- 0
- 0
We’ve gotten used to seeing all manner of critters here. North Carolina seems to be a roaming menagerie—venomous snakes, cute baby possums, foxes, deer, and even bears. And for some reason, they all seem to enjoy a stroll on the ridge.
The size of some of our visitors has definitely surprised us. Did you know that a fox can be nearly two feet tall at the shoulder and nearly three feet long? Had it not been for the beautiful, burnished ginger coat on the one that sauntered through my yard, I might have mistaken it for a coyote.
And just when we think we’ve seen it all, a completely unfamiliar creature shows up. At one point, we thought we had a very large groundhog near the woods—until I saw its broad, flat tail and realized it was a beaver, nearly three feet long, plus another foot for the tail. Watching from the safety of our elevated porch, I was sure he/she would feel my eyes boring into its glossy fur, but it paid me no mind. Finally, as it waddled away, I caught sight of its tail.
Google handily verified it to be a beaver. I think my poor old brain has enjoyed too many memes, because I had confused beavers with those cute otters you see holding their babies. A beaver, at least the one I saw, was close to three feet long, with the tail adding another foot or so. It looked massive—maybe 50 or even 60 pounds. Let’s just say I won’t be mistaking a beaver for an otter again—unless that otter’s been hitting the gym!