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 Post subject: Critters and Creepy crawlers, What lives in those mines?
PostPosted: Thu Nov 12, 2009 1:19 pm 
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Joined: Thu Nov 12, 2009 1:10 pm
Posts: 4
I would love to go into a mine but I am afraid of 3 foot long centipedes and spiders the size of dinner plates. I imagine that in a tepurture contolled enviromemt like a underground mine where the temputure never drops below 50 degrees things can get big down there.

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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Thu Nov 12, 2009 1:32 pm 
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Joined: Mon Jun 20, 2005 11:28 pm
Posts: 1758
Location: Winnemucca, NV
Hi Hobo and welcome to the forum. In all of my mine explorations I have in fact never seen centipedes or spiders much larger than you would find on the surface. When I've seen spiders, yes, they can be large (perhaps an inch and a half) but they seem to reside only near the portal.

In Arizona however we have come across rattlesnakes both inside the mine and outside guarding a portal. We have also found javelina footprints throughout the tunnel of this same mine but no javelinas. Although rare, we have also seen black bear prints inside one mine in NJ. It is best to always look for foot prints and err on the side of caution. Exploring mines safely requires attention to detail and exercising care. The same can be said about many other activities and is the reason for example no one first attempts to ski for the first time down the advanced slope; or no one drives a commercial truck without first obtaining a CDL. If you must explore, always let someone know where you are and when you will be back.

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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Thu Nov 12, 2009 6:57 pm 
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Joined: Fri Jul 15, 2005 2:34 pm
Posts: 6872
Location: Within 60 Miles of the Northern Anthracite Field
seen a fox, porcupine, opossum, black snake, salimanders, a newt a time or 2 :wink: , a mouse, and some fish.... yes fish.

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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Thu Nov 12, 2009 8:16 pm 
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Joined: Wed Feb 20, 2008 9:04 pm
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Location: WILKES-BARRE PA
ive only ever seen a porcupine, opossum, and a raccoon, but i made sure i wasnt the first one to go in the mine either...other than that just a few small bugs and bats


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Fri Nov 13, 2009 10:04 am 
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Joined: Fri Jul 08, 2005 12:41 pm
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Location: Hard coal region, PA
albino salimandars yet!

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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Fri Nov 13, 2009 12:35 pm 
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Location: Winnemucca, NV
That wasn't to say these are the only creatures I've seen in mines. In fact I've also seen mice, salamanders, frogs, albino crabs (in an abandoned railroad tunnel), earth worms, and of course plenty of bats. When we visited the lower adit of the Sunnyside Claim (http://www.ironminers.com/ironmines/sunnyside-claim-13.htm), the first hundred feet of the lower tunnel was filled with literally thousands of flies swarming around.

From the mouth of the adit, you could hear a constant buzz emanating from inside the mine. Once you started walking through the first hundred feet, you seriously had to cover your face, ears, and nose to prevent the insects from flying inside of you. The pictures really don't do any justice to illustrate this as the long exposure blurs away the insects. lol! But ask Miner CT Mike who's featured in the slideshow what his experience was like and he can probably tell you! We didn't point this out in the slideshow as you can't get any sense from the pictures.

On another note, I've also seen non-animal life as well including mushrooms, tree roots hanging from the ceiling of shallow tunnels, and various fungus. Some of the mines we've been in were even used for mushroom growing operations after they were abandoned.

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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Sun Nov 29, 2009 4:51 pm 
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Joined: Mon Jun 20, 2005 11:33 pm
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Location: Above the Sterling Hill Mine
We found Bear tracks in a mine once.. I also found a Bob Cat living in a concrete pipe that was part of the back fill to one mine!

Miner Greg


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