Zookeeper Gabe's Animal Thread V7.0

[TrippleOG]

Komodos are underrated !

 

[volodya]

So, @ZookeeperGabe I have a question;

My partner at work saw a big rattle snake on our property. Now everybody I talk to tells me to kill a rattle snake if I see one. I don't want to though, it's like I feel like it's bad karma or something. They've never fucked with me...

So, should I be killing these snakes or ?

 

[bad seed]

So, @ZookeeperGabe I have a question;

My partner at work saw a big rattle snake on our property. Now everybody I talk to tells me to kill a rattle snake if I see one. I don't want to though, it's like I feel like it's bad karma or something. They've never fucked with me...

So, should I be killing these snakes or ?

no, why would you kill it if it poses no threat to you? They rattle because they're scared of you and warning you to stay away. Unless you have pets that run around your yard I would leave it alone.

 

[volodya]

no, why would you kill it if it poses no threat to you? They rattle because they're scared of you and warning you to stay away. Unless you have pets that run around your yard I would leave it alone.

Thank you for the response. I only asked because everybody else here seems to kill them. They say they'll have babies and be everywhere.

 

[Zookeeper Gabe]

Thank you for the response. I only asked because everybody else here seems to kill them. They say they'll have babies and be everywhere.

This is such bullshit, rattlesnakes are an integral part of the ecosystem. First, it takes them years to reach sexual maturity and the babies are preyed upon by many different animals. Rattlesnakes don't actually want to bite people, that's why they rattle. Their venom is for getting prey and they use it literally as a last line of defense. Venom is biologically expensive to make, so if they use it on you they may miss a meal. They are also important predators of rodents that can carry all sorts of different diseases.
A large percentage of people who are bitten by rattlesnakes are male, 18-45, intoxicated and bitten on the hand/arm. Another portion of people bitten are those attempting to harass and kill them.
I work with rattlesnakes 5 days a week and have been for over 5 years now. Only a few times have I had close calls and it was all my own fault.

 

[5crew]

Couple of years back, I hand carried a 2m long Monitor lizard into deeper forest to release after it was captured in a container by my Sgt. It kept hissing when I removed the wooden board they used to cover the container. Took me a minute to calm it down before the monitor lizard allowed me to lift up and carry it away.

Still not as badass as @Zookeeper Gabe for carrying a Komodo. Hespect.

 

[bad seed]

remember kids, cute wild animals are still wild. Always be cautious!

 

[Zookeeper Gabe]

Couple of years back, I hand carried a 2m long Monitor lizard into deeper forest to release after it was captured in a container by my Sgt. It kept hissing when I removed the wooden board they used to cover the container. Took me a minute to calm it down before the monitor lizard allowed me to lift up and carry it away.

Still not as badass as @Zookeeper Gabe for carrying a Komodo. Hespect.

Awesome man, hell my girl is used to ppl. A wild monitor is a much different creature, good job on not getting fucked up by it.
@bad seed I just saw that on fb, they are lucky it didn't grab her by the ass. They have nasty bites, also ppl need to stop feeding wildlife and always fucking pay attention.

 

[bad seed]

Awesome man, hell my girl is used to ppl. A wild monitor is a much different creature, good job on not getting fucked up by it.
@bad seed I just saw that on fb, they are lucky it didn't grab her by the ass. They have nasty bites, also ppl need to stop feeding wildlife and always fucking pay attention.

did you see the full vid?

amazing reflexes by her grandpa.

Is it just me or does that particular sea lion look particularly large, old, and ornery?

 

[Zookeeper Gabe]

Yeah, definitely an older bull that is sick of people's shit.

Don't feed or tease wildlife, bad shit happens. Even if doesn't happen to you, if he had. Grabbed ahold of her ass she would be in trouble, they have nasty bites.

 

[jefferz]

I stopped by my LFS and they had 2 medusa worms. One was over a foot long. Unfortunately he wouldn't sell either one.

 

[sleepwalk]

remember kids, cute wild animals are still wild. Always be cautious!

did you see the full vid?

amazing reflexes by her grandpa.

Is it just me or does that particular sea lion look particularly large, old, and ornery?

Working in an oceanfront town, we'll occasionally get some marine life incidents: a beached whale, unusual amounts of dolphins and/or sharks in the area, even had a leatherback turtle drag herself up to nest once.

But, man, does it make me angry when seals come up onto the beach. Most of the time, they're simply harbor seals but we end up fielding call after call to request marine mammal rescue in Barneget (NJ) to come "save" them and, when we get there to confirm that they're okay and just sunning themselves, at least three assholes will ask if their kids can get a selfie with it. Same assholes who will call if a dog they dont know is off it's leash in their neighborhood.

I stopped by my LFS and they had 2 medusa worms. One was over a foot long. Unfortunately he wouldn't sell either one.

I showed my wife this picture and told her it was over a foot long. She said, "That's what they all say."

 

[bad seed]

Working in an oceanfront town, we'll occasionally get some marine life incidents: a beached whale, unusual amounts of dolphins and/or sharks in the area, even had a leatherback turtle drag herself up to nest once.

But, man, does it make me angry when seals come up onto the beach. Most of the time, they're simply harbor seals but we end up fielding call after call to request marine mammal rescue in Barneget (NJ) to come "save" them and, when we get there to confirm that they're okay and just sunning themselves, at least three assholes will ask if their kids can get a selfie with it. Same assholes who will call if a dog they dont know is off it's leash in their neighborhood.

anyone get attacked trying to pet the seals?

 

[sleepwalk]

anyone get attacked trying to pet the seals?

Not that I've been privy to. They really just look like potatoes with flippers and the face of a puppy but they're wild carnivores with needles for teeth. Dogs won't get too close. I'd usually take my cues from dogs.

 

[sverre054]

did you see the full vid?

amazing reflexes by her grandpa.

Is it just me or does that particular sea lion look particularly large, old, and ornery?

It's a Male California Sea Lion. Video is from BC, and Only male Cali Sea Lions live up North of OR. It's a full Grown male, but doesn't look particular old or large to me. It may have something wrong with it, because people say it pretty much lives off people feeding it at the dock.

 

[sverre054]

Working in an oceanfront town, we'll occasionally get some marine life incidents: a beached whale, unusual amounts of dolphins and/or sharks in the area, even had a leatherback turtle drag herself up to nest once.

But, man, does it make me angry when seals come up onto the beach. Most of the time, they're simply harbor seals but we end up fielding call after call to request marine mammal rescue in Barneget (NJ) to come "save" them and, when we get there to confirm that they're okay and just sunning themselves, at least three assholes will ask if their kids can get a selfie with it. Same assholes who will call if a dog they dont know is off it's leash in their neighborhood.



I showed my wife this picture and told her it was over a foot long. She said, "That's what they all say."

Here was a Sea Lion that choose to sleep on top of a car, a few months ago. This right outside of Seattle. Right now is pup season for Seals, and I see people all the time harassing the baby seals. We actually have Seal sitters, who come out and put barricades and crime scene tape around the seals, because so many people try to "Save" them

 

[bad seed]

Video is from BC, and Only male Cali Sea Lions live up North of OR.

Why is that?

 

[sverre054]

Why is that?

California Sea Lions are actually fairly new to the PNW. There have always been some seasonally that would come up for the salmon migrations, but they would head back south to the main breeding grounds. Since the 70's and the marine mammals protection act, Sea Lions and seals have expanded there ranges and populations. Also over fishing and climate change has forced them to expand and look for new territories. I Live near Seattle, on Puget sound, and we would always have a small amount of California Sea Lions visit and stay for the summers. Past 20 years or so, more and more of these Sea Lions have just started staying here year round. Hell I was out on my deck last week BBQing and the Sea Lions were barking so loud, my Basset Hound was howling at them.

 

[jefferz]

An Australian Scolie, Homophyllia australis, just set the record for most expensive coral ever sold. It was sold for ¥645,840, $5840 US.

 

[GhostZ06]

i caught a Texas brown tonight, and it must have been a male because it was just wondering around freely.


ive never seen one in Dallas before even though there common in Texas. They're considered rare in city area.