Playa Dangers (insects and reptiles?)

Lakshmi · Post by **Lakshmi** » Mon Apr 16, 2007 7:09 pm

So this year will be my first year (burning man virgin is the term I believe?) and I've been reading tooons of stuff, but so far I haven't run into any mention of playa dangers involving insects or rodents.

It makes me wonder, are there any that inhabit the playa that I should be aware of? If necessary I'd like to keep my eye out for wandering spiders and snakes.

Thanks for the help =)

Bin Noddin · Post by **Bin Noddin** » Mon Apr 16, 2007 7:25 pm

Hi, Lakshmi and welcome. Here is a link to an earlier thread about insects where you will find further links to earlier discussions on the subject.

http://eplaya.burningman.org/viewtopic. ... cts#272372

Dork · Post by **Dork** » Mon Apr 16, 2007 7:27 pm

The playa is almost completely devoid of life. No plants, no animals, no insects. The only non-human life that exists out there is what hangs out in our vehicles on the drive up, or the occasional fly (dragon or horse, usually) that gets blown in from the surrounding hills. Once in a while there will be a bird or other out of place life form, but it's rare.

Lakshmi · Post by **Lakshmi** » Mon Apr 16, 2007 7:35 pm

[quote="Bin Noddin"]Hi, Lakshmi and welcome. Here is a link to an earlier thread about insects where you will find further links to earlier discussions on the subject.

http://eplaya.burningman.org/viewtopic. ... cts#272372[/quote]

Ooh, sorry I missed that post and thanks for directing me to it.

LeChatNoir · Post by **LeChatNoir** » Mon Apr 16, 2007 8:39 pm

Biggest damn mantis I've ever seen in my life was out there on the playa. Big enough to put The Man on his knees. Well... at least a 10' tall version of him anyways.

Heh Heh...

Welcome to eplaya, Lakshmi. Hang out around here and read all you can, including the survival guides and tips.

gyre · Post by **gyre** » Tue Apr 17, 2007 1:03 am

Biggest danger is spiders you pack with you.
The only native life form is the ground moose.
Like a chipmunk with antlers.
Completely harmless though they might curl up on your neck seeking warmth when it's cold.
It can be a little startling.

robotland · Post by **robotland** » Tue Apr 17, 2007 5:01 am

gyre wrote:Biggest danger is spiders you pack with you.
The only native life form is the ground moose.
Like a chipmunk with antlers.
Completely harmless though they might curl up on your neck seeking warmth when it's cold.
It can be a little startling.

I thought we only had those in Michigan! We call them Jackanapes, for their resemblance to Jackalopes and preference for the nape of the neck.

Stumbling into a nest of Furries on the playa can be somewhat disconcerting as well.

LeChatNoir · Post by **LeChatNoir** » Tue Apr 17, 2007 7:06 am

Oh, Good Lord...

I forgot about the Furries. All those bright colors can indeed be a bit unnerving, especially if seen under a black light.

gyre · Post by **gyre** » Tue Apr 17, 2007 7:17 am

There is always animal control.

unjonharley · Post by **unjonharley** » Tue Apr 17, 2007 7:39 am

gyre wrote:There is always animal control.

\/
Yeah, But they have never been able to pin any thing on me..

BAS · Post by **BAS** » Tue Apr 17, 2007 7:59 am

Stumbling into a nest of Furries on the playa can be somewhat disconcerting as well.

What?! No way-- those were just a hallucination I had! They weren't real!

B.

Das Bus · Post by **Das Bus** » Tue Apr 17, 2007 8:17 am

Um, aren't you all forgetting about the most dangerous animal out there - the elusive PLAYA CHICKEN!!!!

Das Bus · Post by **Das Bus** » Tue Apr 17, 2007 8:19 am

BTW: What ever happened to the Mad Shitter???

Post by **mdmf007** » Tue Apr 17, 2007 8:20 am

i saw a bird one year

misfit · Post by **misfit** » Tue Apr 17, 2007 8:44 am

suicidal rabbits have claimed a few burners. don't try to avoid them, run them over. thats what they live for....

nogganoodle · Post by **nogganoodle** » Tue Apr 17, 2007 10:21 am

I saw some dragonflies just before the HUGE dust devil on the wednesday. Pretty cool that devil was.

dj_john69 · Post by **dj_john69** » Tue Apr 17, 2007 8:38 pm

When i 1st started going to BM...you didnt see ANYTHING around. Now a days you'll see all sorts of bugs around the Playa. I imagine that the dirty fuckers are packing them in with the dirty rv's/cars.

Lately though...one of my favorite bugs to find are Praying Mantis's. Ive seen atleast one each year now for 4 years.

spectabillis · Post by **spectabillis** » Tue Apr 17, 2007 8:45 pm

what the cat said, the mantis' are out of control.

robotland · Post by **robotland** » Wed Apr 18, 2007 6:17 am

Oh, BRAVO, sir!

Ugly Dougly · Post by **Ugly Dougly** » Wed Apr 18, 2007 10:03 am

Don't worry, you can always bring your poisonous snakes and black widow spiders with you to your camp, just remember to keep them in the shade, feed them often and don't forget to take them back home when you leave.

TomServo · Post by **TomServo** » Thu Apr 19, 2007 1:37 pm

If you go by the frog pond...on the eastern edge of the playa...which if its burning man time, youll probably be stopped by perimeter or th county sheriffs..their ar HUGE fucking cricket looking things..the wierd thing is..thay all seem to have only one rear leg..

Stagger · Post by **Stagger** » Mon Apr 30, 2007 2:51 pm

To say that the playa is devoid of life is somewhat inaccurate. It depends on what you count as life, and when you are out there.

I wanted to check out the playa when it was devoid of humans, so I went out about 10 weeks before Burning Man 2006.

There was a lake on the playa. With algae. And, with every kind of flying insect you can imagine (except mosquitoes - not enough to eat I guess.). Gnats, Flys, Grasshoppers, and lots of others that would congregate around your light if you were foolish enough to leave it on. Turn the light on in your tent, and it sounds like rain; what with all the bugs bashing against the outside.

You didn't really need any light at night though because star light was plenty.

One thing I wanted to try, but gave up after two steps into the muck next to the lake was to get out into the water and look for brine shrimp. Apparently the BLM has expressed concern over the oil/transmission/coolant liquids left on the ground from all the vehicles at Burning Man. These contaminate the water and kill the shrimp.
Okay, Sea Monkeys if you will.

(Note: I made the mistake of camping near the lake the first night. This is a mistake because the playa is so flat that any wind can move the position of the lakeâ€¦ and you could wake up in the middle of it. I was lucky. I discovered this knowledge by being told the next dayâ€¦ rather than by experience. Thank you Taz.)

You didn't really need any light at night though because star light was plenty.

But that's just the insects. In terms of larger life I saw hawks and a deer. Yep, a deer on the playa. Pictures at www.stagger.net .

The other thing I saw that most Burners pass right by was literally hundreds of thousands of trout. There is a fish hatchery on the road to Gerlach. I stopped in there and learned that Pyramid Lake is famous for trout. This was a pretty cool place. Worth a visit.

Oh.. finally. One other thing I saw was about a million giant crickets, and they were all crossing the road while I was driving home. Why did the cricket cross the SPLATâ€¦â€¦â€¦

Ugly Dougly · Post by **Ugly Dougly** » Mon Apr 30, 2007 3:28 pm

Cool, didn't know that about the sea monkeys on the playa.

phil · Post by **phil** » Mon Apr 30, 2007 3:58 pm

Spider bite on the playa:

You can see the poison running up the vein; larger (and more) photos at
http://civex.smugmug.com/gallery/1447149

The medical personnel assured the victim that he'd brought the spider with him.

Bob · Post by **Bob** » Tue May 01, 2007 12:44 am

It's a good thing the fence keeps most of the bigger spiders out.

Oh, and there are indeed sea monkeys in the pond on the west side of Route 34 just past Soldier Meadow Road, but they're armed & dangerous.
http://www.topozone.com/map.asp?lat=40.795&lon=-119.295

skygod · Post by **skygod** » Tue May 01, 2007 8:14 am

That bite is a good example of cellulitis, which can develop from any puncture wound, and needs treatment or it can kill you.
OMG what a treat to see that sea-monkey ad, after all these years.

robotland · Post by **robotland** » Thu May 03, 2007 5:12 am

skygod wrote: OMG what a treat to see that sea-monkey ad, after all these years.

I was one of the few people NOT disappointed to discover their true identity...My last name kinda sounds like "krill".

Ugly Dougly · Post by **Ugly Dougly** » Thu May 03, 2007 10:23 am

robotland wrote:
skygod wrote: OMG what a treat to see that sea-monkey ad, after all these years.
I was one of the few people NOT disappointed to discover their true identity...My last name kinda sounds like "krill".

Doctor Thrill, I presume?

robotland · Post by **robotland** » Fri May 04, 2007 5:37 am

Ugly Dougly wrote:
robotland wrote:
skygod wrote: OMG what a treat to see that sea-monkey ad, after all these years.
I was one of the few people NOT disappointed to discover their true identity...My last name kinda sounds like "krill".
Doctor Thrill, I presume?

MOST of the time...unless I drink the potion. Then I temporarily become "Mister Kill". (Or was it "Mister BILL"?....OOOoooooo NNooooo!!!)

But really...it's Curl. Yep, just like "Curl your hair".

karlkye · Post by **karlkye** » Wed May 23, 2007 4:44 am

jack-a-lope

Playa Dangers (insects and reptiles?)

Playa Dangers (insects and reptiles?)

Groundmeese

Re: Groundmeese

Crickets...I think...

Devoid of Life - NOT