Encounters with wildlife

UncleMonty

I ran over a large grass snake last summer and a rabbit the year before that, both were in a bad way but i didn't have the heart to finish them off.

I keep meaning to put a Snake & Rabbit sticker on the bike, then put a large red X through them.

pesky_jones

My mate claims to have run over a squirell, and the squirells gone under the wheel and then chucked out in front of him through the fork crown. He's adamant it happened.

Personally, I've only come across a bird.

prawny

Pesky Jones wrote:

My mate claims to have run over a squirell, and the squirells gone under the wheel and then chucked out in front of him through the fork crown. He's adamant it happened.

Personally, I've only come across a bird.

This your mate?



and Fnarrrrrr!

UncleMonty

^ haha, fantastic pic, and on a commuter too, just think what he could hit if he went off road.

pesky_jones

prawny wrote:

Pesky Jones wrote:

My mate claims to have run over a squirell, and the squirells gone under the wheel and then chucked out in front of him through the fork crown. He's adamant it happened.

Personally, I've only come across a bird.

This your mate?

*was my mate. And no, but that's why mtbs > roadies - wildlife conservation. Mate reckons the squirell ran away happy after on his mtb.

prawny wrote:

and Fnarrrrrr!

A tit to be precise.

kajjal

A snake slithered out in front of me on the trail. It woke me up as I was working out how to jump / dodge it and it carried on into the long grass.

prawny

Pesky Jones wrote:

prawny wrote:

and Fnarrrrrr!

A tit to be precise.

FNNNNAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRR

mpatts

I see a lot of deer



And the occasional Lion and Bear. Really!

UH DH

Yeah, I had an encounter with some wildlife at nevis Range last week.

http://youtu.be/WBorAKdN8Y0

Kinda funny.

welshkev

At bpw the other week there was a wild horse that wouldn't get out if the way of the uplift bus, I think northern monkey has a video of it

jjojjas

most interesting stuff has only been deer in the UK, in France I nearly tripped over a coypu and several snakes.

Giraffoto

Another couple of badgers lolloping along the trail - they can put on a turn of speed when they need to.

Tim.s

I had a bat fly along in front of me the other night, stayed in my light for about 20 seconds.

sofaboy73

unicorns - can't move for them after dark in the Peak

ilovedirt

We came across a slow worm at Coed Y Brenin on Sunday. One of the lads rode over it by mistake, but the little fella seemed to be fine. Pretty cute actually.

pesky_jones

ilovedirt wrote:

We came across a slow worm at Coed Y Brenin on Sunday. One of the lads rode over it by mistake, but the little fella seemed to be fine. Pretty cute actually.

Did you feel it? they feel really wierd.

ilovedirt

Nah, some of the other lads picked it up but I didn't. It seemed happy enough being handled though.

pesky_jones

They look like the should be wet. But theyre dry like snakes. I think it is a snake actually. They can split in half im pretty sure.

Giraffoto

Pesky Jones wrote:

They look like the should be wet. But theyre dry like snakes. I think it is a snake actually. They can split in half im pretty sure.

Strictly speaking they're lizards, albeit without legs. They can't split in half and both halves make a new slow worm - they're not worms. And not that slow, either.

pesky_jones

Giraffoto wrote:

Pesky Jones wrote:

They look like the should be wet. But theyre dry like snakes. I think it is a snake actually. They can split in half im pretty sure.

Strictly speaking they're lizards, albeit without legs. They can't split in half and both halves make a new slow worm - they're not worms. And not that slow, either.

So they can split in half? I thought it was a similar defense mechanism to a lizard (getting picked up by tail by bird so it looses the tail) which isn't surprising seeing as you've now told me that it is, strictly speaking, a lizard.

ilovedirt

Yeah they can lose their tails as a defence mechanism, and yep they're lizards, not snakes.
I picked up a lizard by its tail once when I was in france. Of course the tail just came away and the lizard ran off, left me wondering what had happened for a moment!

Giraffoto

Pesky Jones wrote:

Giraffoto wrote:

Pesky Jones wrote:

They look like the should be wet. But theyre dry like snakes. I think it is a snake actually. They can split in half im pretty sure.

Strictly speaking they're lizards, albeit without legs. They can't split in half and both halves make a new slow worm - they're not worms. And not that slow, either.

So they can split in half? I thought it was a similar defense mechanism to a lizard (getting picked up by tail by bird so it looses the tail) which isn't surprising seeing as you've now told me that it is, strictly speaking, a lizard.

I refer the honourable gentleman to the answer I gave some moments ago. Dropping a tail isn't splitting in half.

pesky_jones

Giraffoto wrote:

Pesky Jones wrote:

Giraffoto wrote:

Pesky Jones wrote:

They look like the should be wet. But theyre dry like snakes. I think it is a snake actually. They can split in half im pretty sure.

Strictly speaking they're lizards, albeit without legs. They can't split in half and both halves make a new slow worm - they're not worms. And not that slow, either.

So they can split in half? I thought it was a similar defense mechanism to a lizard (getting picked up by tail by bird so it looses the tail) which isn't surprising seeing as you've now told me that it is, strictly speaking, a lizard.

I refer the honourable gentleman to the answer I gave some moments ago. Dropping a tail isn't splitting in half.

Oh sorry, was it not obvious what I meant?

Kowalski675

I saw three lizards today, but they were in Pets At Home... Don't think that counts.

welshkev

aren't slow worms endangered and you're not supposed to handle them? but oh well

pesky_jones

Weeeell, if you think about it... Handling them probally scares them, which makes them drop a tail... and then both halves grow into new slow worms. So you now have two slow worms when before you had one.

ilovedirt

welshkev wrote:

aren't slow worms endangered and you're not supposed to handle them? but oh well

According to wikipedia, they're protected, which means it's illegal to intentionally injure/kill them. Handling them is alright, I think.

Pesky Jones wrote:

Weeeell, if you think about it... Handling them probally scares them, which makes them drop a tail... and then both halves grow into new slow worms. So you now have two slow worms when before you had one.

Erm, i don't think it works quite like that...

pesky_jones

ilovedirt wrote:

Pesky Jones wrote:

Weeeell, if you think about it... Handling them probally scares them, which makes them drop a tail... and then both halves grow into new slow worms. So you now have two slow worms when before you had one.

Erm, i don't think it works quite like that...

Seriously? I was joking buddy

cooldad

Pesky Jones wrote:

ilovedirt wrote:

Pesky Jones wrote:

Weeeell, if you think about it... Handling them probally scares them, which makes them drop a tail... and then both halves grow into new slow worms. So you now have two slow worms when before you had one.

Erm, i don't think it works quite like that...

Seriously? I was joking buddy

Damn. So the one I stuck in the blender won't grow into thousands of new ones?

welshkev

cooldad wrote:

Pesky Jones wrote:

ilovedirt wrote:

Pesky Jones wrote:

Weeeell, if you think about it... Handling them probally scares them, which makes them drop a tail... and then both halves grow into new slow worms. So you now have two slow worms when before you had one.

Erm, i don't think it works quite like that...

Seriously? I was joking buddy

Damn. So the one I stuck in the blender won't grow into thousands of new ones?

Unfortunately no, but it may make a nice soup?