(no subject)

[derien]

It's not that things don't happen in my life, it's that, mostly, they would require too much explanation to be worth posting.

I almost hit two otters when I was driving to work this morning There was no way to stop, too much traffic behind and too my left, no margin to the right because it was at a bridge (which is why I'm going with them being otters). The one in the lead got all the way across the bridge ahead of the traffic, the one following ended up right squarly in front of me. I let off the brake and cringed, heard a thump, then looked in the rearview and saw him running back off the way he had come. I passed directly over him and the thump must have been a bump in the road.

Chasing after girls will shorten your life.

Comments

[kryptyd]

Otters! How rare and lovely! Otters are some of my favourite creatures. Actually, I say rare, but who knows if that's the case where you are. They are rare in Ireland and England and were persecuted a lot in the past, but they are making quite a comeback in both countries.

HORNY OTTERS!!

[derien]

Well, I think they were otters, because they came up from the river, they were long and low and moved like a ripple. If the one hadn't ducked and escaped as he did I'd have had to convince myself they were mink, because mink are evil creatures and it would have made me feel better if I'd killed it. ;)

[kryptyd]

I think it's easy to tell the difference between a mink and an otter. Otters are much, much bigger. The only thing that looks similar and is as big as an otter is a pine martin. Do have those there? Mink and stoat now, those two can be mixed up (and yes, one is good and the other evil)

[derien]

Well, according to Wiki, American otters body length ranges from 66 to 107 centimetres (26 to 42 in) - so I can still maintain in my mind they could have been small, young otters. However, it's beginning to appear somewhat more likely that they could be mink. That's okay, I still wouldn't want to have killed them. :) Males measure 13–18 inches (34–45 cm) in body length, while females measure 12–15 inches (31–37.5 cm) It fit under my car easily, I'd have said neither of these creatures was much longer than 20 inches. I'd have said they were a somewhat lighter and redder brown than the American mink pictured on Wiki, the color seemed more like an otter, but they did not have the white underbelly of the stoat. I didn't even know we had stoats, here! (Oh, on further reading, it seems we call them "short-tailed weasel.") Martens, apparently, live in Northern Maine, but it would be unusual to see one this far south.

They were definitely not fishers or fisher-cats, I knew they would be too small, but I looked those up just for fun: the male being much larger than the female. Males are 90–120 cm (35–47 in) in length and weigh 3.5–6 kg (8–13 lb). Females measure 75–95 cm (30–37 in) and weigh 2–2.5 kg (4–6 lb).[10][11] The largest ever male fisher recorded weighed 9 kg (20 lb).[12]

BIG mustelid.

fisher cat

[derien]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Martes_pennanti.jpg