UNUSUAL ANIMAL SIGHTINGS IN TEXAS

[1911'S 4 Me]

The east Texas Piney Woods have just about any critter there is anywhere in Texas.

 

[oldag]

Large gators used to line the banks of Dickinson Bayou. There were so many if you were James Bond, you could walk on their backs and never set foot on the ground.

A wolf was killed in the Piney Woods back in the early '70's. TP&W said that was not possible, no wolves in East Texas must be a coyote. They came out and did an examination of the corpse. "Yep, that is a wolf. Wasn't suppose to be any here."

Bald eagles have a nest at Lake Waco.

Have seen mountain lions out on the caprock in West Texas.

Bobcats in various places.

Seen some huge hammerheads caught out of Galveston Bay.

 

[ZX9RCAM]

Had one of the ranch family out with my father and myself back in the early 70s.
He shot a bobcat with something in its mouth, looked like it's breakfast.
Turned out to be its kitten.

We took it home, and a week later it developed a fungus on its feet.
Took it to the ranch vet, and he gave us some cream, said it would either cure it or kill it.
Didn't cure it.

 

[deemus]

Somewhere around here I’ve got a 110 photo of a hammerhead shark caught off a party boat in Port Aransas.

Not that unusual in Texas waters. Saw a pic of one recently that was around 8’.


I’ve seen many bobcats. But one of the only animals I’ve seen in Texas only twice is a porcupine. Saw one dead and one alive a couple years later. Haven’t seen one in over a decade.

Not sure if this was supposed to be only Texas, but I got to see a humpback whale up close in Mexican waters off Baja.

Was with a Mexican guy in his boat (the guide) with my BIL. Couldn’t see land. We were catching ling cod and rock cod (looks like our red snapper) two at a time. We caught 72 that day, and it was exhausting.

Suddenly the captain (I use that very loosely) starts banging on the side of our appx 20’ boat with a hammer. He points off in the distance at three humpback whales diving and surfacing about 1/2 mile away.

He kept banging on the boat and they kept coming straight to us. When they got near us, two went under us, and one surfaced right next to the boat.

It was like that scene in Castaway, only the whale didn’t stop. But about 10-15 feet away, the biggest eyeball you can imagine checking us out as he slowly rolled by. It was maybe the most surreal moment of my life. I hope I never forget that moment.

 

[Vaquero]

White opossum in our backyard last December.

 

[MTA]

My neighbor is adamant that a mountain lion lives by us. He asked me not to shoot it if I see it






Sorry man that thing is going on the wall if I see it

 

[Vaquero]

A beaver got ran over a couple of blocks from our house. I never imagined beavers being in Abilene.

 

[Txdweeb]

View attachment 376158
A beaver got ran over a couple of blocks from our house. I never imagined beavers being in Abilene.

Guess he was to eager.

 

[baboon]

The east Texas Piney Woods have just about any critter there is anywhere in Texas.

WHAT!!! I have never seen pronghorn, mule deer, bighorn sheep or numerous other critters.

 

[General Zod]

We have dead beavers around here, too. I figure they must be alive at some point, but I've only ever seen dead ones. Always at the same intersection by the bridge over King's Creek.

 

[baboon]

View attachment 376157
White opossum in our backyard last December.

Santa's personal Christmas grinner.

 

[vmax]

These are the cougars we find in the Big Town

View attachment 376131

Both kinds of cougars can leave a man scared for life..lol

 

[leVieux]

Saw deer in Houston on Westheimer and Gessner one evening in the 80's; and just recently coyotes in West University Place, just a few miles from downtown. The railroad right-of-way through that part of town is a documented critter freeway.

<>

We were just discussing the “coyote explosion” of the 1970’s. Way back, coyotes were rare in eastern Texas, never seen East of Houston.

Then, b/t 1968 & 1976 they extended to all of Texas, and on into Tennessee & the Florida Panhandle. By the nid-1980’s, they were nationwide.

Why ?

I don’ t know.

leVieux
.

 

[General Zod]

Both kinds of cougars can leave a man scared for life..lol

One is a lot more fun than the other when you get pounced on, though.

 

[Vaquero]

I was hunting up on the Double Mountain fork of the Brazos and saw a huge deer.
It had markings of a white tail and mule deer antlers.
I didn't shoot it. When I described it to a game warden he said it's a hybrid.
White tail bucks breed mule deer does. The offspring are sterile.
I asked what tag should be used. He said either one. They wouldn't argue either way.
I should have shot it.

 

[1911'S 4 Me]

WHAT!!! I have never seen pronghorn, mule deer, bighorn sheep or numerous other critters.

WHAT!!! Come on man..

 

[leVieux]

Not that unusual in Texas waters. Saw a pic of one recently that was around 8’.


I’ve seen many bobcats. But one of the only animals I’ve seen in Texas only twice is a porcupine. Saw one dead and one alive a couple years later. Haven’t seen one in over a decade.

Not sure if this was supposed to be only Texas, but I got to see a humpback quake up close in Mexican waters off Baja.

Was with a Mexican guy in his boat (the guide) with my BIL. Couldn’t see land. We were catching ling cod and rock cod (looks like our red snapper) two at a time. We caught 72 that day, and it was exhausting.

Suddenly the captain (I use that very loosely) starts banging on the side of our appx 20’ boat with a hammer. He points off in the distance at three humpback whales diving and surfacing about 1/2 mile away.

He kept banging on the boat and they kept coming straight to us. When they got near us, two went under us, and one surfaced right next to the boat.

It was like that scene in Castaway, only the whale didn’t stop. But the biggest eyeball you can imagine checking us out as he slowly rolled by. It was maybe the most surreal moment of my life. I hope I never forget that moment.

<>

I found a dead porcupine on a ranch near Sonora back c1995.

We were trolling a rip tide some 30NM directly East of South Padre, and ran across a pod of whales running along the surface. The part of the largest one we could see looked at least twice the length of my 27’ boat.

Another time i was running in from the canyons and encountered 2 tourists on jet skis about 35NM from port. They hailed me and we had a discussion. They were totally lost and unaware of their danger. I offered to take them aboard & tow the jet skis in, but they refused. They then inquired which directon to get back. I told them to run about 260 for an hour, they’d see the condos. No compass or GPS. They had no idea of remaining fuel.

I finally told them how to head with reference to Sun & seas, and that I’d report their last known position to the USCG & the jet ski rental. Later learned they had beached unharmed up SPI and were OK.

“GOD protects fools & drunks” ?

leVieux
.

 

[BRD@66]

I saw what I have come to believe were 2 jaguarundi in a Coleman County pasture probably 20 yrs ago. One was black, the other was more black than gray, but lighter color than it's mate (or sibling). Waay too big to be house cats. Too small to be pumas. I also something coyote-colored & sized, but it moved like a cat (I deemed it a chupacabra) right here in my river bottom neighborhood within the past 10 years. When I was a teenager, something, human-like (but not human) ran across the dirt, county road a hundred yards in front of my car at about dark-thirty. That one still gives me goosebumps.

 

[leVieux]

Have had several red fox sightings on my exterior cameras.
Not sure how unusual it is.
Last one was a month ago.

<>
Red foxes are common; the silver or gray foxes are pretty rare. I’ve seen only gray fox and it was in a town.

 

[deemus]

My neighbor is adamant that a mountain lion lives by us. He asked me not to shoot it if I see it






Sorry man that thing is going on the wall if I see it

My friends daughter ran over an otter on the road near you.