Wildlife experts: What kind of animal is this? ~New Pics page 11~

[Wild Trapper]

Quote:
Time stamp was back in August, (8/03/10 @ 9:50PM). Temp was 81 degrees. Groundhogs not denned up then. I did some looking at bear feet images and you're right, doesn't really look like bear or raccoon, but it does look something like the hind foot of a groundhog as well as I remember. We could go out and dig one up to see.

I seen some really strange behavior patterns with groundhogs, including seeing them climb trees, so who knows, maybe they will come out and wander around at night. It does seem to have rather short legs like a groundhog.

 

[woodmort]

Having dispatched a large number of groundhogs aka woodchucks, in my time I am pretty sure it isn't one. For one thing the fur is too long. I'd go with either a beaver, muskrat or nutria--it may be that with that camera angle you can't see the tail. Either that or the perspective is way off and it is a mole.

 

[Welsummer Rancher]

That's a regular house cat. Probably feral.

 

[racuda]

Quote:
I don't think the camera angle could hide a big flat beaver tail and while there are lots of muskrats in the area this animal is probably twice as large as one. Don't know about a nutria...never heard of them being in my area (central NC). I've taken thousands of pics with this camera and am fairly confident of judging an amimal's size based on distance from the camera. This animal is roughly raccoon sized.

Maybe knowing what kind of habitat the camera is in would help identify the animal. Here is a satellite view. As you can see, the camera is near a lake. My house is the the little tan dot near the middle left.

For those just joining this thread, here is the mystery animal:

 

[woodmort]

OK, judging from the fur and feet, I'd say a water animal so either a nutria or a tailless beaver. BTW, Google "Nutria in NC" and you'll find the location of them and yes they are there.

 

[Wild Trapper]

Thanks, I have never seen a nutria myself, as we have none or very few in my area. I used to trap and know it is not a beaver, beavers have much larger back feet with webbed toes. Being it so near to a lake, it could possibly be a nutria.

 

[racuda]

Here is a Nutria range map. They are near the NC coast but not in the center of the state where I am:

 

[foxinachickenhouse]

Based on the foot shape, I have to vote that it's a tail less raccoon. Definitely not a beaver or nutria, I often see beavers, nutria and muskrats here in the pacific northwest. A nutria that size would have an obvious tail and less obvious ears. Their feet have long nasty webbed toes. Also the head shape is off for a rodent. If you have nutrias on your place it should be obvious by the damage they do to trees along the water's edge. They eat the bark low on the tree leaving two-teethed chew marks. Similar to beaver but they seldom chew through the tree. You'll see the places where they go in and out of the water, they make a trail and use it to death. Their scat is two or three long pellets laid right together.

Raccoons lose their tails sometimes due to their dastardly ways. Here is a video link to a tail less raccoon. Looking remarkably like your culprit.

 

[racuda]

Quote:
It sure does look like "Stumpy" in the video. The only thing is the hind foot doesn't look like the raccoon on this chart. I don't see the long toes on my critter like the chart shows.

 

[foxinachickenhouse]

It's true that raccoons toes are reasonably long. Not as long as a nutria though. Most of the time when we see tracks in the field, the print will show the toes splayed out. Since tracks are usually most visible in soft surfaces like mud or snow, the guide books tend to reflect this. As the animal lifts it's foot the toes will naturally curl a bit, appearing shorter. I've noticed that you get some great pics form your camera. I would like to request another camera placed facing the current one so we can get a simultaneous front view.

You are lucky not to have nutria where you are. They really are horrid creatures.

Just to add, my background is as an ecologist with training in wildlife tracks and sign.