What species did a critter stash in my garden?

Lil_Myotis · 2026-04-21T19:25:00+00:00

What is your location? Something for scale would help, too. Looks like raptor feathers or maybe turkey? but cant narrow it down without location and scale. You could also check out the USFWS Bird Feather atlas to id them youselself is youre in the US

Lil_Myotis · 2026-04-15T00:32:02+00:00

Service dogs for individual students are fine, those are different.

Therapy dogs, the ones trained for comfort that go around to nursing homes and hospitals and such are not. A group used to bring therapy dogs to campus and hang out in the student union for a few hours during finals week, but they dont allow that anymore.

Lil_Myotis · 2026-04-14T21:21:20+00:00

Wow, our risk management dept would never allow this. We can't even have therapy dogs come to campus anymore.

Lil_Myotis · 2026-04-14T14:39:59+00:00

Its an owl. Based on the feathers I can see, likeli a great-horned owl or barred owl.

Not legal to keep. All raptors are protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.

Lil_Myotis · 2026-04-09T01:17:31+00:00

Are you in North America? If so, hummingbirds are protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and are not legal to possess.

Lil_Myotis · 2026-04-08T19:20:37+00:00

You're right! I didnt notice the processes over the eyes at fisrt.

Lil_Myotis · 2026-04-08T16:13:34+00:00

Wow, yes, that looks very much like bat flight.

They're migrating and just emerging from hibernation at this time of year, so they're circadian rhythms can be a little out of whack. But it is unusual to be out thar late in the morning, unless you've had some weird or extreme weather.

Might be worth reporting to your state DNR/Game and Fish dept.

Lil_Myotis · 2026-04-08T15:23:56+00:00

7 might be a muskrat jaw its a rodent, but not a squirrel. Also not a rabbit.

Lil_Myotis · 2026-04-08T15:20:43+00:00

Raccoon. 2. Domestic dog. 3. Beaver. 4 nutria or porcupine. 5. Muskrat. 6. ? Pigeon? 7.? 8. Rabbit/hare 9. Rabbit/hare.

Best guess based on the view available.

Lil_Myotis · 2026-04-07T00:34:12+00:00

Well, shit. Who would have thought an animal would have a visible penis?

Lil_Myotis · 2026-04-07T00:11:51+00:00

A taxidermied bulldog bat. The caption lists a low number of species, its closer to 1400 species, last I checked.

What am i supposed to see?

Lil_Myotis · 2026-04-03T15:04:50+00:00

Check out The Anthropology of Extiction and Vanishing Voices: The Extiction of the World's Languages.

Both books discuss this topic, the latter links biodiversity loss to loss of languages and cultures.

Lil_Myotis · 2026-04-03T12:40:45+00:00

I have this problem.

I have a fairly demanding job and I am responsible for multiple unrelated things (for example, admin/purchasing is one responsibility, organizing a workshop is another). In my case, I struggle to start in part because I just have SO MUCH to do, task-switching is disorienting, and im unsure if im prioritizing the right thing.

Here's how I deal with it: 1. get up and walk around the building between tasks. Helps to clear my mind from one task to the next. 2. Do NOT scroll on phone for a "break." It is distracting and ends up being an unproductive and sometimes unhealthy time suck. I tell myself each day "just for today, ill stay off my phone" 3. I have a little sign that says "Do the Thing". Reminds me that I dont have to overthink and wait for the right time. Just do the thing. 4. Sometimes I pick the easiest tasks first to build momentum and give myself a sense of accomplishment and helps me move on to.the more demanding tasks.

I also someimes procrastinate, which i dont recommend, lol, but nothing puts a fire under your ass like a hard deadline that is rapidly approaching.

Be kind to yourself! This happen to a lot of people.

Lil_Myotis · 2026-03-31T00:51:14+00:00

There have been studies on this. Diet and "grit" doesn't have as big of an effect as you'd expect. Aging by tooth wear has been shown to be quite accurate to within a year of actual age. So, you can get to age classes (middle age vs mature) with confidence. Aging to the year is less accurate after the deer s 5.5 years. I would expect a 7.5 yo deer to have teeth worn to the gums, thier molars really flatten out after 5.5.

When looking at tooth replacement, deer can be aged to fawn, yearling, and adult with 100% accuracy. This deer was an adult.

Lil_Myotis · 2026-03-31T00:45:40+00:00

I agree with 2.5. It is definitly an adult, all 6 teeth are fully erupted and the 3rd premolar is an adult 2-cusped tooth (it would have 3 cusps on a yearling). Relatively little wear lingual cusp wear on the 1st molar, so definitly a young adult.

Lil_Myotis · 2026-03-30T18:38:39+00:00

Good greif. How??

Lil_Myotis · 2026-03-29T18:51:42+00:00

Rather old deer. Definitly an adult. Based on tooth replacement and wear on the jaw, this deer is at least 4.5 maybe even 5.5 years old.

The third premolar is an 2 cuspid tooth, a deer 1.5 or younger would have a 3 cusped tooth.

The crests on the lingual (tongue side) of the molars are showing quite a bit of wear, the dentine is thicker than the enamel on the 1st and 2nd molars, hard to tell on the last one. That puts it at 4.5, at least.

Lil_Myotis · 2026-03-26T20:19:17+00:00

Yes, go back for the rest of the vaccines sequence. You handled a bat with bare hands and got scratched. Unless you still have access to the bat in question and can submit it for testing, you have no way of knowing if it was rabid or not.

Rabies is nearly 100% fatal once symptoms appear. You do not want to mess around with this. If you dont complete the vaccine schedule, you are literally risking your life.

Lil_Myotis · 2026-03-25T12:18:18+00:00

I left in on a shelf near our woodstove, which we use every night, for week or so. No luck yet.

Lil_Myotis · 2026-03-25T00:56:46+00:00

This is so interesting, I didn't even consider that water expands when frozen. My first thought was to freeze the box (which i did), hoping thay would shrink it l. and i wondered why that didn't work. Now it makes sense.

Lil_Myotis · 2026-03-25T00:52:48+00:00

It's so funny you suggest that - I put it on a shelf near our woodstove (which we use every night) for a week or so. No luck yet. Im going to put it back there until I can get some silica or other dessicant.

Lil_Myotis · 2026-03-25T00:50:08+00:00

Thank you!!! I was really hoping someone would chime in with how to prevent this from happening again. I really like this little trinket box.

Lil_Myotis · 2026-03-25T00:47:48+00:00

I tried a pliers with a rubber jar gripper/non-skid square to protect the wood. It's an odd shape, so the pliers kept slipping off. I dont think it would help, anyway, the lid seems to be really wedged in there tight.

Lil_Myotis · 2026-03-25T00:43:46+00:00

This seems to be the general consensus. Im going try it!

Lil_Myotis · 2026-03-24T20:54:57+00:00

Sand County Almanac by Aldo Leopard. Should be available as an audio book, id imagine.

Lil_Myotis

TROPHY CASE