Just how cruel can Mother Nature be?

[kball]

This is kinda gross but I thought I would share for those that may have never experienced this. I live in North Florida and in the heat of the summer about 6 out of 10 squirrels will have what we call "wolves".

I don't know if those of you in the north(or other foreign countries) ever encounter the Bot fly larvae. If not, here is a pic off of the internet of a squirrel that is a host (pic1) and a squirrel that I took this afternoon in my back yard pic 2 (had 6 of them on it). As soon as the squirrel dies the larvae crawl off and if you look close you will see the ones I mashed as they crawled out of their pouches. I have actually seen squirrels that are so pulled down by the larvae that they can't move. Let me know if this is common elsewhere?

 

[SenseiSmash]

Man I have never seen anything like that and I have hunted squirrel in Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, North Carolina and South Carolina.

Pretty nasty looking. Does it effect other animals or squirrels only?

Thanks for sharing I will stay on the look out in SC.

 

[kball]

I have seen then in rabbits too.

 

[esingle]

Hello I have shot a few last year (4 or so I think) like that in Putnam County NY. They only had one lava or fly but it was pretty nasty. At first I thought it was the neighbor kid crippling him with a bad shot and it was just an infection till I shot the next one and looked it up. Anyway really nasty. Have not seen anything like that again but I will say there are a lot less animals( squirrels, chipmunks, raccoons, opossums, skunks, foxes, feral cats, and rats) around this year ( there would always be something on the security cameras not this year) and not by my doing either( neighbor kid moved away so not him either) only thing I've been killing is my steel targets. Eric

 

[qball]

OMG, you should put better warning message won’t get title!!!! That is horrible!!! 


good thing you put it out of its misery! 

 

[Glenroiland]

Unfortunately I have seen this!!

 

[uhfradarwill]

I've seen it FL when I lived there also. Did "Sandy Cheeks" a favor IMO.



I'm about to see just how cruel Mother Nature can be as the eye of Hurricane Henri is set to make a direct hit on my homestead!!

Will

 

[Bob-in-WV]

We call them warbles in WV. They disappear after the first good frost. They say it doesn't affect the meat but I wouldn't eat a squirrel with warbles, just too gross for me. I have never seen one that bad.

 

[kball]

I've seen it FL when I lived there also. Did "Sandy Cheeks" a favor IMO.



I'm about to see just how cruel Mother Nature can be as the eye of Hurricane Henri is set to make a direct hit on my homestead!!

Will

Best of luck Will, hope it is not too bad.

 

[Calbarry]

Congrats, you put the squirrel out of it’s misery. 

 

[Vetmx]

I shot a rabbit when I was a kid and was freaked out when this thing came out of its neck. My dad called it a Warble also. I have never seen a squirrel looking that rough in Pa. It may sound strange because I do hunt squirrels in squirrel season but those pictures sadden me.

 

[JamesD.]

Gross. Put them down.

 

[DARKHORSE1967]

They, bot flies, can also infect humans.

I have seen one on YouTube removed from a guy’s scalp.

 

[rcarlisle]

When I used to raise rabbits as a youngster, we'd deal with those on occasion. Seemed to be worse if the hutches were close to the fruit trees (plums). If the fallen fruit wasn't picked up and discarded elsewhere, the rabbits would get these horrible parasites. They're brutal and painful.

 

[crowski]

Ewww. Nasty, never seen anything like that. Shot lots of squirrels. Crow 

 

[Jammin22]

You can keep that down there. We don't have that in In.

 

[woogie_man]

Have seen it in deer, coyotes, fox, goons and others. Its a normal thing and not to uncommon.

 

[BZO100]

I saw on TikTok some people pulled a bot larvae out of their cat’s nostril. 

 

[OldSpook]

They are common in many critters during the summer months in the south. Animals thus infested can be eaten. The larva lives between the dermis and epidermis. It creates a sort of scar like sack which can be cut away during preparation. As mentioned, they will be gone by the first frost normally.

When you are hungry it is good to know these things.

 

[kball]

I'll save em for you. I'm not about to eat a critter with maggots the size of a little finger crawling out of it. YUK!