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The Zone-tailed Ranch, Mohave County, Arizona | |||||
Mammals of the Zone-tailed Ranch, Mohave County, Arizona | |||||
The Zone-tail Ranch is a 320 acre (half of a section; one mile long and half a mile wide) piece of beautiful desert near the crest of the Aquarius Mountains, Arizona, at an elevation of about 5000 feet. It is located east of Kingman (east of US-93) and south of I-40. The land is rocky canyon country with cliffs, seasonal streams, and perennial springs. The Zone-tail Ranch is just above the level of the cliffs where the land starts to flatten out, and includes one major mountain top and one major canyon. Vegetation is dominated by juniper with some pinyon, oak, cactus, yucca, and a diverse collection of shrubs and annual plants. It is transitional between the pinyon-juniper highland and the Sonoran Desert lowlands. Perennial vegetation probably covers no more than 20% of the ground. We have a diversity of mammals at the ranch. We have seen javelina and mule deer, but these are hunted and so are shy. We see a lot of javelina sign in certain places, but only a few pigs. In the fall of 1996, we saw a large group of about 15 adult javelina and one juvenile, but in September 1997, we saw a group of six adults and about seven juveniles. I guess it was a good year. We also have lots of rabbits (cottontail and jack rabbits), ground squirrels (rock and antelope), and rats (woodrats, kangaroo rats, deer mice) that provide food for skunks, coyotes, foxes, and probably some cats. The following is a list of species that might occur in the vicinity of the Zone-tailed Ranch. Species seen are marked with an asterisk (*). If you have an interest in Arizona mammals, send us a note. |
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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Order Family Subfamily Species common name Insectivora Soricidae Sorex merriami Merriam's shrew Sorex vagrans vagrant shrew Notiosorex crawfordi desert (gray) shrew Chiroptera Phylostomatidae Macrotus waterhousii (californicus) california leaf-nosed bat Vespertilionidae Myotis californicus california myotis Myotis ciliolabrum (M. subulatus, M. leibii) western small-footed myotis Myotis evotis long-eared myotis Myotis lucifugus little brown myotis Myotis occultus arizona myotis Myotis thysanodes fringed myotis Myotis volans long-legged myotis Myotis velifer cave myotis Myotis yumanensis yuma myotis Lasiurus blossevillii (L. borealus) western red bat Lasiurus cinereus hoary bat Lasionycteris noctivagans silver-haired bat Pipistrellus hesperus western pipistrelle Eptesicus fuscus big brown bat Euderma maculatum spotted bat Euderma phyllote (Plecotus, Idionycteris) allen's big-eared bat Corynorhinus (Plecotus) townsendii townsend's big-eared bat Antrozous pallidus pallid bat Molossidae Tadarida brasiliensis Brazilian free-tailed bat Nyctinomops (Tadarida) femorosaccus pocketed free-tailed bat Nyctinomops macrotis (Tadarida molossa) big free-tailed bat Eumops perotis western mastiff bat Lagomorpha Leporidae Sylvilagus audubonii * desert cottontail Sylvilagus floridanus eastern cottontail Lepus californicus * black-tailed jack rabbit Rodentia Sciuridae Spermophilus (Citellus) tereticaudus round-tailed ground squirrel Spermophilus (Citellus) variegatus * rock squirrel Ammospermophilus harrisi * yuma antelope squirrel Tamias (Eutamias) dorsalis * cliff chipmunk Geomyidae Thomomys bottae * valley pocket gopher Heteromyidae Chaetodipus (Perognathus) penicillatus desert pocket mouse Chaetodipus (Perognathus) intermedius * rock pocket mouse Perognathus amplus arizona pocket mouse Perognathus flavus silky pocket mouse Dipodomys deserti desert kangaroo rat Dipodomys merriami * merriam's kangaroo rat Dipodomys ordii ord's kangaroo rat Muridae Sigmodontinae Reithrodontomys megalotis western harvest mouse Peromyscus boylii * brush mouse Peromyscus crinitus * canyon mouse Peromyscus eremicus * cactus mouse Peromyscus maniculatus * deer mouse Peromyscus truei * pinyon mouse Onychomys leucogaster northern grasshopper mouse Onychomys torridus southern grasshopper mouse Sigmodon hispidus hispid cotton rat Neotoma lepida desert woodrat Neotoma albigula * whitethroat woodrat Neotoma stephensi * stephens woodrat Arvicolinae Microtus mexicanus mexican vole Erethizontidae Ondatra zibethicus muskrat Erethizon dorsatum common porcupine Carnivora Canidae Canis latrans coyote Vulpes velox (V. macrotus) swift or kit fox Urocyon cinereoargenteus * gray fox Procyonidae Bassariscus astutus ringtail Procyon lotor * raccoon Mustelidae Mustela frenata long-tailed weasel Lutra canadensis river otter Taxidea taxus badger Spilogale gracilis (putorius) * western spotted skunk Mephitis mephitis striped skunk Conepatus leuconotus hognose skunk Mephitus macroura hooded skunk Felidae Puma (Felis) concolor * mountain lion Lynx rufus bobcat Perissodactyla Equidae Equus caballus * wild horse Artiodactyla Cervidae Odocoileus hemionus * mule deer Antilocapridae Antilocapra americana pronghorn Bovidae Ovis canadensis desert bighorn sheep Bos taurus * domestic cow Tayassuidae Pecari tajacu * javelina -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
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Note: All distances, elevations, and other facts are approximate. ; Last updated 111224 |
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