So I came face to face with an owl last night.

[Proto]

I've had a bat flying over my head. And I got stinged by a small scorpion. (after the scorpion was crawling on my back for a while and I was like hmm... it feels tickly and proceeded to scratch it (and subsequently get stinged))

[Shikabane_Hime]

Detective-San, I too have faced off against the evils of a Mega-Bug. However my opponent was a cicada (Called a Locus by some area locals). It invaded my home and flew around before landing. At the time I thought they could bite so I was terrified, though unwilling to smash it out of fear of missing and then being bitten. I managed to trap it under a small tupperware container and get it out of the house. The next day my parents informed me that despite the size and shape of the mouth pieces of the bug in question they do not bite. ^_^ But that doesn't stop me from freaking out when one flies at my head.

[HasuMasu]

Originally Posted by Shikabane_Hime

Detective-San, I too have faced off against the evils of a Mega-Bug. However my opponent was a cicada (Called a Locus by some area locals). It invaded my home and flew around before landing. At the time I thought they could bite so I was terrified, though unwilling to smash it out of fear of missing and then being bitten. I managed to trap it under a small tupperware container and get it out of the house. The next day my parents informed me that despite the size and shape of the mouth pieces of the bug in question they do not bite. ^_^ But that doesn't stop me from freaking out when one flies at my head.

It's a good thing I didn't encounter a spider instead

otherwise I would've felt like Krillin before Frieza's final form.

[james0246]

I lived in the woods a lot over the years (not for any prolonged length of time, I just like visiting ), camping, lodging, or just driving through to see friends and relations, and I've pretty much seen all the big critters worth seeing. Black Bears and Wolves; a Moose or two; Deer a plenty; not to mention the occasional Puma or Cougar (depending on where you are). Hell, I even saw a Grizzly once (though from quite a distance, since I was standing at the bottom of a waterfall looking up at the giant creatures). I've even done the whole Serengeti cruise and seen plenty of amazing African animals. There's just something beautiful about seeing these creatures in their natural homes.

[Dhomochevsky]

This week, I was sitting on the lawn in front of my house, reading a magazine. We just finished a major renovation, so everything still has a slight construction site vibe to it and the lawn hasn't seen a lawnmower for some time.

Suddenly a patch of grass right next to me started moving. At first it was only shaking a bit, so I thought a mouse might be moving through. But then it started jumping up and down violently. With every jump, the grass rose a bit higher. It was quite a large patch of grass too, so in my mind the animal responsible for it grew larger. Bad memories of "Rocket Worms" B-movies crossed my mind there.
When the grass finally stopped moving, it was about 25cm higher than before, sitting on top of a small hill now. I checked the ground beneath it, but there was no opening, just solid earth. Something just pushed the whole surface up from underneath.

I did not encounter the animal responsible for this in the end, but maybe that's better.

[Khu]

None of you have had to deal with a friend who screamed because a wombat was inside her sleeping bag.

No joke.

[Proto]

You got bobcat'ed



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[ChainLegacy]

Seen pretty much every big mammal in North America in the wild except grizzlies and cougars. They just aren't around here anymore, given the length of colonial involvement in New England. Black bears and wolves just started moving back to the area of the past 5-10 years, slowly. That's mostly in western Mass. though; I'm in southeast MA in a rural town but high population county area.

There's actually a cool nature reserve I like going to down the street from the house I grew up in. While there aren't any large animals there (other than occasional coyote, deer) it's great for bird watching. Additionally, bats have been making my home one of their rest stops it seems; I've looked out in our garage and seen several perched from the ceiling asleep. They're a little creepy but given the massive amount of mosquitos this season they are serving a good purpose.

[Kafriel]

My worst encounter was in winter. It was snowing outside, lots of mist and the snow soon turned to hail. Still, I had to go to uni for an extra course; it was Saturday. When I arrived, I noticed the front and back gates were locked, and if not for the phone call of a friend who was already in, I would have left. Not knowing any better, I jumped over, but the net was slippery and the gate spikes met my hands with force. Dripping blood, I came face to face with the usual pack of hounds guarding the grounds...instead of running, I walked as fast as I could, entered the library, took stairs, then down to the basement, but the trail of blood was too much of a giveaway...Eventually I ran like hell into the classroom, and as I took my seat, I could hear the faint sprint of the dogs beneath.

[ChainLegacy]

Originally Posted by Kafriel

My worst encounter was in winter. It was snowing outside, lots of mist and the snow soon turned to hail. Still, I had to go to uni for an extra course; it was Saturday. When I arrived, I noticed the front and back gates were locked, and if not for the phone call of a friend who was already in, I would have left. Not knowing any better, I jumped over, but the net was slippery and the gate spikes met my hands with force. Dripping blood, I came face to face with the usual pack of hounds guarding the grounds...instead of running, I walked as fast as I could, entered the library, took stairs, then down to the basement, but the trail of blood was too much of a giveaway...Eventually I ran like hell into the classroom, and as I took my seat, I could hear the faint sprint of the dogs beneath.

Your university has guard dogs that excite at the smell of blood and chase students, hoping to snack on them for sustenance?

...Cool.

[Renegade334]

I remember something that happened a long time ago when my parents and I were visiting a rural part of the Philippines. I was probably three-four at that time and while I do not really recall where and when it took place...a certain encounter certainly marked me. Anyway, here I was being led by the hand by my mother, on the sidewalk--right after an hour or two of hard rain. We had settled in a nice, dry cafe waiting for the weather to brighten up and were getting ready to visit some sort of antique/folkloric shop we had been referred to.

The sidewalk was understandably muddy - it was half stone, half soil, and covered with puddles of rainwater here and there. And I was kind of bored with all the sightseeing (nothing truly spectacular to behold) and wanted to do something fun. Then...I spotted some kind of rock in front of me - flattish, dark gray-brown, grainy and roughly twenty centimeters in diameter. I was getting ready to kick it around, because it looked kind of squishy, very shiny with humidity...and the darned thing leaped away before my foot could connect with it.

With all the grime coating its skin and all the earth beneath, I never realized the bloody thing was actually a VERY large frog that had been enjoying the rain and was now looking for a shelter. And I almost kicked it away like a vulgar soccer ball.

When realization struck, I did such a double-take I almost tripped and landed up in a puddle myself.


Not sure I've ever been able to look at frogs the same way again.

[Kafriel]

Originally Posted by ChainLegacy

Your university has guard dogs that excite at the smell of blood and chase students, hoping to snack on them for sustenance?

...Cool.

Well, they are guard dogs, gotta be trained to do something :P Since I was sure nobody trims their claws though, I decided to run.

[Irenicus]

I was gonna make a Cerberus joke (this being in Athens and all), but then I realized that would be kind of stupid. ;_;


I was once attacked by a bird. My uni is less populated with critters than many campuses in the USA, but there are some birds. Most of the time they're just background, but one quiet summer morning as I walked to the library I seemed to have riled up an angry bird as it kept attacking my...backpack. At first I didn't even notice, then I was like what's that sound? Then I turned around and had to duck. It gave up after a few sniping attempts.

To this day I still don't know what provoked it.

[Tetra Vaal]

Originally Posted by Irenicus

I was gonna make a Cerberus joke (this being in Athens and all), but then I realized that would be kind of stupid. ;_;


I was once attacked by a bird. My uni is less populated with critters than many campuses in the USA, but there are some birds. Most of the time they're just background, but one quiet summer morning as I walked to the library I seemed to have riled up an angry bird as it kept attacking my...backpack. At first I didn't even notice, then I was like what's that sound? Then I turned around and had to duck. It gave up after a few sniping attempts.

To this day I still don't know what provoked it.

You know, that's funny... I once knew a guy who LITERALLY got attacked by a bird while sitting in his car and eating a McGriddle. It was in the middle of summer (2006, I think) and he had his windows rolled down while sitting in a retail store parking lot-- and while he was in the middle of eating the damn thing flew down and started attacking his arm. The McGriddle fell to the concrete ground in which the bird begin to eat, I guess. Just the way the story was explained to me still makes me laugh to this day.

[Rising Dragon]

At my old house, before we lost it, the back patio by the master bedroom had a bat that showed up there and flew by the door regularly every night. It did not live there; as there were no living spaces for it to hide in around the patio, but that didn't stop it from showing up there every single night, presumably to feed.

Also recently a bear showed up at my current residence. Less than amusing. And the other night, when one of the cats were out super-late, I was outside with a flashlight waiting for it. Instead, I found a foraging skunk. Fun times (no it didn't spray me, I was too far away and it didn't find me threatening).

The most amusing encounter, though... I was at a lake and a flock of geese landed on the beach near the people, and the alpha male goose ended up challenging my brother. It was hilarious... I had my money on the bird if they were gonna actually fight.

[Rurik]

Some days ago, i found a skunk smelling around in my front door, That was my first time seen one in real life, funny part is that he noticed me and he started putting his tail up, that was when I decided to close the door...

[Archon_Wing]

Ah, yes. If you step into a bird's zone, especially if they're having kids or whatnot, they get unusually aggressive, and will start circling you like some motherfucker on crack.

It happened to me once; I had no time for this nonsense so I swatted away with a conveniently located umbrella.

But not as big as an owl, so cool tale I guess.

However, I hear that when groups of birds get really pissed, they'll all try to shit on you. So hey, it could be worse.

[Rising Dragon]

Originally Posted by Rurik

Some days ago, i found a skunk smelling around in my front door, That was my first time seen one in real life, funny part is that he noticed me and he started putting his tale up, that was when I decided to close the door...

I'm glad my first encounter with a skunk was where I was well enough away from it. It's bad enough our dogs had a habit of going after skunks.

My theory on those idiot animals is that they kept thinking it was my cat, who is black and white herself. Only thing that makes sense to me, seeing how they never learned to stay away from the damn things...

[Rurik]

Originally Posted by Rising Dragon

My theory on those idiot animals is that they kept thinking it was my cat, who is black and white herself. Only thing that makes sense to me, seeing how they never learned to stay away from the damn things...

Well, Pepe le puu Always mistakes a female cat for a skunk, it looks thats not just a dog thing

[Rennir]

This happened quite recently: My friends and I had just finished watching a movie and we were loitering around the nearby cookie store, just chatting. We must've been blind or something but two women walk towards us and then suddenly stop. Turns out there was a bat hanging about 3 feet away from us on the brick wall, in open daylight. Anyways we all tried to get pictures but none of us wanted to get really close to it so this UPS guy that was delivering something to the store decided to help us out by taking our phones and going within one inch of it and took pictures It was probably harmless but eh...who knows? And I never thought bats would sleep in open places in broad daylight...