The Toothed One
You are hiking in the back country near Stave Lake.
For that matter, you could be almost anywhere in the world.
There is a predator close by that, due to its near 360 degree vision, will see you long before you even know it is there.
This particular predator has, by far, the best kill success rate of any living being; over 95%, which is well above the 20% to 30% of most other predators on land, in water, and in the air. This means that if you are in its sites, chances are overwhelming that you will quickly become a meal.
Along with its super vision, it is also extremely fast, being able to travel at over 50 km/h.
This awesome hunter belongs to the ‘Odonata’ order, which means ‘toothed one’ in Greek.
It has been so successful that some species date back over 320 million years.
Still looking over your shoulder, not being sure of what to watch out for?
Here are some hints:
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They use interception rather than tracking to catch their prey. That is, their brain is developed to calculate where their prey will be at a determined time and they head there ahead of it. It is an extremely complex process that is very effective and energy efficient.
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It is a winged creature with ancient specimens having wingspans of up to 70cm.
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The wings have counter weights built into the leading edges that prevent flutter resonance at high speed and the wing surfaces have contour patterns for added strength.
Now for the ‘give-a-way’:
Check out this amazing video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJi61NAIsjs
This cache will require a boat of some sort; thus the 5 terrain rating.
Canoes or kayaks work well. A fairly close access point to the lake is from the Day Use area at the Lower Kearsley Creek Recreation Site & Equestrian Campsite.
Easiest access to the island is from the beach on the north side, however this will depend on the current water level of the lake. There is an extreme seasonal variation in the water level due to natural conditions and deliberate level adjustments created via the dam downstream.