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What in the Woods Is That?

Play our biweekly guessing game!

Whatever draws us into the forest—be it birdwatching or logging, hiking or hunting—all of us are unified by the sense of wonder we feel in the outdoors. The forests, fields, and streams of our region are full of mystery, and if you stop and look closely, you’ll see all sorts of oddities.

Below find a picture of one such woodlands curio. Guess what it is and you’ll be eligible to win a Northern Woodlands woodpecker magnet designed by artist Liz Wahid. A prize winner will be drawn at random from all the correct entries. The correct answer, and the winner’s name, will appear when the next column is posted and in our newsletter (sign up here!).

Three Tanned Pelts

A trapper in southern Vermont submitted this photo showing the tanned pelts of three Northeastern mammals. From left to right, what are they?

Answer

From left to right, fisher, opossum, coyote.

The give away for the fisher is its size and the length of its fur – much larger than a mink, longer fur than an otter. The small red tag affixed to its hind foot was also a clue. Vermont trappers must report fishers to their local game warden, and a permanent tag is affixed to each pelt. The opossum fur is recognizable by its distinctive dirty-white coloration. The red coyote is the curveball of the group. As a general rule, coyotes are husky colored, but they can skew blond, or, like this one, very red. While the guard hairs are red fox colored, the husky tail and darker underfur indicates coyote.

This week’s contest winner was Christina Roy of Rutland, VT