You missed it: There hasn't been 27 attacks by gators. They were talking about 27 attacks that were FATAL. That means 27 people who couldn't get away in time. There's been a closer to 450 attacks--they just weren't fatal.
@@AniwayasSong Even a small nip by a gator pretty much has to be reported because the bacteria in their mouths is so harmful to humans, one will end up in the hospital even if a baby gator just took a tiny bite. A bite from a mama gator or a big bull is never going to go unreported because that bite force is unreal. I've been around them since I was 9 throughout the southeastern US (in Florida now) and all my adult years have been as a first responder. I respect the gators and just don't go near the water unless I can see the bottom :)
@@denaedorx3274 When I was Stationed at Camp Lejeune, N.C., I and other maniacs (Fools), would often rent the canoes on Mainside, and go around trying to find gators sunning themselves (Or floating on the surface). Not entirely sure wth we thought we were going to DO, if we ever did (I had a camera, likely just take pictures), but there was NO way'n HELL I would every try to swim/lounge on the 'Shore' (The damned ticks/insects alone prevent THAT). I'm also an Open Water SCUBA diver, and that is as close to rubbing up against an 'Apex Predator' I ever (again) want to be! The only thing you can hear underwater is your own breathing/handling stuff that makes noise, or distant sounds of ship engines. I nearly had a heart attack one dive, turning to the side to find a white tip shark not six feet away, and as long (Longer?) than myself. Both of us instantly turned direction and left each other alone, for which I'm eternally grateful! I really enjoyed the late, great Steve Irwin. The Man was absolutely INSANE in his passion/dedication to critters, and the more dangerous they were, the more he seemed to interact with them! Yeah, I don't wanna dance with no gator/croc, and am happy to leave them alone! :-)
I calculated gator attacks vs shark attack and though shark attacks are far more common than gator attacks the gators ratio of fatality is much higher than the shark. Though gators are docile and not as aggressive as crocodiles, they still need a lot of respect because they will typically run at the sight of humans, but gators who are fed by humans lose that fear and if they attack you, your chances of dying than are much higher than being attacked by a shark. I have been living in Florida since 1979 and live in a rural area, so I have seen many gators of different sizes. The smartest thing to do is stay out of the water near dusk or dawn, this is when most bad attacks happen. Gators are nocturnal, so there is a greater chance of encountering one in the water, where they have all the advantage. In the day time, gators will usually be seen laying out on the banks or on fallen trees sunning themselves. Being cold blooded, they need the heat of the sun to hunt at night. The colder a gator gets, the slower they become, so they won’t be able to hunt successfully unless they heat their body using the scutes on their back as solar panels that warm them up. The more hot a gator gets, the faster they move.
When I was around 8-10 our neighbors in rural Texas adopted/rescued a cougar (aka a puma / mountain lion). Her name was Tush (from the ZZ Top song) and she was very sweet and gentle with people. She loved neck scratches and Fudgesicle bars. When she purred it sounded like a lawn mower. Unfortunately, she died when some scumbags tried to kidnap her and overdosed her on sedatives a couple of years after she was adopted. R.I.P Tush. You were a sweetheart, and I hope I can feed you a Fudgesicle again one day.
WE have a large pond across the road from us. In it lives Charley. A 10 foot alligator. Last year Charley ate a prowler that was trying to check out a house in the dark. The prowler not being able to see, stepped in to the pond and Charley was waiting under the surface. The prowler's body was stuffed under a sunken log. The local neighbors gave Charley a whole ham as a reward
@@stormtrooper1096 That's the good thing about him being a male 'gator. He travels to mate and then comes back. No young gators would survive in his pond.
Floridian here. Most people who are attacked by gators are taken from the shoreline, not necessarily being IN the water or swimming with them. They are ambush predators and hunt from the shoreline.
And they love to visit neighborhoods and even travel out of state. During their active periods gators will def. "come to you" so to speak. They're also freakishly fast.
Cougers will defend an area if it has kittens nearby. There is a really creepy video of one scaring off a hiker. It said that if they are hunting you, you won't know what hit you. If you see them coming after you, they are trying to scare you away.
With the seeing part, take that with a grain of salt. It more about body language and behavior. If it makes itself known then it's protecting its kittens, if it's actively stalking you in a lowered body position and ear pinned back then you're it's prey. If it's following you, but keeping it's distance then it's curious and deciding if you're a threat or prey. You can spot them if they're stalking you.
I have a friend who was hunting deer and was stalked and attacked by one. She felt it watching her but did not see it until just before it lunged. She had time to pull her rifle up to her hip and shoot. It landed at her feet, and the fur had powder burns. That and the bullet trajectory are the 2 things that kept her from a poaching charge. They rarely attack humans, but they are stealthy and can be deadly when they do.
@dacrosber I live in cougar country, I am aware of the dangers, and the most recent attacks here in north to central Utah have all been adult men. Just say'n.
Born-and-raised Floridian here. The panthers mostly stick to their habitat in the inland southwestern portion of the peninsula; roughly from a Tampa-Lakeland line southward to Naples and the Everglades, and most of that is rural farmland or swamps. Contact with humans is VERY uncommon, though it does happen from time to time... usually in nature parks or other green-space public areas. In fact, the larger problem has been automobiles, as there are a few roads, especially a couple of prominent state highways, that go right through their natural range. They're on the endangered species list as "critically imperiled," as it only occupies 5% of its historic habitat and by the 1970's, only about 20 were still alive in the wild, though they HAVE rebounded to just over 200. Contrary to popular belief, you DO NOT WANT TO RUN AWAY from a Florida panther. You stand tall and make direct eye contact with it. If they come after you, however, you SHOULD fight back, and do not turn around away from it. They do not like confrontation, and they will typically back down. But if you don't see them, and you hear one hissing at you, leave quickly, because that's your one warning. And believe me, you WILL know when you hear one hissing at you. That's an unmistakeable, chilling sound. And yes, I **do** know from experience!
There is one that lives out on Sanibel Island that gets spotted once in a while. I live in the center of Cape Coral so I'm not going to see one here but we do have coyotes. Last fall, a coyote walked right down the side of my neighbors pool cage. No idea where they go during the day.
everyone says they just aren't up here in Hamilton County anymore (Suwannee, Columbia, Madison county area) but there is so much basically uncharted land up here that I would not be surprised. I have heard you'll pretty much only run into them in the 'Glades though.
Just to clarify: I was giving a rough indication of where the **majority** of the panther population is. There ARE panthers throughout the rest of the state, just not in as concentrated a grouping.
I am from New England but whenever I am in Florida I stay away from all fresh water. I was amazed of the many gators I saw driving the beeline highway through the swamps. We decided if we had a flat we would keep on driving and not stop to exchange the tire.😅
@@rhondapease8516Gators can also be found in brackish water. We have gators on our coast (NC). People freak out when they show up on the beaches and swim in the ocean to rid themselves of parasites.
@@Bad_Meach That's true! Though I never experienced that while on the Outer Banks (by the way I love the Outer Banks!), we went to a beach on the eastern side of Florida where the gators were enjoying the swampy waters next to the beach. The ranger told us we would be fine on the beach because the daytime temperatures were way too high for them in the middle of the day. There was a car path through the swamp to view the gators but it wasn't for us. We just stayed on the hot beach.
@@rhondapease8516 We’re below Wilmington not far from the Green Swamp. The golf course on the island has a huge gator that’s been hanging around it as far back as I can remember. So seeing an occasional alligator on the beach isn’t that surprising to old timers like me, but it freaks out the visitors. Especially, the new ones. 😂
@@Bad_Meach Yeah, it would at least make me nervous seeing a gator on the beach. However I have no issues with the black bears, coyotes, bobcats and rattlesnakes in my area. 😂
A 40 y/o homeless woman was just killed by a huge alligator near Clearwater FL past week or so.....horrendous. Gator was killed but was about 17 ft long!
I saw that. She was sleeping under the bridge next to the retention pond. Only her torso was in the gators mouth. Floridians should know to stay away from bodies of water. Especially at night. But no one should have to pass away like that.
@@mimiv3088my grandfather and uncles homes are about 3 blocks from the everglades in Coral Springs. Spent a few years down in Southeastern Louisiana in my early 20s. Ive seen plenty of gators, still dont go near them
You asked how something on an island is the only one. This it was part of the main land and had foxes. Then the ocean raises up and it became an island trapping the fox. They imbreed because they have to, causing family traits to become more distinctive and you have a new breed.
The chances of seeing a big cat in the wild is very rare. We’ve got big cats where I live in Maine and you can go your lifetime and never see one. They’re like ghosts spirit animals.
Unless you're in South Dakota and Montana. The young males are chased out before the new kittens are born and they end up wandering into town and causing trouble. Survival tips: If one attacks, fight back and punch it in the nose while making as much noise as you can. Their ears and nose are very sensitive.
@@kittenisageek I don’t know a lot about either state I’ve visited both absolutely love both of them I just know in Maine they normally avoid you I wasn’t speaking for the rest of the US
As a lifetime hiker I have only seen a mountain lion one time, and FYI it was way bigger and more muscular then I thought possible. This thing was a beast.
I use to live in Big Bear California and we saw bear, mountain lions, rattlesnakes and coyotes all the time. They all ran away when they spotted us. One time a lion was stalking my corgi. but ran away when they saw me.
yep extremely rare. I have heard the same thing but I have seen about 5 in the wild, but that is cause I have lived most my life basically in the wild. Saw one last year actually then before that when I was 27 had one watching me change my car battery, only saw it cause I left in my car right afterwards and saw it trotting up the hill next to my driveway, that one was the biggest mountain lion I have seen that wasn't a picture. They ended up killing it the next year after it killed all 9 of my neighbors Alpaca's, the thing weighed in at 215 lbs and was a female. Biggest female mountain lion I have ever heard of.
The island foxes only exist BECAUSE they’re on the island. They came from the same foxes as the mainland and isolation created the separate species, pretty typical of island animals
During the ice ages, the Channel Islands were separated from the mainland by only narrow waterways. Many animals colonized the islands and then became isolated when sea levels rose again.
@@scottmartin5990yea they even had pygmy mammoths and even normal ones that hadn't adapted yet showing that the water was constantly moving back and forth many times
Just a month or so ago a gator took an elderly person that was on a walk. A gator also grabbed a person who was trying to protect their dog not too long ago.
Honorable mention should be the turkey. It almost became the national bird of the US. I know it's spread across the world now, especially for food source, but it's native to North America.
After living in Florida for 8 years. I've always heard whether posted or not just assume any body of fresh water probably has at 2 Gators in it. Just stay far enough away from the edge of the water and you're good. I would also say other than for personal protection most gun owners also carry in case they ever need to protect themselves selves from bears, gators, hogs, or a mountain lion.
For the big cats it's suggested that you face them (don't run whatever you do), look at their feet not directly into their eyes to avoid appearing aggressive. If they display aggressive behavior try to appear larger-raise your arms or open your jacket over your head. Make noise by yelling, blowing a whistle or an air horn.
@@kertagin1while yes, you are correct, the cougar population is limited to the western provinces of bc and Alberta. So nowhere near on the scale of what the US has. So I can see where the guy could’ve been misled by not looking further into it.
@@kertagin1 The cougar / puma / mountain lion covers a large part of the US and Canada perhaps even Mexico (not sure where they draw the line between puma and jaguar), the Florida variant is a subspecies native to Florida.
Fun facts about mountain lions....not only do you have to look for them on the ground, they also like to be up in the trees above and can also swim almost a mile and sometimes swim across rivers. They have a bite force of almost 400 pounds per square inch and can run between 40-50 mph. Also Mountain lions are in 16 US states, not just Florida.
I live across the street from a river and a Bald Eagle made it's nest in a large tree nearby and can be seen pretty much every morning flying off to the river to hunt. Yesterday morning she was rooting around in my neighbor's planter. I almost caught a picture but she flew away as soon as I got my phone out. Just an absolutely majestic and massive creature.
Several BaldEagle nests near Pittsburgh Pennsylvania… had an immature one fly from roost to roost along the stream in a local park eying up my pony, its rider & myself… probably wondering what creature has 3 heads and six legs!
Rule of thumb in the South just assume if there’s a body of water that there’s a gator in it and they don’t really bother you at all. I had a 6 footer with in ten feet of me on the golf course didn’t bother me at all it was staring me down lol but didn’t bother me lol 😂
This is why cyclists always get attacked by cougars, where I am. Their backs are always to the lions, and it always looks like they are fleeing, even though all they are doing is casually riding in the woods. Most cyclists who get attacked had no idea they were even being hunted beforehand!
Gators by far scare me me more than any other animal. Never thought golfing in South Carolina would be one of the the scariest experience I have ever had in my life. Nothing gets your adrenalin pumping and hurts your back swing like a gator taking a nap 10 feet away from you while your teeing off.
I saw a documentary years ago that 1 guy got killed by a gator on September 11, 2001 so nobody really paid attention. Another unfortunately famous attack was a young child dragged into the water by a gator at a Disney World resort. It drowned him.
Yeah I went to Disney World a few years ago. There's a giant lake that they ferry you across from the parking lot to the Magical Kingdom that has a bunch of gators in it and there are resorts all along the lake, but there are signs everywhere that say to stay away from the shore
@chrissears5482 that is the lake where it happened. The family was at the grand Floridian. Those signs were put up after the incident. Disney had denied for years the presence of alligators on their property.
@@nathankalkbrenner8039 I will be honest, I didn't actually see any gators in it when i went, and I was looking for them, but they probably stay away from the high traffic areas
3:57 I played with garter snakes all the time when I was a kid. They’re really mellow, they never did anything worse than make a bad smell to defend themselves.
Fun fact- listen up! I was born an raised on the west coast of the U.S. I also grew up back in the 80s & 90s hunting, fishing, camping!: I've lost track of how many wild snakes I've caught by hand, not to mention how many of them bit me. Lol. I'm telling you from a first person pov, Garter snakes are NOT venomous! Neither are king snakes, gopher snakes, corn snakes, black racers(snake), black Hognose Snake, that includes all subspecies from each main species. One thing to keep in mind though, all snakes have a likely chance of carrying various bacteria in their saliva. It is those such bacteria that cause the inflammation, sensitivity ,and itchiness the narrator mentioned...
Mountain Lions can be very aggressive. I wouldn't recommend charging at it. Your best bet, if it attacks you, is to fight back hard, and it might get discouraged from continuing. It's best to bring a blade with you, if you were to go into the American woods.
We have chipmunks in Wisconsin--which is northern midwest. Garter snakes are just sweethearts. We used to pet them as kids. Florida panthers are just one kind we have here. We have cougars just outside my town in northern Wisconsin.
@@lanehenkle6400 The video referred specifically to _Hopi_ chipmunks and to _Florida Panther_ cougars, which are subspecies of those animals that do only exist in certain areas of the US.
Animals end up on islands from when lands were still connected before, they separated or rising seas that cut off once existing land bridges and of course human introducing them on purpose or by accident with hitchhikers on ships. Like the British bringing over rats to North America and a movie studio brought over bison on Catalina Island to shoot a movie and once the shooting ended. They just left them there and they reproduced and now are a part of the island.
Ages ago the Channel Islands were connected to California with a land bridge before the oceans rose. Wooley Mammoths were caught on the islands and had to survive with diminishing resources. Half size fossils of fully grown mammoths have been found. Carbon dating has early humans existing and visiting the islands at the same time as the tiny mammoths existed. I have seen the tiny foxes. They will get within 20 feet of visitors hoping for a handout of food.
@16:02 I live in Southern Colorado, and saw a mountain lion when i was driving down the highway, (I-25), at dusk. Didn't know what i was seeing, at first. Something was leaping through the grass in the distance. From a distance, the movement reminded me of a rabbit, but i knew that it was way too big to be a rabbit. Then i could see something running through the tall grass, in my direction. Then it stopped. After a couple of seconds, the grass exploded, and there was something huge, flying through the air. It looked as if it was going to fly over my car, so i momentarily turned to track it, but didn't see anything. I turned back forward, and saw something standing by the road, too big to be a coyote. It moved toward the road, and i saw part of the hind end, and thought it might be a huge farm dog. It stuck its face out from the grass and weeds, and it was no dog. I had no idea what it was. Then it came out onto the road. It was huge and muscular. It wasn't until i saw the tail, that i realized that it was a mountain lion. The tail was so long that it would gave dragged on the ground, if the cat had not been holding it up. There was no traffic, so i slowed my car way down, as i drove past it. The back was at about the same level as the bottom of my car windows, and it looked to be about the size of a St. Bernard dog. It was huge, powerful, impressive animal. I knew that i was safe, as all of my windows were rolled up, but it was still a little unnerving, considering that these animals have a large range, and i had seen this about 5 miles North of my house.
I grew up in southwestern Colorado, north of Durango, and we used to see pumas sunning themselves on the rocks across the canyon in the summer. They're a lot bigger than most people think, and seem even BIGGER if encountered in the wild, and all you've got is a stick and a loud voice to defend yourself.
Of California's Channel Islands, Santa Catalina is 75 square miles with a population of 4096 and the highest elevation is 2097 feet. Comparing your Channel Island of Jersey is 46 square miles with a population of 103,267 and the highest elevation is 469 feet.
Saw one last fall here in Nevada. But the sub-species/breed called the "Florida panther" is genetically distinctive due to being isolated from the western cougars/pumas and the northeastern catamounts that officially don't exist.
There are far more non-fatal alligator attacks than fatal ones, this is partly due to the fact that many younger alligators simply are not big enough to easily kill a human. In addition to this they primarily hunt in the water or immediately along the shoreline, though occasionally can be found some distance from bodies of water. My sister in law found an 8 ft alligator in the drainage ditch by her house in south Louisiana a few years ago, the surprising thing is this was about 3 miles from the nearest body of water that would be large enough for it to swim in.
Had a cougar in my backyard the other night . Other names are : Cougar, Mountain Lion , Puma . I also get visits from Lynx . Black Bears , Grizzly Bears . Various deer and Moose . I'm in British Columbia Canada Great Channel !
"Unless you go to them, they are not going to come and find you." Well they are ambsh predators so i guess so, but there are way to many incidents of them just hanging out in peoples pools and yards, so no.
Yeah, they'll 100% come and find you. They'll steal a fish off your line and you can hear them slide into the water even if you can't see them. They end up in the middle of our town all the time and we don't even have a river, just a few canals.
Most gators prey on animals, birds, & yes people who are along the shore line. They are mostly ambush hunters they sneak up on their prey. They are very fast in short burst of speed. Don't mistake them lumbering along on land for them being slow.
Back in the late '90s in Louisiana, sheriff was driving his new squad car when he came across a gator crossing the 2-lane road. This gator was so massive that the sheriff ended up going in the canal alongside the road because it would have wrecked his car. People really underestimate how big a gator can get in its natural environment.
Cougars live all over the place, texas, Colorado, Arizona, Nevada for sure. You don't turn your back, walk slowly backwards while making yourself big and make noise. They don't typically want anything to do with you either.
You guys are hilarious on 4 hours of sleep. I remember when I had my first baby. Went outside and saw the sunset for the first time in months: I was so busy with the baby that I forgot about sunsets. It was quite a sobering moment. You guys are doing a great job 💕
Rhe chipmunk is also known as a tree tiger. I don't know where dude was getting his information, but the cougar is not just a Florida cat. They range all the way across the country, and into Mexico and Canada.
As well as in Canada and Mexico and in Central and South America. The guy in the video is referring to the subspecies in Florida only, but Mountain Lions, aka Pumas, Cougars and other names, are throughout much of the Americas.
Those furry black catterpillar things are to be avoided here in Texas. They deliver a row of stings/bites that burn like fire. As bad if not worse than fire ants.
@@Jennifer-jn2qw Fellow (former)Texan here! The ones you played with sound like they might have been either Isabella Tiger moth caterpillars (chunky fuzz balls; have an orange-brown horizontal stripe; become yellow-orange moths) or Salt Marsh caterpillars (thinner; have the longer black spikes; become black-speckled snowy white moths) which are generally OK to touch. The problem is that there are so many species of black fuzzy caterpillars (they're all generically called "wooly bears/wooly worms"), and it seems some can cause skin irritation for people with sensitive skin. Of course, then you have the asps which.... are the worst. Those caterpillars actually are poisonous, and if one crawls along your skin, they'll leave a burning rash that resembles a line of little ant bites. Or the buck moth caterpillars which are black with orange-brown-ish tips. Those leave long welts that look like deranged mosquito bites. That might be what OP is thinking about? Every spring we would have the local poisonous variety hanging on long silk strings from all the live oaks in the area. There were always a few students or visitors who were unfortunate enough to be under a caterpillar when a string broke, or who'd get a nasty shock when they ran face first into a caterpillar hanging a bit too low. I'm not sure if they still do this, but there used to be signs taped up around courtyards and jogging paths warning people to keep an eye out and avoid touching the caterpillars. While a bunch are safe to touch, a few aren't, so it was better to be safe than sorry in that area!
The chipmunk is actually found in northern states as well. I'm in Northern Indiana and I see them all the time. I've seen them in Northern Minnesota, as well
Mountain lion, puma, cougar. I think these are all different names for the same species of big cats. We also have them in Idaho, I heard. They supposedly can sound like a woman screaming in agony or something like that.
I also had a ‘goose incident’ while golfing. I was mortified. It was during an organized golf outing with prizes, etc. Because all of the groups that came after me saw the results of my incident, word got around. At the end of the day, the group decided to give me a prize for my special ‘aim’. Ugh!
Paddlefish are also called spoonbill catfish even though not in the catfish family. Really good eating like fried catfish. He did not mention Hellbenders. Look up on google.
When I went to Hawaii, nenes were everywhere. I also did play golf in Hawaii, they definitely have courses there. The course I played on had recent volcanic activity so we played around some lava rocks. When we asked how recent the lava had flowed over and cooled there, we were surprised it had only been a few weeks.
Six minutes in: "If we go to Hawaii you're not playing golf." LOL. My mom and dad have similar vacation discussions. Usually it is mom telling dad "You're not going fishing..."
all rattle snakes are dangerous to humans, that guy is misinformed, also most will try every way possible to either not be noticed by you or to get away before they resort to biting you, when confronted by a predator don't act like prey, and you're more likely to eat an alligator than it is to eat you, same is true of sharks and where I live bears
Rattlesnakes are definitely not dangerous to humans. They will only bite as a last resort, and then it's most often a dry bite with no venom. They rattle to warn anything too big to eat, because their venom is part of their digestion and if they use it to defend themselves they can't eat for a day or so.
I was born and raised in San Pedro, CA which is 26 miles from Catalina Island. Starting around 1930 the film industry (Hollywood) made a LOT of movies in the Channel Islands, they used several species of animals for the filming and a lot of them got left behind. There are Buffalo on Catalina Island left there from Cowboy and Indian movies.
The video is referring specifically to the "Florida Panther" subspecies of cougar. But that begs the question of why other animals unique to the continental USA, such as the Tule elk, were not included in the video.
@@willong1000the only thing special about the Florida subspecies is the inbreeding and poor genetics caused by being g separated from the primary population over the last 100 years
Love from NM ❤ when I go out for walks I see coyotes and quail often, especially in the spring… Coyotes are super loud when they get together at night to party 😂
I'm beginning to think you're quite soft in the UK. FWIW Foxes are pretty mellow. I used to have a wild one come into my apartment and hang out for a few minutes every week when I lived in the mountains.
It's kind of funny that the narrator of the video has an Australian accent. I guess people take an Australian accent more seriously when it comes to animals, especially since Steve Irwin (R.I.P) taught the world so much about animals.💯
We have Mountain Lion/Cougars in the Pacific NW as well. They get pretty big. On a fishing trip we watched one swim across a stream and climb out the other side. It was a very big cat. Beautiful lethality.
Florida panthers are awesome creatures. Out here in Oregon our cougars (also mountain lions) can top out at 200 lbs. So when you come visit us, keep one eye out for cougars, and the other for bears. I'll loan your hubby a good rifle Millie, you'll be fine.
Born and raised in the PNW, I grew up in the coastal range outside of Garibaldi, biggest one I've ever seen was a big bold male, jumped in front of our car and stood there looking at us, my friends younger brother for whatever insane reason decided he wanted to get out to pet it, when my dad noticed what he was doing he grabbed him and yanked him back, but the cougar saw him getting out of the car and quickly began moving towards him, if not for my dad being aware of what he was doing, that big Ole boy would've had the kid up in a tree, I say kid but he was 15 at the time and should've known better. I was most impressed not just by the size of this one, but also how muscular it was, I've seen plenty of others, but none that big and he was in a mood from the moment he landed on the road.
If it wasn't for the fact the city people would do something stupid and hysterical to the animals, I'd say let a few think the brown bears are friendly. Highly instructive.
During the last Ice Age, ocean levels were much lower, and the Channel Islands off the coast of California were connected to the mainland. After the Ice Age ended and the sea level rose, it created the Channel Islands, allowing the foxes to evolve separately. There were even a species of miniature mammoths that were native to the Channel Islands thousands of years ago
As a Floridian I can tell you that if you leave Gators alone they tend to leave you alone,except during mating season and mothers protecting the nest.A good rule of thumb is if there is a body of fresh water assume that there is a Gator in it.
@@TheBeesleys99 I've been a hunter since a very young age and have read fairly extensively about wildlife and hunting in many regions of the world. I've never heard of anyone in North America adopting that practice of wearing a mask representing a human face on the back of their head to discourage cougars from stalking them. However, it is a well-documented practice that residents of the Sundarbans (a large mangrove forest in West Bengal) employ to discourage tiger attacks.
Thing about the Puma is that if they are actively stalking you the odds are very high, you'll never even know they were there. The ones who have lived to tell the tale say they did not have a clue they were in any danger up till the point the animal hit from behind.
The grouse is new to me as well. A few of these are. Alabama here. We get chipmunks but not often and they are quite fat here lol as older people enjoy them in their gardens and feed them grain and nuts
we dont really worry about mountain lions. they are very skiddish and avoid humans like a scared house cat. if one does get aggressive ( due to lack of food or being threatened ) they are usually put down fairly quickly. we get them in utah suburbs about once every few years and it always makes the news.
In Colorado, we had a couple of instances mountain lions breaking into people's houses, (pushed through screen door), and eating the family cats. This was a couple of years ago.
Four red wolf pups were recently born at the North Carolina Zoo. They have a breeding program for red wolves. Eastern North Carolina has a few in the wild.
8:30 Most likely the fox used to look different and it being isolated on islands for so long, it adapted to the islands and probably changed in appearance overtime because of the adaptations.
It seems curious that the Florida panther was included but the Kodiak bear was not. Either can be considered a subspecies of cougar and grizzly/brown bear respectively. The Florida panthers are a little smaller than the main population, but can interbreed with the main population of cougars, and ondeed, they did so when some cougars were brought in to add genetic diversity to the Florida population. OTOH, the kodiaks are about twice the size of grizzlies, and possibly would be unable to interbreed with grizzlies - that's a difficult experiment to run. By the usual 'interbreeding' standard, that would make Kodiaks a separate species.It certainly is as distinct as the Florida panther.
I had a crazy Uncle in Arizona who would go into rattle snake pits and catch them. Everytime they came to TN to visit he'd bring us rattles off them. He said tgeir neat taste like chicken just like the chicken turtle.
In Tucson, I've seen bobcats, javelinas, coyotes, coues whitetail deer, rattlesnakes, ground squirrels, scorpions, tarantulas, owls, and cardinals. And that was just in my neighborhood!
If I recall right, nearly 20 thousand years ago the Catarina Islands were connected by land to the mainland. When ocean levels rose the lands became separated, causing animals on those islands to develop into different subspecies.
The mountain lion looks the same as the ones we have here in Canada - I can't see any difference. Oh, and generally they don't want to attack you, as long as you don't corner them they will likely just avoid you. I've been near to them many times in my teens and never had a threatening situation. I've come much closer to danger around pigs on my uncle's farm.
@@CharlesMartel-bd5du I'm sorry, just double checked rather than depending on old memories, but you have that backwards. The largest mountain lions live in northern areas, southern areas have smaller mountain lions. On average, adult male mountain lions in California weigh between 110-180 pounds whereas male mountain lions in Canada average between weights of 150-200 pounds. Sorry to disappoint. They are, however, the same species, so - regardless of what the video claims, not unique to the US. The environment is the reason they grow bigger up here - better food supply and the climate is more suited to them growing bigger.
@@TheFireMonkey respectfully I own a ranch here and have lived in these mountains over twenty years. I just lost a chicken to one the other day. Your sizes are more accurate for the Central Valley, and Southern California where there’s less cover and prey. So that’s why they average smaller sizes in those areas. So the environmental situation essentially the same as Canada. But with better weather. I chased a female out of our woods four years ago. It and its kitten back then settled four properties down. I like it there because it keeps the coyotes away. It was likely the male cub that took the chicken. We have game cameras and size the tracks. Plus I’ve seen them all over the place in these mountains over the years.
@@CharlesMartel-bd5du I never suggested you are unfamiliar with mountain lions - likely far more so than I am since while I have friends and relatives who live on farms and ranches, I live in Vancouver. I have had some experiences as I have been out in the country when visiting and I have seen several mountain lions. But the point here is the size, and unless you have also lived on a ranch up here in northern BC for years so that you also know the mountain lions living in Canada, you don't have anything to compare to. So you direct experience will no doubt tell you a lot about how they behave, things like the typical range of a mountain lion, perhaps a good sense of how fast they are and stuff like that, it gives you no basis for judging comparative sizes - only for having a feel of the size of the ones in your area. I used the actual statistics that are listed for them in BC vs California which is recorded by the agencies which study them both at a distance and by tranquilizing them, then tagging them and recording weight, length, general health, etc. The people who put together those stats have seen a lot more mountain lions then either of us, or anyone else who's job is not actually studying them, and that is where my figures come from. So while I respect your knowledge, as a rancher, of the cats in your area, and there is no question they are bigger, the experts who have actually put mountain lions from up here on a scale and weighed them, and have done the same down there so there have something to compare, say that the cats in the US are smaller than the ones in Canada.
You don't have to outrun a mountain lion, you just have to outrun your companion.
wow ahahahah!
I heard that they could jump 40 feet 🙄 Then i saw one do it 😱
We say that about gators in Fla
😂
IF you have a companion .🤣
You missed it: There hasn't been 27 attacks by gators. They were talking about 27 attacks that were FATAL. That means 27 people who couldn't get away in time. There's been a closer to 450 attacks--they just weren't fatal.
It makes you wonder how many attacks go unreported?
@@AniwayasSong Even a small nip by a gator pretty much has to be reported because the bacteria in their mouths is so harmful to humans, one will end up in the hospital even if a baby gator just took a tiny bite. A bite from a mama gator or a big bull is never going to go unreported because that bite force is unreal. I've been around them since I was 9 throughout the southeastern US (in Florida now) and all my adult years have been as a first responder. I respect the gators and just don't go near the water unless I can see the bottom :)
@@denaedorx3274
When I was Stationed at Camp Lejeune, N.C., I and other maniacs (Fools), would often rent the canoes on Mainside, and go around trying to find gators sunning themselves (Or floating on the surface). Not entirely sure wth we thought we were going to DO, if we ever did (I had a camera, likely just take pictures), but there was NO way'n HELL I would every try to swim/lounge on the 'Shore' (The damned ticks/insects alone prevent THAT).
I'm also an Open Water SCUBA diver, and that is as close to rubbing up against an 'Apex Predator' I ever (again) want to be! The only thing you can hear underwater is your own breathing/handling stuff that makes noise, or distant sounds of ship engines. I nearly had a heart attack one dive, turning to the side to find a white tip shark not six feet away, and as long (Longer?) than myself. Both of us instantly turned direction and left each other alone, for which I'm eternally grateful!
I really enjoyed the late, great Steve Irwin. The Man was absolutely INSANE in his passion/dedication to critters, and the more dangerous they were, the more he seemed to interact with them!
Yeah, I don't wanna dance with no gator/croc, and am happy to leave them alone!
:-)
I calculated gator attacks vs shark attack and though shark attacks are far more common than gator attacks the gators ratio of fatality is much higher than the shark.
Though gators are docile and not as aggressive as crocodiles, they still need a lot of respect because they will typically run at the sight of humans, but gators who are fed by humans lose that fear and if they attack you, your chances of dying than are much higher than being attacked by a shark.
I have been living in Florida since 1979 and live in a rural area, so I have seen many gators of different sizes. The smartest thing to do is stay out of the water near dusk or dawn, this is when most bad attacks happen. Gators are nocturnal, so there is a greater chance of encountering one in the water, where they have all the advantage. In the day time, gators will usually be seen laying out on the banks or on fallen trees sunning themselves.
Being cold blooded, they need the heat of the sun to hunt at night. The colder a gator gets, the slower they become, so they won’t be able to hunt successfully unless they heat their body using the scutes on their back as solar panels that warm them up. The more hot a gator gets, the faster they move.
As crocodiillions go, alligators are absolutely sweet hearts. Try the American crocodile. Absolutely vicious.
When I was around 8-10 our neighbors in rural Texas adopted/rescued a cougar (aka a puma / mountain lion). Her name was Tush (from the ZZ Top song) and she was very sweet and gentle with people. She loved neck scratches and Fudgesicle bars. When she purred it sounded like a lawn mower. Unfortunately, she died when some scumbags tried to kidnap her and overdosed her on sedatives a couple of years after she was adopted. R.I.P Tush. You were a sweetheart, and I hope I can feed you a Fudgesicle again one day.
Bastards. I hope they face consequences!
She must have been raised from a kitten.
Condolences
Nooooo!!!!!
Humans are jerks
WE have a large pond across the road from us. In it lives Charley. A 10 foot alligator. Last year Charley ate a prowler that was trying to check out a house in the dark. The prowler not being able to see, stepped in to the pond and Charley was waiting under the surface. The prowler's body was stuffed under a sunken log. The local neighbors gave Charley a whole ham as a reward
This just hits me as so very American Southern. I’m so proud.
All good until Charley starts to get pets and children
@@stormtrooper1096 That's the good thing about him being a male 'gator. He travels to mate and then comes back. No young gators would survive in his pond.
@@Marcus-p5i5she's still gotta eat
'Merica
Floridian here. Most people who are attacked by gators are taken from the shoreline, not necessarily being IN the water or swimming with them. They are ambush predators and hunt from the shoreline.
And they love to visit neighborhoods and even travel out of state. During their active periods gators will def. "come to you" so to speak. They're also freakishly fast.
North American Crocodiles are neat too and there are some in FL by the nuclear plant
Yea usually when a large mammal with handy enough paws hops in that water, the goofy lizard gets dragged out by the back of his head
Cougers will defend an area if it has kittens nearby. There is a really creepy video of one scaring off a hiker. It said that if they are hunting you, you won't know what hit you. If you see them coming after you, they are trying to scare you away.
You also won’t know it till they hit on you😂
With the seeing part, take that with a grain of salt. It more about body language and behavior. If it makes itself known then it's protecting its kittens, if it's actively stalking you in a lowered body position and ear pinned back then you're it's prey. If it's following you, but keeping it's distance then it's curious and deciding if you're a threat or prey. You can spot them if they're stalking you.
I have a friend who was hunting deer and was stalked and attacked by one. She felt it watching her but did not see it until just before it lunged. She had time to pull her rifle up to her hip and shoot. It landed at her feet, and the fur had powder burns. That and the bullet trajectory are the 2 things that kept her from a poaching charge. They rarely attack humans, but they are stealthy and can be deadly when they do.
@dacrosber I live in cougar country, I am aware of the dangers, and the most recent attacks here in north to central Utah have all been adult men. Just say'n.
Born-and-raised Floridian here. The panthers mostly stick to their habitat in the inland southwestern portion of the peninsula; roughly from a Tampa-Lakeland line southward to Naples and the Everglades, and most of that is rural farmland or swamps. Contact with humans is VERY uncommon, though it does happen from time to time... usually in nature parks or other green-space public areas. In fact, the larger problem has been automobiles, as there are a few roads, especially a couple of prominent state highways, that go right through their natural range. They're on the endangered species list as "critically imperiled," as it only occupies 5% of its historic habitat and by the 1970's, only about 20 were still alive in the wild, though they HAVE rebounded to just over 200.
Contrary to popular belief, you DO NOT WANT TO RUN AWAY from a Florida panther. You stand tall and make direct eye contact with it. If they come after you, however, you SHOULD fight back, and do not turn around away from it. They do not like confrontation, and they will typically back down.
But if you don't see them, and you hear one hissing at you, leave quickly, because that's your one warning. And believe me, you WILL know when you hear one hissing at you. That's an unmistakeable, chilling sound. And yes, I **do** know from experience!
We have them here in Tallahassee too
There is one that lives out on Sanibel Island that gets spotted once in a while. I live in the center of Cape Coral so I'm not going to see one here but we do have coyotes. Last fall, a coyote walked right down the side of my neighbors pool cage. No idea where they go during the day.
They come further east than Lakeland. I’ve seen them in Winter Haven and Lake Wales, and heard them at night as far southeast as Yeehaw Junction.
everyone says they just aren't up here in Hamilton County anymore (Suwannee, Columbia, Madison county area) but there is so much basically uncharted land up here that I would not be surprised. I have heard you'll pretty much only run into them in the 'Glades though.
Just to clarify: I was giving a rough indication of where the **majority** of the panther population is. There ARE panthers throughout the rest of the state, just not in as concentrated a grouping.
I love how proud Millie was for knowing the chicken turtle tastes like chicken before he said it haha
To be fair James said he had slept since then so as I male and a husband I completely understand!
And it's such a peculiar thing to be that proud of.
Turtles are very chickenesque when cooked right. Yummy
A small boy got snatched into a lake and was lost at Disney when he was wading on the edge with his father. They are fast.
I am from New England but whenever I am in Florida I stay away from all fresh water.
I was amazed of the many gators I saw driving the beeline highway through the swamps. We decided if we had a flat we would keep on driving and not stop to exchange the tire.😅
@@rhondapease8516Gators can also be found in brackish water. We have gators on our coast (NC). People freak out when they show up on the beaches and swim in the ocean to rid themselves of parasites.
@@Bad_Meach That's true! Though I never experienced that while on the Outer Banks (by the way I love the Outer Banks!), we went to a beach on the eastern side of Florida where the gators were enjoying the swampy waters next to the beach. The ranger told us we would be fine on the beach because the daytime temperatures were way too high for them in the middle of the day. There was a car path through the swamp to view the gators but it wasn't for us. We just stayed on the hot beach.
@@rhondapease8516 We’re below Wilmington not far from the Green Swamp. The golf course on the island has a huge gator that’s been hanging around it as far back as I can remember. So seeing an occasional alligator on the beach isn’t that surprising to old timers like me, but it freaks out the visitors. Especially, the new ones. 😂
@@Bad_Meach Yeah, it would at least make me nervous seeing a gator on the beach. However I have no issues with the black bears, coyotes, bobcats and rattlesnakes in my area. 😂
A 40 y/o homeless woman was just killed by a huge alligator near Clearwater FL past week or so.....horrendous. Gator was killed but was about 17 ft long!
I saw that. She was sleeping under the bridge next to the retention pond. Only her torso was in the gators mouth. Floridians should know to stay away from bodies of water. Especially at night. But no one should have to pass away like that.
That is huge for a gator.
There was also an old lady who was walking her dog along water's edge when she was taken by a gator not too long ago.
@@scoggzap alligators in Florida average 13 to 15 feet in length and weigh between 500 and 1000 lbs... Females are smaller.
@@mimiv3088my grandfather and uncles homes are about 3 blocks from the everglades in Coral Springs. Spent a few years down in Southeastern Louisiana in my early 20s. Ive seen plenty of gators, still dont go near them
The channel islands became separated when the glaciers melted. Like the UK when Doggerland was flooded.
You asked how something on an island is the only one. This it was part of the main land and had foxes. Then the ocean raises up and it became an island trapping the fox. They imbreed because they have to, causing family traits to become more distinctive and you have a new breed.
4:44 they’re feisty there? Our rabbits are timid and run away with a quickness!!!
The chances of seeing a big cat in the wild is very rare. We’ve got big cats where I live in Maine and you can go your lifetime and never see one. They’re like ghosts spirit animals.
Unless you're in South Dakota and Montana. The young males are chased out before the new kittens are born and they end up wandering into town and causing trouble. Survival tips: If one attacks, fight back and punch it in the nose while making as much noise as you can. Their ears and nose are very sensitive.
@@kittenisageek I don’t know a lot about either state I’ve visited both absolutely love both of them I just know in Maine they normally avoid you I wasn’t speaking for the rest of the US
As a lifetime hiker I have only seen a mountain lion one time, and FYI it was way bigger and more muscular then I thought possible. This thing was a beast.
I use to live in Big Bear California and we saw bear, mountain lions, rattlesnakes and coyotes all the time. They all ran away when they spotted us. One time a lion was stalking my corgi. but ran away when they saw me.
yep extremely rare. I have heard the same thing but I have seen about 5 in the wild, but that is cause I have lived most my life basically in the wild. Saw one last year actually then before that when I was 27 had one watching me change my car battery, only saw it cause I left in my car right afterwards and saw it trotting up the hill next to my driveway, that one was the biggest mountain lion I have seen that wasn't a picture. They ended up killing it the next year after it killed all 9 of my neighbors Alpaca's, the thing weighed in at 215 lbs and was a female. Biggest female mountain lion I have ever heard of.
The island foxes only exist BECAUSE they’re on the island. They came from the same foxes as the mainland and isolation created the separate species, pretty typical of island animals
During the ice ages, the Channel Islands were separated from the mainland by only narrow waterways. Many animals colonized the islands and then became isolated when sea levels rose again.
@@scottmartin5990yea they even had pygmy mammoths and even normal ones that hadn't adapted yet showing that the water was constantly moving back and forth many times
Just a month or so ago a gator took an elderly person that was on a walk. A gator also grabbed a person who was trying to protect their dog not too long ago.
Ft. Myers?
@@everettrhay4855 I don't remember where in Florida the article said.
@ jeh58
If it was Ft Myers, this happened down the street from where my friend lives.
Millie seems to have an aversion to cute, small animals.
like tarantulas.
No just wild ones 😂 I like little hamsters x
I think so!
Oh and ANY body of water in southeastern states, FL, GA, SC, NC, LA, MS, MO, AL, TN.. can, and probably does, have a gator in it.
Honorable mention should be the turkey. It almost became the national bird of the US. I know it's spread across the world now, especially for food source, but it's native to North America.
Not many know that fun fact.
After living in Florida for 8 years. I've always heard whether posted or not just assume any body of fresh water probably has at 2 Gators in it. Just stay far enough away from the edge of the water and you're good. I would also say other than for personal protection most gun owners also carry in case they ever need to protect themselves selves from bears, gators, hogs, or a mountain lion.
For the big cats it's suggested that you face them (don't run whatever you do), look at their feet not directly into their eyes to avoid appearing aggressive. If they display aggressive behavior try to appear larger-raise your arms or open your jacket over your head. Make noise by yelling, blowing a whistle or an air horn.
do a search for "cougar stalks Utah hiker". . .my heart is still thumping so hard
for the record cougars are found all the way into Canada making the claim it is US only false but the rest of the entry is true enough
And cougars have been spotted in Texas 😊
@@kertagin1while yes, you are correct, the cougar population is limited to the western provinces of bc and Alberta. So nowhere near on the scale of what the US has. So I can see where the guy could’ve been misled by not looking further into it.
@@kertagin1 The cougar / puma / mountain lion covers a large part of the US and Canada perhaps even Mexico (not sure where they draw the line between puma and jaguar), the Florida variant is a subspecies native to Florida.
Fun facts about mountain lions....not only do you have to look for them on the ground, they also like to be up in the trees above and can also swim almost a mile and sometimes swim across rivers. They have a bite force of almost 400 pounds per square inch and can run between 40-50 mph. Also Mountain lions are in 16 US states, not just Florida.
I live across the street from a river and a Bald Eagle made it's nest in a large tree nearby and can be seen pretty much every morning flying off to the river to hunt. Yesterday morning she was rooting around in my neighbor's planter. I almost caught a picture but she flew away as soon as I got my phone out. Just an absolutely majestic and massive creature.
We had an eagles nest at our house. It was about a hundred feet up a tree,near the top.
Several BaldEagle nests near Pittsburgh Pennsylvania… had an immature one fly from roost to roost along the stream in a local park eying up my pony, its rider & myself… probably wondering what creature has 3 heads and six legs!
Rule of thumb in the South just assume if there’s a body of water that there’s a gator in it and they don’t really bother you at all. I had a 6 footer with in ten feet of me on the golf course didn’t bother me at all it was staring me down lol but didn’t bother me lol 😂
Never turn your back on a large cat. Gators do come to you. People find them in their swimming pools all the time.
This is why cyclists always get attacked by cougars, where I am. Their backs are always to the lions, and it always looks like they are fleeing, even though all they are doing is casually riding in the woods. Most cyclists who get attacked had no idea they were even being hunted beforehand!
Gators by far scare me me more than any other animal. Never thought golfing in South Carolina would be one of the the scariest experience I have ever had in my life. Nothing gets your adrenalin pumping and hurts your back swing like a gator taking a nap 10 feet away from you while your teeing off.
Some video from Big Cat Rescue showing turning your back on big cats: th-cam.com/video/bZgklu52Rus/w-d-xo.html
I saw a documentary years ago that 1 guy got killed by a gator on September 11, 2001 so nobody really paid attention. Another unfortunately famous attack was a young child dragged into the water by a gator at a Disney World resort. It drowned him.
Yeah I went to Disney World a few years ago. There's a giant lake that they ferry you across from the parking lot to the Magical Kingdom that has a bunch of gators in it and there are resorts all along the lake, but there are signs everywhere that say to stay away from the shore
Gators typically drown their prey unless, it’s bite sized.
@chrissears5482 that is the lake where it happened. The family was at the grand Floridian. Those signs were put up after the incident. Disney had denied for years the presence of alligators on their property.
@@nathankalkbrenner8039 I will be honest, I didn't actually see any gators in it when i went, and I was looking for them, but they probably stay away from the high traffic areas
Gators dont read, they do come to your houses, and are often found in peoples swimming pools, in florida.
3:57 I played with garter snakes all the time when I was a kid. They’re really mellow, they never did anything worse than make a bad smell to defend themselves.
Fun fact- listen up!
I was born an raised on the west coast of the U.S. I also grew up back in the 80s & 90s hunting, fishing, camping!: I've lost track of how many wild snakes I've caught by hand, not to mention how many of them bit me. Lol.
I'm telling you from a first person pov, Garter snakes are NOT venomous! Neither are king snakes, gopher snakes, corn snakes, black racers(snake), black Hognose Snake, that includes all subspecies from each main species. One thing to keep in mind though, all snakes have a likely chance of carrying various bacteria in their saliva. It is those such bacteria that cause the inflammation, sensitivity ,and itchiness the narrator mentioned...
Mountain Lions can be very aggressive. I wouldn't recommend charging at it. Your best bet, if it attacks you, is to fight back hard, and it might get discouraged from continuing. It's best to bring a blade with you, if you were to go into the American woods.
Or a gun
@@garycamara9955 True, but I doubt they'd want to go that far with it.
You sound like the kind of it that brings a knife to a gun fight. Good luck with that.
@@garycamara9955 Brits, touching a firearm. If it doesn't send them into cardiac arrest, they'd be more dangerous than the catamount.
brits are not allowed knives
Sorry, guys, but alligators will exit the water and chase you down. The gators believe that humans taste like chicken.
Gators ARE chickens. They'll run if given half a chance. It's crocs that'll chase you down.
😂
Humans do taste like chickens.
@@stephaniechaffin1154 They act like chickens around gators. Why wouldn't they think they tasted like 'em.
Gators taste more like pork.
We have chipmunks in Wisconsin--which is northern midwest. Garter snakes are just sweethearts. We used to pet them as kids. Florida panthers are just one kind we have here. We have cougars just outside my town in northern Wisconsin.
We had one roaming our downtown area a couple years ago. (Marshfield)
Yeah, Im in Iowa and we have all 3 of those animals. The narrator of this wasn't very well informed
@@lanehenkle6400 The video referred specifically to _Hopi_ chipmunks and to _Florida Panther_ cougars, which are subspecies of those animals that do only exist in certain areas of the US.
Animals end up on islands from when lands were still connected before, they separated or rising seas that cut off once existing land bridges and of course human introducing them on purpose or by accident with hitchhikers on ships. Like the British bringing over rats to North America and a movie studio brought over bison on Catalina Island to shoot a movie and once the shooting ended. They just left them there and they reproduced and now are a part of the island.
Ages ago the Channel Islands were connected to California with a land bridge before the oceans rose. Wooley Mammoths were caught on the islands and had to survive with diminishing resources. Half size fossils of fully grown mammoths have been found. Carbon dating has early humans existing and visiting the islands at the same time as the tiny mammoths existed. I have seen the tiny foxes. They will get within 20 feet of visitors hoping for a handout of food.
@16:02 I live in Southern Colorado, and saw a mountain lion when i was driving down the highway, (I-25), at dusk.
Didn't know what i was seeing, at first. Something was leaping through the grass in the distance. From a distance, the movement reminded me of a rabbit, but i knew that it was way too big to be a rabbit. Then i could see something running through the tall grass, in my direction. Then it stopped. After a couple of seconds, the grass exploded, and there was something huge, flying through the air. It looked as if it was going to fly over my car, so i momentarily turned to track it, but didn't see anything. I turned back forward, and saw something standing by the road, too big to be a coyote. It moved toward the road, and i saw part of the hind end, and thought it might be a huge farm dog.
It stuck its face out from the grass and weeds, and it was no dog. I had no idea what it was. Then it came out onto the road. It was huge and muscular. It wasn't until i saw the tail, that i realized that it was a mountain lion. The tail was so long that it would gave dragged on the ground, if the cat had not been holding it up.
There was no traffic, so i slowed my car way down, as i drove past it. The back was at about the same level as the bottom of my car windows, and it looked to be about the size of a St. Bernard dog. It was huge, powerful, impressive animal. I knew that i was safe, as all of my windows were rolled up, but it was still a little unnerving, considering that these animals have a large range, and i had seen this about 5 miles North of my house.
I grew up in southwestern Colorado, north of Durango, and we used to see pumas sunning themselves on the rocks across the canyon in the summer. They're a lot bigger than most people think, and seem even BIGGER if encountered in the wild, and all you've got is a stick and a loud voice to defend yourself.
Of California's Channel Islands, Santa Catalina is 75 square miles with a population of 4096 and the highest elevation is 2097 feet.
Comparing your Channel Island of Jersey is 46 square miles with a population of 103,267 and the highest elevation is 469 feet.
Mountain lions,puma’s,or whatever you call them are all over the USA
Yep. We saw one cross the highway last week here in North Idaho.
Saw one last fall here in Nevada. But the sub-species/breed called the "Florida panther" is genetically distinctive due to being isolated from the western cougars/pumas and the northeastern catamounts that officially don't exist.
There is also the bobcat. You tend to see one or the other in an area but not both.
We have bobcat’s & mountain lions here in Missouri
Wild rabbits will run away from you more times than attack you lol
I NEED AN ATTACK RABBIT FOR MY YARD.
Yeah I’ve never seen a rabbit that didn’t run away upon being approached. How can someone be scared of a little bunny?😅
@@armie4172 You'd do well to avoid one that's guarding a cave.
Millie going on about the rabbit made me think of "Monty Python" "IT'S GOT FANGS!!!!!"
Florida Panthers are NOT limited to South Florida. Up here in here in North Florida, we generally hit one per week with a car or truck
There are far more non-fatal alligator attacks than fatal ones, this is partly due to the fact that many younger alligators simply are not big enough to easily kill a human. In addition to this they primarily hunt in the water or immediately along the shoreline, though occasionally can be found some distance from bodies of water. My sister in law found an 8 ft alligator in the drainage ditch by her house in south Louisiana a few years ago, the surprising thing is this was about 3 miles from the nearest body of water that would be large enough for it to swim in.
I take it that Mrs B has seen Monty Python's search for the holy grail. This film contains a rabbit that attacks the quest.
"It's got big sharp teeth!"
Had a cougar in my backyard the other night . Other names are : Cougar, Mountain Lion , Puma . I also get visits from Lynx . Black Bears , Grizzly Bears . Various deer and Moose . I'm in British Columbia Canada
Great Channel !
When i was a little kid, (growing up in Iowa), we used to call the chipmunks "squinnies." ❤
"Unless you go to them, they are not going to come and find you." Well they are ambsh predators so i guess so, but there are way to many incidents of them just hanging out in peoples pools and yards, so no.
Yeah, they'll 100% come and find you. They'll steal a fish off your line and you can hear them slide into the water even if you can't see them. They end up in the middle of our town all the time and we don't even have a river, just a few canals.
I had a gator in my back yard on a lake in Texas-- we did not bother each other
Most gators prey on animals, birds, & yes people who are along the shore line. They are mostly ambush hunters they sneak up on their prey. They are very fast in short burst of speed. Don't mistake them lumbering along on land for them being slow.
We've heard of a few elderly people (some have had dementia) who have been too slow to get away or are trying to save dog from attack.
Back in the late '90s in Louisiana, sheriff was driving his new squad car when he came across a gator crossing the 2-lane road. This gator was so massive that the sheriff ended up going in the canal alongside the road because it would have wrecked his car. People really underestimate how big a gator can get in its natural environment.
Yes y'all came down when the wooly bears were in full force. They were everywhere.🐛
That showed a subspecies from Florida. Cougars are all over the US.
Cougars live all over the place, texas, Colorado, Arizona, Nevada for sure. You don't turn your back, walk slowly backwards while making yourself big and make noise. They don't typically want anything to do with you either.
You guys are hilarious on 4 hours of sleep. I remember when I had my first baby. Went outside and saw the sunset for the first time in months: I was so busy with the baby that I forgot about sunsets. It was quite a sobering moment. You guys are doing a great job 💕
Last fall I was driving home and a mountain lion started walking in front of my car. I was able to get a 3 minute video of it before it ran off.
Rhe chipmunk is also known as a tree tiger.
I don't know where dude was getting his information, but the cougar is not just a Florida cat. They range all the way across the country, and into Mexico and Canada.
Mountain lions are found in 15 western states and Florida.
As well as in Canada and Mexico and in Central and South America. The guy in the video is referring to the subspecies in Florida only, but Mountain Lions, aka Pumas, Cougars and other names, are throughout much of the Americas.
@@suzanneyoung8011 I know, this is a video about the USA.
For sure mountain lions in Wisconsin. DNR tried to deny it for years.
They're here in Texas as well
My mother has a few of those hummingbirds in her yard. They love the trees and flowers. She has seen the same pair for years!
Those furry black catterpillar things are to be avoided here in Texas. They deliver a row of stings/bites that burn like fire. As bad if not worse than fire ants.
Are you talking about wooly worms?
Are you talking about wooly worms? Little black fuzzballs. I'm from Texas and we used to play with them. I even kept some and they turned into moths.
@@Jennifer-jn2qw all I know is there are some fuzzy black caterpillar looking things that sting.
@@toodlescae I didn't realize they sting! I spent my childhood playing with them. No wonder my nephew was terrified of them. Now it makes sense.
@@Jennifer-jn2qw Fellow (former)Texan here! The ones you played with sound like they might have been either Isabella Tiger moth caterpillars (chunky fuzz balls; have an orange-brown horizontal stripe; become yellow-orange moths) or Salt Marsh caterpillars (thinner; have the longer black spikes; become black-speckled snowy white moths) which are generally OK to touch. The problem is that there are so many species of black fuzzy caterpillars (they're all generically called "wooly bears/wooly worms"), and it seems some can cause skin irritation for people with sensitive skin.
Of course, then you have the asps which.... are the worst. Those caterpillars actually are poisonous, and if one crawls along your skin, they'll leave a burning rash that resembles a line of little ant bites. Or the buck moth caterpillars which are black with orange-brown-ish tips. Those leave long welts that look like deranged mosquito bites. That might be what OP is thinking about?
Every spring we would have the local poisonous variety hanging on long silk strings from all the live oaks in the area. There were always a few students or visitors who were unfortunate enough to be under a caterpillar when a string broke, or who'd get a nasty shock when they ran face first into a caterpillar hanging a bit too low. I'm not sure if they still do this, but there used to be signs taped up around courtyards and jogging paths warning people to keep an eye out and avoid touching the caterpillars. While a bunch are safe to touch, a few aren't, so it was better to be safe than sorry in that area!
The chipmunk is actually found in northern states as well. I'm in Northern Indiana and I see them all the time. I've seen them in Northern Minnesota, as well
Mt. Lions are all over U.S., mountain, forests, suburban areas..
Mountain lion, puma, cougar. I think these are all different names for the same species of big cats. We also have them in Idaho, I heard. They supposedly can sound like a woman screaming in agony or something like that.
They can as well as bird noises. They communicate with each other this way too.
I bet if that grouse was in a bucket you couldn’t tell it from KFC 😂
I also had a ‘goose incident’ while golfing. I was mortified. It was during an organized golf outing with prizes, etc. Because all of the groups that came after me saw the results of my incident, word got around. At the end of the day, the group decided to give me a prize for my special ‘aim’. Ugh!
Paddlefish are also called spoonbill catfish even though not in the catfish family. Really good eating like fried catfish. He did not mention Hellbenders. Look up on google.
When I went to Hawaii, nenes were everywhere. I also did play golf in Hawaii, they definitely have courses there. The course I played on had recent volcanic activity so we played around some lava rocks. When we asked how recent the lava had flowed over and cooled there, we were surprised it had only been a few weeks.
Six minutes in: "If we go to Hawaii you're not playing golf." LOL. My mom and dad have similar vacation discussions. Usually it is mom telling dad "You're not going fishing..."
Imagine going on vacation and someone not allowing you to do one of the main things that you would really enjoy doing on your vacation. WoW.
The Channel Islands have a few rattle-less rattlesnakes too. different sub-species on a few different Islands.
all rattle snakes are dangerous to humans, that guy is misinformed, also most will try every way possible to either not be noticed by you or to get away before they resort to biting you, when confronted by a predator don't act like prey, and you're more likely to eat an alligator than it is to eat you, same is true of sharks and where I live bears
I think this was AI some of the pronouceation was off.
Rattlesnakes are definitely not dangerous to humans. They will only bite as a last resort, and then it's most often a dry bite with no venom. They rattle to warn anything too big to eat, because their venom is part of their digestion and if they use it to defend themselves they can't eat for a day or so.
I was born and raised in San Pedro, CA which is 26 miles from Catalina Island. Starting around 1930 the film industry (Hollywood) made a LOT of movies in the Channel Islands, they used several species of animals for the filming and a lot of them got left behind. There are Buffalo on Catalina Island left there from Cowboy and Indian movies.
There are mountain lions in many states.
The video is referring specifically to the "Florida Panther" subspecies of cougar. But that begs the question of why other animals unique to the continental USA, such as the Tule elk, were not included in the video.
@@willong1000the only thing special about the Florida subspecies is the inbreeding and poor genetics caused by being g separated from the primary population over the last 100 years
Love from NM ❤ when I go out for walks I see coyotes and quail often, especially in the spring… Coyotes are super loud when they get together at night to party 😂
Sounds like you saw a Wooly Worm. They're common here
The old timers could predict the weather with Wooly Worms. I don't remember how they did it.
Weird
@@ZeroTolerance-tk9ce the thicker the black part is, the worse the winter will be.
@@brittwilder14 Is that it? Thanks, I couldn't remember.
@@ZeroTolerance-tk9ce I believe if the brown stripe is large it will be a bad winter.
I'm beginning to think you're quite soft in the UK.
FWIW Foxes are pretty mellow. I used to have a wild one come into my apartment and hang out for a few minutes every week when I lived in the mountains.
It's kind of funny that the narrator of the video has an Australian accent. I guess people take an Australian accent more seriously when it comes to animals, especially since Steve Irwin (R.I.P) taught the world so much about animals.💯
But Steve Irwin mostly told about Australian animals. Them he branched out into other animals
We have Mountain Lion/Cougars in the Pacific NW as well. They get pretty big.
On a fishing trip we watched one swim across a stream and climb out the other side. It was a very big cat. Beautiful lethality.
One thing you forget about living in America...you can carry a gun. If you encounter an aggressive panther...
Amen! 357 mag goes everywhere wild with me.
Florida panthers are awesome creatures. Out here in Oregon our cougars (also mountain lions) can top out at 200 lbs. So when you come visit us, keep one eye out for cougars, and the other for bears. I'll loan your hubby a good rifle Millie, you'll be fine.
Born and raised in the PNW, I grew up in the coastal range outside of Garibaldi, biggest one I've ever seen was a big bold male, jumped in front of our car and stood there looking at us, my friends younger brother for whatever insane reason decided he wanted to get out to pet it, when my dad noticed what he was doing he grabbed him and yanked him back, but the cougar saw him getting out of the car and quickly began moving towards him, if not for my dad being aware of what he was doing, that big Ole boy would've had the kid up in a tree, I say kid but he was 15 at the time and should've known better. I was most impressed not just by the size of this one, but also how muscular it was, I've seen plenty of others, but none that big and he was in a mood from the moment he landed on the road.
y'all should research the Bronx zoo and see how many idiots got chewed up by animals for jumping in with the animals 😂😂
If it wasn't for the fact the city people would do something stupid and hysterical to the animals, I'd say let a few think the brown bears are friendly. Highly instructive.
The best thing to know about alligators is that they are DELICIOUS 😂 Gator bites, Po boy sandwiches, and a bunch of other things.
Gator bites 🤌
During the last Ice Age, ocean levels were much lower, and the Channel Islands off the coast of California were connected to the mainland. After the Ice Age ended and the sea level rose, it created the Channel Islands, allowing the foxes to evolve separately. There were even a species of miniature mammoths that were native to the Channel Islands thousands of years ago
The channel is really deep, sounds scketchy.
The Channel is really deep, sounds sketchy to me!
As a Floridian I can tell you that if you leave Gators alone they tend to leave you alone,except during mating season and mothers protecting the nest.A good rule of thumb is if there is a body of fresh water assume that there is a Gator in it.
A way to keep cougars from stalking you is to wear a fake face facing to the back.
is this true!!??
@@TheBeesleys99 I read about it, no idea, haha.
That works on clowns too!
@@TheBeesleys99 I've been a hunter since a very young age and have read fairly extensively about wildlife and hunting in many regions of the world. I've never heard of anyone in North America adopting that practice of wearing a mask representing a human face on the back of their head to discourage cougars from stalking them. However, it is a well-documented practice that residents of the Sundarbans (a large mangrove forest in West Bengal) employ to discourage tiger attacks.
@@TheBeesleys99 yes they kill from behind
Chipmunks are adorable, they are friendly too.
Some are not. It varies by species.
Dude! you wouldn't want to experiment with a baby in the house!
Thing about the Puma is that if they are actively stalking you the odds are very high, you'll never even know they were there. The ones who have lived to tell the tale say they did not have a clue they were in any danger up till the point the animal hit from behind.
Mountain lions can get bigger than 160 pounds. The males can get up to 200 pounds.
The grouse is new to me as well. A few of these are. Alabama here. We get chipmunks but not often and they are quite fat here lol as older people enjoy them in their gardens and feed them grain and nuts
Another thing only prey runs
Praire dogs are also called whistle pigs.
we dont really worry about mountain lions. they are very skiddish and avoid humans like a scared house cat. if one does get aggressive ( due to lack of food or being threatened ) they are usually put down fairly quickly. we get them in utah suburbs about once every few years and it always makes the news.
In Colorado, we had a couple of instances mountain lions breaking into people's houses, (pushed through screen door), and eating the family cats. This was a couple of years ago.
Four red wolf pups were recently born at the North Carolina Zoo. They have a breeding program for red wolves. Eastern North Carolina has a few in the wild.
Hi
8:30 Most likely the fox used to look different and it being isolated on islands for so long, it adapted to the islands and probably changed in appearance overtime because of the adaptations.
That Florida panther is a kind of puma. We get pumas in our public parks ;-))
Pumas are mountain lion, or cougars, (not middle aged women) we have them here.
It seems curious that the Florida panther was included but the Kodiak bear was not. Either can be considered a subspecies of cougar and grizzly/brown bear respectively. The Florida panthers are a little smaller than the main population, but can interbreed with the main population of cougars, and ondeed, they did so when some cougars were brought in to add genetic diversity to the Florida population. OTOH, the kodiaks are about twice the size of grizzlies, and possibly would be unable to interbreed with grizzlies - that's a difficult experiment to run. By the usual 'interbreeding' standard, that would make Kodiaks a separate species.It certainly is as distinct as the Florida panther.
Several of these animals are found in Canada as well.
I had a crazy Uncle in Arizona who would go into rattle snake pits and catch them. Everytime they came to TN to visit he'd bring us rattles off them. He said tgeir neat taste like chicken just like the chicken turtle.
Did that in high in high school in NM. Stripped and natural tanned the skins made belts and cowboy hat bands out of them and sold them to tourists.
In Tucson, I've seen bobcats, javelinas, coyotes, coues whitetail deer, rattlesnakes, ground squirrels, scorpions, tarantulas, owls, and cardinals. And that was just in my neighborhood!
There are a lot more cougars in the western US than in Florida.
I knew a cougar. He was very old and missing teeth but he was pretty cool. Hummingbirds are awesome. Every bunny is cute.
We have mountain lions in Florida too except we call them Panthers. Mountain lions, Jaguars and Panthers are all the same species
Jaguars and panthers are not the same species.
If I recall right, nearly 20 thousand years ago the Catarina Islands were connected by land to the mainland. When ocean levels rose the lands became separated, causing animals on those islands to develop into different subspecies.
The mountain lion looks the same as the ones we have here in Canada - I can't see any difference. Oh, and generally they don't want to attack you, as long as you don't corner them they will likely just avoid you. I've been near to them many times in my teens and never had a threatening situation. I've come much closer to danger around pigs on my uncle's farm.
Ours are much bigger in Cali.
@@CharlesMartel-bd5du I'm sorry, just double checked rather than depending on old memories, but you have that backwards. The largest mountain lions live in northern areas, southern areas have smaller mountain lions.
On average, adult male mountain lions in California weigh between 110-180 pounds whereas male mountain lions in Canada average between weights of 150-200 pounds. Sorry to disappoint.
They are, however, the same species, so - regardless of what the video claims, not unique to the US. The environment is the reason they grow bigger up here - better food supply and the climate is more suited to them growing bigger.
@@TheFireMonkey respectfully I own a ranch here and have lived in these mountains over twenty years. I just lost a chicken to one the other day. Your sizes are more accurate for the Central Valley, and Southern California where there’s less cover and prey. So that’s why they average smaller sizes in those areas. So the environmental situation essentially the same as Canada. But with better weather. I chased a female out of our woods four years ago. It and its kitten back then settled four properties down. I like it there because it keeps the coyotes away. It was likely the male cub that took the chicken. We have game cameras and size the tracks. Plus I’ve seen them all over the place in these mountains over the years.
@@CharlesMartel-bd5du I never suggested you are unfamiliar with mountain lions - likely far more so than I am since while I have friends and relatives who live on farms and ranches, I live in Vancouver. I have had some experiences as I have been out in the country when visiting and I have seen several mountain lions.
But the point here is the size, and unless you have also lived on a ranch up here in northern BC for years so that you also know the mountain lions living in Canada, you don't have anything to compare to. So you direct experience will no doubt tell you a lot about how they behave, things like the typical range of a mountain lion, perhaps a good sense of how fast they are and stuff like that, it gives you no basis for judging comparative sizes - only for having a feel of the size of the ones in your area.
I used the actual statistics that are listed for them in BC vs California which is recorded by the agencies which study them both at a distance and by tranquilizing them, then tagging them and recording weight, length, general health, etc. The people who put together those stats have seen a lot more mountain lions then either of us, or anyone else who's job is not actually studying them, and that is where my figures come from. So while I respect your knowledge, as a rancher, of the cats in your area, and there is no question they are bigger, the experts who have actually put mountain lions from up here on a scale and weighed them, and have done the same down there so there have something to compare, say that the cats in the US are smaller than the ones in Canada.