What is the real story of "critters" in Tucson? (Marana: new house, neighborhood)
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I have only been living here in Oro Valley for 5 month (moved from NY)....we Lived at the The Golf Villas the first 4 months....I found 3 scorpions in my apartment, saw plenty of Javelina a bob cat was outside my patio once and a huge tarantella, and tons of Coyotes....Im living in Copper Creek now, and nothing spotted so far this past month.
My experience is that most of the nasties come out at nighttime in the summer. I've encountered three rattlesnakes in about eight years, all of which were in the shade.
Our old house had a scorpion issue; they'd crawl up through the ancient drain/leach system and we'd find them in the sink in the morning, where they'd be trapped.
I've encountered two tarantulas (or large hairy spiders, whatever they were), and have had many encounters with javelina (maybe a hundred), who used to maraud across our yard. Well not maraud so much as walk. Not so much walk as saunter. They're not hostile, provided you keep your distance.
What's amazing about them is that they eat prikly pear (this forum actually censored the proper spelling of prikly pear!), spikes and all. There is nothing more awesome than watching a Javelina yawn, revealing its giant spikey teeth, and watch it tear into a *****ly pear leaf, completely impervious to the needles.
Those were all taken on the property I rented on the west side of town, not far from the Silverbell-Grant intersection. You can see the scorpion in our sink there, as well as the pack of Javelinas, who we actually had quite a lot of affection for.
The lizard you see would show up on our porch quite frequently, a welcome guest because he'd catch bugs. I don't know what kind of lizard that is, but it was about the length of my palm, maybe a little longer.
Note that this property was very old and fairly rustic; most people rarely encounter anything unusual on their property. The rattlesnake was right next to our porch but was dragging in the heat and seemed utterly disinterested in us.
Rattlers in general have absolutely no interest in tangling with humans and would rather you just kept your distance and let them pass. The first one I encountered was back on the Sendero Esperanza trail in Saguaro West. I was moving fast down the mountain path there and the sun was going down...The shadow was creeping across the valley and the snake was just inside the shadow. I came within about 3 feet of it (not paying attention!), and it rattled loudly.
I verbally apologized (really, this was my actual reaction - curious) and I stepped back (probably should have stood still). The snake then quickly exited into the brush.
In my opinion, there is a foolproof rule about wildlife in southern Arizona - avoid contact with any and all wildlife. Most of is it beautiful to observe, but none of it is pleasant to touch.
Rattlesnakes are one of those things that really scare people, but really, they inspire wonder more than anything else. I consider myself lucky when encounter them (provided I don't get too close) and you probably will too, if you ever do.
Frankly, the most likely source of pain is likely to be the cruel spiked plant life, especially cholla, which is unforgiving. My father and I once hiked the Mustang trail down in Buenos Aires NWR near Arivaca, and when we got into the car to leave we noted that each of us was bleeding in more than ten places from the brush!
Thanks for sharing those pics Quag7! The scorpion is a Centruroides exilicauda/sculpturatus, commonly known as the Arizona bark scorpion. It packs one heck of a wallop with its sting and has caused fatalities, be careful when dealing with em!
The rattlesnake is a Crotalus atrox, aka Western diamondback. Can reach 6' in length and inject alot of venom, best keep your distance and just leave them alone. If you have kids or dogs, be sure to keep a watchful eye on them.
The tarantula looks to be a dead Aphonopelma iodius. Theyre very common in AZ, especially near Tuscon. Their bite is painful, but harmless (think wasp sting). Males are the only ones youll see roaming around, when they reach sexual maturity (last molt) males build a sperm web and deposit sperm onto it in which they collect it on their pedipalps (the "extra" small set of "legs" near the mouth). When they do this, they leave their burrows and begin the hunt for a female to mate with. The one next to your shoes was just in search of a mate and died (hence the curled up legs). If you drive up Scottsdale Road near Carefree in the summer months at night, youll see quite a few males crossing the road, its a neat spectacle!
This is the Sonora Desert. No matter what or why... paved over or bare... it's still the Sonora. Bugs live here... lots or 'em. Most will bite or sting you. Most everything in the desert will do that... including the plants. The bugs tend to be big. Nobody's mentioned the Tarantula Hawk or the huge beetles or the sun spider (which isn't a spider... but moot point.) You have to be aware of what's here 'n co-exist. Get your perimeter treated by a competent bug exterminator outfit 'n you'll minimize the probability of bugs in your house. I live in the desert... dirt road 'n all. Now 'n then I'll kill a scorp... 2 Barkers this past summer 'n a couple of Hairy's. Whacked big Brown Recluse with a shovel on my back wall. 'Got Road Runners, hawks 'n eagles... 'n Horned owls in the area who take care of 'business'. Snakes are no problem... you just have to be aware that they may be on the other side of the door or gate when ya open it. Look first. Don't go barefoot 'n don't wear those silly sandals. This ain't Miami. Don't deliberately entice wildlife with treats... They'll be a nuisance 'n your neighbors will let you know about it. (Had one woman out here who was feedin' ground squirrels 'cause she thought they were 'cute'. They're pests. Encourage woodpeckers 'n Road Runners by not scarin' 'em off. Same with the lizards... 'n gekko's. Gila monsters won't hurt you if you don't mess with 'em. Lizards eat the bugs 'n skeeters. They congregate on my walls under the porch lights in the warmer months. Don't scare 'em off... they're very beneficial. 'Biggest concern I've had were the mountain lions... especially in the drought season. 'Had tracks right past my gate two nites inna row this past summer. Neighbors horses were goin' nuts when they got a whiff of it. Dunno what happened to it... (Everybody's armed with somethin' out here.) I wear boots all the time... long pants too. At times the worst concern is the skeeters 'n knats (or whatever they are) 'cause I have fruit trees 'n a pool. Bees 'n the Yellow Wasps are around too. Not very aggressive. Coyotes wander around... sometimes in packs... as do the Javelina. 'Only saw one Gray Wolf 'n that was in the Saguero Nat'l Park at night. Forget 'city' 'n start thinkin' 'cowboy'.
Watch out for the chupacabras above all. You may not feel them as they do their bloody nightwork, but you are certain to notice those hideous puncture marks when you look in the mirror in the morning! I have a brother-in-law who lost both family dogs to chupacabra predation -- both in the same night.
My experience is that most of the nasties come out at nighttime in the summer. I've encountered three rattlesnakes in about eight years, all of which were in the shade.
Our old house had a scorpion issue; they'd crawl up through the ancient drain/leach system and we'd find them in the sink in the morning, where they'd be trapped.
I've encountered two tarantulas (or large hairy spiders, whatever they were), and have had many encounters with javelina (maybe a hundred), who used to maraud across our yard. Well not maraud so much as walk. Not so much walk as saunter. They're not hostile, provided you keep your distance.
What's amazing about them is that they eat prikly pear (this forum actually censored the proper spelling of prikly pear!), spikes and all. There is nothing more awesome than watching a Javelina yawn, revealing its giant spikey teeth, and watch it tear into a *****ly pear leaf, completely impervious to the needles.
Those were all taken on the property I rented on the west side of town, not far from the Silverbell-Grant intersection. You can see the scorpion in our sink there, as well as the pack of Javelinas, who we actually had quite a lot of affection for.
The lizard you see would show up on our porch quite frequently, a welcome guest because he'd catch bugs. I don't know what kind of lizard that is, but it was about the length of my palm, maybe a little longer.
Note that this property was very old and fairly rustic; most people rarely encounter anything unusual on their property. The rattlesnake was right next to our porch but was dragging in the heat and seemed utterly disinterested in us.
Rattlers in general have absolutely no interest in tangling with humans and would rather you just kept your distance and let them pass. The first one I encountered was back on the Sendero Esperanza trail in Saguaro West. I was moving fast down the mountain path there and the sun was going down...The shadow was creeping across the valley and the snake was just inside the shadow. I came within about 3 feet of it (not paying attention!), and it rattled loudly.
I verbally apologized (really, this was my actual reaction - curious) and I stepped back (probably should have stood still). The snake then quickly exited into the brush.
In my opinion, there is a foolproof rule about wildlife in southern Arizona - avoid contact with any and all wildlife. Most of is it beautiful to observe, but none of it is pleasant to touch.
Rattlesnakes are one of those things that really scare people, but really, they inspire wonder more than anything else. I consider myself lucky when encounter them (provided I don't get too close) and you probably will too, if you ever do.
Frankly, the most likely source of pain is likely to be the cruel spiked plant life, especially cholla, which is unforgiving. My father and I once hiked the Mustang trail down in Buenos Aires NWR near Arivaca, and when we got into the car to leave we noted that each of us was bleeding in more than ten places from the brush!
Have these encounters been in Marana or elsewhere (i.e. your "old house")?
Have these encounters been in Marana or elsewhere (i.e. your "old house")?
Don't get so scared, Michigander! I don't know where all these anecdotes come from... I've been living here for 10+ years. The first few I was living in a house practically in the middle of the desert. I've only seen a rattle snake once. It was already dead and was just shown to me. There were plenty of cute bunnies around and lizards. Granted, I haven't ventured into the desert while living there. Later, I've been living in higher-density areas of town and haven't seen anything at all. Behind my office you can frequently see lizards, ground squirrels, bunnies; occasionally javelinas, coyotes, and sometimes even a bob cat. That's about it. My office is by a wash, though, and there's quite a bit of open space behind. I have read opinions on apartments on the North and Northeast side - people do mention somewhat frequent encounters with scorpions. Maybe the houses there have the same problem... Who knows... maybe the scorpions prefer to bite more affluent residents. I'm yet to see one.
I certainly discovered why some varieties of Cholla are called "Leaping Cholla". While CAREFULLY observing them I ended up with a segment embedded in my shoe and had a devil of a time getting it dislodged (there's not a safe area to grab with your fingers because there are so very many spikes). I had to step on it with my other foot to hold it in place, then pull the first foot away (leaving several spines in the shoe) then use the first foot to step on it again to dislodge it from the second foot (again leaving several spines in that foot), then use the 2nd foot to dislodge it from the first foot...
This went on and on for several rounds until finally the chuck of cholla was completely torn to shreds - at which point I had to hand-extract the individual spines from both shoes.
Then - about half hour later it happened again with a different cholla - and SWEAR I was not close enough to brush against it.
As I said, I sure learned why they are called Leaping Cholla.
Don't get so scared, Michigander! I don't know where all these anecdotes come from... I've been living here for 10+ years. The first few I was living in a house practically in the middle of the desert. I've only seen a rattle snake once. It was already dead and was just shown to me. There were plenty of cute bunnies around and lizards. Granted, I haven't ventured into the desert while living there. Later, I've been living in higher-density areas of town and haven't seen anything at all. Behind my office you can frequently see lizards, ground squirrels, bunnies; occasionally javelinas, coyotes, and sometimes even a bob cat. That's about it. My office is by a wash, though, and there's quite a bit of open space behind. I have read opinions on apartments on the North and Northeast side - people do mention somewhat frequent encounters with scorpions. Maybe the houses there have the same problem... Who knows... maybe the scorpions prefer to bite more affluent residents. I'm yet to see one.
Marana isn't really densely populated from what I understand. And I would like to rent an apt there. Hmmm. Maybe I'll just get some of that Scorpion spray. Funny that I am more scared of a scorpion or snake than bobcat or javelina. It's those little critters that can hide on you that scare me the most.
I certainly discovered why some varieties of Cholla are called "Leaping Cholla". While CAREFULLY observing them I ended up with a segment embedded in my shoe and had a devil of a time getting it dislodged (there's not a safe area to grab with your fingers because there are so very many spikes). I had to step on it with my other foot to hold it in place, then pull the first foot away (leaving several spines in the shoe) then use the first foot to step on it again to dislodge it from the second foot (again leaving several spines in that foot), then use the 2nd foot to dislodge it from the first foot...
This went on and on for several rounds until finally the chuck of cholla was completely torn to shreds - at which point I had to hand-extract the individual spines from both shoes.
Then - about half hour later it happened again with a different cholla - and SWEAR I was not close enough to brush against it.
As I said, I sure learned why they are called Leaping Cholla.
Be afraid, be very afraid.
Ken
Well, did you have any business getting up-close-and-personal with the jumping cholla...?!
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If you drive up Scottsdale Road near Carefree in the summer months at night, youll see quite a few males crossing the road, its a neat spectacle!
I don't know where all these anecdotes come from... I've been living here for 10+ years. The first few I was living in a house practically in the middle of the desert. I've only seen a rattle snake once. It was already dead and was just shown to me. There were plenty of cute bunnies around and lizards. Granted, I haven't ventured into the desert while living there. Later, I've been living in higher-density areas of town and haven't seen anything at all. Behind my office you can frequently see lizards, ground squirrels, bunnies; occasionally javelinas, coyotes, and sometimes even a bob cat. That's about it. My office is by a wash, though, and there's quite a bit of open space behind. I have read opinions on apartments on the North and Northeast side - people do mention somewhat frequent encounters with scorpions. Maybe the houses there have the same problem... Who knows... maybe the scorpions prefer to bite more affluent residents.
