A Water dog. Often called a Hellbender.
A giant salamander species that’s endangered and rare sight in Pennsylvania. Saw it trout fishing in the Stoney Creek River in Somerset county Pa. about 10 years ago.
Here's another. I know this may not mean much to some, but it does to me. I haven't seen a firefly since I was a kid.
The fireflies are returning. I hadn't seen one in years until a couple weeks ago, when one just landed right on the windshield of my golf cart at work, directly in front of me
About ten minutes ago, I'm getting out of my car and as soon as I open the driver's side door, one flies up directly in front of me
It's like they want me to see them. They're the only two I've seen so far, though. I tried to catch him again for another picture or two but was unsuccessful
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What do you ride? Those look like the same callouses I’ve got. The KTM used to make much bigger ones though….
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I've lived almost all my life far away from them. Never saw them.I love these guys. I can sit out on the screened porch for hours after dusk and watch such an amazing free fireworks show right in my yard. We have literally hundreds and hundreds out every night, it's quite a show!
Good for you to have the sense to be wary. Whenever someone tries to lessen the danger by telling me "black bears rarely kill people" I tell them "that means black bears kill people".Bear scare this morning!
Got up at 4:30 am to see Orion rising in the east. Clear nights are rare here in August. Also, Perseid meteors are increasingly seen until the peak occurs this week. Anyways.
There I am, lights off but night-adapted vision, surveying the skies. Luckily this means a 360 sweep of vision, and on my second sweep, a 7'-long, hairy, sofa-sized squarish MONSTER came padding toward me in utter and total silence on the sand. I freely admit I ran for the door, as the bear was on an intercept course (by simple coincidence. He was following a path, and I had already crossed it).
A mercury vapor street light illuminated the bear nicely, giving a black bear a warm brown color. Unlike my last bear close-encounter, I did not yell obscenities at the bear. This time I literally felt the hair on the back of my neck go up. Yes, black bears rarely kill people but this one was huge, swear it was 4' at the back.
Tracked it after daybreak, and it reversed course when I crossed in front of it. Hopefully we scared each other equally. But we are having a super bear invasion locally, everyone is posting their Ring and Blink videos in local message boards. Normally trash cans and bird feeders are targets, but a couple of dogs have been killed.
Bumping into one while stargazing was actually my worst fear... Which now frees me from it, I suppose.
AA
I've lived almost all my life far away from them. Never saw them.
But I did spend one summer living where they live, and it was quite the sight!
guess I'll post it here, any entomologists? totally clueless on the ID of this ant or flightless wasp, definitely not native. found richland County, South Carolina. never seen one like it and I typically know my insects
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My sister saw a black bear in Chester, CT yesterday evening. It was her closest encounter yet. Unfortunately, she says he is not afraid of people. I've never seen one in the lower CT River Valley.