OKBFFan Posted July 22, 2015 Share Posted July 22, 2015 When you say ringtail cat do you mean a domestic cat? As in cat cat? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigtex Posted July 22, 2015 Author Share Posted July 22, 2015 The Ringtailed Cat is not a Cat, and is in the Raccoon family but smaller. Shy & nocturnal, these elusive creatures are seldom seen. In pioneer days before domestic cats took hold, many kept these as household pets to control mice & rats, beautiful creatures. Also......Lucy the Wolf loves Cats, we have one that is her 'baby' from a kitten. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigtex Posted July 27, 2015 Author Share Posted July 27, 2015 It's full-blown summer in Central Texas now, gotta watch the heat for myself and the pups.....it can catch up to you quickly. Amazingly, many of the creeks are still running, which is highly unusual for this late in the summer, and is great because I don't have to pack the dogs water. A few pictures of the creeks with clear water......some older bone piles I ran across, and a track-way through dry leaves, with a picture of the best one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigTreeWalker Posted July 27, 2015 Share Posted July 27, 2015 Bigtex. I noticed a few things on that bone photo. I circled 3 places that show the types of impressions we look for on the bones. I can only zoom in so far on your photo, but I believe I see some canine impressions along one of the ribs and on the vertebrae. If these are half circular marks I am seeing, they would be the impressions of canine teeth. The distance between these marks center to center would give you a good idea of the predator which feed on these bones. By looking at the leg bone I also circled, if there are any sharp pit impressions at the break, this would also give you an idea how it was broken. By teeth or otherwise. That is forensic evidence and can be used to determine the predator responsible for the kill. As I said, I can only zoom in so far. So I am just asking about what I think I see. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigtex Posted July 27, 2015 Author Share Posted July 27, 2015 (edited) This bone pile is older, right in the middle of a large Coyote Pack territory, and was almost certainly one of their kills. I post pics of kills that I run across because they are interesting, and help me gauge predator activity. IMO, it is very hard to attribute any kill to BF activity unless it is a very fresh kill.......too many nibblers out there to make a clear forensic determination after 24 hours from demise, plus they continue to get chewed on as time goes by. I am almost certain that my Wolf has chewed on this particular Deer skeleton before, especially the rib cage because of the softer bone, easier to chew off & eat.......needs her calcium fix. So in addition to sign of what killed & nibbled on it, there are wolf chew marks as well:) Of course, many of the kills I run across could be BF activity, but as mentioned above, there's just too many critters that can come along soon after death making their marks, plus the BF's might only be after certain things, liver, legs, etc., which doesn't tend to leave any clues, especially after the Coyotes move in.......yes, I'm one of those who believes the Bigfoot's & Coyote's have a lil food thing going on, and the 'yotes are there pretty darn quick after the BF's move off. Edited July 27, 2015 by Bigtex Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigTreeWalker Posted July 27, 2015 Share Posted July 27, 2015 I just mentioned what I could see as an example of what I would look for to find evidence of BF feeding. You are right that taking a hindquarter or the internal organs would leave little evidence. I think coyotes are opportunistic and utilize human hunter kills as well. They always seem to clean everything up pretty quickly in any area I have hunted. Enjoy your posts! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigtex Posted July 27, 2015 Author Share Posted July 27, 2015 Thanks BTW......I've been enjoying your 'Bone' thread, learned a lot, fantastic detail work! I will say one thing that is usual though, there's a lot of hogs & sign out here, but I rarely ever find a skeleton.......surely something is hunting them, where's the beef, or ham in this case? I have heard many stories of BF's carrying off hogs, is that what's going on here? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigTreeWalker Posted July 27, 2015 Share Posted July 27, 2015 Somebody likes bacon! ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigtex Posted July 28, 2015 Author Share Posted July 28, 2015 LOL.....bacon indeed! Here's what's left of a White Tail Deer skeleton after about 5 years. I remember this one when fresh, and walk by it often, so have been able to watch it decay over time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigTreeWalker Posted July 28, 2015 Share Posted July 28, 2015 Bigtex, that is a great learning experience to be able to observe something like that over a period of time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigtex Posted July 31, 2015 Author Share Posted July 31, 2015 I've been having these huge bugs hatching from cocoons under ground for several days, but have no idea what these things are. They mimic the appearance of a large hornet at about 3" long, but don't think they are, head looks more like some kinda fly. The big ole fat lizard pictured has been feasting on these all morning, along with several Ribbon Snakes.........anyone know what these are? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WSA Posted July 31, 2015 Share Posted July 31, 2015 Horsefly and pupae? Big 'uns too. When I was a kid we would catch them, glue a thread to their back and fly them around on a tether. Yeah, kids are wicked. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigtex Posted July 31, 2015 Author Share Posted July 31, 2015 Oh we have Horseflies, not one of those.......these things are huge in comparison. I think it flies at night, seen them buzzing around the outside lights of late, and scaring the poopy outta da wifey. They are killing & dragging something down a hole they dig, solitary like a Cicada Killer or Tarantula Hawk Wasp, drags victim down hole, lays one egg, grub feeds, pupates, and then hatches. I wanna examine one more closely, but not sure which end to stay away from. Maybe it was the moon phase last night, but they hatched in mass early this morning, with the one lizard pictured above eating most of them.......when I was taking the pictures, he moved closer, bobbing his head up & down, flaring out his neck in a aggressive display to get me to retreat from his breakfast, pretty darn brazen & cool in my book:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WSA Posted July 31, 2015 Share Posted July 31, 2015 (edited) I must admit though, the length of the abdomen and flanged leg segments are pretty remarkable for a fly. I've hunted through some photos of Tabanidae and am not coming up with a positive I.D. I thought it might be a species of clear-winged moth, which do gestate underground (as my squash plants know all too well...)but the lack of antennae is problematic to that. Possibly an introduced species? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horse-fly I have to say, I'm stumped. Doesn't seem to be a bee/wasp though. Edited July 31, 2015 by WSA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigtex Posted July 31, 2015 Author Share Posted July 31, 2015 (edited) Yeah......I thought I knew my bugs pretty well, but this one has me scratching my head, even sent to a few of my 'buggy' friends......no ID yet. These dang things are 3+" long, big as a female Cicada or Tarantula Hawk Wasp. This should be a clue......the borrows are all under and around a Live Oak, must have something to do with that. My Grandfather was an internationally known Lepidopterist, and he got me heavily involved with that, which helps me identify most species of butterfly & moth. We used to raise Atlas Moths from eggs......the caterpillars were so huge, their chomping would wake me up at night. Edited July 31, 2015 by Bigtex Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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