Coolest Observation You've Found? (observation stories, Part 2!)

That is so cool! often the smalles things can be most amazing.

My coolest observation for sure was this pepsid wasp on a successful hunt https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/37767089.
I saw those beautyful impressive wasps quite regularly searching for prey during the day - the large ones almost as long as one of my fingers. I saw their potential prey just as regularly at night, as there was a thriving colony in my backyard. One night I counted at least 9 individuals. But this was the only time I saw the actual hunt… not in my backyyard but on a walk with my dog. I am still a bit sad that I did not have my good camera with me to take better pictures, but in the end I am just happy I had at least my phone one me.

Btw. … it is not always clear who of the impressive contrahendts will win a fight. This remains of a Pepsis wasp next to a tunnel of a bird spider indicates that that time the spider won: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/71072463

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My favorite was probably the time that I saw in opalescent nudibranch getting attacked by a brine shrimp. The nudibranch used its stings that it gets by absorbing the venom from sea anemones to fend off the shrimp. The best part is, I got the entire thing on video.

The nudibranch:
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/45497737

The shrimp:
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/45599371

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I didn’t have iNat back when I first discovered the population, but a long time ago (not even sure… 5 or 6 years?) I found a small population of ranoida raniformis in my school! I should probably point it out to someone who’s able to assist with informing the government here, as the species is in heavy decline from chytrid fungus and habitat loss. Not sure if they’re even there anymore.

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I’ve only been on Inaturalist since last year, and I’ve already been seeing some great stuff as I try to explore and try to find the animals that I have ever so long studied in books. Some of my favorites have been Me trying to search for a north american river otter for around a month at the same location that is presumed to have a few, and finding one at the stream I go to practically every week! What luck!!! Linked here: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/74180358
Seeing whatever these are:https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/77655493

And so much more!!

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When I was maybe 7? years old in the Bahamas, I was sitting on a dock when a big pregnant female Manatee that had swam all the way over from Florida came out from right under the dock, with a bunch of grunts and juvenile snapper trailing her, still one of the coolest encounters with an animal I think I have ever had.
Another “young me in the bahamas on a dock” story was when at dusk while fishing, a Caribbean Reef Squid came right up to surface and started investigating everything, illuminated by a street light and the squid very slightly changing colors, super mesmerizing to see and it sticks with me to this day
In terms of stuff recorded on inaturalist, the time I had a wild Gopher Tortoise, and my lifer, no less, nonchalantly walk up to me and starting gnawing on my sneaker like it was a little tuft of grass was a pretty cool experience https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/72392234

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I recently spotted my first polyphemus moth and beat my record for largest wild insect I’ve encountered! :D

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The coolest observation till now are :-

  1. spotting a Leaf Beetle for the 1st time in my place
  2. Sambar in the Western Ghats (couldn’t take a pic)
  3. Ant mimic Spider
  4. Signature Spider
  5. Giant snail

My coolest observations are rare plants that I’ve found all on my own without someone tipping me off to the location. Ginseng is always a neat find, and I recently found a cool little plant called shinleaf that apparently is very rare where I live and even rarer to find in bloom around here. The coolest one so far was spotting spreading avens blooming roadside along the Blue Ridge Parkway. Well worth stopping at the next possible point and walking back along the road to get pictures.

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