Full Version: i have a question
What sort of animal would rip the bark off of a tree about ten to twelve feet up? I seen this yesterday when I was walking near some woods out near Lake Erie..i didn't go into the woods as the ground was soggy. But I seen this on a few trees and I was curious because it had looked like it was torn off..could a squirrel do that for instance??
QUOTE(twinkletoes @ Sep 16 2006, 01:39 PM) 
What sort of animal would rip the bark off of a tree about ten to twelve feet up? I seen this yesterday when I was walking near some woods out near Lake Erie..i didn't go into the woods as the ground was soggy. But I seen this on a few trees and I was curious because it had looked like it was torn off..could a squirrel do that for instance??
Could be done by bugs inside of the tree. It could be a disease that the trees have. It could be lightning. It could be black bear looking for grubs beneath the bark. And it could be our buddy Bigfoot.
Porcupine.
Porcupine... 
Here is another example of the damage porcupines can wreck on a tree in winter, it stays alive by not only eating the bark, but destroying it to get to the grubs underneath. This photo, courtesy of Joe Beelart, shows how high up they can wreck havoc....
Bobbie Short
Click to view attachment
Bobbie Short
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Was it new or old scarring? It could be deer standing on packed snow in the winter. Or just standing on their hind legs.
QUOTE(twinkletoes @ Sep 16 2006, 12:39 PM)
What sort of animal would rip the bark off of a tree about ten to twelve feet up? I seen this yesterday when I was walking near some woods out near Lake Erie..i didn't go into the woods as the ground was soggy. But I seen this on a few trees and I was curious because it had looked like it was torn off..could a squirrel do that for instance??
Tree's rubbing against other tree's, blow down, logging, woodpeckers, bear, and all the other things that members mentioned. Oh, and sometimes trees are girdled (bark removal) to kill them. Got Pictures?
Not to nit pick to much...
sierra4
Porcupines only eat veggies...
http://www.americazoo.com/goto/index/mammals/206.htm
http://www.nsrl.ttu.edu/tmot1/eretdors.htm
TKD
PS I found more info on other websites I can post them if you don't believe me
sierra4
QUOTE
Here is another example of the damage porcupines can wreck on a tree in winter, it stays alive by not only eating the bark, but destroying it to get to the grubs underneath. This photo, courtesy of Joe Beelart, shows how high up they can wreck havoc....
Porcupines only eat veggies...
QUOTE
In the winter months this porcupine's diet consists mainly of the inner bark of trees, but in summer the diet includes roots, leaves, berries, flowers, and seeds.
http://www.americazoo.com/goto/index/mammals/206.htm
QUOTE
Herbaceous ground vegetation makes up 85% of the food of both old and young in summer. In fall only 27% of their food is herbaceous; 73% is tree-gathered and includes mistletoe, the inner bark of a variety of trees, and pine needles. In winter the food is wholly from trees, and pine needles and inner bark are consumed at their peak during this season. In spring they again return to herbaceous ground vegetation which then makes up nearly 40% of their diet. Throughout the year the porcupine is more of a browser than a grazer and subsists in large measure on the inner bark of trees and shrubs; grass is of no importance at any time of the year. Porcupines are especially fond of salt and are easily attracted to it, a fact which is useful in their control.
http://www.nsrl.ttu.edu/tmot1/eretdors.htm
TKD
PS I found more info on other websites I can post them if you don't believe me
QUOTE(TKD @ Sep 16 2006, 06:40 PM)
Not to nit pick to much...
sierra4
Porcupines only eat veggies...
http://www.americazoo.com/goto/index/mammals/206.htm
http://www.nsrl.ttu.edu/tmot1/eretdors.htm
TKD
PS I found more info on other websites I can post them if you don't believe me
sierra4
QUOTE
Here is another example of the damage porcupines can wreck on a tree in winter, it stays alive by not only eating the bark, but destroying it to get to the grubs underneath. This photo, courtesy of Joe Beelart, shows how high up they can wreck havoc....
Porcupines only eat veggies...
QUOTE
In the winter months this porcupine's diet consists mainly of the inner bark of trees, but in summer the diet includes roots, leaves, berries, flowers, and seeds.
http://www.americazoo.com/goto/index/mammals/206.htm
QUOTE
Herbaceous ground vegetation makes up 85% of the food of both old and young in summer. In fall only 27% of their food is herbaceous; 73% is tree-gathered and includes mistletoe, the inner bark of a variety of trees, and pine needles. In winter the food is wholly from trees, and pine needles and inner bark are consumed at their peak during this season. In spring they again return to herbaceous ground vegetation which then makes up nearly 40% of their diet. Throughout the year the porcupine is more of a browser than a grazer and subsists in large measure on the inner bark of trees and shrubs; grass is of no importance at any time of the year. Porcupines are especially fond of salt and are easily attracted to it, a fact which is useful in their control.
http://www.nsrl.ttu.edu/tmot1/eretdors.htm
TKD
PS I found more info on other websites I can post them if you don't believe me
Where are the veggies when the snow is 5 feet deep many months of the year?
Stuck in a tree, on atop a lining of winter's deep snow, the porcupine has only what trees are available
and the grubs/bugs underneath the bark to eat or starve to death..... yeah, you're a 'by the book' nit picker
who needs to spend more time in the bush in winter.
QUOTE(TKD @ Sep 16 2006, 07:40 PM)
Not to nit pick to much...
http://www.americazoo.com/goto/index/mammals/206.htm
http://www.nsrl.ttu.edu/tmot1/eretdors.htm
TKD
PS I found more info on other websites I can post them if you don't believe me
QUOTE
Here is another example of the damage porcupines can wreck on a tree in winter, it stays alive by not only eating the bark, but destroying it to get to the grubs underneath. This photo, courtesy of Joe Beelart, shows how high up they can wreck havoc....
QUOTE
In the winter months this porcupine's diet consists mainly of the inner bark of trees, but in summer the diet includes roots, leaves, berries, flowers, and seeds.
http://www.americazoo.com/goto/index/mammals/206.htm
QUOTE
Throughout the year the porcupine is more of a browser than a grazer and subsists in large measure on the inner bark of trees and shrubs; grass is of no importance at any time of the year.
http://www.nsrl.ttu.edu/tmot1/eretdors.htm
TKD
PS I found more info on other websites I can post them if you don't believe me
Excellent job in establishing that porcupines do in fact eat bark. Now if it were only so easy to establish the eating habits of sasquatch.
QUOTE
Excellent job in establishing that porcupines do in fact eat bark. Now if it were only so easy to establish the eating habits of sasquatch.
Hey S.
LAL and I were discussing the possible food sources in Western NC for a creature that would equal the size of a "purported" Sasquatch. Do you have any theories on this or could you point us in the direction of some websites that we may be able to glean some information from? I'd assume that anything that could sustain a bear population could also sustain a population of large uncatalogued bipedal primates, should they in fact exist. Any thoughts on this?
Wouldn't have to be much. We're not talking about an animal with numbers in the range of elk or moose or bear. The daily calorie intake would probably be significant, but keep in mind, most large animals are herbivores with the exception of bear. I'd have to believe that bear and sas would probably have similar diets. The odor associated with sas sightings would seem to indicate putrifying meat might be a delicacy.
Dan
Dan
QUOTE(David Thomas King @ Sep 17 2006, 08:59 AM)
LAL and I were discussing the possible food sources in Western NC for a creature that would equal the size of a "purported" Sasquatch. Do you have any theories on this or could you point us in the direction of some websites that we may be able to glean some information from? I'd assume that anything that could sustain a bear population could also sustain a population of large uncatalogued bipedal primates, should they in fact exist. Any thoughts on this?
There's literaly a ton of food. Seasonal items range from wild grapes, berries, and rabbit tobacco to holly berries, laurel leaves, hickory nuts, and acorns of various type. The DNR plants a lot of sorgum here and I imagine they do the same there. The fact is the forests here are a buffet for animals or man. You just have to know where to look.
Not to jump to conclusions, but where is this place as I'm from southern Ontario? When did you notice it , and how old is the "tear marks" ? Health tree or dead? What type of tree?
Max snow levels for that area? Which doesn't mean much as a dear would sink in it anyways.
Are there bears normally in this area? I'd be surprised if there was. And finally Got Pictures????
Dave
Max snow levels for that area? Which doesn't mean much as a dear would sink in it anyways.
Are there bears normally in this area? I'd be surprised if there was. And finally Got Pictures????
Dave
Where it was was in Waterford..the tree looked healthy but had some new tears in the bark about ten to twelve feet up. I have never heard if there are any bears in the area or deer..this forest is in between two properties separated by a cornfield..as of yearly snow, they might get a foot maybe I don't know..i just noticed this and was curious to what animal could do that..it caught my eye as I was walking down the dirt road with my son..it's possible it could be bugs or possums maybe..my mother in law lives in one of the houses out there and that's why I was there..i took a walk after dinner last Friday afternoon at around five or six maybe..i thought the tear looked interesting..
After Google mapping and sat pics, I'd say porcupine is probable, and sasquatch odds are slim, but would like to still see pics.
Dave
Dave
QUOTE
Excellent job in establishing that porcupines do in fact eat bark. Now if it were only so easy to establish the eating habits of sasquatch.
Aparently it was not good enough for some people.
TKD
QUOTE(twinkletoes @ Sep 17 2006, 07:43 PM)
Where it was was in Waterford..the tree looked healthy but had some new tears in the bark about ten to twelve feet up. I have never heard if there are any bears in the area or deer..this forest is in between two properties separated by a cornfield..as of yearly snow, they might get a foot maybe I don't know..i just noticed this and was curious to what animal could do that..it caught my eye as I was walking down the dirt road with my son..it's possible it could be bugs or possums maybe..my mother in law lives in one of the houses out there and that's why I was there..i took a walk after dinner last Friday afternoon at around five or six maybe..i thought the tear looked interesting..
From experience, you can look at the wood under where the bark used to be and see it there are marks on it. If anything ate the bark, it would have been scraped away with their teeth and left some noticeable marks. Also, bugs would have left some carved trails on the wood. If a bear or sasquatch rubbed itself on the tree, look for hair stuck on the remaining bark. Also, look for any nearby fallen branches that could have hit the tree on their way down. I know it's not easy to see those details at 12 feet, but I tought you might like to know those details.
Interesting page with photos of animal damage to trees:
http://www.fs.fed.us/r1-r4/spf/fhp/field_g...0-51anmldmg.htm
RayG
http://www.fs.fed.us/r1-r4/spf/fhp/field_g...0-51anmldmg.htm
RayG
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