What kind of animal do you think I saw?

rox · Jan 25, 2006

I'm in southern France, where it doesn't snow, well once evry few years we might get a dusting. It is not tropical like Florida, I'm in the mid 30's at night and in the daytime in the winter the temperature can varry between 40's - 60's. It is real hot in the summer and it basically doesn't rain. We get a lot of rain in January and February. In the summer you could say it is arid. We are about 20 miles form the Mediterean Sea and are in the foot hills of the Alps. So now you know the area. Oh yes we have an olvie farm with also almond trees.

Driving home tonight, on the first terrace up from the driveway I saw an animal run across the terrace. It went real fast I barely got a look at it. It had short legs, perhaps legs as tall as a rabbit. It's body was long, a bit longer than a large cat, and it had a long bushy tail, as long as a cat's tail but much bushier than any cat I have ever seen. It was all black, adn it could really run. It's head was about as large as a slarge cat's or perhaps a bit larger.

I am from Wisconsin and I don't recognize this animal as any kind of animals that live in Wisconsin. Based on this description would anybody know what type of animal this was? It really ran fast...

KentT · Jan 25, 2006

There's a family of larger carnivores similar to "weasels on steroids" that include martens and fisher cats. Though these are not numerous, their range is pretty widespread. You may have seen one of them. Here's a fisher:

rox · Jan 25, 2006

I cna't belive it! Yeah that is a good possibility. The tail look right, how long it is and how bushy it is. It is low to the ground. I jsut didn't get a good look at the head because it had it's head down and was running away form me so I only saw the back.

I ahve to drop of some Aleve for the neighbors "significant other" tomorrow. I'll print up this photographs and ask him. Thanks I'm am going to check onthe internet and see if they are in my area. Thanks!

rox · Jan 25, 2006

Another interesting point is that we have many large tunnels. Some pretty big animal digs burrow or tunnels. it is way to big for a rabbit hole. I am going to see if the martens or the fisher cats dig holes and tunnels.

The neighbor doens't knwo what animal is making the holes either. his guess was a fox.

KentT · Jan 25, 2006

Rox,

Check this link -- it's for a member of that family native to Europe, called a polecat -- not to be confused with a skunk.

Polecat Info

These are large members of the weasel family... they have a musk gland, and can spray it...

rox · Jan 25, 2006

KentT,
Thanks for the link, it was a good one. I clicked on more photographs and even watched the video. I don't think it was a pole cat although becuase you are only using my text description I see how you had me check it out.

On the animal I saw the tail was much longer and bushier than the pole cat. Plus it didn't move the way the polecat moved in the videos.

I think I saw a Fisher cat. I searched on the internet and found good information and one photo in particular was a Fisher cat in a tree with it's tail hanging down, and that is exatly like the tail I saw.

Plus the articles mention the speed of a Fischer cat, it can outrun a hare or a fox, and it's speed was remarkable and I mentioned that in my first post. We used to have rabbits around here all the time, well for the last 6 moths or so I have not seen a single rabbit. There is a certain spot in our long driveway where you coudl be guaranteed a rabit would run as we drove down the drive, but no more rabbits.

I welcome suggestions, the polecat was a good suggestion, but so far ntil I see other suggestions I am inclined to say it ws a Fischer Cat. One article said it lives in foot hills and that is where I live. But I dont' know if they are in France or not. My French isn't good enough that I can google and search.

inveresk · Jan 25, 2006

I would have said a pine martin or maybe a mink. There are some wild ones in europe and it would explain the colour.

Provence is one of my favourite places in europe. I remember well the 3 hour lunches spent at a refectory style table in the open air under the shade of a plain tree with views across the scent of lavender fields.

Last time I visited was a house swop with a french furniture maker who took my house in Edinburgh in exchange for his village house in Le Thor. Waking to the sound of the market stalls being set up in the morning and donning a pair of shorts to go fetch a melon and freshly baked bread for breakfast was a real pleasure.

I still get my aftershave from a small perfumier in Haut Provence. I get a litre aluminium bottle sent over about once a year, much cheaper than the stuff available from department stores and pharmacies here and far more distinctive.

You live in a very beautiful part of the world.

jinman · Jan 26, 2006

Is it possible what you saw was just a small fox? Your description of the tail and size sure sounds like it could have been a fox to me??? /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Egon · Jan 26, 2006

Just a quick seach but no pictures.

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Few specimens of the larger mammals remain in France; the most common of these include species of deer and fox. Red deer and roe deer are still hunted, as are wild boar, which survive in remote forest areas. The rare chamois, a type of goat, is found in the Alps and in the Pyrenees. Among the smaller animals found in the region are the porcupine, skunk, marmot, and marten. Endangered species include beaver, otter, and badger. A small population of brown bears and lynx survive high in the Pyrenees )</font>

From this I would say you have badgers digging up marmots and what you saw was either a fox or pine marten.

Egon /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif