More Trailcam Weirdness
Posted by: Loren Coleman on November 25th, 2007
Of course, we all want a good photo of a Bigfoot via one of these automatic trailway cameras. In the meantime, here are a few more amazing things being caught with these trailcams.
Cryptomundo member PhotoExpert generously passes along more from his collection of trailcam photographs he’s gathered over the years. Unfortunately, he has no further info on their origins.
Can you name all the animals seen together in these images?
About Loren Coleman
Loren Coleman is one of the world’s leading cryptozoologists, some say “the” leading living cryptozoologist. Certainly, he is acknowledged as the current living American researcher and writer who has most popularized cryptozoology in the late 20th and early 21st centuries.
Starting his fieldwork and investigations in 1960, after traveling and trekking extensively in pursuit of cryptozoological mysteries, Coleman began writing to share his experiences in 1969. An honorary member of Ivan T. Sanderson’s Society for the Investigation of the Unexplained in the 1970s, Coleman has been bestowed with similar honorary memberships of the North Idaho College Cryptozoology Club in 1983, and in subsequent years, that of the British Columbia Scientific Cryptozoology Club, CryptoSafari International, and other international organizations. He was also a Life Member and Benefactor of the International Society of Cryptozoology (now-defunct).
Loren Coleman’s daily blog, as a member of the Cryptomundo Team, served as an ongoing avenue of communication for the ever-growing body of cryptozoo news from 2005 through 2013. He returned as an infrequent contributor beginning Halloween week of 2015.
Coleman is the founder in 2003, and current director of the International Cryptozoology Museum in Portland, Maine.
1. 4 whitetail deer and a bat
2. 1 whitetail and a snake
3. 2 wolves and prey, probably deer
But what are those 2 reflective “eyes” high on the left in 1?
bat or baby sasquatch climbing a tree? lets ask the bfro 😛
1. photo, white-tailed deer, hoary bat and _something_ with glowing eyes in the upper left corner.
2. photo, white-tailed deer, timber rattlesnake
3. photo, coyote and bobcat at a carcass.
Maybe that apparent bat in the first one is going to get a piggy back ride off of the deer? 🙂 That first one is creepy because in the upper left, there almost appears to be some anomalous glowing eyes of some larger creature in the brush.
These are amazing, cool photos. The one at the bottom has a snake in it, on the ground towards the bottom of the pic, or at least it sure looks like a snake. Can’t say for certain what species it is, though. The bottom photo is definitely a coyote and what looks like a bobcat going at a carcass but there’s no way to be sure what the animal they are eating was. Maybe a deer.
Are those machines we see some sort of feed machines? I suppose they would be in order to lure the animals in. Perhaps that is why the snake made an appearance, to catch any rodents that come in to feed. This would be kind of like a water hole out in Africa, with all manner of species coming together in one place. Anyway, I sure do like these little snapshots of what goes on when people aren’t looking.
Those reflective eyes on the left in picture could be an owl. Their eyes are very reflective cause of their super duper night vision.
Could be a distant car as well.
I wish that deer in the first photo would stop staring at me!
I may be insane, but I think those floating eyes in the first pic do indeed belong to an owl. I think I can see the vague shape of one, anyway.
On the first one, the eyes are a reflection/camera lens weirdness of some sort from the main deer. You can see the same effect with the second deer eye to a lesser degree laterally across from the other deer. (directly above the main deer). (Like an X)
While the second and third photos are pretty pedestrian, it’s the first photo that should have Bigfoot enthusiasts all a twitter.
Clearly, what we are looking at is a Sasquatch hunting party’s failed attempt at taking down a deer.
In the top left corner of the photo one should see the faint reflection in the eye of the Bigfoot “on point”, deftly hiding his or her bulk behind some type of apparatus. In the middle of the frame, the trail-cam has managed to capture a Bigfoot-a-rang in mid-flight. Notice how this small herd of deer is in fight-or-flight mode, obviously leaning towards flight. These deer instinctively know that the Bigfoot-a-rang is only used by upper level masters of Sasquatchnitsu, and are seconds away from certain death. Just ask the BFRO…
noobfun said: “bat or baby sasquatch climbing a tree? lets ask the bfro.”
I have a better suggestion: just ask the TBRC.
At the 2007 Texas Bigfoot Conference, Alton Higgins gave a presentation, in which he demonstrated that three TBRC investigators had conducted an experiment with a “three-eyed” reflector proving that these kinds of photos with the eerie eyes in the background are quite innocuous.
The “eyes” you see in the back of that photo are nothing more than a photographic anomaly caused by the flash and deer’s reflective eyes.
It’s really that simple.
No bigfoot. No owl.
Those deer are fake. There is a wormhole in the background and you can clearly see a baby sasquatch climbing out of it riding a wild boar. The glowing eyes are clearly orbs of spirit activity. The bat is just going about his bat business.
The snake is obviously afraid of ghosts and is crawling away in a “dude run”! sort of manner. That deer is real, but confused because he is probably a skeptic like most deer.
The wolves are eating a baby sasquatch because his mom left him alone to go gamble.
Graphic I know. But nature can be cruel sometimes.
Off to take my happy pill…. LOL
expanding on what daryl said about the “eyes” in the upper left… i’m a professional photographer and all it is is the digital reflection from the deer’s eyes. you can see that if you flip the photo, the deer’s eyes are in the same spot as the other “eyes.” this happens a lot with digital cameras when taking photos of candles in a dark room or even a solar eclipse. the reflection is always a greenish color. not sure why it happens but it sure is annoying because it ruins photos.
“Trail Camming” is becoming pretty popular here too, as the prices of equipment come down and the ease of use goes up. I think it’s a great hobby.
You’re probably right, mystery_man, about the feed stations. Most people set out a feed station of some kind in order to ensure that wildlife will come to the cameras.
Thanks for taking the time to post those Loren!
Many of you described the photos correctly. No hidden BF here in any of the photos. They are just simple but weird and unique trailcam photos.
I’m with mystery_man, I love seeing what goes on when we are not looking.
The first one is deer with a bat in flight.
The second one is a deer looking cautiously at a snake.
The third one is a coyote and bobcat fighting over a carcass.
And Daryl Colyer was correct on the glowing eyes being a photographic anomaly. Of course Alton Higgins may have demonstrated this common photo anomaly at a conference recently. However, this common photo error has been known to experts for decades. It is caused by the flash reflecting internally in the lens of the camera. So nothing new there. But I am grateful to Daryl for pointing this out. I can not tell you how sick and tired I am from debunking “ghost” and “orb” photographs sent to me from people in the ghost hunting community who are convinced that every dust particle is an “orb entity”. LOL It is almost comparable to every mangy bear photo being a juvenile sasquatch!
If I come across any more trailcam photos, I will be sure to pass them on. And thanks again to Loren for bringing up the topic and refreshing my memory with the photo of the raccoon and wild boar!
No bobcat in the third photo. Both animals are coyotes. All three photos look pretty mundane. The Jacobs photo still tops the list in weirdess because it hasn’t been explained properly.
Richard888… you better look again, that is a Bobcat.
In Picture 3, the carnivore above the 1:31AM stamp is a coyote, not a bobcat!
By maginifying the picture by 50% this will become even more evident. The ears and snout of both animals are of the same proportions. The limbs are thin. The fur pattern and color are same. Most importantly, its tail is bushy and tapers to a black tip.
To mistake it for a bobcat is similar to mistaking a gorilla for a mangy bear.
great new article with photos about more trailcam weirdness. thanks bill green
i see something behind the pole in the second picture.does anyone have an explination?it could be a BF.
If you notice that all of these pictures have some kind of fencing the background, I suspect that this is someone with a private game reserve and some of the pictures are most likely staged (raccoons riding wild boars?). They are interesting to see the interaction among the different species, however I would suspect you would not see such interaction in a natural environment.
Oh, the glowing eyes in the background of the first picture is clearly Mothman.
A
The snake isn’t a timber rattler,it’s a Eastern Diamondback (Crotalus adamanteus)
The first is of whitetails and a…hoary bat? I’m not up on my chiropteran species.
The second is another whitetail and what I assume is a copperhead. It is hard to tell without a good look at the pattern.
The third is of a very hungry coyote and bobcat.
Trick question about the “eyes” in #1 –
Lens reflections are almost always located diagonally opposite the source light, on a line thru the center of the complete image. Assuming we have the COMPLETE image in #1, lay a straight-edge between the staring deer’s eyes and the mystery “eyes” – then lay another edge between the photo’s opposite diagonal corners – the two straight lines cross at the exact center of the image.
The deer’s eye reflection is so bright it is refracted off the opposite side of the lens surface and onto the sensor or film. Obviously, if the image we see has been cropped asymmetrically, all bets are off.
Neither the other deer eyes nor the bat are bright enough to cause the reflection.
Anybody notice the other trail-cam in #1?
Does anybody know if the typical trail-cam makes any kind of audible noise just before it fires? Creatures accustomed to the sounds of silence in their habitats might hear any click or whir as the device powers-up, and quickly look to its source. That might ‘splain the staring animals.
I really liked the third. Seeing the bobcat just trying to tug the meal away from the coyote was cool. I didn’t look very closely at first and thought it was two coyotes. When you look more closely, you can see it’s clearly a bobcat.
But I must contest the first photo. I see deer and infant sasquatch, often reported by witnesses to have skin membrane wings to help it fly from tree to tree and to roost. It’s obviously not a bat but an unknown primate.
Number 3 is cool. Coyote and bobcat. Even though the resolution isn’t that great, if you look carefully the animal on the right is obviously a bobcat. Coyotes don’t have spots.
Hmmm. It’s really hard to say. The 1st 2 photo’s are pretty self explanatory. But to say that is definately a bobcat with that coyote, is kinda like saying the Jacobs photo is definately bigfoot. We all know that is just not the fact. I’m not saying it isn’t a bobcat. I’m just saying for myself this photo doesn’t possitively scream bobcat. I have never heard of a coyote & a bobcat sharing a meal. But hey, wouldn’t be the first time I might be wrong. And probably won’t be the last.
Amazing photos! The snake looks like a Western Diamonback to me, I think I can see stripes on the tail.
I agree with those who say the animal in the third photo’s a bobcat. I think you’d see the tail were it a coyote; the color and general shape seem to say bobcat too.
I actually didn’t see it at first and thought, two coyotes. When I saw the first “bobcat” post I went, puh-leeze, but looked at it again. “Cat” jumped right out. I think I was too focused on the animal on the left the first time.
See how we can’t resist this? We just have to watch jumping to conclusions is all.
And this may be a fun hobby for humans. How do you think those animals react to that flash, though? lol
I was going to say the glowing eyes in the first pic belonged to Mothman, but common sense came over me….Mothman has red eyes.
DWA responds:
November 26th, 2007 at 6:05 pm
I agree with those who say the animal in the third photo’s a bobcat. I think you’d see the tail were it a coyote; the color and general shape seem to say bobcat too.
DWA. You and the rest are most likely right about a bobcat. The more I look at it, the more it doesn’t look like the other coyote. The hind legs on the animal to the right are alot fatter than the hind legs on the coyote. Plus I can’t really see a mussle on the cat. Even though I have never heard of the two sharing a meal. The more I look at it, the more it looks like the coyote is trying snatch the prey. The cat looks like it is all up close to the meal. The coyote looks like he is inching his way in for a mouthful and ready to bolt.
DARHOP: I wouldn’t say we who think bobcat are “most likely” right.
I’d just say that if I had to pick between coyote and cat, cat would be my vote.
Gotta be careful about these things. 😉
DWA said:
I think you’d see the tail were it a coyote; the color and general shape seem to say bobcat too.
DWA and everyone else, the tail is the very thing that made me think it’s not a bobcat but a coyote. Doesn’t anyone else see a long tail ending in a black tip? It can’t be the rear leg of the animal with the paw raised because it is a natural extension of its back. It must be a tail ending in a black tip.
In fact, now I am beginning to believe that it is neither a coyote nor a bobcat but a cougar!!! What’s everyone else’s opinion?
PS. But if they were different species, wouldn’t they be fighting with the coyote being the certain loser?
Those are coyotes and/or coydogs. Bobcats have very short tails.
The third pic almost certainly shows a coyote and a bobcat. Look at the head of the animal in question, it has a classic bobcat shape to it that is quite different to the more elongated muzzle of the coyote. The coloration is also that of a bobcat, with the spots and white underbelly. The long “tail” that some seem to see that ends in a black tip is an illusion, I think. Looking at photos of bobcat’s, you can see that some have black coloration on the backs of their hind legs that exactly corresponds to what we see in the picture here and I think people are mistaking that for the black tip of a tail. I think the tail of the bobcat is tucked down out of sight. The arch of the back that we see also screams bobcat to me. If you look at images of bobcats online, you’ll see what I mean on all of these points. I’m fairly positive that is what we see here.
DARHOP- I don’t know if we see the two “sharing a meal”. More likely they are struggling over it, and you can even see from their stances that they are apparently playing kind of a tug-o-war with the carcass.
To bad their wasn’t a couple other photos of these two. Different angled shots could explain alot more than we are seeing here.
I agree with Richard888–2 coyotes
The black spots on the “bobcat” are created by pixelization. Similiar black spots appear throughout the image. The tail of the coyote is tipped black or grey and is obscuring a portion of the back leg. The animal exibits the muzzle of a canine and the ears are virtually identical to the other coyote’s. I can see how it could be mistaken for a bobcat but I don’t believe it is. What is more likely, 2 coyote’s scavenging a carcass or a bobcat and a coyote fighting over a carcass?
Although a bobcat will scavenge (mostly in the winter when food sources are scarce) it prefers fresh kill. The likelyhood of a large healthy bobcat contesting a kill with a coyote is remote. A predator research study by Mississippi State University conducted over a 5 year period (93-97) in which 61 bobcat’s and 37 coyote’s were radiomarked and monitored showed that while territories overlapped, instances of direct contact never occured. The research findings are posted online for anyone interested.
It is very unlikely to be a coyote and bobcat contesting a food source.
JRufus:
At least when you say “not likely” you’re backing it up with statistics.
And from what I’ve read on the subject, I would tend to agree with you that it’s “very unlikely.” Coyotes tend not to be very good for bobcats; in fact my understanding is that bobcat numbers can be adversely affected by coyote presence.
But I still agree with many here that the animal on the right in that last shot looks like a bobcat. And I know well what they look like.
One thing I’m pretty sure of – although no info on this is provided – is that that “kill” either was planted as bait, and is being pilfered from the cat by the coyote, or that it’s the cat’s kill, and ditto. I don’t think we’d be seeing that photo if the cat had made the kill; so I’m presuming they’re fighting over bait. And I’m not betting on the bobcat.
But if I had to bet on whether that IS a bobcat, I’d wager yes.
And as to likelihood: you’ve seen the shot with the raccoon and the boar too, I presume. One cool thing about trail cams is that they hold the potential to lead us to new evaluations of likelihood.
I guess the angle really wouldn’t have to change. Just the one animals position. If its dang head was up, we would know for sure.
Well DWA, all I can say is that I’d take that bet:-) Since majority opinion seems to think it’s a bobcat you’d have to give me the odds though;-)
This discussion is interesting. If we can debate so extensively on the identity of a known animal in a photo, then it’s no wonder we have such a hard time with blobsquatches. 🙂
Oh and in photo #1..the eyes in the left distance is clearly batman and thats his bat-boomerang headed for the deer heads…lol…oh and the fence thing…there is a fence in pic#2 maybe it is a personal deer farm but I doubt that shabby fence will hold in a snake,coyote,and a bobcat, deer yes, maybe,..I wanna see some more pics like these…I think they are interesting…thanks!!
I think the “eyes” on the left are just a reflection off of the feeder on the left. But I’m not a professional photographer so what do I know.
Jeez, I just looked at the photos again and now I see the “eyes” your talking about. Definitely not the feeder but still probably some sort of light anomaly.