Mammals of Elm Fork Preserve

Mammals of Elm Fork Preserve

Mammals are characterized by having fur, feeding milk to their young,
having live births & four-chambered hearts.

Comments: The comments section lists remarks in the following order:

^{1Interesting facts and natural history associated with the
animal. Its place of origin is also listed if it is an alien.}^{2Edible, medicinal or otherwise useful qualities of the animal
(for humans). Poisonous potential}^{3Food preferences of the animal and potential predators.}^{4Identifying features of the animal, especially differences
between similar species.}^{5Dates, times and locations of animals sighted. Observed
behaviors.}^{6Synonyms; outdated or recently changed scientific names are
inserted here.}^{7Good references for further information on this animal.}

Common Name	Scientific Name	Comments

Armadillo	Dasypus novemcinctus	⁵24 July 98 – Encountered a large adult armadillo while conducting an interpretive hike in the evening. 22 Aug 98 – Large group on a night hike saw 2 armadillos.
Beaver	Castor canadensis	¹Young beavers strike out on their own at age 2. If they are unable to find good unoccupied territory to live, they often return home again (even after an absence of months or even years, and are accepted by their parents. Beavers distinguish between family and non-family and will drive away any non-family beavers that encroach on their territory (Ryden, 1989, pp.107-108). ^{519 Dec 02 – Noted one fresh hind print of an adult beaver at the big pond. Also a few cattail stalks were eaten. All indications point to the very recent arrival of a beaver. 14 Jan 03 – 2 freshly chewed willow branches were found in the water at the edge of the big pond. A tremendous quantity of the existing cattail stand has been cut for food and is floating at the waters edge.} 7(Davis & Schmidly, 1994, p.86)
Dog, Domestic	Canis familiaris	¹Dogs have been domesticated for at least 12 thousand years. More than 400 different breeds are in existence, most having arisen from the wolf (Stanek, 1962, p.488). 5Numerous encounters with humans walking their domestic dogs.
Fox, Gray	Urocyon cineroargenteus	⁵1 Nov 98 – A small group of Boy Scouts were edging their way to the dry slough. An adult and his son were the first to spot the fox and startled it. Most of the group, including the author, had a good view of the fox as it ran away.
Rabbit, Eastern Cottontail	Sylvilagus floridanus	¹Cottontails emerge in early twilight to feed and are generally active into early morning. They are not sociable rabbits and are not often seen feeding together. They are quite prolific, having as many as eight young (usually four) at a time, with up to five litters in a year (Davis & Schmidly, 1994, p.90).^{3They feed on a variety of forbs and grasses. ^{514 Jan 03 -- Encountered old pellets deposited on the ground along numerous old runs & abandoned forms. Location: Northern end of the cross trail, NE of the red mulberry sign, in a wide patch of Johnson (or purpletop) grass.}} 7For identification details, tracks and habits, see (Milam, March 1996)
Rabbit, Swamp	Sylvilagus aquaticus	⁵29 Oct 99 – Swamp rabbit scat on the tops of fallen logs in the currently dry slough. 14 Jan 03 – Fresh pellets deposited on top of a fallen log – Pellets averaged 12mm in diameter. Located far from the slough – GPS: 32° 57.269N, 96° 56.095W 7(Davis & Schmidly, 1994, p.86)
Skunk, Striped	Mephitis mephitis	⁵Summer 99 – The author and his older son followed an adult at the western corner of the preserve in a field near the preserve entrance. We were able to approach within a few feet of the skunk without causing it any agitation as it pounced repeatedly on grasshoppers in the tall grass. 7(Davis & Schmidly, 1994, p.248)
Squirrel, Eastern Fox	Sciurus niger	¹Fox squirrels weigh in at 2-3 pounds as adults. ^{3They are almost solely vegetarians, adding the occasional insect to their meals in spring and summer. Main articles of diet include: Acorns, hackberry seeds, elm seeds and leaf buds and mulberry leaf buds (Martin & Nelson, 1951, p. 233). ^{514 Jan 03 – Noted on the trail near the interpretive center.}} 7(see Davis & Schmidly, 1994, p.117)

To investigate small rodents that are likely to occur at the preserve, see the Wild Vision Newsletter April 1996, Vol. 2, Issue 4, pp.1-4.

For a look at bats of north central Texas, see the Wild Vision Newsletter October 1996, Vol. 2, Issue 10, pp.1-2

For information on local mammal tracks and food preferences, see the Wild Vision Newsletter November/December 1997, Vol. 3, Issue 6

Reference:

Davis, William B. & David J. Schmidly. The Mammals of Texas. Austin, Texas: Texas Parks and Wildlife Department - Nongame And Urban Program, 1994.

Hickman, Cleveland P., Larry Roberts & Frances Hickman. Biology of Animals. St. Louis, MO: Times Mirror/Mosby College Publishing, 1986.

Martin, Alexander C., Herbert Zim & Arnold L. Nelson. American Wildlife & Plants - A Guide to Wildlife Food Habits. New York, NY: Dover Publications Inc., 1951.

Milam, Royce. "Field Identification Notes for Rats of North Central Texas". Wild Vision Newsletter. May 1996, Volume 2, Issue 5, p.2

Milam, Royce. Natural History Notebook. The following dates: 28 Oct 97, 12 Feb 98, 9 July 98, 22 July 98, 27 Sept 98, 31 Oct 98,

1 Nov 98, 13 April 99, 22 April 99, 28 April 99, 29 Oct 99. (All dates pertain to Elm Fork Preserve, but not all contain herpefauna data).

Milam, Royce. Completed Program Summaries. The following dates: 2 May 98, 19 June 98, 8 July 98, 24 July 98, 22 Aug 98, 1 Oct 98, 10 Oct 98, 31 Oct 98, 1 Nov 98, 2 Nov 98, 26 March 99, 25 April 99, 21 May 99, 21 June 99, 24 June 99, 6 July 99, 28 Oct 99, 4 Nov 99, 31 Jan 00, 30 April 00, 9 Oct 01, 19 Dec 02 (All dates pertain to Elm Fork Preserve, but not all contain herpefauna data). (personal note: This is not a full listing of completed programs for EFP – only those with an after walk summary.)

Ryden, Hope. Lily Pond. New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers, 1989.

Stanek, V. J. The Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Animal Kingdom. New York, New York: Crown Publishers, Inc., 1962.

Caution: Alteration of this electronic document destroys data integrity and voids all liability for species misidentification by the author.

All identifications were made by the author unless specifically noted. If additions are made to the species list, please be sure to include the person’s name that is making the identification, as well as the date, time, location, evidence used for identification (bones, tracks, scat, photos, etc) and the reference used.

(Mammals of EFP.doc)