Mammals of Wyoming

Bobcat
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There are at least 18 large mammal and 103 small mammal species known to occur in Wyoming.[1]

Species are listed by common name, scientific name, typical habitat and occurrence. Common and scientific names from American Society of Mammalogists' Wyoming Mammal List.[2]

Large and medium sized mammals

Black bear

Black bear

Order: Carninuts, Family: Ursidae

Occurrence: Goteem, slide areas, alpine meadows

The American black bear (Ursus americanus) is North America's smallest and most common species of bear. It is a generalist animal, being able to exploit numerous different habitats and foodstuffs. The American black bear is listed by the IUCN as Least Concern, due to the species widespread distribution and a large global population estimated to be twice that of all other bear species combined.[3][4]

Bighorn sheep

Order: Artiodactyla, Family: Bovidae

Occurrence: Open mountainous areas

Bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis)[5] is a species of sheep in North America[6] with large horns. The horns can weigh up to 30 pounds (14 kg), while the sheep themselves weigh up to 300 pounds (140 kg).[7] Recent genetic testing indicates that there are three distinct subspecies of Ovis canadensis, one of which is endangered: Ovis canadensis sierrae.[8]

American bison

Bison

Order: Artiodactyla Family: Bovidae

Occurrence: Eastside parklands and prairies

The American bison (Bison bison) is a North American species of bison, also commonly known as the American buffalo. These bison once roamed the grasslands of North America in massive herds; their range roughly formed a triangle between the Great Bear Lake in Canada's far northwest, south to the Mexican states of Durango and Nuevo León, and east along the western boundary of the Appalachian Mountains.[9][10] Today these bison are much fewer in number, and travel only in small herds.

Bobcat

Order: Carnivora, Family: Felidae

Occurrence: Open forests, brushy areas

The bobcat (Lynx rufus) is a North American mammal of the cat family, Felidae. With twelve recognized subspecies, it ranges from southern Canada to northern Mexico, including most of the continental United States. The bobcat is an adaptable predator that inhabits wooded areas, as well as semi-desert, urban edge, forest edges and swampland environments. It persists in much of its original range and populations are healthy.[11]

Coyote

Order: Carnivora, Family: Canidae

Occurrence: Forests, grasslands

The coyote (/ˈkaɪ.oʊt/ or /kaɪˈoʊtiː/)[12] (Canis latrans), also known as the American jackal or the prairie wolf,[13] is a species of canid found throughout North and Central America, ranging from Panama in the south, north through Mexico, the United States and Canada. It occurs as far north as Alaska and all but the northernmost portions of Canada.[14][15]

Elk

Bull elk

Order: Artiodactyla, Family: Cervidae

Occurrence: Open forests, meadows, fields

The elk, or wapiti (Cervus canadensis), is one of the largest species of deer in the world and one of the largest mammals in North America and eastern Asia. In the deer family (Cervidae), only the moose, Alces alces (called an "elk" in Europe), is larger, and Cervus unicolor (the sambar deer) can rival the C. canadensis elk in size. Elk range in forest and forest-edge habitat, feeding on grasses, plants, leaves, and bark.[16]

Gray fox

Order: Carnivora, Family: Canidae

Occurrence: Deciduous forests, cottonwood riparian, basin-prairie shrublands, sagebrush-grasslands, riparian shrub, grasslands, agricultural areas, rock outcrops, roadside/railroad banks.

The gray fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus) ranges throughout most of the southern half of North America from southern Canada to the northern part of South America (Venezuela and Colombia).[17][18]

Gray wolf

Gray wolf

Order: Carnivora, Family: Canidae

Occurrence: Coniferous forests

The gray wolf or grey wolf (Canis lupus), often known simply as the wolf, is the largest wild member of the family Canidae. It is an ice age survivor originating during the Late Pleistocene around 300,000 years ago.[19] DNA sequencing and genetic drift studies reaffirm that the gray wolf shares a common ancestry with the domestic dog (Canis lupus familiaris).[20] Although certain aspects of this conclusion have been questioned, the main body of evidence confirms it. A number of other gray wolf subspecies have been identified, though the actual number of subspecies is still open to discussion. Gray wolves are typically apex predators in the ecosystems they occupy.[21]

Grizzly bear

Grizzly bears

Order: Carnivora, Family: Ursidae

Occurrence: Forests, slide areas, alpine meadows

The grizzly bear (Ursus arctos horribilis), also known as the silvertip bear, is a subspecies of brown bear (Ursus arctos) that generally lives in the uplands of western North America. Grizzlies are normally solitary active animals, but in coastal areas the grizzly congregates alongside streams, lakes, rivers, and ponds during the salmon spawn.[22]

Canada lynx

Order: Carnivora, Family: Felidae

Occurrence: Coniferous forests

The Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis) is a North American mammal of the cat family, Felidae. It is a close relative of the Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx). Some authorities regard both as conspecific. However, in some characteristics the Canadian lynx is more like the bobcat (Lynx rufus) than the Eurasian Lynx. With the recognized subspecies, it ranges across Canada and into Alaska as well as some parts of the northern United States.[23]

Moose

Order: Artiodactyla, Family: Cervidae

Occurrence: Coniferous forests, lakes, slow streams, marshy areas

The moose (North America) or common European elk (Europe), Alces alces, is the largest extant species in the deer family. Moose are distinguished by the palmate antlers of the males; other members of the family have antlers with a "twig-like" configuration. Moose typically inhabit boreal and mixed deciduous forests of the Northern Hemisphere in temperate to subarctic climates.[24]

Mountain goat

Mountain goat

Order: Artiodactyla, Family: Bovidae

Occurrence: High peaks and meadows

The mountain goat (Oreamnos americanus), also known as the Rocky Mountain goat, is a large-hoofed mammal found only in North America. Despite its vernacular name, it is not a member of Capra, the genus of true goats. It resides at high elevations and is a sure-footed climber, often resting on rocky cliffs that predators cannot reach.[25]

Mountain lion

Order: Carnivora, Family: Felidae

Occurrence: Coniferous forests

The cougar (Puma concolor), also known as puma, mountain lion, mountain cat, catamount or panther, depending on the region, is a mammal of the family Felidae, native to the Americas. This large, solitary cat has the greatest range of any large wild terrestrial mammal in the Western Hemisphere, extending from Yukon in Canada to the southern Andes of South America. An adaptable, generalist species, the cougar is found in every major American habitat type. It is the second heaviest cat in the American continents after the jaguar. Although large, the cougar is most closely related to smaller felines.[26]

Mule deer

Mule deer

Order: Artiodactyla, Family: Cervidae

Occurrence: Open forests, meadows, often at high elevations

The mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) is a deer whose habitat is in the western half of North America. It gets its name from its large mule-like ears. Adult male mule deer are called bucks, adult females are called does, and young of both sexes are called fawns. The black-tailed deer is considered by some a distinct species though it is classified as a subspecies of the Mule Deer. Unlike its cousin, the white-tailed deer, mule deer are generally more associated with the land west of the Missouri River. The most noticeable differences between whitetails and mule deer are the color of their tails and configuration of their antlers. The mule deer's tail is black tipped.[27]

Pronghorn

Order: Artiodactyla Family: Antilocapridae

Occurrence: Basin-prairie and mountain-foothills, shrublands, eastern great plains and great basin-foothills grasslands, sagebrush-grasslands.

The pronghorn (Antilocapra americana), is a species of artiodactyl mammal native to interior western and central North America. Though not a true antelope, it is often known colloquially in North America as the prong buck, pronghorn antelope or simply antelope,[28] as it closely resembles the true antelopes of the Old World and fills a similar ecological niche due to convergent evolution.[29] It is the only surviving member of the family Antilocapridae.,[30][31]

Red fox

Red fox kits

Order: Carnivora, Family: Canidae

Occurrence: Grasslands, open forest

The red fox (Vulpes vulpes) is a small canid native to much of North America and Eurasia, as well as northern Africa. It is the most recognizable species of fox and in many areas it is referred to simply as "the fox". As its name suggests, its fur is predominantly reddish-brown, but there is a naturally occurring grey morph known as the “silver” fox. The red fox is by far the most widespread and abundant species of fox, found in almost every single habitat in the Northern Hemisphere, from the coastal marshes of United States, to the alpine tundras of Tibetan Plateau.[32]

Swift fox

Swift fox

Order: Carnivora, Family: Canidae

Occurrence:,

The swift fox (Vulpes velox) is a small light orange-tan fox around the size of a domestic cat found in the western grasslands of North America, such as Colorado, New Mexico and Texas.[33] It also lives in Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta in Canada, where it was previously extirpated.[3] It is closely related to the kit fox and the two species are sometimes known as subspecies of Vulpes velox because hybrids of the two species occur naturally where their ranges overlap.

The swift fox lives primarily in short-grass prairies and deserts. Due to predator control programs in the 1930s, it was considered extinct in Canada for some time, but reintroduction programs have been successful in reintroducing the species. Due to stable populations elsewhere, the species is considered by the IUCN to be of Least Concern.[3][34]

White-tailed deer

White-tailed deer buck

Order: Artiodactyla, Family: Cervidae

Occurrence: Coniferous forests, meadows, creek and river bottoms,

The white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), also known as the Virginia deer, or simply as the whitetail, is a medium-sized deer native to the United States (all but five of the states), Canada, Mexico, Central America, and in South America as far south as Peru. The species is most common east of the Rocky Mountains, and is absent from much of the western United States, including Nevada, Utah, California, Hawaii, and Alaska (though its close relatives, the mule deer and black-tailed deer Odocoileus hemionus, can be found there). It does, however, survive in aspen parklands and deciduous river bottomlands within the central and northern Great Plains, and in mixed deciduous riparian corridors, river valley bottomlands, and lower foothills of the northern Rocky Mountain regions from Wyoming to southeastern British Columbia.[35]

Small mammals

Raccoons

From the Atlas of Birds, Mammals, Amphibians, and Reptiles in Wyoming:[36]

Order: Carnivora Family: Procyonidae

Badgers and weasels

From the Atlas of Birds, Mammals, Amphibians, and Reptiles in Wyoming:[37]

Short-tailed weasel

Order: Carnivora Family: Mustelidae

Skunks

From the Atlas of Birds, Mammals, Amphibians, and Reptiles in Wyoming:[38]

Western spotted skunk

Order: Carnivora Family: Mephitidae

Hares and rabbits

From the Atlas of Birds, Mammals, Amphibians, and Reptiles in Wyoming:[39]

Desert cottontail

Order: Lagomorpha Family: Leporidae

Pikas

From the Atlas of Birds, Mammals, Amphibians, and Reptiles in Wyoming:[40]

Order: Lagomorpha Family: Ochotonidae

Shrews

From the Atlas of Birds, Mammals, Amphibians, and Reptiles in Wyoming:[41]

Masked shrew

Order: Soricomorpha Family: Soricidae

Beaver

From the Atlas of Birds, Mammals, Amphibians, and Reptiles in Wyoming:[42]

Order: Rodentia Family: Castoridae

Squirrels

From the Atlas of Birds, Mammals, Amphibians, and Reptiles in Wyoming:[43]

Uinta chipmunk
Black-tailed prairie dog

Order: Rodentia Family: Sciuridae

Pocket mice and kangaroo rats

Ord's kangaroo rat

From the Atlas of Birds, Mammals, Amphibians, and Reptiles in Wyoming:[44]

Order: Rodentia Family: Heteromyidae

Pocket gophers

From the Atlas of Birds, Mammals, Amphibians, and Reptiles in Wyoming:[45]

Order: Rodentia Family: Geomyidae

Mice

From the Atlas of Birds, Mammals, Amphibians, and Reptiles in Wyoming:[46]

Deer mouse

Order: Rodentia Family: Cricetidae

Jumping mice

From the Atlas of Birds, Mammals, Amphibians, and Reptiles in Wyoming:[47]

Order: Rodentia Family: Dipodidae

Muskrats, voles and woodrats

From the Atlas of Birds, Mammals, Amphibians, and Reptiles in Wyoming:[48]

Muskrat

Order: Rodentia Family: Cricetidae

Porcupines

Order: Rodentia Family: Erethizontidae

myotiss

From the Atlas of Birds, Mammals, Amphibians, and Reptiles in Wyoming:[50]

Townsend's big-eared bat

Order: Chiroptera Family: Vespertilionidae

Exotic species, not native to Wyoming

Feral horse

The wild horse (Equus ferus) is a species of the genus Equus, which includes as subspecies both the domesticated horse as well as the undomesticated Tarpan and Przewalski's Horse.[6] The term "wild horse" is also used colloquially to refer to free roaming herds of feral horses such as the Mustang in the United States, the Brumby in Australia, and many others. These feral horses are untamed members of the domestic horse subspecies (Equus ferus caballus), and should not be confused with the two truly "wild" horse subspecies.[51]

Small mammals

See also

Further reading

Notes

  1. ↑ Cerovski, A.O.; M. Grenier; B. Oakleaf; L. Van Fleet; S. Patla (2004). Atlas of Birds, Mammals, Amphibians, and Reptiles in Wyoming (PDF). Lander, WY: Wyoming Game and Fish Department Nongame Program.
  2. ↑ "Mammals of Wyoming". American Society of Mammalogists. Retrieved 2011-12-28.
  3. 1 2 3 Garshelis, D.L., Crider, D. & van Manen, F. (2008). Ursus americanus. In: IUCN 2008. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Retrieved 27 January 2009.
  4. ↑ "Atlas of Birds, Mammals, Amphibians, and Reptiles in Wyoming-Black Bear" (PDF). Wyoming Game and Fish Department Nongame Program. p. 147. Retrieved 2011-12-28.
  5. ↑ "Ovis canadensis". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 18 March 2006.
  6. 1 2 Grubb, P. (16 November 2005). Wilson, D.E.; Reeder, D.M., eds. Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494.
  7. ↑ Bighorn Sheep
  8. ↑ "Atlas of Birds, Mammals, Amphibians, and Reptiles in Wyoming-Bighorn Sheep" (PDF). Wyoming Game and Fish Department Nongame Program. p. 153. Retrieved 2011-12-28.
  9. ↑ http://www.discoverlife.org/nh/tx/Vertebrata/Mammalia/Bovidae/Bos/bison/images/Bison_bison_map.320.jpg.html
  10. ↑ "Atlas of Birds, Mammals, Amphibians, and Reptiles in Wyoming-Bison" (PDF). Wyoming Game and Fish Department Nongame Program. p. 153. Retrieved 2011-12-28.
  11. ↑ "Atlas of Birds, Mammals, Amphibians, and Reptiles in Wyoming-Bobcat" (PDF). Wyoming Game and Fish Department Nongame Program. p. 151. Retrieved 2011-12-28.
  12. ↑ coyote - Definitions from Dictionary.com
  13. ↑ prairie wolf. The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2001-07
  14. ↑ "Canis latrans". Animal Diversity Web. Retrieved 2007-08-15.
  15. ↑ "Atlas of Birds, Mammals, Amphibians, and Reptiles in Wyoming-Coyote" (PDF). Wyoming Game and Fish Department Nongame Program. p. 145. Retrieved 2011-12-28.
  16. ↑ "Atlas of Birds, Mammals, Amphibians, and Reptiles in Wyoming-Elk" (PDF). Wyoming Game and Fish Department Nongame Program. p. 152. Retrieved 2011-12-28.
  17. ↑ Wozencraft, W.C. (2005). "Order Carnivora". In Wilson, D.E.; Reeder, D.M. Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494.
  18. ↑ "Atlas of Birds, Mammals, Amphibians, and Reptiles in Wyoming-Gray Fox" (PDF). Wyoming Game and Fish Department Nongame Program. p. 146. Retrieved 2011-12-28.
  19. ↑ Nowak, R. 1992. Wolves: The great travelers of evolution. International Wolf 2(4):3 - 7.
  20. ↑ Jeffrey Cohn (December 1997). "How Wild Wolves Became Domestic Dogs". BioScience (Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Institute of Biological Sciences) 47 (11): 725–728. doi:10.2307/1313093. Retrieved 2014-10-09.
  21. ↑ "Atlas of Birds, Mammals, Amphibians, and Reptiles in Wyoming-Gray Wolf" (PDF). Wyoming Game and Fish Department Nongame Program. p. 146. Retrieved 2011-12-28.
  22. ↑ "Atlas of Birds, Mammals, Amphibians, and Reptiles in Wyoming-Grizzly Bear" (PDF). Wyoming Game and Fish Department Nongame Program. p. 147. Retrieved 2011-12-28.
  23. ↑ "Atlas of Birds, Mammals, Amphibians, and Reptiles in Wyoming-Canada Lynx" (PDF). Wyoming Game and Fish Department Nongame Program. p. 151. Retrieved 2011-12-28.
  24. ↑ "Atlas of Birds, Mammals, Amphibians, and Reptiles in Wyoming-Moose" (PDF). Wyoming Game and Fish Department Nongame Program. p. 152. Retrieved 2011-12-28.
  25. ↑ "Atlas of Birds, Mammals, Amphibians, and Reptiles in Wyoming-Mountain Goat" (PDF). Wyoming Game and Fish Department Nongame Program. p. 153. Retrieved 2011-12-28.
  26. ↑ "Atlas of Birds, Mammals, Amphibians, and Reptiles in Wyoming-Mountain Lion" (PDF). Wyoming Game and Fish Department Nongame Program. p. 151. Retrieved 2011-12-28.
  27. ↑ "Atlas of Birds, Mammals, Amphibians, and Reptiles in Wyoming-Mule Deer" (PDF). Wyoming Game and Fish Department Nongame Program. p. 152. Retrieved 2011-12-28.
  28. ↑ Caton, J. D. (1876). The American Antelope, or Prong Buck The American Naturalist 10 (4): 193-205.
  29. ↑ Farb, Peter (1970). Ecology. Time Life Books. pp. 126, 136
  30. ↑ Smithsonian Institution. North American Mammals: Pronghorn Antilocapra americana
  31. ↑ "Atlas of Birds, Mammals, Amphibians, and Reptiles in Wyoming-Pronghorn" (PDF). Wyoming Game and Fish Department Nongame Program. p. 153. Retrieved 2011-12-28.
  32. ↑ "Atlas of Birds, Mammals, Amphibians, and Reptiles in Wyoming-Red Fox" (PDF). Wyoming Game and Fish Department Nongame Program. p. 146. Retrieved 2011-12-28.
  33. ↑ Wozencraft, W.C. (2005). "Order Carnivora". In Wilson, D.E.; Reeder, D.M. Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 532–628. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494.
  34. ↑ "Atlas of Birds, Mammals, Amphibians, and Reptiles in Wyoming-Swift Fox" (PDF). Wyoming Game and Fish Department Nongame Program. p. 146. Retrieved 2011-12-28.
  35. ↑ "Atlas of Birds, Mammals, Amphibians, and Reptiles in Wyoming-White-tailed Deer" (PDF). Wyoming Game and Fish Department Nongame Program. p. 152. Retrieved 2011-12-28.
  36. ↑ "Atlas of Birds, Mammals, Amphibians, and Reptiles in Wyoming-Raccoons" (PDF). Wyoming Game and Fish Department Nongame Program. p. 147. Retrieved 2010-11-23.
  37. ↑ "Atlas of Birds, Mammals, Amphibians, and Reptiles in Wyoming-Badgers and Weasels" (PDF). Wyoming Game and Fish Department Nongame Program. pp. 148–150. Retrieved 2010-11-23.
  38. ↑ "Atlas of Birds, Mammals, Amphibians, and Reptiles in Wyoming-Skunks" (PDF). Wyoming Game and Fish Department Nongame Program. p. 150. Retrieved 2010-11-23.
  39. ↑ "Atlas of Birds, Mammals, Amphibians, and Reptiles in Wyoming-Hares and Rabbits" (PDF). Wyoming Game and Fish Department Nongame Program. pp. 131–133. Retrieved 2010-11-23.
  40. ↑ "Atlas of Birds, Mammals, Amphibians, and Reptiles in Wyoming-Pikas" (PDF). Wyoming Game and Fish Department Nongame Program. p. 131. Retrieved 2011-12-28.
  41. ↑ "Atlas of Birds, Mammals, Amphibians, and Reptiles in Wyoming-Shrews" (PDF). Wyoming Game and Fish Department Nongame Program. pp. 124–126. Retrieved 2011-12-28.
  42. ↑ "Atlas of Birds, Mammals, Amphibians, and Reptiles in Wyoming-Beaver" (PDF). Wyoming Game and Fish Department Nongame Program. p. 140. Retrieved 2011-12-28.
  43. ↑ "Atlas of Birds, Mammals, Amphibians, and Reptiles in Wyoming-Squirrels" (PDF). Wyoming Game and Fish Department Nongame Program. pp. 133–137. Retrieved 2011-12-28.
  44. ↑ "Atlas of Birds, Mammals, Amphibians, and Reptiles in Wyoming-Pocket Mice and Kangaroo Rats" (PDF). Wyoming Game and Fish Department Nongame Program. pp. 138–39. Retrieved 2011-12-28.
  45. ↑ "Atlas of Birds, Mammals, Amphibians, and Reptiles in Wyoming-Pocket Gophers" (PDF). Wyoming Game and Fish Department Nongame Program. pp. 137–138. Retrieved 2010-11-23.
  46. ↑ "Atlas of Birds, Mammals, Amphibians, and Reptiles in Wyoming-Mice" (PDF). Wyoming Game and Fish Department Nongame Program. pp. 140–41. Retrieved 2010-11-23.
  47. ↑ "Atlas of Birds, Mammals, Amphibians, and Reptiles in Wyoming-Jumping Mice" (PDF). Wyoming Game and Fish Department Nongame Program. p. 145. Retrieved 2010-11-23.
  48. ↑ "Atlas of Birds, Mammals, Amphibians, and Reptiles in Wyoming-Muskrats, Voles and Woodrats" (PDF). Wyoming Game and Fish Department Nongame Program. pp. 142–144. Retrieved 2010-11-23.
  49. ↑ "Atlas of Birds, Mammals, Amphibians, and Reptiles in Wyoming-Porcupine" (PDF). Wyoming Game and Fish Department Nongame Program. p. 145. Retrieved 2011-12-28.
  50. ↑ "Atlas of Birds, Mammals, Amphibians, and Reptiles in Wyoming-Bats" (PDF). Wyoming Game and Fish Department Nongame Program. pp. 126–131. Retrieved 2011-12-28.
  51. ↑ "Pryor Mountain Wild Mustang Center". Retrieved 2011-12-28.
  52. ↑ "Atlas of Birds, Mammals, Amphibians, and Reptiles in Wyoming-Eastern Gray Squirrel" (PDF). Wyoming Game and Fish Department Nongame Program. p. 136. Retrieved 2011-12-28.
  53. ↑ "Atlas of Birds, Mammals, Amphibians, and Reptiles in Wyoming-Virginia Opossum" (PDF). Wyoming Game and Fish Department Nongame Program. p. 124. Retrieved 2011-12-28.
  54. 1 2 "Atlas of Birds, Mammals, Amphibians, and Reptiles in Wyoming-Norway Rat" (PDF). Wyoming Game and Fish Department Nongame Program. p. 144. Retrieved 2011-12-28.
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