The Guide to Colorado Mammals

by Mary Taylor Young

Overview

A guidebook for a general audience describing approximately 126 species of mammals native to Colorado. Each mammal is described within a Species Account, including common and scientific name, physical description, size, habitat, distribution, field notes, legal status, and photographs. Includes sidebars highlighting interesting information about mammal biology, life history, and behavior. The book includes a glossary, index, and checklists.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781555915834
Publisher:	Chicago Review Press, Incorporated
Publication date:	04/01/2012
Pages:	288
Sales rank:	681,172
Product dimensions:	5.00(w) x 8.00(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Award-winning nature writer Mary Taylor Young spent her childhood summers roaming the Colorado Rockies from her grandparents' cabin in Estes Park. Her love of wild things and the outdoors led to a degree in zoology from Colorada State University and a life devoted to nature and the environment. Her nine books range from Land of Grass and Sky: A Naturalist's Prairie Journey, a story of spiritual growth inspired by the landscape of the High Plains, to the Watchable Birds book series. Mary's Words on Birds column appeared in the Rocky Mountain News from 1993 until 2009. She has published hundreds of articles in periodicals such as Ladies Home Journal, Outside, and Wildlife Conservation. Mary has written extensively for the US Fish and Wildlife Service, US Forest Service, Colorado Division of Wildlife and Utah Division of Wildlife Resources. Many Coloradans know Mary from the quarterly publication Colorado's Wildlife Company. Mary writes from her home in Castle Rock, Colorado, where she lives with her husband, daughter, two dogs, and many wild neighbors.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments ix

Author's Note xi

Introduction 1

Order Didelphimorphia American Marsupials: Pouched Mammals 10

Family Didelphidae—Opossums 11

Virginia Opossum 12

Order Soricomorpha Shrews and Moles: Insect-eaters 16

Family Soricidae—Shrews 17

Masked Shrew 18

Pygmy Shrew 19

Merriam's Shrew 20

Montane Shrew 21

Dwarf Shrew 22

American Water Shrew 23

Elliot's Short-tailed Shrew 24

Least Shrew 25

Desert Shrew 26

Family Talpidae—Moles 27

Eastern Mole 28

Order Chiroptera Bats: Winged Mammals 32

Family Vespertilionidae—Evening Bats 33

California Myotis 34

Western Small-footed Myotis 35

Long-eared Myotis 37

Little Brown Bat/Little Brown Myotis 38

Fringed Myotis 40

Long-legged Myotis 41

Yuma Myotis 43

Eastern Red Bat 44

Hoary Bat 46

Silver-haired Bat 47

Canyon Bat/Western Pipistrelle 50

Big Brown Bat 51

Spotted Bat 53

Townsend's Big-eared Bat 54

Pallid Bat 55

Family Molossidae—Free-tailed Bats 57

Brazilian Free-tailed Bat 58

Big Free-tailed Bat 60

Order Cingulata Armadillos: Armored Mammals 64

Family Dasypodidae—Armadillos 65

Nine-banded Armadillo 66

Order Lagomorpha Rabbits and Relatives: Pikas, Rabbits, and Hares 70

Family Ochotonidae—Pikas 71

American Pika 72

Family Leporidae—Rabbits and Hares 73

Desert Cottontail 74

Eastern Cottontail 75

Mountain Cottontail/Nuttal's Cottontail 76

Snowshoe Hare 78

Black-tailed Japkrabbit 80

White-tailed Jackrabbit 81

Order Rodentia Rodents: Gnawing Mammals 86

Family Sciuridae—Squirrels 87

Cliff Chipmunk 88

Least Chipmunk 89

Colorado Chipmunk 91

Hopi Chipmunk 93

Uinta Chipmunk 94

Yellow-bellied Marmot 95

White-tailed Antelope Squirrel 97

Wyoming Ground Squirrel 98

Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel 99

Spotted Ground Squirrel 101

Thirteen-lined Ground Squirrel 102

Rock Squirrel 103

Gunnison's Prairie Dog 105

White-tailed Prairie Dog 106

Black-tailed Prairie Dog 107

Abert's Squirrel 109

Fox Squirrel 111

Pine Squirrel (Chickaree) 112

Family Geomyidae—Pocket Gophers 115

Botta's Pocket Gopher 116

Northern Pocket Gopher 117

Plains Pocket Gopher 119

Yellow-faced Pocket Gopher 120

Family Heteromyidae—Pocket Mice and Kangaroo Rats 121

Olive-backed Pocket Mouse 122

Plains Pocket Mouse 123

Silky Pocket Mouse 124

Great Basin Pocket Mouse 125

Hispid Pocket Mouse 126

Ord's Kangaroo Rat 127

Family Castoriae—Beavers 129

American Beaver 130

Family Cricetidae—Native Mice, Rats, and Voles 133

Western Harvest Mouse 134

Plains Harvest Mouse 135

Brush Mouse 136

Canyon Mouse 137

White-footed Mouse 138

Deer Mouse 139

Northern Rock Mouse 140

Pinon Mouse 141

Northern Grasshopper Mouse 142

Hispid Cotton Rat 143

White-throated Woodrat 144

Bushy-tailed Woodrat 145

Eastern Woodrat 147

Desert Woodrat 148

Mexican Woodrat 149

Southern Plains Woodrat 150

Southern Red-backed Vole 151

Western Heather Vole 152

Long-tailed Vole 153

Mexican Vole 154

Montane Vole 156

Prairie Vole 157

Meadow Vole 158

Sagebrush Vole 159

Muskrat 160

Family Muridae—Old World Mice and Rats 163

House Mouse 164

Norway Rat 165

Family Dipodidae—Jumping Mice and Jerboas 167

Meadow Jumping Mouse 168

Western Jumping Mouse 170

Family Erethizontidae—New World Porcupines 171

North American Porcupine 172

Order Carnivora Carnivores: Meat Eaters 176

Family Canidae—Dogs 177

Coyote 178

Gray Wolf 180

Kit Fox 182

Swift Fox 184

Red Fox 185

Gray Fox 186

Family Ursidae—Bears .187

Black Bear 188

Grizzly Bear 190

Family Procyonidae—Raccoons and Relatives 193

Ringtail 194

Raccoon 195

Family Mustelidae—Weasels 197

Pine (American) Marten 198

Short-tailed Weasel (Ermine) 199

Long-tailed Weasel 200

Black-footed Ferret 202

Mink 204

Wolverine 205

American Badger 207

Northern River Otter 208

Family Mephitidae—Skunks 211

Western Spotted Skunk 212

Eastern Spotted Skunk 213

Striped Skunk 214

Family Felidae—Cats 217

Mountain Lion 218

Canada Lynx 220

Bobcat 222

Order Perissodactyla Odd-toed Hoofed Animals 226

Family Equidae—Horses 227

Wild Horse 228

Order Artiodactyla Even-toed Hoofed Animals: Deer, Pronghorn, Bison, Goats, and Sheep 232

Family Cervidae—Deer 233

Elk 234

Mule Deer 236

White-tailed Deer 238

Moose 240

Family Antilocapridae—Pronghorn 243

Pronghorn 244

Family Bovidae—Cattle, Goats, and Sheep 247

Bison 248

Mountain Goat 250

Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep 251

Desert Bighorn Sheep 253

Where to See Colorado Mammals 255

Checklist of Colorado Mammals 256

Mammals with Limited Colorado Range 261

Whose Skull Is This? 262

Dental Formulas 263

Glossary 266

Other Resources 268

About the Author 269

Index 270

Editorial Reviews

"Colorado naturalist Young has published several books on Colorado and regional wildlife. She has written this well-organized field guide to the state's mammals for 'casual naturalists, outdoor recreationists, families, Colorado vacationers, and anyone desiring a general overview.' Quick identification is a major virtue, facilitated by pages color coded by family. Designed for heavy use, the volume offers descriptions of all 129 species known to have inhabited the state, including three (bison, grizzly bear, and gray wolf) no longer found in the wild. All entries include the following sections: 'Field ID,' 'Size,' 'Habitat,' 'Distribution,' 'Field Notes,' and 'Legal Status.' Color photos, limited to one per species, have been chosen less for photographic merit than for illustrating key differentiation factors. Many, however, add genuine photo interest and appeal. Range maps are provided for each species, and numerous sidebars give additional life histories. Appendixes add further value: a list of two bats and a flying squirrel rarely confirmed in the state; suggestions on observation ethics; where to see Colorado mammals; a checklist of species and dental formulas for each; and tips for identifying mammal skulls found in the field. A glossary supports the text. A solid bet for state and regional libraries. Summing Up: Recommended." —CHOICE

From the Publisher