Name That Critter

Just got back from another trip to the creek. The days were perfect, the nights were mellow, and the cracks were excellent. On the last night at the Cottonwood campground, I woke up at about 2 AM to the sounds of some animal foraging for food around the campsite. Now we've all experienced this if we've spent a few nights outdoors, but what makes this animal different from anything I have personally encountered before was the fact that it was snorting--kinda like a small pig. I looked outside to see if I could see anything, but found nothing. What doesn't make sense is that whatever was outside was able to reach the garbage bag, which was hanging up about 4 feet off the ground from a tree. So it was either small enough to climb the tree, large enough to reach the garbage from the ground (but somehow go unseen), or there were more than one animal. Any guesses to what it was?

Bear perhaps? I had a similar experience last year camping out in chatauqua park.

We have racoons, but they aren't big enough. The most likely is a bear and despite being a desert they are pretty common.

most likely a dirtbag climber

defenitly an irish wolfhound.

kirra wrote:bigfoot

Isn't that the same thing as a dirtbag climber?

it was probably manbearpig.

Andy Librande wrote:most likely a dirtbag climber

you know, there were some guys from the valley that had stopped by just being friendly. Apparently going on week 4 now with no shower and they looked hungry. I think you may be on to something...

Phil Lauffen wrote:Bear perhaps? I had a similar experience last year camping out in chatauqua park.

Didn't make enough noise for a bear (and I would've seen it), plus, it wasn't able to get through the trash bag. It looked like whatever it was could just barely reach the end of it. Of course, those marks could've come from brushing up against the tree. It's the noise it was making that made me so curious.

Edited to add: I didn't see any prints in the morning either.

I agree that it was not a bear. I'd be looking in the 'coon, badger, coati or skunk family. Somtimes youngin's make odd sounds. Can't say I'd know which was which. Interesting question though, becuase I would have thought that any thing like a coon skunk or Caoti would have climbed the tree and got down ot the bag.

Post it if you figure it out!

Sarah Palin? Nosing around for a new outfit?

Bears always sound like pigs to me. The key in identifying the sounds is how wet the snorting sounded. If it was a fairly dry sound, you've got yourself a bear. If its more of a juicy snorting, well, then, it's Palin.

Jason,

It was me. (grunt grunt) Thanks for dinner.

Ringtail cat

pranakickass wrote:defenitly an irish wolfhound.

Nah, mine were both at home in Denver.

Tyne, the pig-snorting Boston Terrier? A small black and white dog with a 6 foot vertical known to stalk stash bags at the creek?

TOTALLY a mantee, otherwise known as a seacow. It was just looking for water and kelp. Very rare in the desert, so consider yourself lucky.

Poor Mantees with the Cam scars on their back.

Evan1984 wrote:Bears always sound like pigs to me. The key in identifying the sounds is how wet the snorting sounded. If it was a fairly dry sound, you've got yourself a bear. If its more of a juicy snorting, well, then, it's Palin.

I can think of no better way of starting the day than to read this post (and all the others!). Thanks for the laugh!

Edited to add: Ok, so I can kinda see the whole skunk idea, except I never saw it when I looked. I couldn't really see that well because I was looking out through one of 4 smallish vents on my tent fly. The noise makes sense, although I can't say I've spent all that much time near to skunks (do those guys from the Valley count?). A skunk could climb the tree, but may have gotten scared off hearing me inside my tent. If that's the case, I'm really glad I never got out!

Could have been a fox with a cold...aka Canis Palinus