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sailfish_gw

What's This Critter

sailfish
14 years ago

The Mrs. and I are building a camp in Maine. This critter appeared on the walkway stuffing leaves into it's mouth. Anybody know what it is?

[IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v141/reelkarma/DSCN0034copy.jpg[/IMG]

Comments (21)

  • sailfish
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    let's try this

  • Elly_NJ
    14 years ago

    Wow. I have no clue. Not a raccoon, doesn't look like a rodent.

    How big was it, compared to a grey squirrel?

  • sailfish
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    Looked like a groundhog to me at first looked out the window and spotted it. I opened the door to snap the pic and it's fur stood up, The fur around it's face flared out too. Then it began to shake. I almost felt bad for it. It was the size of a groundhog. Here's a pic I snapped through the window. You can see that it's fur is laying flat compared to after I startled it.

  • woodlandgal
    14 years ago

    It looks like a groundhog to me too. I didn't know they climbed trees until this last spring when one was in a tree snarling at me when I walked past it. Then from the house I watched it come down face first. It was a huge one!

  • Elly_NJ
    14 years ago

    Maybe a youngster? They are usually much rounder.

  • rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
    14 years ago

    It could be sick. In some locations, groundhogs are commonly infected with rabies, among other diseases.

  • sailfish
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    Looked to me like it was a juvenile. I saw it tooling around the yard at dusk. Seemed a bit small. I think the whole hair fairing and shaking is some sort of defense mechanism. I've had skunks pound their feet. My cats raise up their fur and arch their backs before they dish out a beating to a sibling from time to time. I'm glad we figured out what it is. Closest I've ever been to one of these critters. I'm sure it will be around for the rest of the season if it can elude the coyotes and bobcats. Thanks for the ID!

  • chickadeemelrose
    14 years ago

    Hi,

    Just putting my two cents in. After checking a lengthy list of small mammals found in Maine I'd say your critter is definitely a woodchuck.

    It was fun looking!

  • bulldinkie
    14 years ago

    could be a muskrat..are you near water?

  • cyn427 (z. 7, N. VA)
    14 years ago

    Our woodchucks are much rounder and their legs do not look like this. This one almost looks like it has the markings of a woodchuck, but the body, legs, and posture of a racoon. Very odd!

  • sailfish
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    Critter update: Seems that it enjoys chewing the carpet we have tacked down to the deck to wipe our feet on. It moved off a more traditional doormat so it's hanging over the edge of the porch and it knocked over a lantern we keep on a ledge beside the porch. Maybe I better offer it some beet greens or something. Water is pretty scarce up on the hill.

  • momj47
    14 years ago

    I agree, it think it's a woodchuck or American marmot. It's not a marten or fisher, the paws are different. The only other animal it might be is a muskrat

    I've seen a marten in Boothbay, coming down the rocks to the water, and it looks more like a weasel, and we had otters at our cottage near Sebago Lake, you'd know what they look like.

    It looks like it had a tough winter, it's thin, probably hungry.

    Enjoy

  • maifleur01
    14 years ago

    Woodchucks, at least in this area do not have a pointy nose. The nose slopes with the head in a rounded fashion. Also the coat does not stand up in that fashion.

    A muskrat also slopes without a pointy nose.

    The fur on the back is raccoon but I am puzzled with the face. The white on the nose could be in response to an injury. From the picture showing the side view it appears that the white goes arround the muzzle.

    Would it be posible to have a picture of your lost one showing the rear. Or maybe a discription of any tail appendage.

    I see one of the feet and it appears to be webbed. Is it?

    The closest to a ground hog/woodchuck I have been is a youngster that was rolled by several cars in front of my neighbors. The paws did not look like what I see in your picture.

    My monitor does not show the best pictures and many are too dark for details so if you could take a picture with the sun hitting the animal it would help.

    When you saw it eating could you tell what kind of teeth it had?

    Always more questions.

  • chickadeemelrose
    14 years ago

    maifleur,

    I was also stumped by this photo until I compared photos of different small mammals. Take a look at this one:

    www.pbase.com/muskrat/image/113002328

    I think the photo of the baby groundhog fits, no?

    Hope this helps -

  • maifleur01
    14 years ago

    It is close except for the nose. Having lived on a farm that had ponds I am well aware what muskrats look like. Like it or not my brother trapped the muskrats to prevent them from putting holes in the dams. The problem I have are the webbed looking front foot and the snout. Some of the marmots looked very like the animal but wonder if they live in that area.

  • chickadeemelrose
    14 years ago

    Hello,

    Marmots live in the western U.S. and Canada (one took up residence under our cabin in Yellowstone). They do look a lot like groundhogs though.

    I truly did a pretty thorough check through the "small" mammals living in Maine (New England area) and really, groundhog seemed most likely.

    Also, I didn't presume anything about muskrats. I was just referring to the website, which also had a photo of a groundhog that seemed to be a close match to the "critter" in question.

    Hope this is helpful -

  • maifleur01
    14 years ago

    I got a chuckle about marmots living in the west. Being in an area that is not supposed to have many things that actually live here causes me to try to ask if an animal lives in the area. Had a mountain lion come to the entrance of the building I worked in, captured on tape. I am waiting for the black bears to make it across the river, south, or down from the north to my area. They have been seen in both directions within 100 miles.

    Some old tales mention marmots in the maritimes. What they were who knows. I think for now the best suggestion is groundhog.

  • dirtgirl
    14 years ago

    Call CNN, you've got a chupacabra!

    Seriously... groundhogs ARE marmots, there are just regional differences and as a result they also go by locally different names. Our midwestern "groundhog" is marmota monax, and there's yellow-bellied marmots (aka whistle pigs out west),woodchucks, etc...
    I agree this is one messed-up individual. By the pictures I would initially say it seems to be a younger groundhog with some serious spinal issues or muscular afflictions or something like that going on, maybe it was struck by a car and survived?? In the first photo the face does initially seem to have a coon-like pronounced nose/muzzle, but when you go to the next photo, the side view shows more of a continuous line from top of the skull to the bridge of the nose, which is more consistent with 'hogs. I keep going back to the first photo, though, and staring at those feet! This should settle the debate...find a good clear set of tracks or just get out your binocs and count the # of toes up front...a groundhog will have four and a coon will show five. And before anyone gives me a pat on the back for thinking of this, I have to be honest...I was initially going to go with "how does it walk?" first, not # of toes. I know that coons move in a completely different manner than 'hogs and was going to suggest watching for this behavior next time you saw it, but then wondered if this would be a dependable diagnostic given the way this thing is standing, which is pretty FUBAR for a groundhog. So, while I was scratching my head I had hunted up a reference sheet to double check my stride comparisons when I spotted the toe discrepancy. I learn something every day!
    So there you go, this should help narrow the field.

    BTW, don't be surprised if it chatters its teeth at you or gives a really loud, piping squeal. And don't corner it... a healthy groundhog will try to get away from you, even shimmy up a tree ( have seen this personally), but if it feels cornered it can fight like the dickens.

  • chickadeemelrose
    14 years ago

    Hi,

    Well, you do learn something everyday, such as the fact that a groundhog is a marmot! I had no idea, and am glad to find that out.

    Having rechecked other photos and the ones on this post, I still have to say groundhog. In the photo above I would even say four toes. And there is no way this animal is a raccoon.

    Thanks for the info - this has been a really interesting post to think about!

  • alyciaadamo
    14 years ago

    I would like to chime in. I think it definitely looks like a groundhog.

    I really don't know about other places but I have lived in Maine(all over) my whole life and it seems like we are overrun with them!

    Just a link about marmota monax
    http://www.news.cornell.edu/Chronicle/96/2.1.96/facts.html

    Here is a link that might be useful:

  • mjlb
    14 years ago

    Geesh - I thought it was a beaver, with dry fur! Why could it not be? (Recognizing that it's highly unlikely that I'm right).

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