What Animal have you seen in the wild, that was a rarity for you ?

[DoctorShavegood]

Three:

Blue Indigo Snake (racer)
Bobcat
Javelina

....a gater in our 2 acre tank in Freer Texas. Freer is in a semi-arid desert....what?

 

[something better]

Saw a mink once. Close to an urban area. So fast.

 

[chuckd]

Bobcat a few years back driving to a ski slope in NE Pennsylvania. Ran across the road right in front of the car at 7:30 am.

 

[Leo501]

Not a rare bird, but rare for New Jersey, USA, especially in the winter, a Roseate Spoonbill, a life bird for me.

 

[TexOkie Shaver]

Bobcat. We were at Mesa Verde NP and one ran across the road about 30 yards ahead of us. We were n a motorcycle and while it was awesome to see, it creeped me out to know that we were unprotected and only 30 yards away.

 

[Mad Man]

Australian Tiger Snake “ Notechis scutatus “ Spotted on a hike near the Victorian goldfields.
Despite being one of the deadliest snakes, they are a protected species, and to kill or injure one incurs a fine up to $7,500, as well as a jail sentence of 18 months in some states. Photo taken with a Samsung S10 at a range of about 5 yards.

 

[Ad Astra]

Been catching a red fox on camera, beautiful animal. Long, low and quick.

The other night I went for a last look at the stars, and spooked him! He was right under the deck, possibly hunting rodents near the birdfeeder.

I froze and he wasn't sure! He stopped, looked, ran a bit. Stopped, looked, trying to make sure. I never moved, and got to see this fox up close. Awesome experience.


AA

 

[leatherdog99]

This is what you get in central Florida.

 

[FL shaver]

Little blurry as it’s a screen grab of a cell phone video. Coyote slinking on back to the abandoned golf course at 10 am Sunday. Must’ve had a rough Saturday night. I headed N for a bike ride while the wife headed S. I saw the coyote cross the road ahead of me and knew where he was headed. I immediately turned around to warn my wife, then I went back to see if I could intercept him. While I was talking to a guy who saw him at the initial sighting, my wife was recording him as he approached her. She yelled and he banged a quick right turn, trotting along unphased.

 

[Ridpath]

Oh...lots, since my preferred outdoors was underwater!

Not technically rare animals at all, but I once saw two moray eels fighting over a hiding spot. Still to this day one of the most amazing things I’ve seen, they were like two really vicious ribbons wrapped together, writhing and biting away until both were covered in white spots where they’d broken the skin. No reef sharks came though, the divers must have kept them at a distance.

 

[Aldwyn]

I was fishing about 25 years ago... walking down a path next to a stream, and came up on a tree who's trunk was torn to shreds. I thought it was too tall for a beaver, but didnt think much more about it.

Another 70 yards down the path, I look up to see a bear sitting on his butt, in the path, in a sort of weird Buddha pose, facing the stream like he was meditating. The buddy I was with and I froze. The bear turned its head to face us, and didnt move... just stared at us. I kinda stared back thinking "Wow... he is much smaller then I would have imagined a bear would be...maybe his momma is around somewhere...?" That is when my heart started to skip a beat or two, and my buddy and I walked backwords quite a way away. All the while, the bear seemed pretty carefree about us being there, again surprising me.

It is rare to see bears in that part of Maryland... but one was there for some reason.

Just three days ago, a bear was sighted about 1/4 mile from my house. Seems the COVID isolation is giving them some guts to wander more into people territory.

 

[MrSpeedy]

Was on a kayak camping trip on the Suwannee River a few years ago and saw a bunch of river otters. We were Banff in March (right before everything shut down). Driving to a trailhead and saw a wolf walking up someone's driveway.

 

[T.Orso]

I have seen plenty of painted turtles before, but until yesterday, no hatchlings. So tiny!

 

[Leo501]

Another rarity, not for the species itself but for the species / location. I believe this bird might have been Pennsylvania's (USA) first recorded sighting of a Rock Wren (not me personally, but I did get to see it after it was reported, on my first attempt). The bird's normal range is from the mid-west to the West Coast. My area generally has House Wren and Carolina Wren species. 10/2018

 

[RookieGuy]

No pics, it was too dark, but I saw a flying squirrel at one of my bird feeders about a week ago. I didn't know what it was at first. It was dark and all I saw was a little rodent at my feeders. I went out and it glided away.

 

[RobertJ]

We have a few Wolverines and Badgers up here in the Sierra Nevadas. They aren't seen often. I was fortunate enough to see the male Wolverine just outside of a small town called Downieville on Hwy. 49.

 

[Mad Man]

Young Eastern Grey Kangaroo - Lysterfield, Victoria. Spotted on hike.

 

[Scarry Knight]

Two Golden Eagle sightings a couple weeks ago, soaring along a front @1500’ overhead, in the middle of suburban Chicago.

 

[RookieGuy]

Ok, this isn't a new animal, but new animal behavior. I was sitting out looking at my bird feeders. I saw a rat going after the seeds on the ground. I started to get up to chase him out when three squirrels decended upon that rat. One held him, bit him by the back of the neck and with his arms held him up. The other two were swiping at the rat and biting him. Then the one who was holding him shook him a few times and flung him across the sidewalk.

These suburban squirrels are freaking savage! I never knew they could do that, I thought they were just pests at the feeders. Well, I've stopped shooing them away and understand what sunflower seeds they eat is protection money.

 

[sentrydriver]

New Mexico brought over oryx from Africa several decades ago. I’ve seen them from the car on HWY 70 but this guy was right on the trial in Soledad Canyon.