Rodent of unusual size spotted in Roslindale yard
I was sitting on our porch a little while ago (yes, of course I was working), when I spotted this large furry thing, about the size of a small beaver, ambling across our neighbor's yard. In fact, at first I wondered what the hell a beaver was doing there, since we're up on a hill, at least three-quarters of a mile away from the nearest body of water. I couldn't tell what kind of tail it had, though (neighbor's lawn is a bit bushy these days). Anybody have any clues from this meh-ish photo what it was? Sure looks a lot like this beaver, only dry. And yeah, life here in the country is never dull.
UPDATE: As you'll see in the comments, people who actually have experience with country life report it was more likely a woodchuck than a beaver.
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Comments
Groundhog?
Groundhog?
groundhog (aka woodchuck)
Sometimes also called a "land beaver" (jokingly)...
http://www.massaudubon.org/Nature_Connection/wildl...
Woodchuck? Something like
Woodchuck? Something like that would get into in the yard in Arlington.
How much wood would a woodchuck chuck
Meet Woodchuck.
We had one in our yard for a while. We called him Wilfred Brimley. He would walk right under a lawn chair with a cat in it and said cat would act as if he didn't exist - rodents that size are an abomination and best ignored I guess.
Ah!
Yeah, woodchuck would make more sense, especially since we have a fair amount (for Boston) of woods right out back for him/her to chuck. And fortunately, he was not equipped like this one.
...and if you grow any yummy
...and if you grow any yummy vegetables expect him to obliterate them in 1-2 days.
Unless you grow hot peppers
I had birds eye peppers one year. Just as one of them got ripe, it got bitten in half, the remainder still on the vine. I was totally ticked off ... but then I noticed the "skid marks" where the rodent creature who bit it in half (Likely Wilfred) had leapt out of the garden bed quite abruptly.
I envisioned the old cartoons where a steam whistle blows as steam exits the ears of a woodchuck.
Nothing in that garden got touched the rest of the year.
squirrels
Something's been eating everything in my garden. Tomatoes, new shoots etc. I was convinced that it was a squirrel, but perhaps this perp has been rolling down the hill from Adam's.
Damn roddent has an uncanny knack to know exactly when we're going to pick vegetables.
...And damned squirrels
I've chased a couple of squirrels away from the grape vines this summer, and this week I saw a tiny field mouse having a go at them! Really need to hire a fisher cat...
That sounds like a great
That sounds like a great idea. Would it work to plant a wall of hot peppers around the perimeter of my garden?
This just gives them a little brief hot mouth, right? It doesn't cause permanent harm?
Don't feel bad...
A guy in Medford saw a large beaver and thought it was a bear. True story!
He's a Lunatic
Everybody in the neighborhood hates his nutty panic over any/all wildlife. His latest thing is threatening to sue the state if they don't start killing all the beavers who he seems to think are going to cause a massive Tsunami flood of just his yard soon. He seems to think that we should all protect his suburban idyll by exterminating all wildlife in the Fells. Seriously. I hope he gets a Fisher hat sometime soon - then at least he'd have something to whine about.
New England Nutria!
Adam, I think you've spotted the first nutria in the Boston area!
Just kidding, the nose is too pointy.
City people
(eye roll)
:-p
leave it to beaver
Ward you was awful hard on the beaver last nite. But it was a good hurt. everybody whistle humm humm humm humm humm humm
Hmm
It says they're active during the day, but I saw something that looked very similar just sitting on his rump eating crabapples at like 9 PM near my gym in Watertown last week. I can't see it being anything else, though; at the same time, I didn't notice much of a tail.
Wow, you really *are* a city
Wow, you really *are* a city boy.