An introduction to "Neckus rufus"

In continuance of our tradition of sharing the trail cam photos from Wildlife Monitoring Site #1, I wanted to share a species I haven't captured on cam until recently.

Never seen here for the past couple months, it miraculously began appearing on October 10th, 2010. A herd of this species has obviously migrated into the area once occupied by elk...(last elk sighting in mid-August) as personal communication related approximately 15 of them in this area for one week plus a couple days.

This is an interesting species as it only seems to move during the daylight hours, so we can assume it's diurnal. For the most part, it's fairly observant as many of the photos display these critters showing an interest in the camera. Perhaps it's just attracted to shiny objects (camera infrared bulbs / lens.) Not included are close-up photos of sleeves and fingers...but it definitely has opposable thumbs as shown in photo #5.

It appears to travel alone, but one instance of "pack-instinct" is demonstrated in a rare photo of two traveling together! Scientific deduction leads one to believe this species has either an unpleasant odor or creates an environment of noise pollution that other animals are afraid of, as all the other animals seemed to have shifted their patterns to become nocturnal (except the moose...they don't seem to be intimidated.) Markings are varied, ranging from a light green to a bright red. All have some sort of protrusion extending above the eyes.

Since this is the first sightings in this area for the course of the monitoring sight, I made the assumption that it must be a species unique to this area. I took the liberty of naming it "Neckus rufus" common name: North Idaho redneck!


An unobservant member of the herd


Subject #2

A mature member of the herd (notice the protrusion shifts to the back of the head with age)

Herd instinct


Interesting behavior but camera exposure issues!

For the past couple of months, I've also picked up a species from the same family but obviously a different genus. This species seems to be well-adapted to a woodland environment and has been captured on the camera day and night for the past couple of months. It always travels alone, but occassionaly it's been noted traveling with a member of the canine family, so one can assume it is a friend of all creatures (but personal communication also revealed it has something of a stubborn attitude as it tried to have a face-off with a large bull moose. Obviously, it isn't the brightest knife in the drawer.) The animal behavior of other creatures never changed with this species roaming in the area, so it must have good noise discipline and a likely unobtrusive odor.

The markings rarely change, but there was a period in September where it molted it's typical black topcoat and tan legs, to a light green that covered the critter's entire body making it very difficult to see in images. Close observation of the photos revealed this odd change in markings and the scientist in charge became concerned when it didn't show up again for a couple weeks! But lo and behold, it returned in it's traditional coat and is now frequenting the area as the herd of Neckus rufus have seemingly left the area for the winter. These species obviousy don't intermingle.

Deciding on a name for an animal as incredible as this one was a difficult task. But, as I have spent a great deal of time studying this creature and it's habits, I decided to call it "Silva umbrus" common name: "Northern Wood shadow." I toyed with the idea of "Silva maiestus" or "Majestic of the woods" but determined that to be going a bit far...

An incredible specimen!


The reported moose Silva umbrus faced off with. That's a BIG boy!

As always, I will keep you updated on any new discoveries. I am currently in the process of writing a technical report on Neckus rufus and it's habits, as I have returned from a research-oriented haitus in which I immersed myself in it's habitat for a week. Stay tuned.