tree rats with any person who has an abundance of bunnies. 😉 [/QUOTE] Are tree rats squirrels? I posted it somewhere before, but I actually caught a baby bunny in my hands and then released it. We have no shortage of bunnies in my yard. ---
**Author:** ![Campion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@Campion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Campion)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2007, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-wildlife-do-you-see/426025/25 "2007-11-11T20:37:35Z")
I’m about 10 miles from downtown LA. Besides the squirrels, we see opossums, raccoons, coyotes, and foxes with some regularity in my neighborhood. I haven’t seen them, but I’ve smelled skunks. Plus I found a mouse in my pool last week (I think he was a ginormous rat, but I was told he was a mouse; whatever). He wasn’t using water wings, so he didn’t do so well with the swimming. ---
**Author:** ![NinjaChick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/71c47a/32.png) [@NinjaChick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinjaChick)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2007, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-wildlife-do-you-see/426025/26 "2007-11-11T20:57:47Z")
Overwhelming common: _Studentus Collegius_, that common sub-species of human. Rabbits Gophers Wild mice Birds (including some hawks) Small snakes All sorts of neat insects and moths. Coyotes (well, I hear them. They live right outside, but they’re shy). Squirrels Lizards All sorts of spiders Not common but seen at least once: Bobcats Bald eagles Black bear Black widow & brown recluse spiders Of all of those animals the ones that scare me the most are the rodenty ones, because they tend to carry all sorts of fun things, like plague and hantavirus. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2007, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-wildlife-do-you-see/426025/27 "2007-11-11T22:01:06Z")
**Colibri** wins. Sounds like what we used to see in Uganda. Hereabouts, we see a lot of moose in the yard, the occasional fox, ravens, chickadees, occasional bald eagles, steller jays, woodpeckers, squirrels (lots of babies this year), bohemian waxwings, salmon down at the creek a couple hundred yards from here, magpies, and the occasional Yeti. ---
**Author:** ![Caprese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9a28c/32.png) [@Caprese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caprese)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2007, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-wildlife-do-you-see/426025/28 "2007-11-11T22:17:20Z")
Northeast Florida, barrier island. Only been here about 5 months. The colder weather wildlife selection seems to be changing, though there are some constants. Dolphins Sea turtles gopher tortoises river otters manatees alligators snakes of all sorts, some poisonous armadillos bobcats Raccoons Rabbits lizards Possums groundhogs Bald Eagles Red-shouldered hawks Egrets of varying sizes Blue Herons seagulls pelicans, brown and white (huge!) varieties ---
**Author:** ![Fetchund](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b2d939/32.png) [@Fetchund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fetchund)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2007, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-wildlife-do-you-see/426025/29 "2007-11-11T23:08:13Z")
Around here (north of the Twin Cities, MN, USA) we get tons of birds (list will be provided if requested, but I’m not typing it out just to bore non-birders!) Of the non-birds, and seen on our 2.5 acre lot: Deer Rabbits Skunk Raccoon Black Bear Coyote Red Fox Grey Fox Tiger Salamander Green Frog Leopard Frog Chorus Frog Grey Tree Frog Garter Snake Plains Hog-nose snake Prairie Skink Gopher Mole Red Squirrel Grey Squirrel Short-tail shrew Masked Shrew White-footed Deer Mouse Little Brown Bat (other bats survived, and no way to ID them!) Woodchuck More if I remember more… (Hey, **Colibri** - how is the camping around there? I’m looking to set up my next birding trip…) ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2007, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-wildlife-do-you-see/426025/30 "2007-11-12T00:23:50Z")
Guess I could have mentioned: Trumpeter swans Ducks Loons Grizzly and black bear (in some areas) Dall sheep Polar bear (if you go far enough north) Caribou Lynx Porcupine The OP said ‘routinely’, so many of these don’t exactly apply. ---
**Author:** ![MadPansy64](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/dc4da7/32.png) [@MadPansy64](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MadPansy64)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2007, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-wildlife-do-you-see/426025/31 "2007-11-12T00:32:40Z")
At home (Ruby Valley, Montana): Common Loons Trumpeter Swans (once a year, every year) Calliope Hummingbirds Rufous hummingbirds Golden Eagles Bald Eagles Purple finches Pelicans Sandhill cranes Moose Elk Whitetail deer Antelope Mule deer Bohemian waxwings Cedar waxwings Yellow headed blackbirds Redwing blackbirds Wild turkeys Raccons Skunks Wolverines (only twice) Pine Martins Psycho little weasels that turn white in winter Several types of owls ditto for hawks Swallows Ospreys Downy woodpeckers Hairy woodpeckers Redshafted flickers Yellowshafted flickers Western meadowlarks Mountain bluebirds Western Tanagers Yellow warblers Assorted ducks little Sandpiper-type birds bigger Sandpiper type birds Here in Vegas, uh, uhm, well, there are pigeons. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2007, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-wildlife-do-you-see/426025/32 "2007-11-12T02:33:11Z")
[QUOTE=What Exit?] Are tree rats squirrels? [/QUOTE] Some people call them that. Around here we have actual tree rats. But they’re nocturnal, so you don’t see them. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2007, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-wildlife-do-you-see/426025/33 "2007-11-12T02:45:54Z")
I see monkeys one mongoose that lives near my house, cows that wander in my yard if I don’t close the gate and crap everywhere, goats, chickens everywhere an elephant that is trained to play soccer on the weekends I go snorkeling: fish, lots and lots of fish ---
**Author:** ![Ms.Pumpkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a87d85/32.png) [@Ms.Pumpkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms.Pumpkin)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2007, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-wildlife-do-you-see/426025/34 "2007-11-12T03:07:10Z")
squirrels raccoons porcupines groundhogs chipmunks foxes skunks deer turkeys ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2007, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-wildlife-do-you-see/426025/35 "2007-11-12T03:22:36Z")
Birds: There’s a pair of red-tail hawks that frequent my neighborhood. There’s a really impressive Blue Heron that seems to come around about every February. The woodpeckers here look like the cartoon Woody Woodpecker version. Turkey vultures. Four legged: In the un-landscaped part of my property, I’ve seen a bobcat, deer, wild hogs, skunk. Someone hit a cougar down the road from here, the Sheriff had to come out and shoot it. Other: Tarantula. King snake. ---
**Author:** ![Desert\_Nomad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desert_nomad/32/177_2.png) [@Desert\_Nomad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Desert_Nomad)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2007, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-wildlife-do-you-see/426025/36 "2007-11-12T04:42:04Z")
[QUOTE=What Exit?] That is cool, I did not realize there were still wild camels near Dubai. [/QUOTE] Well, they don’t exactly wander around in the city like the kangaroos do in Sydney. 😉 You do see them on the roads leading out of town, but they are not nearly as common as in northern parts of Oman. I am not sure here, but in Oman I am told that there are no wild camels… they are all owned by someone even if they appear to be wandering aimlessly. Oman even has a “Department of Camels Affairs” in their government. As far as spiders, there are redback spiders in the communities on the south end of town, but in general it is not a huge problem. ---
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2007, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-wildlife-do-you-see/426025/37 "2007-11-12T13:17:01Z")
[QUOTE=Desert Nomad] Well, they don’t exactly wander around in the city like the kangaroos do in Sydney. 😉 [/QUOTE] All jokes aside, I believe the 'roos are starting to edge in on the outskirts, because of the drought. Here in Sydney: Pigeons Seagulls Lizards Huge fuck-off cockroaches Sulphur-crested cockatoos Galahs Saw a turtle crawling along by the railway the other week. Junkies At my mum’s house (or playing chicken with my car on the way there) Rabbits Kangaroos Wallabies Foxes Brown snakes Black snakes Feral cats Wild goats Wild boar (rarely) ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2007, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-wildlife-do-you-see/426025/38 "2007-11-12T13:31:41Z")
Here in Hampshire, England, I don’t think I’m really going to be able to compete. Foxes - they’re everywhere, and I see at least one or two most nights as I come home in the evening. Grey squirrels - probably the most commonly seen mammal, these Yankee imports killed off the native red squirrels long ago in this part of the UK. Deer (red and fallow) - quite a few of these in the woods nearby, fairly regularly see them on my morning commute (by bike). Rabbits - these seem to have undergone something of a population explosion in recent years, after myxo decimated them a while back. Badgers - unfortunately more commonly seen as roadkill than alive. Snakes/lizards - a few grass snakes, the occasional slow worm and little lizard up on the common in summer. That’s about it as far as wild animals go. Oh, I often see frogs and toads in the garden too, even though we’re quite a way from the nearest open water. Any time I move a rock or log in the back garden I seem to have some kind of amphibian leaping out at me. Also get lots of birds in the garden, as it’s fairly overgrown and unkempt. I like to tell myself that I’m leaving it as a nature habitat, rather than just being lazy. 🙂 We usually have several nesting pairs of starlings, blue tits etc in the hedge. ---
**Author:** ![fachverwirrt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/94ad74/32.png) [@fachverwirrt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fachverwirrt)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2007, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-wildlife-do-you-see/426025/39 "2007-11-12T13:46:14Z")
[QUOTE=What Exit?] \*\*fachverwirrt \*\* I am jealous of your whales. [/QUOTE] I’m not sure how the whale watching is off the Jersey coast–you may need to get up to New England and out into the Gulf of Maine–but if you have a free day or two, whale watches are quite fun and not all that expensive. There are several watches out of Boston, and I’m sure there are some out of other Mass. ports. We always go out of Rye harbor in New Hampshire. Check it out if you get the chance. ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2007, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-wildlife-do-you-see/426025/40 "2007-11-12T13:59:52Z")
Tampa: Deer Osprey Pelicans Cormorants Seagulls (although mostly near the water) Brown anoles Alligators Turtles Gopher tortoises Great blue herons Egrets Spoonbilled Ibis Scarlet Ibis Somekind of hawk / falcon a couple of streets over, not sure which kind. Raccoons Possum (mostly dead) Armadillos Woodlands storks Vultures (not sure type) Morning doves Woodpeckers Jays Squirrels (although not that many as one would expect) Rabbits Coyote (once) Foxes (rare) Occasionally you’ll see dolphin, but have to really watch for them. We saw a couple corraling fish on the Homossasa a couple of years back, which was very cool, but not that close to my home. You can also see manatee around here, although it’s been a long time since I just happened across one in the wild. If you spend time looking at or in the water of course you’ll see sharks. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-wildlife-do-you-see/426025.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-wildlife-do-you-see/426025.md?page=3)