I was walking to the golf course with a friend to complete a nature journal. We were walking from East Wheelock, and were just below the BEMA. A very light rustling caught my attention. Expecting a small squirrel, or perhaps a robin, I turned my head and looked into the forest. To my surprise, the light rustling was not caused by a small bird or rodent, but a rather large deer.

Can you spot the deer?

Although I had only recently seen the deer, I could tell the deer had been watching me for quite some time. The deer looked to be in a state of total alertness – its body was tense, its tail was slightly raised, and its ears were perked up. The deer was perhaps 5 feet long across and 4 feet high. It’s coat was darker than many of the deer I had seen, and was monocolored rather than freckled.

I almost didn’t notice the deer. The deer was almost the exact same color as the dull bronze leaves strewn across the forest floor, and its thin legs blended in with the narrow trees of the Bema. The deer’s patchy fur broke up its outline and made it blend in with the leaves.

The author’s crude rendition

After I got to the golf course, I sketched out the deer I had seen. I observed some crows, and several interesting pines, but nothing else of interest. Still, I thought I had pretty good luck for my nature journal – it’s not everyday you see a deer. When walking home, I decided to take a different route back. Rather than walk under the Bema, I decided to walk along the statue of Robert Frost and Bartlett Tower.

How about now?

I decided to sit down next to my companion Robert Frost and saw another(!!) deer. This deer was even more elaborately camouflaged. I don’t think it was the same deer I saw earlier because it looked a good degree smaller, and was slightly darker. The light of the setting sun gave the deer freckled spots, and made the grove of trees glitter behind it. This deer was very difficult to see, and I only noticed it after it moved towards me.

This deer did not seem even mildly alarmed by my presence. It briefly looked at me, but as soon as I stopped walking, it put its head down and resumed eating. It was in a grove of young trees with uneven terrain, yet walked gracefully without making a sound. After observing it for some time (and taking lots of photos) I crossed the street and walked back towards my dorm.

Deer are all around us on the Dartmouth campus, but they are often very difficult to spot. They are quiet, blend in with the fall landscape, and like to rest behind shrubs and trees. The next time you go to the bema, be very mindful of your surroundings, and you’ll likely see one or more deer!

Have a good summer!

Leo

It was a bright and warm Friday, and I was on a nature walk around Occam pond. The pond, which was barren in our first class visit, was now a bright shade of green. The atmosphere was uplifting, despite the bleakness that always surrounds finals week. I saw animals everywhere: sparrows and songbirds flitted through the bushes, crows cawed overhead, and squirrels ran through the grass.

I had planned to walk a full circle around the pond, but I decided to sit down so I could soak in the scene. Finals is a stressful time, and nothing is a better destresser than just sitting in the sun. Unable to sit near the pond because the flora was so thick, I sat on a large pothole cover by the road. A small chipmunk darted back and forth from where I was sitting, and I managed to snap a few photos. It was a chestnut brown color, with three stripes running down its back, and about 5 inches long.

As I was photographing the chipmunk darting in and out of the grasses, I noticed a small black insect lumbering towards me. From a distance it looked like a large ant, because it was a dark shade of black and had 3 distinct body segments, each with 2 legs.

As it moved closer, I realized it wasn’t an ant. It’s body was too wide, its tail too long, and its back was too gray. It also didn’t look like any beetle I had ever seen before. The beetle was the length of a penny, but its spiky black tail accounted for half its length. It had a broad head and clearly visible jaws, and legs that seemed thick for its size.

Curious about what this species might be, I prodded near it with a stick. It sprung into attack mode! Rather than run away from me, it curled its tail towards me, like a scorpion would. It’s entire body was contorted into a u-shape; both its jaws and tail (stinger?) were now angled at me.

“What kind of fearsome insect would try to fight a species thousands of time its size?” I thought to myself. “Is it trying to sting me?” I even thought it might be some kind of scorpion.

As it turns out, the insect I was obliviously prodding was a Devil’s coach horse beetle, a carnivorous insect with a swiss-army knife of tools. The Devil’s coach horse beetle is ready to take on humans (and insects) because it has two powerful tools at its disposal. It has disproportionately powerful jaws that can deliver a painful bite to unsuspecting humans or unlucky insects. It’s tail lacks a stinger, but can emit a foul-smelling odor gross enough to deter predators.

The beetle is named for its long running association with the devil. Its original name, the dearga-dol, is Irish for “devil’s bug.” British folklore says that the beetle ate the core of Eden’s apple, and that by killing one of the bugs, one is forgiven for 7 sins.

My Journal Entry Recording the Incident

After I learned what this species was, I was relieved that I hadn’t poked the creature more than once! I easily could have ended up with a nasty bite or a noseful of odiferous gas. If you ever run into one of these insects, don’t poke them like I did! They are not aggressive towards humans, but they will defend themselves if threatened. They are also nocturnal, so you aren’t likely to see them during the day.

Tread safely, fellow naturalists.

Leo W.