Identify this Critter
 

Okay, so lurkette and I were taking a hike in the mountains on a recent trip, and as we were making our way up a trail that crosses the site of an old rockslide, this fuzzy little <i>something</i> came running past us. It perched on a rock and made a sort of dog-like "Rawp!" noise. Another of its kind Rawped from a rock above, and he took off like a shot, looking for its friend.

We figured it was half squirrel and half rabbit. We named it "Squabbit". Before long we were singing, "Kill the squabbit.. kill the SQUAbbbit!" as we tromped along the trail.

Showing these pictures (and making the "Rawp!" noise) to our family yielded no help in identifying said critter. They mumbled things like "Potgut" and "Rockchuck" and "Yellow Bellied Marmot".

So what the hell <i>is</i> this thing? Anybody know?

http://invis.free.anonymizer.com/htt...r/critter1.JPG
http://invis.free.anonymizer.com/htt...r/critter2.JPG

I hafta amend my dear husband's entry - the "rawp" noise was sort of like a high-pitched, well, "yawp" but it didn't sound like a dog to me, it sounded like a croaky sort of bird call.

I know this probably doesn't help, but had to pitch in my $.02.

Dear Lord!

That face, those eyes, those merciless black eyes from some sunless stygian pit in the bowels of the nethermost regions of hell. I hoped to never return that calculating, impenetrable gaze, ever again. The malignant intelligence, the steel-coiled muscles rippling beneath tawny fur, the unspeakable ears, this is a foul recipe for macabre horror on the most profound and mind-blasting level. I can barely type.

It’s a marmot.
-GH

hmm, it does sort of look like a marmot...
http://www.well.com/conf/wildlife/images/marmot.gif
but the ears look a little big, and its fur isn't quite long or wiry enough.... maybe it's just a youngster

It was about a third the size of a marmot, is the thing, and more consistently colored.

It's sort of guinea pig-sized.

never seen one of them b4 it looks semi cuddly :p lol, i've never heard of a marmot either.

It's a ROUS... Rodent Of Unsual Size ;)

No, those are only found in Fire Swamps

dude...... that on the leftf with the leaves? that's lurkey!

YOUR WIFE

geeeeeeeeeeeeez

-----

it looks like a giant sized mouse with manners or a short chubby otter...

its like plummie's chinchilla.. its a CUTE little..... ohmygodwhatthehellisthat!

plummies chincihlla? are we talking about the same thing here Z?
*wink wink, nudge nudge*
*cues porno music*

I've done some small mammal trapping (for conservation monitoring, we just count and let them go...), but only in the northeast. I don't recognize this critter. If you tell me what region you are in, I can look in the mammal books.

looks kinda like a rabbit and a geuinie pig

Muskrat?

ack. I've got no idea. I guess I should get outdoors more.

By the off chance that you're the first to find/report it, i would take the pictures to a wildlife conservation or somethin to report it, you may get to name it and classify = )


my .02$ = )

Damn, it looks huge in the first picture.

What you found there is a Degu.

See the following link:


http://www.degus.org/

This will tell you everything about the lil tike:cool:

A Degu, huh? Don't see one of those every day.
Congrats, KeyserSoze on being TFP's super sleuth. :thumbsup:

a degu...
wow, never even heard of such a creature...

i thought it seemed quite similar to a hyrax, but those distinctive ears are different (and a hyrax is african and is wee bit bigger).

looks like a pika.

http://www.pbs.org/edens/tasmania/pi...tos/wombat.jpg

LMFAO ever hear of a Wombat yo? Thats what that is. Lil bigger than most rodents.

Asta!!

Hmm guinea pig sized eh? Wombats get pretty fuckin big prolly not
http://www.collideascope.com/rkq/images/!wombat.jpg

Asta!!

Pikachooo!

they both make a good case.. though the one in question seems a bit large in comparison..

Okay so far we have...
Degu
http://www.tierschutzheim.de/images/Kleintiere/DEGU.jpg
Marmot
http://www.klamathnwr.org/images/gallery/marmot.jpg
Muskrat
http://www.eppo.org/50ans/pests/images/muskrat.jpg
Wombat
http://www.remmyweb.com/images/wombat.jpg

The deciding factor would be the tail....if you saw the tail. Cause one has a very thin tail....other has a thick one....and I think the other two have small short ones.

Asta!!

Actually now that I think about it....It looks more like a Pika than anything else. http://www.bvsd.k12.co.us/schools/co...ife/3spika.gif They live in western north america. In places like Colorado. By process of elimination....Degu's on top a bein pretty rare are primarily found in the Andes Mountains, The Marmot is a rock dwelling creature but is too bulky and the ears are too small, Muskrats are aquatic dwelling animals like beavers, and Wombats live on land and burrow or live in hollowed out tree trunks. So unless you were mountain journying in Chile the creature you saw is actually more than likely a Pika. By process of elimination. Your mind can rest easy now hopefully.

Asta!!

Halleluia! My mind can rest easy now! It'll be the first time in 29 years! :D

K-Wise has nailed it, I think. These pictures were taken at the top of Big Cottonwood Canyon just east of Salt Lake City. Not too likely to run across a wombat, unfortunately, but the geograpy is just right for a Pika. That picture you included there even captured his nonchalant and sort of dismissive attitued toward the larger mammals in his presence. He was kinda snooty.

Thanks everybody!

Man, are you lucky to survive that encounter, Thats Chippy the Death Hampster !!!!!!!!

And it had no tail that we could see.

Yay, I was right. See, you should pay attention in bio class.:)

could it be a jackalope without his horns?
http://www.sudftw.com/jacklope.gif

It's definately not a Kangawallafox

Kewl! A rookie nailed it!
Wow, I'm even more impressed now. K-Wise, how much time did you spend researching this?

Edit: theguyondacouch thought of it first! Way to go!
guy: How did you come up with this?

Lets give credit where credit is due. K-wise had the analysis down, but theguyondacouch seems to have been the first with the correct answer.

Darned right. Sorry, K-Wise, but theguyondacouch beat you out.

Between the two of you, I'm convinced. And I have a new favorite varmint! Pika!!!!

one thing for sure, it's cute.:)

(I DIDN'T SAY CUTE, I MEANT 'FUCKING COOL")

pretty neat find, sir ratbastid.

Bah...I knew it was a pika...I'm just too damn slow.

aww, its cute. you should have caught it and mailed it to me.

I love exotic pets. ;)

Snuffalupagus?

Oh a Sesame Street alum!
I think *Snuffy* was just a tad larger than our little friend, but nice try ;).

That top shot is great! It looks almost surreal like an oversized bunny.