Name That Varmint

cougarmagic · Post by **cougarmagic** » Fri Jan 01, 2010 1:46 pm

What is this thing? I truly don't know. Simply guessing a badger. It's in Palo Comado canyon (Simi Hills). It is NOT a bear cub. There are no bears there.

Other normal animals for size comparison:

edenooch · Post by **edenooch** » Mon Jan 04, 2010 11:27 am

POSSOM

Zach · Post by **Zach** » Mon Jan 04, 2010 12:15 pm

Malabar Civet

EnFuego · Post by **EnFuego** » Mon Jan 04, 2010 12:59 pm

Doesn't quite look dark enough, but looks like there is a bushy tail. Maybe a skunk?

Rumpled · Post by **Rumpled** » Mon Jan 04, 2010 4:51 pm

Beats the snot outta me. I can't make out any detail.
Possum, raccoon, skunk, badger?
Baby chupacabra?

hvydrt · Post by **hvydrt** » Mon Jan 04, 2010 5:15 pm

definitely a chupacabra

EManBevHills · Post by **EManBevHills** » Mon Jan 04, 2010 6:11 pm

Could it be a Fisher?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fisher_(animal)

You may need to scroll down....

Kit Fox · Post by **Kit Fox** » Tue Jan 05, 2010 6:26 am

I'm no expert, but that animal waddles more than a Badger does. It is a long shot, but the body shape (to me) is very similar to a Porcupine, or a fat, "stubby tailed" Racoon.

cougarmagic · Post by **cougarmagic** » Tue Jan 05, 2010 11:33 am

Bummer...I was hoping it was something a little more exotic (yeah, the civet...so close! haha), but I sent the video to a couple of biologists, and they think it is a tail-less raccoon. (and made the strange comment that they "see a lot of those".) No mention of what happens to their tails...

But there are badgers in the Simi Hills. Which I didn't know...

Post by **HikeUp** » Tue Jan 05, 2010 12:04 pm

My first thought was it waddles like all the big butted-garbage fed raccoons that I've seen, then I realized it had no tail, so I was flummoxed.

Kit Fox · Post by **Kit Fox** » Tue Jan 05, 2010 12:22 pm

cougarmagic wrote:Bummer...I was hoping it was something a little more exotic (yeah, the civet...so close! haha), but I sent the video to a couple of biologists, and they think it is a tail-less raccoon. (and made the strange comment that they "see a lot of those".) No mention of what happens to their tails...

But there are badgers in the Simi Hills. Which I didn't know...

The tail or lack thereof initially threw me off also.

lilbitmo · Post by **lilbitmo** » Tue Jan 05, 2010 12:36 pm

Unfortunately, racoons are not born that way, the three ways suggested that they to loose their tails are

1) Attacks by predators or dogs - they give up the tail as a way of escape.
2) Traps.

3) Run over by cars.

That's the skinny on the internet. So far there's no evidence to suggest that a mutation exists that any are born without the tail.

cougarmagic · Post by **cougarmagic** » Tue Jan 05, 2010 2:38 pm

lilbitmo wrote:1) Attacks by predators or dogs - they give up the tail as a way of escape.

Of course the first thing I thought of when I read this was "Their tails fall off? Like a lizard???"

Mike P · Post by **Mike P** » Tue Jan 05, 2010 10:24 pm

Tail-less raccoon sure is a possibility.

I have looked at your video a hundred times. I am going with your first idea of a badger. There are quite a few videos on the net of badgers waddling around.

Kit Fox · Post by **Kit Fox** » Wed Jan 06, 2010 3:16 pm

I'm starting to think it does have a tail in the video.

Mike P · Post by **Mike P** » Wed Jan 06, 2010 9:06 pm

Yes, I think that animal has a tail... like a badger tail