Nature can be far more bizarre than you might expect. What animals get up to when there are no human beings around would remain a complete mystery if not for the existence of trail cameras.

As autumn sets in and the days get shorter, we thought that it might be time to get you all in a spooky mood. That’s why the Bored Panda team has scoured the far corners of the internet to bring you the creepiest and most unnerving photos ever captured by trail cams. Scroll down for the eeriest pics. But keep in mind, it’s not just animals that ended up in the frame…

#1 Possum Pulling Ticks Off A Deer’s Face. Tick Infestations Are Serious In The Dry Months And Have Even Killed Young Ones. Possums Love To Eat Ticks. This Trail Cam Photo Shows How Nature In Balance Works

Image credits: GallowBoob

#2 Trail Cam. Raccoons Stack Up For The Feeder

Image credits: Randomized007

Trail cameras are incredibly versatile tools. They allow researchers, conservationists, and photographers to take pictures without disturbing the local wildlife or ecosystem. Though some wildlife photographers prefer lying in wait for the perfect shot, in some cases, that might be impractical, so they rely on trail cams.

#3 Bald Eagle Size vs. Grey Wolf, Caught On Trail Cam

Image credits: Enzo_Gorlahh_mi

#4 Curious Ancient Puppers Cautiously Inspect A Trail Cam

Image credits: mattjh

Generally, trail cams are motion-activated, weatherproof, and have infrared capabilities for taking pics in the dark. These tools are also known by a variety of different names, including wildlife cameras, remote cameras, game cameras, and even camera traps. The very earliest cameras of this type actually used tripwires to trigger the tool.

#5 Black Panther Caught On Trail Cam In Georgia

Image credits: reddit.com

#6 Not Sure Wtf That Thing Is But It Was Caught On A Trail Cam Riding A Boar

Image credits: hunter_williams_

Trail cams can help gather visual data about the animal population in a given area and track their habits. For instance, you can use the photos and the time they were taken to track what animals feed when, how large their social groups are, and how different species interact with each other. 

#7 Fresno Nightcrawler – Caught On Yosemite Trailcam

Image credits: RocketMaN_28

#8 Trail Cam Caught This- Owl Attacking Deer

Image credits: reddit.com

For example, by tracking the local wildlife you might learn about some rather unusual but wholesome cross-species cooperation. Badgers and coyotes, both the top predators in their own respective food chains, actually hunt together for small animals in the American West. It’s the type of camaraderie that you’re likely to see in a Disney animation.

#9 Trail Cam Crawler?

Image credits: Venus-Veneris

#10 What The Hell Is This.. Trail Cam Ghost?

Image credits: Life-Hacking

As National Geographic points out, coyotes and badgers don’t just have a transactional relationship either. They’re friendly with each other: they’re actual partners and suddenly friendship doesn’t seem like a ‘human-only’ trait anymore. Many of us wouldn’t have known about this without nighttime footage taken by the Peninsula Open Space Trust, a nonprofit group.

#11 Shawnee Oklahoma Trailcam

Image credits: barl31

#12 11 Wolves Caught On A Trail Cam In Our Local Park

Image credits: donkeyslayer16

However, it’s not just animals that can activate trail cams. Any significant or sudden movement can trigger the motion sensors. That means that these cameras can pick up people walking around the forest in the middle of the night and spooky, blurred objects that you can’t quite make out. Naturally, our minds go wild when looking at these photos, with our imaginations filling in the gaps and weaving theories about what exactly happened out there.

#13 Moved Into A New Development On An Old Farm And Set My Trail Cam Up

Image credits: Outrageous-Sector-67

#14 My Uncle Has A Trail Cam At My Old Grandparents House Which Are Both Dead And The House Is Abandoned. The Camera Takes 3 Pics Every Time A Motion Is Detected.this Thing Only Appears In 1 Out Of 3 Of The Photos. No Idea. Not Saying Is A Ghost Cause I Don’t Really Believe Them

Image credits: LOvEisEvOLxanax

Body heat can also activate these cams, when within a certain range of the detectors. This is a practical design decision. Trail cams don’t take photos or videos continuously because that would drain their batteries incredibly quickly. Some cams come with the ability to connect them to an external power source or even solar panels, so this gives them extra longevity.

#15 Trail Cam Photo Captured After Lake Was Dug. Ghost Hunter Type Team Called Them Tree People

Image credits: adrn916

#16 10.19.19 My Trail Camera Captured A Strange Image. The Previous Owner’s Ashes Were Spread On Our Property

Image credits: u/native_meraki

While some cameras store all the photos on internal memory cards, others can transmit all the data to you, wherever you might be. That means that, depending on the gear that you’ve bought, you could watch what’s happening in nature live, from the comfort of your office or home.

#17 Opossum Pushes Skunk In Pond

Image credits: Trailcampro

#18 Taken On Friends Property Says He Feels Uneasy When He’s Near This Spot

Image credits: lamehoney

It’s perfectly all right to feel creeped out or unnerved by some of these pics. However, most of the photos featured in this list (probably) have a logical explanation about what’s going on. Faults with the motion detectors, infrared tech, flash, and the memory cards themselves can mean that some photos get taken when there are only harmless shadows around or that the image gets corrupted somehow.

Meanwhile, dirt on the lens, weird angles, the wind, animals too small or too quick to be noticed, or even random people passing by can make the entire scene seem creepier than it actually is.

#19 This Was Taken By A Trail Cam On My Dads Property, Other Than Et What Is This?

Image credits: yotesmygoats

#20 Uncle’s Trailcam, Landowner Stated A Tragic Loss Happened Here. Thoughts?

Image credits: PhaseBlade01

Which of these photos spooked you the most, Pandas? Were there any shots that genuinely made your skin crawl and sent your imagination into overdrive? Have you ever set up a trail cam yourself? We’d love to hear your thoughts on this topic, so be sure to swing by the comment section and share your opinions.

#21 Taken On My Elder Family Members Trail Camera In Ky

Image credits: Tempoffroad

#22 Here Are Some Photos From The Trail Cam That Was Ripped Down In Reference To My Last Post For All You Crypto Zoologists To Debunk

Image credits: rosssettti

#23 My Game/Trail Camera Captured This Under My House. Should I Pack My Things Up And Move Away?

Image credits: pajavasarakomuka