Friday, July 08, 2011

USO

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The day we moved our cattle out to the lease, my son and I spent our requisite half hour skipping rocks in the reservoir. In case you haven't experienced it, 'skipping rocks' with a six year old means finding one the approximate size and shape of your head, standing close enough to the water to get your toes wet, and heaving. Then giggling hysterically at the splash. Even more so if it douses your mother.

In the midst of our rock skipping, we found this Unidentified Slimy Object floating in the shallows, dead. It was about six inches long, looks like super-sized salamander with a crest around its neck. My dad thinks its called an axolotyl, but I can't find information on any of those except in Mexico. Any of you seen one before?


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8 comments:

Crystal Posey said...

Make me think of a catfish and a tadpole. *shudders*

Gary Corby said...

You're both right. It's the axolotl form of the salamander, and they do indeed live in Montana, according to the US Bureau of Land Management.

http://www.blm.gov/mt/st/en/info/newsroom/steward/08spring/axololt.print.html

Stan Grace said...

You may be now condemned to provide safe refuge for an endangered species. It is an axolotl.

Kari Lynn Dell said...

Crystal: I picked it up. It was gross.

Gary: I should have known you'd find it even if it's not poisonous.

Stan: Dad said he'd heard of people finding these in fence post holes around Ennis, so I thought you might recognize it.

the shaws said...

It's the first time I've heard of one or seen a picture of one, poor thing is pretty ugly. I doubt it's mother could love it, good to see one though. You live and learn!

Linda G. said...

Eeew. But the rock "skipping" sounds like fun!

Janet Reid said...

holy moly that Gary Corby is amazing!

Unknown said...

As if Montana wasn't scary enough already, with all that snow and those sassy, hard-drinking wild women with blogs you got out there.

I showed my daughter the picture and she said, "Ooooooh. Awesome!"