Just as we were going to sleep the other night our Motion Detector lights went on in the back yard. I thought it was probably the racoon that comes by periodically, hoping to raid the bird feeders. But I got up anyway, just to see what it was. And there…standing by the bird feeder was this huge coyote. It looked like a silhouette against the dark woods and the light in front. He was big and muscular and looked just like a wolf.
So I went online this morning to read about coyotes on Cape Cod and this is what I learned:
“It has been known for several years that the coyotes in the Cape Cod area have much in common with wolves. Mainly wolf DNA. Some coyotes in MA that have been tested have come up as 90% eastern wolf. I have received a number of reports where people claim to have seen large, wolf-like canines on Cape Cod.”
This certainly looks like what I saw. Wow!
(This is a photograph of a coyote that I took a few years ago in Colorado as the one I saw here was gone before I could get my camera and get a good photograph. But the one I saw here looked very similar.)
I saw plenty of seals playing in the ocean at Coast Guard Beach on Cape Cod the other day. I know they are the primary food for the Great White Sharks, so I kept my eye out for that prominent “fin” in the water.
There were some boogie boarders who thought it was cool to paddle out to try and get closer to the seals. I don’t think they know that a Great White Shark was spotted there several days ago. That would not be cool!
When the tides get low, you can see Fiddler Crabs swarming the little ponds at the salt marshes on Cape Cod. I was walking home the other day when I saw hundreds of Fiddler Crabs coming out of their little holes in the salt marsh.
“Fiddler crabs are found along sea beaches and brackish inter-tidal mud flats, lagoons and swamps. Fiddler crabs are most well known for their sexually dimorphic claws; the males’ major claw is much larger than the minor claw while the females’ claws are both the same size.
Like all crabs, fiddler crabs shed their shells as they grow. If they have lost legs or claws during their present growth cycle, a new one will be present when they molt.”
We looked out the window the other morning and caught a bit of movement in the yard. But it blended in so well to the background of wood chips. And there was a Common Box Turtle sauntering across our yard, headed for the woods across the way.
A Common Box Turtle is a little more than 5″ with a high-domed shell. It is dark brown with intricate, variable orange and yellow patterns. It loves to live in the woods and meadows.
Our neighbors have talked about Box Turtles in our neighborhood, so they will be so excited to see this new one!
We were driving home the other day when this car in front of us stopped and was waving for others to stop. There was a Snapping Turtle crossing the road. I didn’t get to snap a photograph of it until it was almost by.
There are many different species of turtles here from Snapping Turtles to Terrapins to Box Turtles to Leatherback Turtles to Painted Turtles and many more. The Audubon Sanctuary in Wellfleet works very heavily with turtles.
Snapping Turtles are large turtles of about 15″. They have a massive head and a long neck. Their powerful jaws can give a serious bite, so don’t ever get near one.
Cape Cod daily articles on the wonderful Cape Cod places to hike, experience and photograph. A Cape Cod Outdoor Adventure Series.
