NOTE: This observation is a continuation of a previous post. The earlier article can be found here: Great Horned Owl – VCDB Nests Update 9 Well, I finally got the good weather I had been hoping would coincide with a trip out to photograph the VCDB owl nests. The temperatures were warm, the sky was
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A roadkill Armadillo photographed on North Elm Street in Denton, Texas. Observation Details County – Denton City – Denton Date – Mar 31, 2012 Time of Day – Afternoon Temperature – Warm (70-89°F/21-32°C) Weather – Clear Habitat – Thoroughfare-Primary Road Type of Behavior – Death Gender – Uncertain Maturity – Adult Observer – Chris Jackson
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I came across this unusual find in Arlington’s River Legacy Park. This is a recently deceased Red-eared Slider. I’m not sure how this semi-aquatic turtle arrived at this location, which is several hundred yards/meters away from any standing body of water. He may have wandered to this spot from the river, or a predator may
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The distemper epidemic continues unabated in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. Many types of urban wildlife of susceptible to this terrible disease. This Mink—a likely victim of canine distemper—was found in the Great Trinity Forest near Pemberton Hill Rd. Observations Details County – Dallas City – Dallas Date – Feb 17, 2013 Time of Day -
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These fish remains (likely a Longnose Gar) were found on the dried lake bed of far north Lewisville Lake. Scales and bones where in abundance. Most notable was a lower jawbone filled with needle-sharp teeth. Observations Details County – Denton City – Unincorporated Date – Feb 2, 2013 Time of Day – Afternoon Temperature -
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Not all urban wildlife encounters have a happy ending. I found this roadkill Barred Owl beside FM426 in Denton, Texas. The owl was probably killed the night before while engaged in hunting. The likely scenario here is that the owl spotted a prey animal in the grass across the road from where he was perched.
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There is a pond behind the Mustang Apartments in Carrollton, Texas. Like most ponds in the area, this one is shrunken due to the extended drought. The water has retreated several yards/meters from the normal shoreline leaving large portions of the pond bottom exposed. In the photographs below you will see the remains of hundreds
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You don’t see many of these now-a-days—dead or alive. This is the shell of a deceased Ornate Box Turtle. Decades ago these turtles were very common in the North Texas area. As a boy, I use to stumble across one almost every time I ventured into the woods. Something has happened to the turtle population
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This Beaver Skull was found under the tree canopy very close to the Trinity River at McCommas Bluff. This was the small skull of a juvenile or young adult animal. No other parts of the skeleton were discovered in the immediate vicinity. It is not clear what killed this young Beaver, but he was almost
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There are a lot of Raccoons in the Lewisville Lake Environmental Learning Area (LLELA). A lot. I found my first indication of just how many when I stumbled across the remains of a Raccoon skeleton as I made my way to the Elm Fork of the Trinity River. The skeleton I found was incomplete. Only
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Animal mortality is a frequent occurrence. Life in the wild is dangerous and full of hazards. But, dead animals are not often seen. Nature cleans up after itself. When animals die, the process of decomposition begins almost immediately. Scavengers waste no time locating and feeding on corpses. Evidence of death in the nature rarely lasts
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