# Wildlife in major metro areas. **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 14, 2004, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wildlife-in-major-metro-areas/229167 "2004-02-14T05:32:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![OtakuLoki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ac8455/32.png) [@OtakuLoki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OtakuLoki)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2004, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wildlife-in-major-metro-areas/229167/21 "2004-02-15T00:46:53Z")
Sorry, forgot the rest of the catalog for Rochester - Striped skunk, raccoon, peregrine falcon, mourning dove, chickadee, crow, raven, blue jay, groundhog, North American Grey squirrel, once I saw a red squrrel, but I can’t call it a normal occurance, chipmunk, flying squirrel, weasel, river otter. These are all animals I’ve seen in, or around, the city. Mind you, Rochester is a a smallish city: about 300,000 people in the metro area. ---
**Author:** ![Tentacle\_Monster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ba9def/32.png) [@Tentacle\_Monster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tentacle_Monster)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2004, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wildlife-in-major-metro-areas/229167/22 "2004-02-15T00:46:55Z")
I went to Washington, DC once and they had the fattest squirrels I’ve ever seen. Downright fearless, too. Military bases can’t usually be considered major metropolitan areas, but the airbase I’m on has an amazing number of rabbits. I saw four on the way to the chow hall (less than 200 feet of walking) at dinner tonight. I haven’t seen a single one off-base. ---
**Author:** ![KGS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/90ced4/32.png) [@KGS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KGS)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2004, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wildlife-in-major-metro-areas/229167/23 "2004-02-15T00:59:21Z")
> [@OtakuLoki](#): > > I had a 'possum walk into my apartment one rainy winter evening. I was shocked that an animal so known for lethargy and stupidity could survive in an urban setting, especially since I’d noted a few feral cats in the neighborhood. Ever confront an angry possum? Those suckers are MEAN. I don’t think a cat would mess with them. In Los Angeles, many of the suburbs are built right up against wilderness areas, and it’s not uncommon for someone to find a black bear relaxing in their hot tub. And one hiking area was recently closed because of a mountain lion that was eating people. Probably the coolest wildlife I ever saw was three GIANT CONDORS circling over the 101 Freeway. That was awesome! ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2004, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wildlife-in-major-metro-areas/229167/24 "2004-02-15T02:30:26Z")
Here in Columbia, SC, while not a huge metropolis we do seem to have a good deal of wildlife for a city our size. We have squirrels like you wouldn’t believe, but then dosen’t everyone? We have beaucoup possums - nothing but cars kills them, I think. There was one in the middle of the road late last night when I was driving home, big as a pretty big cat and just staring at me, fat and sassy. Snakes - even in residential areas we have poisonous snakes. Rude Mancke, the guy from NatureScene, tells me they have more in Shandon, an old residential area quite close to downtown, than out in the country. We have deer near town but not in town - certainly in Fort Jackson, though. I didn’t think we had racoons until I saw one staring at me from a storm drain last week! Occaisionally you see a rabbit, but not too often. So, mostly small urbanized animals, and remarkably nasty possums. I was so oddly surprised to go to college outside Atlanta and see chipmunks everywhere. I’d never seen one before and had to ask what on earth those little guys were! ---
**Author:** ![Jervoise](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d2c977/32.png) [@Jervoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jervoise)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2004, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wildlife-in-major-metro-areas/229167/25 "2004-02-15T04:32:46Z")
> [@kambuckta](#): > > Here in inner-suburban southern Oz, it is practically mundane to encounter both ringtail and brushtail possums, whilst in the ‘green’ bits (parklands within a few k’s of the CBD), you will find all sorts of reptilia, echidnas and perhaps a platypus or two if you’re lucky. > > A brief jaunt towards the outskirts of the cities will see kangaroos and wallabies aplenty (and not just as road-kill either) as well as koalas and bandicoots and numbats etc, often residing in the backyards of average houses on average 1/4 acre blocks. A few species I’ve noticed in Perth: native birdlife (magpies are the noisiest and most noticeable); kangaroos and possums on the outskirts of the city; and tiger snakes and dugites in the wetlands. Dolphins in the river and ocean are common–while sailing, I’ve even had them surfing our wake and nudging the boat. There are seals and a colony of fairy penguins on the southern edge of Perth. Oh, and every decade or so a shark dines on a swimmer off the city beaches. (Really!) ---
**Author:** ![InternetLegend](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/internetlegend/32/13154_2.png) [@InternetLegend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InternetLegend)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2004, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wildlife-in-major-metro-areas/229167/26 "2004-02-15T04:57:32Z")
> [@KRC](#): > > My parents in Lexington Ky get opossums, raccoons, and muskrats in the yard, as well as herons, ducks, shorebirds, hawks, vultures, and owls. > > In Albuquerque we sometimes get black bears in town, particularly after a dry summer in which the bears have not been able to find enough food in the woods. Cougars and bobcats occaisionally venture into town too. There are beaver and coyotes along the river, screech owls nesting on buildings downtown, and deer wandering into yards on the edge of town to devour peoples’ rose bushes. > > In the part of town where I live there used to be prairie dog colonies in the vacant lots, but some #@_#_ poisoned them. There are still prairie dog colonies in a lot of vacant spaces here, but nowadays construction companies can have them vaccumed out of their burrows and relocated to avoid bad PR. I live in the middle of the Northeast Heights of Albuquerque , and we have a roadrunner that apparently lives somewhere within a three or four block radius of our house. We’re near a medium-sized park and a middle school that has a fair amount of field space around it, so I’m guessing the wildlife may be attracted to the area by those. ---
**Author:** ![phouka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c5a1d2/32.png) [@phouka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phouka)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2004, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wildlife-in-major-metro-areas/229167/27 "2004-02-15T05:08:42Z")
> [@OtakuLoki](#): > > As of the last population spread map I’d seen coyotes are now in 49 of the 50 states, and most of the southern provinces in Canada as well as moving along the Latin American penninsula. IIRC the only credible coyote attacking human stories I’ve seen were from the slums of Mexico City, for example. I live out in the low desert of southern California, and there have been a few reports out there of coyote attacks. The most recent one was of a coyote attacking a 12 year old boy sleeping at a camp site. Apparently, it bit his arm through the sleeping bag, waking him up. The boy screamed, and uncle or father came running, the coyote took off. There are also many, many stories of pets being killed by coyotes. Let’s just say that my town doesn’t have a stray cat problem, and it’s not because the people who live here are especially good about getting their cats spayed. What drives the park rangers and sherriffs crazy is that we have more than a few people who put food out for the coyotes. It acclimates them to people, which creates problems, and as one ranger I know said, “A fed coyote is a dead coyote.” ---
**Author:** ![Lamar\_Mundane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lamar\_Mundane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamar_Mundane)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2004, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wildlife-in-major-metro-areas/229167/28 "2004-02-15T05:35:42Z")
Denver/Boulder is bordered on the west by steep mountains, so wildlife coming down is relatively common. Our version of the LA car chase TV coverage is the “bear in town” helicopter footage. We had a great one last summer. Deer, elk, fox, coyote, bald eagles, even mountain lions make appearances daily. ---
**Author:** ![zoogirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b9bd4f/32.png) [@zoogirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoogirl)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2004, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wildlife-in-major-metro-areas/229167/29 "2004-02-15T05:58:54Z")
> [@Gulo gulo](#): > > In Victoria we’d have tons of deer, pheasants, mink, otter, eagles, hawks and on two occasions, a cougar in the yard. > > When I was in Vancouver, I often saw coyotes, skunks, raccoons and a couple peregrines. If you were up in the hills, it wouldn’t be odd to see black bear. I recall that before I moved away the city was having problems with the coyotes starting to bite children. I guess I tend to look a little closer than **Gulo gulo**. From personal experiance I can tell you that in Vancouver and the surrounding area we’ve got - Eastern Long-Toed Newts Rough Skinned Newts Bullfrogs Green Frogs Red Legged Frogs Northern Pacifac Tree Frogs Chorus Frogs Boreal Toads Common, Northwestern and Red Striped Garter Snakes Aligator Lizards Field Mice Deer Mice Norway Rats Roof Rats Egyption Rats Meadow Voles Shrews Moles Chipmunks Douglas and Eastern Grey Squirrels Mink Opossums Raccons Coyotes Cougar Black Bear Deer There are also Rubber Boas, but I’ve never ran into one. The odd Rattler gets brought in by accident from the Interior too. We’ve also got a huge number and variety of birds, some quite rare, and of course the underwater residents in both the salt and freshwater areas. I won’t even try to list the insects and other invertabrates! ---
**Author:** ![OtakuLoki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ac8455/32.png) [@OtakuLoki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OtakuLoki)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2004, 11:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wildlife-in-major-metro-areas/229167/30 "2004-02-15T11:27:25Z")
> [@phouka](#): > > I live out in the low desert of southern California, and there have been a few reports out there of coyote attacks. The most recent one was of a coyote attacking a 12 year old boy sleeping at a camp site. Apparently, it bit his arm through the sleeping bag, waking him up. The boy screamed, and uncle or father came running, the coyote took off. There are also many, many stories of pets being killed by coyotes. Let’s just say that my town doesn’t have a stray cat problem, and it’s not because the people who live here are especially good about getting their cats spayed. I’ll admit as an easterner, I can’t say that I always get all the news about coyote attacks. I guess I have to eat my earlier comment. But I was well aware of the toll coyotes can take on small pets, and livestock. I didn’t mean to imply that the animal couldn’t be a danger or a nuisance, only that it’s rare for it to be a danger to humans. > [@phouka](#): > > What drives the park rangers and sherriffs crazy is that we have more than a few people who put food out for the coyotes. It acclimates them to people, which creates problems, and as one ranger I know said, “A fed coyote is a dead coyote.” It’s a common occurance with all sorts of species. Where bear can be a problem the phrase is the same but bear, instead of coyote. The other reason I’d be upset with people leaving out food for coyotes is that one popular coyote extermination technique is poisoned ‘baits’ or food left for them. ---
**Author:** ![sunfish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/96bed5/32.png) [@sunfish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sunfish)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2004, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wildlife-in-major-metro-areas/229167/31 "2004-02-15T12:36:10Z")
> [@Walloon](#): > > [Lots of animals live in New York City’s Central Park](http://www.explorers.org/nycbioblitz/), including raccoons and woodchucks. Not long ago, even a coyote showed up there! Skunks are also pretty common in the Bronx, at least my part of it. Nothing like the aroma of frightened skunk wafting in your bedroom window on a balmy summer’s eve. > [@KGS](#): > > Ever confront an angry possum? Those suckers are MEAN. I don’t think a cat would mess with them. I knew someone who once came home to his garden apartment to discover a possum hunkered down on his kitchen windowsill. It had apparently broken through the window screen and then was too stupid to figure out how to get out again. He and a friend managed to force it back out by pushing it toward the hole with a big sheet of plywood while it made all sorts of angry noises. That was admittedly a monumentally stupid move, considering how willing possums are to bite under those circumstances (and they have a nice set of sharp pointy teeth with which to do damage), but he and his friend lucked out. He also later found his cat hiding underneath his bed; poor little guy wouldn’t come out again until the next morning. ---
**Author:** ![Eleusis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Eleusis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleusis)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2004, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wildlife-in-major-metro-areas/229167/32 "2004-02-15T13:22:48Z")
I’ve seen a lot of chicks, foxes, dogs, gorillas, and asses in Chicago. ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2004, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wildlife-in-major-metro-areas/229167/33 "2004-02-15T15:25:38Z")
Moose routinely walk the streets of Anchorage, Alaska. ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2004, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wildlife-in-major-metro-areas/229167/34 "2004-02-15T18:29:51Z")
> [@talking head](#): > > Big belly-aching laughs Krokodil! I’m truly a dumb blonde! Are you serious? Any recommendations? I don’t stray there very often. I’m fairly new to the area and am afraid of violence that I hear about on the news, though I love Salvadoran food. I always feel safe as houses in Mt. Pleasant (It ain’t _that_ violent; the riots were 13 years ago\*), but I’m a larger-than-average male. Just go with a friend before around 9:00 and you’ll be fine. My favorite restaurants there don’t say they serve venison, and it could be an urban legend, but there are some amazing bargains in restaurants there (Check out Haydee’s, 3102 Mt. Pleasant St., which is great and cheap, and if it’s your birthday, you can get serenaded by the amazing Singing Senoritas! My sister goes there all the time). Or, go to Adams-Morgan, esp. anyplace on 18th St. within a couple blocks south of Columbia Rd. If you haven’t tried Ethiopian food, check out Fasika’s or Red Sea. They are among the finest Ethiopian restaurants in the nation. > [@](#): > > Seriously, it’s great to bike there and be surrounded by nature and beautiful animals considering the jungle we live and work in. The animals at National Zoo aren’t faring so well lately, though. Um, those reports are politically-motivated. A lot of people want the zoo director’s job. As I learned during two summers at Busch Gardens, beautiful animals don’t live forever. Incompetence and conspiracy aren’t really factors. * * * In the summer of 1990 (or was it '91?), massive riots were sparked when a drunk Salvadoran man pinched a black DC policewoman’s ass, and she fed him some nightstick. There are some issues between the Black and Salvadoran communities, and this incident brought them to a head. Two days later I drove down 16th Street and, for the whole length of Mt. Pleasant and Adams-Morgan, saw police standing side by side, arms linked. I hadn’t realized MPD had that many people on staff. ---
**Author:** ![Raygun99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Raygun99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raygun99)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2004, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wildlife-in-major-metro-areas/229167/35 "2004-02-15T18:36:41Z")
Because Calgary has a system of parks that runs pretty much contiguously through the city, there’s lots of wildlife going through the city at any one time. There’s a deer crossing sign about half a mile from my house. Last summer there was a pretty scary situation when a cougar wandered into a residential neighbourhood and hastled a kid at a bus stop… luckily nothing came out of it. I’ve also seen a wolf wandering along a street one morning. ---
**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:** [February 16, 2004, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wildlife-in-major-metro-areas/229167/36 "2004-02-16T15:39:36Z")
Panama City, Panama, has agoutis and crab-eating raccoons in the built up areas. In city parks there are white-tailed deer, several species of monkeys and opossums, two-toed and three-toed sloths, armadillos, and coatis. Also several kinds of parrots and toucans, not to mention lots of pelicans and seabirds along the coast. About a forty-minute drive from the city center, and within the metro area, is a national park that has jaguars, pumas, peccaries, and lots of other wildlife. ---
**Author:** ![cowgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8c91f0/32.png) [@cowgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cowgirl)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2004, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wildlife-in-major-metro-areas/229167/37 "2004-02-16T15:52:58Z")
I started a [similar thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=189840&highlight=neighbourhood+wildlife) after a family of racoons and a family of skunks moved into my backyard, and a possum (which I have never, ever seen before in Toronto) spent the night. I wish we had magpies. They’re pretty. But so are robins, I suppose … ---
**Author:** ![Raygun99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Raygun99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raygun99)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2004, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wildlife-in-major-metro-areas/229167/38 "2004-02-20T05:49:39Z")
> [@cowgirl](#): > > I wish we had magpies. They’re pretty. But so are robins, I suppose … No you don’t, or at least not if you’d ever been woken by their shrieking at 4 am. They are the Fran Drescher of the bird world. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wildlife-in-major-metro-areas/229167.md?page=1)