Animals I had never heard of…

[Texas Star]

My sister refuses to allow her children to swim in any lake or river that could possibly contain a gar, which would be any river or lake in the state of Oklahoma.

My daughter has a bear phobia and won't let her kids out of her sight in the woods.

At the beach...sharks, rays, jellyfish, etc.

Which brings up the Australian Blue-ringed octopus. That's one of the most venomous creatures of all.

T-Star

 

[seagill]

These animals aren't that unusual except for the fact that they don't belong here. Because of the sub tropical climate here, non native species thrive. Here are just a few.


Capybara, worlds largest rodent.

Nile monitor

Green iguana

Burmese python (local pest control at work)

 

[pilgrim6a]

The Rarest of all. An Intact Opossum Skull!

 

[semperfi71]

Texas Star, His name is Jeremy Wade and I am currently watching his shows as often as I can. It's very interesting.

The scariest one so far is the eels in New Zealand that smell dead animals, dead people, and blood. They then come upon the live or dead critter and bite into it and then twist off pieces to eat. He stood in knee deep water and spread dead fish scent around. In minutes he had twenty or more, some of them four feet long. They would bite into his heavy duty trousers and arms clothed in chain mail. If he had been in water over his head and unprotected he would have died.

 

[DeadAye]

Texas Star, His name is Jeremy Wade and I am currently watching his shows as often as I can. It's very interesting.

The scariest one so far is the eels in New Zealand that smell dead animals, dead people, and blood. They then come upon the live or dead critter and bite into it and then twist off pieces to eat. He stood in knee deep water and spread dead fish scent around. In minutes he had twenty or more, some of them four feet long. They would bite into his heavy duty trousers and arms clothed in chain mail. If he had been in water over his head and unprotected he would have died.

If he'd been in water over his head and was wearing chain mail he probably would have died anyway...

I can't think of any - NOT 1 - animal that I don't know of. I guess I'm more aware of critters than I thought I was.
There are some that I've seen pictures of, but have never seen in real life.
A horse with wings comes immediately to mind.
I'd like to see one, but not while it's flying overhead!

 

[Texas Star]

Did you guys see the Jeremy Wade episode where he was fishing for Bull sharks in Natal, South Africa? They're called the Zambezi shark there, as it swims up that and other large freshwater rivers.

He caught a big one, over 13 feet, which is longer and heavier than any caught so far in the ocean! And because he was part of a shark research program at a university there, he had to release it, to the shock and horror of many people living by the river and who swim in it!

The Bull shark (C. leucas) is among the most often implicated in attacks on humans, and does enter fresh water in North America.

I have a shark book that lists max. length at 11.5 feet, so the one over 13 feet caught by Wade is really impressive! It might be a world record! But more that size are probably there, yet uncaught. Sobering, if those sharks swim near you...and they do, if you live along the Amazon, the Mississippi, and other large waterways. Or on Lake Nicaragua.

T-Star

 

[mudcat100]

Then there are the " People of Walmart".A pretty common species but quite unusual.I have no pictures but Google it,lots of pictures.

 

[Rangerpat]

I enjoy Animal Planet's River Monsters with Jeremy Wade also, I just picked up his new book: River Monsters, True Stories of the Ones that Didn't get Away. I just started reading it and find it very well written with behind the scenes information about how he got started doing the River Monsters series. He does a great job explaining the biology of the different species of fish he hunts and tells interisting stories about traveling to his destinations, filming problems, and the local guides he uses. If you're a fan of the television show you will enjoy his book.

 

[jeepjeepwhat]

I can't think of any - NOT 1 - animal that I don't know of.

I love this line!

 

[wuluf]

Every long-time Arizonan knows of the desert stick lizard. They carry a small stick in their mouth until the afternoon sun heats the sand too hot to walk on. They plant the end of the stick in the ground and climb it til sundown...

 

[akviper]

Next you will wonder about tote-road shagamos and side-hill dodgers. Readin' about Paul Bunyan will learn you all about those critters.