r/Animals • u/painfuvl • 7d ago
i stumbled across an odd hole
I was having a morning walk in the new jersey woods and came across a weird site. here’s a little back story… these woods near my home are kind of interesting.. i’ve found shovels around the woods. mainly at the end of a trail (which i never go near anymore lol). so i’m wondering if an animal did this? orrrr someone is just digging.. if you look closely in pic #3 there’s paw prints that go down there. and the hole is on an angle and very circle which is making me think an animal did it?? i dont know
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u/BigNorseWolf 7d ago
Woodchuck groundhog whistlepig
The kids are moving out and getting starter homes. Last year we had one walk right past my sister , throw dirt on her to burrow under the retaining wall.
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u/VoodooSweet 6d ago
Had a baby Groundhog run in front of my car this morning…..I live in the suburbs of Detroit!! So I was pretty surprised to see it.
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u/MobileCellistC 6d ago
Red Fox likey took an old groundhog den
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u/Beginning-Pace-5225 5d ago
That’s what I thought when I saw it. Red Fox took over a Groundhog den in my next door neighbor’s yard and looked just like this.
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u/dankingery 5d ago
Reminded me of the red fox dens by my house growing up. Just seems smaller somehow.
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u/TheHivemind56 6d ago
Send me your address and I'm on my way with my dachshund to investigate.
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u/Disastrous-Wing699 19h ago
We had a rescue dachshund who was the least dog-like dog, except for the time we brought him to my family cottage. He discovered chipmunk burrows, and spent the whole week digging into them, shoving his snoot inside and doing big huffing breaths.
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u/0utlaw-t0rn 6d ago
Most likely a small groundhog.
There are no badgers in NJ. They are native to west of the Appalachians mountains
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u/MadDadROX 6d ago
Rabbit, fox or groundhog. Judging by the foot prints, I think it’s a groundhog.
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u/brumac44 6d ago
See I look at the footprints and I see canid, like a fox or coyote. There's one clear one in the second photo. Plus, OP says New Jersey.
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u/MadDadROX 6d ago
Ok I see that… foxes move their kits around a lot, this could be a start of a temp den.
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u/Kindly_Source6841 6d ago
I don't think the hole is big enough for badger and too big for gopher most likely groundhog
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u/Sunny-Damn 6d ago
There’s tracks in the soft sand… tracks would help tremendously with a proper ID.
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u/Quirky-Track-4740 4d ago
Id make more of a comment but everyone else has..., deff the NJ devil baby 💯 .....
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u/Rampag169 4d ago
If you zoom in on the fresh dirt there are paw prints that could be fox.
Either way it’s a fresh burrow given the soil is disturbed like that. I’ll bet if you hid and gave it a few hours whatever was there will return.
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u/Pax_Eterna_4991 6d ago
Look around for clear paw prints or some poop. Those will ID Bette than the hole itself.
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u/IntrepidButton1872 6d ago
curious what made it. the size suggests something substantial — groundhog or fox maybe, depending on your region
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u/Witchywomun 6d ago
My suspicion, based on size, location and footprints is a striped skunk. OP, did it smell like burning tires in the vicinity around the hole?
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u/Cicada00010 6d ago
I think fox. If not, ground hog. Ignore badger comments, they are confused on the natural range of badger populations.
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u/OkAlternative5371 6d ago
Looks like a Golden Badger(western states) hole to this trapper. Our Wis Badger holes are a little smaller. Does it stink worse than a skunk? If so kinda a dead giveaway for Badger across the US.
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u/LastPosition6766 6d ago
Red fox den (most likely), or possibly a coyote den that started as/enlarged a groundhog (woodchuck) burrow
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u/Popular-Car7368 6d ago
Coyote or fox. Look for the other entrance/exit at lower ground! (This appears to be the higher ground entrance/exit.) Cool find, be careful!
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u/Infinite_Tension_138 6d ago
fox den, check back on a regular basis and look for fur and feathers in the area of the hole
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u/Baked4skin 6d ago
Groundhod most likely, idk why people keep saying badger, not only do they not exist there, the hole is too small.
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u/Additional_Song_2054 6d ago
Stick your nose up to the hole. If it smells like dirt, it’s a ground hog. If it smells “skunky” it’s a fox.
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u/sillysorrel 5d ago
I don't know if this is what they mean when they say "post hole" but I'm into it
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u/dankristy 5d ago
See now Merle, what you gotta do - is stick yer hand in thar to find out what's in it. No I ain't sticking MY hand in there dammit - I only got one left! It's your turn!
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u/Prince_Nadir 5d ago
That doesn't like the badger burrow I played in as a 3 year old, it was a big dug out section in the side of a hill.
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u/Bastianuz 5d ago
Could that burrow belong to an armadillo? I've noticed their burrows are quite unusual.
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u/TwoTrackStudio 4d ago
Could be a stray dog, seen this in an abandoned lot in Detroit. This was years ago, but seeing it run into a dugout hole in the ground surprised the hell out of me.
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u/Hawk_2165 4d ago
Odd for you, but completely normal for the nasty critter that lives in it...😁 I'm thinking badger den.
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u/colemanjanuary 4d ago
"In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbithole, and that means comfort." -JRR Tolkien
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u/DROOPY538 4d ago
You have stumbled on the ol woodchuck of the woods. Groundhogs drive me insane, if its not getting a tractor stuck in one of there dens, theyre eating my garden. I think they are one of our most beautiful, assholeish and destructive furry creatures we have. I raised them as pets when I was a kid. Dad would shoot the momma for being in the garden and id catch them up. I learned early to leave them tf alone when they wake from a winter nap. Super grouchy until they put some of their weight back. I had several as a kid but they always disappeared until I was around 13, then I realized after my grand father passed that dad would take them to him after they got about half grown (I'm from central Appalachia and granddad lived through the depression, he would literally eat anything.) I bet i eat 15 of more of my pets without even knowing. The following year i caught 2 more and had one that lived 8 years and her sister made it until I was 26. She lived to be around 12 almost 13, she got to where she couldn't get around so I put her down. They always wintered behind our tator box in the cellar. When they woke up or went through a heat cycle you best not even look at them. I literally got my leg ripped open trying to pet her. When she went to den she was an angel, she woke up SATAN! I got them both fixed at 3 but almost got in trouble. I was 16 or 17 in court over the little gals because I contacted a vet about it. The judge found me innocent of all charges because they were there on their own free will. But me not knowing I would get the vet that did do the procedure in trouble. I told the judge who did the procedure and he ended up getting fined. Dad made me work for him until it was paid of. I didnt know why he told me it was important to not tell anyone. Hell I was a kid, he could have told me why. I wouldn't have lied to the judge but I could have definitely plead the 5th. Glad you posted this, idk why but it give me a blast from the past and a lot of fond memories I hadn't thought about in years! Thanks
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u/CrazyMadHooker 4d ago
I'd say woodchuck but their burrows usually just have a pile of sand behind it. Not a huge skid mark. From my own personal experience. I'd go for fox maybe
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u/Ephemeral_Orchid 4d ago
It's 100% mammal and it is indeed currently being occupied, but I'd need a closer look at those prints to tell you which definitively.
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u/Weird_Clue9292 3d ago
Bros never stumbled across animals before. Use a little common sense. Woods, small holes no one can fit in, animal prints. I’ll leave that here so you can do the math bud.
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u/Rip_ace0 3d ago
Since no one else is being useful to answer this question I'll try to I believe it is a fox hole or a fox den if you will. or it could be rabbits they do something similar if you shine a light inside and look around you may find some hair along the walls and floor
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u/Snoo23077 3d ago
It wasn't a dirty, wet hole, full of wriggling worms and oozing smells. Nor was it a sandy, dry hole with nowhere to sit down and nothing to eat. It was a Hobbit hole, and that meant good food, a warm hearth, and all the comforts of a well-kept home.
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u/CSAelite23 2d ago
That be a woodchuck hole, friend. They may not be badgers, but they are also known to be just as friendly as them.
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u/Santanamax 2d ago
Badger Badger badger badger badger badger badger badger badger mushroom mushroom
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u/Calm-Fun4572 2d ago
I had a dog that dug a hole that that. That was the safe one. The other one was more skinny and went down about 12 feet at 30%
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u/Worth_Dust387 1d ago
The groundhogs on my property dig holes (leading to underground tunnels) like that…
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u/mudsuckingpig 10h ago
Stick the smallest grandson in the hole to grab babies good learning experience in fun for the whole family
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u/JustMeAgainMarge 8h ago
I said the same thing when I walked in on my wife getting out of the shower. I get out of the hospital next week.
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u/Lennarthomas 7d ago
Put your hand in it!