Back yard critters

Amazing what you find under your nose when you traipse about on your snowshoes. Finally found the den of my rodent-control "Guard Fox" today. It's not too tough when you can follow tracks right to the Fox's Lair...

Well not exactly my backyard, but on the other side of my peninsula, in a cove not that different from the one I live off of. After seeing a Mola Mola off my dock in the summer of 2019, I believe any pelagic species may show up and make me soil my undies...

[HEADING=2]26-foot basking shark washes up on shore in Bremen Tuesday[/HEADING]
Basking sharks, while large, are not considered a risk to humans.

Author: Gabrielle Mannino (NEWS CENTER Maine)
Published: 5:29 PM EST January 5, 2021
Updated: 5:33 PM EST January 5, 2021

BREMEN, MAINE, Maine — A 26-foot male basking shark washed up on the shore of Greenland Cove in Bremen Tuesday morning, the Maine Department of Marine Resources (DMR) tells NEWS CENTER Maine.
DMR Science Bureau staff and Marine Patrol arrived on scene around 9:30 a.m. after being notified by local fishermen. There is no known cause of death at this time.

DMR staff took samples of the shark, which they say will be used to conduct dietary, aging, and genetic analysis. DMR spokesperson Jeff Nichols says the Department has recently joined in a collaborative research effort known as the New England White Shark Research Consortium to study white sharks and will be working with members of the Consortium to conduct this analysis.

The basking shark is the second-largest fish in the world and the largest shark that lives in the waters off New England. A mature basking shark can be 20 to 28 feet in length.

Credit: Photos: Tanner Fields

They are not considered a risk to humans as they are gentle, zooplankton eaters. They can be found throughout the world, including in the Gulf of Maine, where they come every year to feed on crustaceans and copepods.

They feed near the surface, which is why they’re called basking sharks – they appear to be basking in the sun.

I wonder how old it was.

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I wonder how old it was.

?

From Wiki, what big bambinos and not the "ancients" like Greenland sharks living for 100s of years...

Reproduction
Basking sharks are [ovoviviparous]('https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ovoviviparity'): the developing embryos first rely on a [yolk]('https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yolk') sac, with no [placental]('https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Placenta') connection. Their seemingly useless teeth may play a role before birth in helping them feed on the mother's unfertilized [ova]('https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ovum') (a behaviour known as [oophagy]('https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oophagy')).[[39]]('https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basking_shark#cite_note-elasmo-39') In females, only the right [ovary]('https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ovary') appears to function, and it is currently unknown why only one of the organs seems to function.

[Gestation]('https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gestation') is thought to span over a year (perhaps two to three years), with a small, though unknown, number of young born fully developed at 1.5–2 m (4 ft 11 in–6 ft 7 in). Only one pregnant female is known to have been caught; she was carrying six unborn young.[[40]]('https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basking_shark#cite_note-Trust-40') Mating is thought to occur in early summer and birthing in late summer, following the female's movement into shallow waters.

The age of maturity is thought to be between the ages of six and 13 and at a length of 4.6–6 m (15–20 ft). Breeding frequency is thought to be two to four years.

The exact lifespan of the basking shark is unknown, but experts estimate to be about 50 years.

those types of feeders are terribly prone to swallowing plastics...

meanwhile in lilla old downtown Manhattan, bout 20-30 black crows feel like harassing some type of Hawk for its hard earned meal, which looks like a fish, (bunker)... cellfish...
.

Cripe, the other side of the peninsula got a dead basking shark, I got flying vermin!

Eh which one of you hosers brought the Bradors?? Lawn party at Chez Roccus!!

What the heck kind bug is this?
I think it has wings but did not take flight but jump. Very strange, I saw one in my garage this and last week.

What the heck kind bug is this?
I think it has wings but did not take flight but jump. Very strange, I saw one in my garage this and last week.

jack looks like a stink bug,, they can buzz and fly allile like there drunk,,, kill it with you fingers and see Y they are called stink bugs,,,,also they like to hang in the light fixcures for the warm of the bulb,,,,jack found this on youtube[COLOR=rgb(26, 188, 156)] ><))):>

What the heck kind bug is this?
I think it has wings but did not take flight but jump. Very strange, I saw one in my garage this and last week.

definitely a stink bug - they're all over the place down here - they try to find their way indoors when the weather starts getting cold............

Funny Story (at least to me -because every time I see one it reminds me of Max). As their name implies - they do release a rather fragrant odor out of their rear end.

Max & I were sitting on the front porch & one of these buggers starts walking across the floor. Max sees it & goes over to investigate. As he's sniffin' its butt - the bug raises his butt off the floor into the air & must have released a fart (pardon my French but it's the best way to describe it) right into Max's nose.

He (Max) took off running rubbing his nose along the ground & barking like mad for about 30 feet.
:LOL:

Miss Max.........................
:(

What the heck kind bug is this?
I think it has wings but did not take flight but jump. Very strange, I saw one in my garage this and last week.

stink bug there all over out here when its warm had one on the back of the house it was charging at my arm as I was trying to change a ring batt

evasive species from China ??

Thank you guys,,,,now I know to do just as I did....handle carefully and place in fire.

I placed him on a paper towel and put it in the fire[lace, the one last week i through in the garbage can outside but now wish I burned it.

[SIZE=7]OMG!!![/SIZE]

[SIZE=3]Just went out the backdoor onto my porch to get rid of some recyclables & there was a 2 foot owl sitting on the railing. Scared the shit out of me & the owl.

:LOL:[/SIZE]

evasive species from China ??

Careful there Cellie, even though we all like a scape goat, your statement is not true; we have many indigenous US stink bug species. The sole evasive species found here is indigenous to Asia, so the ones you're seeing may have hitched a ride from any of the many Asian countries we import goods from, not necessarily China.

[HEADING=2][SIZE=7]Stink Bugs[/SIZE][/HEADING]

Several kinds of stink bugs exist naturally in the U.S. but a new species arrived recently, the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug (BMSB). It has become a problem for farmers and homeowners alike. The BMSB came from Asia in the 1990s and, since then, has hitched rides to many states. The adults emerge in spring and feed on plants, causing damage and spreading diseases to fruit, vegetable and other plants. Offspring produced during the summer often seek shelter as temperatures drop in the fall, causing severe infestations in homes and businesses.

[HEADING=1][SIZE=7]Control tips:[/SIZE][/HEADING]
[LIST]
[*]Stink bugs do not do any structural damage to homes and they do not sting or bite.
[*]Stink bugs release foul smelling chemicals to avoid predators. They also give off other chemicals to attract other stink bugs.
[*]When a BMSB finds a suitable winter shelter, it secrets a chemical odor that attracts other stink bugs.
[*]Killing a stink bug does not attract more stink bugs.
[*]To keep your home from becoming attractive to stink bugs, seal up windows and foundations to prevent their entry and quickly removing any stink bugs that find their way in by hand or with a vacuum.
[*]Stink bugs begin to emerge in spring and early summer. You can use a simple [homemade light trap]('http://wvtf.org/post/perfect-stink-bug-trap-all-natural') to capture and kill many of them indoors.
[*]Using pesticides inside the home to control stink bugs is often ineffective.
[*]Some pesticides have been effective when used as outdoor perimeter treatments for homes when applied at the correct time of year.
[/LIST]
If you need help identifying or controlling stink bugs, see the resources below or contact your local [cooperative extension office]('http://npic.orst.edu/pest/countyext.htm') for assistance. Many extension agents are monitoring the spread of invasive stink bugs and are willing to provide help identifying local species.

OK, you've awakened the closet entomologist in me...

Invasive Stunk Bug, the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug:

[SIZE=5]Indigenous US Stink Bugs:[/SIZE]

Brown Stink Bug

Onespotted Stink Bug

Dusky Stink Bug

Consperse Stink Bug

Spined Soldier Bug and the invasive BMSB

Rough Stink Bug:

Now I’m scared....that’s too many.

im on the hunt for these stinkers,,,,they gotta go.

I can deal with a cricket here and there but if these guys start comin around regular, im Nukin them.

thanks for the info, glad to see they don’t bite but I don’t plan on sleeping in the garage anytime soon.
oh god, hope they don’t get in the house, wife would freak.

I saw two in the last three weeks. Both in the garage a week apar.

Now I’m scared....that’s too many.

im on the hunt for these stinkers,,,,they gotta go.

I can deal with a cricket here and there but if these guys start comin around regular, im Nukin them.

thanks for the info, glad to see they don’t bite but I don’t plan on sleeping in the garage anytime soon.
oh god, hope they don’t get in the house, wife would freak.

I saw two in the last three weeks. Both in the garage a week apar.

I think your photo was of the Asian species, but couldn't tell for sure...

OK, you've awakened the closet entomologist in me...

Invasive Stunk Bug, the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug:

[SIZE=5]Indigenous US Stink Bugs:[/SIZE]

Brown Stink Bug

Onespotted Stink Bug

Dusky Stink Bug

Consperse Stink Bug

Spined Soldier Bug and the invasive BMSB

Rough Stink Bug:

Twas being Zarkastick, get Zar-Kas-Tick... cellie... ?
.

Twas being Zarkastick, get Zar-Kas-Tick... cellie... ?
.

Please put in a wink emoticon then...

With all the "China is the root of all evil" floating about, one can never be sure if someone's being serious or not...

Please put in a wink emoticon then...

With all the "China is the root of all evil" floating about, one can never be sure if someone's being serious or not...

? ?