Mountain Beaver

description: small ears and eyes, timy tail,LONG whiskers

range: W. Pacific states to central CA

non-migratory, minatains a burrow system up to 19" in diameter

habitat: most forests, esp. near streams

diet: vegetation, ferns, grasses, tree bark stored in burrow

solitary, fossorial (adapted for burrowing)

status: Point Arena Mountain Beaver is federally threatened

negligible interaction with humans, may damage conifers by peeling bark, may damage gardens

Eastern Gray Squirrel

description: gray (*some brown/tan) above, white below with tawny underfur, may be melanistic in N. range

range: Eastern US (intoduced to Stanford campus and LA)

habitat: hardwood or mixed forests with nut trees

status: ABUNDANT, stable game species

nut caches are important to forest regeneration (buried undergrounnd and found again by smell)

Western Gray Squirrel

description: gray with white tipped hairs (*NO brown in its color), white, tail bigger than E. Gray Squirrel

range: along W. coast in oak conifer woodlands, only large gray tree squirel in its range

diet: acorns, pine seeds

status: abundant, stable game species

Eastern Fox Squirrel

description: grey-brown above, buff or reddish below, redidsh back of ears (can be black with white ears/nose/tail in SE)

range: E. US except N. England, introduced in several Western cities, found on Berkeley campus and LA

diet: acorns, pine seeds, fungus

status: abundant game species, decreasing in SE due to loss of open hardwood woodlots, through fire suppression

Delmara Penninsula Fox Squirrel (VA) is federally listed

Abert's Squirrel

description: *"tassel ears", grey above, red back, darker sides, white or black below, white tail

range: isolated mountain regions in SW (Grand Canyon rim)

habitat: conifer forests

diet: ponderosa pine seeds and inner bark

status: stable game species, entertains tourists

diff. subspecies on diff sides of grand Canyon (Kaibeb= red ears and whiter tail)

Red Squirrel

description: greyish red above, white-grey below, black line on side, ear tufts in winter, white ring around eye

range: across Alaska and Canada, down Rockies, down in NE US and Appalachia

habitat: any forest

diet: pine nuts, seed, mushrooms, maple sap

status: abundant and stable game species

Mount Graham Red Squirrel subspecies isolated to Pinaleno Mtns. of SE Arizona, rediscovered 1970, federally threatened; Univ. of AZ built observatory on Mt. Graham and in return pays to monitor pop.

Douglas's Squirrel

description: white eye ring, less red than Red Squirrel (more grey), underparts greyish tan/orange than white, dark line on side, small ear tufts in winter

range: W. Pacific states through Sierra Nevada

habitat: coniferous forests

status:abundant, stable game species

may be important in dispersing seeds (stores green cones in moist areas), caches seed differently (all in one place)

California Ground Squirrel

description: brownish with prominent white flecks, dark triangle on back, white shoulders

range: Pacific coastal states from SW Washington to Baja CA

habitat: grassland, disturbed areas (like open country)

diet: omnivorous

litter: 5-8 young born in May

hibernate from Nov-Feb

generally solitary but may form loose colonies

status: stable pest species (not listed as game species- can kill it at any time)

disliked by ranchers: may eat crops and compete for forage, fleas carry bubonic plague, burrows can be hazard to livestock, poison as primary control

Black-tailed Prairie Dog

description: brown, slim tail with black tip, "fat little guy", very short ears

range: Great Plains area from Montana to TX (original range), now less approx. 1% of that

(same as black footed ferret, biggest predator)

diet: grasses

litter: 4-5 young in spring

repro: polygynous

social, greeting behavior to identify family members

status: DECLINING, proposed for listing

locally common, but overall range is highly fragmented, long history of shooting and poisoning

American Beaver

description: large, flat tail

range: most of US and Canada

habitat: rivers, streams, marshes, lakes, ponds

diet: food items (also used for building): POPLAR, aspen, willow,birch, maple

litter: 2

repro: monogamous, lifetime pair bonds

status: managed furbearer (not in CA), populations now mostly recovered

fell small trees to build dams and lodged to live in, lodges have 2 entrances and house a pair and their offspring

slap tails on water as a warning signal

beaver ponds are valuable to other wildlife, but can flood commerical timberland, highways, cropland, etc.

pelts were valued for clothes in 19th cent., motivated Euro. exploration of N. Am., unregulated trapping led to extirpation in much of range

Nutria

description: thin, scaly tail (flattened horizontally), webbed feet (like Mountain Beaver, but with a TAIL)

range: Gulf Coast and other scattered populations throughout US (introduced)

habitat: marshes, ponds, streams (favors marches more than beavers)

builds feeding platforms, leftovers piled up after eating

litter: 4-6

repro: polygynous

status: managed game species, introduced to Louisiana in 1930s for fur, now widely introduced in N. Am., dense pop. raid crops, undermine stream banks and deplete vegetaiton for native wildlife

Common Porcupine

description: arched back, short legs, QUILLS

range: N. North America and W. US

habitat: forests, scrubby areas with trees

diet: cambium of trees

litter: single young

status: STABLE-INCREASING

may damage commercial timber

mostly nocturnal

Botta's Pocket Gopher

description: short, skinless tail, long claws, brownish-grey

range: SW US to Mexico

habitat: varies- deserts to mtn. meadows

burrow systems- "nest"/sleeping area, food storage, etc.

diet: herbivores- roots, tubers, bulbs, stems, leaves

litter: 6 young

repro: breed once a year in spring

status: abundant pest species, may be a nuisance in ag. areas eating tubers and roots, making mounds, BUT they aerate the soil

Heermann's Kangaroo Rat

description: large back feet, LONG tail, fast (12 mph), large eyes

range: CA, west of Sierra, into Oregon

varied habitat

diet: granivorous and plants

litter: 2-5 young

repro: Feb-Oct, peaking in April

nocturnal

status: abundant

Morro Bay subspecies is highly endangered by habitat loss due to real estate development