What is the most interesting organism that you have seen in your local area?

That would be unusual, since bobcat and domestic cat are in different genera (Lynx/Felis). I would be curious what features he had that led to the conclusion that he was not simply a very big, short-tailed domestic cat. Maine Coon can be a huge breed as cats go, and Manx can have very bobcat-like tails.

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Are you saying that they are not able or capable of cross-breeding? Iā€™ve seen Maine Coons and Manx cats and this cat really did not look anything like either. He was the size of a medium sized dog, 35 pounds or so at a guess. His set of his ears was different, and also the set of his shoulders and he had a longer body. The cat that I think was one of his descendants (that was in the picture) was about 20 pounds, and other than his size and tail seemed just like any other domestic short haired cat. Maybe the cat in the picture is just a DSH that is particularly large; the only reason that I think he was an offspring was because the one that I think was a bobcat didnā€™t challenge him and they sometimes came and went together.

Hard to say without seeing the original hybrid parent (if it was indeed a hybrid). For what itā€™s worth there are several breeds of domesticated cats that are actually crossbreeds of domestic and wild cats from a different genus (e.g. the Bengal cat, the Savannah, etc. etc.), so its not a totally impossible thing. However, unlike these intentional crossbreeds, there hasnā€™t to my knowledge been a confirmed and documented case of a domestic cat/bobcat hybrid.

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Thatā€™s really interesting. It seems like something researching, as Iā€™ve heard about bobcat/dsh cross breeds all of my life, but it may be just an urban myth!

That seems to be the general consensus. A google search will give you an idea of just how prevalent that is. There are plenty of purported hybrid claims, but none that back it up with the necessary genetic testing, and then many more results that are careful to state that bobcat/domestic hybrids have never been confirmed genetically. There have been confirmed cases of bobcat/Canadian lynx hybrids, however (though these species are in the same genus, so it would be a little less far-fetched in the first place).

Fox in the yard tonight! That counts for me :)

My most surprising local find: I followed a tiny frog hopping across a creek bed. It was hard to photograph/ Imagine my surprise when my extreme zoom photo showed 6 legs and antennae!

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Probably Osprey nests and babies; I was able to see two nests while on a boat tour out of Salem, MA in the summer of 2019. Iā€™d seen adult Ospreys before but that was the closest to home Iā€™d seen one, and the first time I saw a nest or chicks. (Unfortunately I wasnā€™t close enough to get a good photo with only a cell phone.)

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I donā€™t know if itā€™s a common Southern US term or just my quirky family, but my motherā€™s family called them ā€œfigmentsā€, cause they seemed like figments of the imagination. I still use the term alongside ā€œlacewing larvaeā€. :)

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Hard to decide, probably will change being ā€˜most interestingā€™ in a few hours : )
Zacotus matthewsii group of four in Keizer, Oregon.
Werenā€™t collected.

I think ants are most interesting organizm I have ever seen. it is because of there habits like transporting eggs , unique hiearchy , and they also clean their colonies onece in a while and sure of their farming techniques.

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Cicindela oregona oregona found on a pine tree, had reddish legs and seemed to have elytra that were not smooth like they normally are here. Instead, this one had somewhat striated elytra.

I didnā€™t get it, but it was still really cool!
I will be keeping my eye out for them whenever I am at that location.

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