Last night (Well at 12am today, really) I drove home from an event on campus. I'd heard about (And smelled) skunks around the farms south of campus before, but have never saw one. After years of driving through the area at night, I suppose taking a slightly different road a bit later into the night meant I was finally able to see one of my most wanted local mammals.
I could clearly see the Mustelid connection when I saw the profile of what looked like a cross between a badger and an otter dart across the street, a little surprised with how large it was. I drove slowly past the bouncing streak of white as it slowly faded into the darkness of the field.
Mammals
On 1st St. next to the ARC, UIUC campus, Sep 23
22. Striped Skunk (Mephitis mephitis) (Lifer)
Fish
Schroeder Nature Preserve, McLean Co., July 18
9. Creek chub (Semotilus atromaculatus)
Insects/Inverts
263. Ferruginous carpenter ant (Camponotus chromaiodes) (Lifer)
264. Great spreadwing (Archilestes grandis)
265. Bicolored pyrausta moth (Pyrausta bicoloralis) (Lifer)
266. Carolina mantis (Stagmomantis carolina)
267. Southern plains bumble bee (Bombus fraternus) (Lifer)
268. Black-and-gold bumble bee (Bombus auricomus)
269. Stilt-legged fly (Rainieria antennaepes)
270. Greenhouse camel cricket (Tachycines asynamorus)
271. Brown wasp mantidfly (Climaciella brunnea)