Mammals of Texas (157)

Marsupials (1)

Insectivores (5) – shrews and moles

Bats (30)

Carnivores (28)

Seals (1) – Caribbean monk seal - extinct

Rodents (63)

Rabbits (5)

Hoofed Mammals (8)

Armadillos (1)

Manatees (1) – West Indian manatee – extant – 1986 stranding –Federally endangered

Whales and Dolphins (14) – bottlenose dolphin most common –most only infrequently seen in Texas coastal waters

Accidental Mammals

Hairy legged vampire bat (Diphylla ecaudata),

one female taken May 24, 1967 from an

abandoned railroad tunnel 19 km west of

Comstock, Val Verde County

Little brown myotis (Myotis lucifugus) one

specimen Fort Hancock, Hudspeth County

Northern myotis (Myotis septentrionalis) one

specimen Winterhaven, Dimmitt County

Mammals Unique to Texas

Kangaroo Rat Dipodomys elator — STATUS: State Threatened

Gulf Coast Kangaroo Rat Dipodomys compactus —STATUS: Not well known. THREATS: development on Mustand and Padre Islands. NEEDS: monitoring

Attwater’s Pocket Gopher Geomys attwateri —STATUS: locally common THREATS: hybridization, fire ants

Texas Pocket Gopher Geomys personatus —STATUS: Good

Llano Pocket Gopher Geomys texensis — STATUS: Locally abundant THREATS: Limited range

Streckers Pocket Gopher Geomys streckeri –STATUS: Unknown Threats: limited range NEED: documentation of full range.

Marsupials – Order

Didelphimorphia

Common across

Texas – excepting

dry areas in Trans-

Pecos

Armadillo

Order Insectivora - Shrews and

MolesSouthern Short-tailed Shrew, Eastern one-fourth of Texas; venomous; highly reproductive; few survive 2 years: Current study by East Texas Baptist University, Marshall

Elliot’s Short-tailed Shrew, Aransas, Montague, and Bastrop Counties; slightly venomous

Least Shrew, eastern and central portions, west in the Panhandle to New Mexico; inhabitant of grasslands; entirely animal matter

Desert Shrew, western 2/3 of Texas; do not construct or make use of underground burrows; eat larval stage of insects

Eastern Mole, south, east, central, and panhandle restricted in their distribution by the nature of the soil

Bats- Order Chiroptera

30 bat species – ex. Pallid bat, yuma bat, cave bat, Mexican free-tailed etc.

15 of 33 species Tracked in TXBCD

Federally Endangered –Mexican long-nosed batonly known from Big Bend National Park

3 species state threatened

State Threatened Bats

Southern yellow bat

Status: state threatened

Threats: Limited distribution and Palm trees required roost sites

Common around Brownsville found up to Corpus Christi

State Threatened Bats

Spotted bat

Status: State Threatened

Widely distributed in western North America

Known from Big Bend National Park

USFWS: Need Knowledge prior to any categorization of status

State Threatened Bats

Rafinesque’s big-

eared bat

Status: State

Threatened

Threats: Degradation

of habitat from

commercial logging

and general lack of

knowledge

State Threatened Bats

Southern yellow bat

Spotted bat -

Rafinesque’s big-

eared bat

Rodents

19 of 69 species

tracked in TXBCD

3 State Threatened

Tracked Species Primarily

Pocket Gophers (12)

– Geomys

Desert, Davis, Jones,

Texas, Maritime, Carrizo

Springs, Frio, and Llano

– Thomomys –

Guadalupe southern,

Limpia southern, and

Limpia Creek

RodentsPrairie vole – Uncommon– 2 counties Lipscomb and Hansford

– Recently reported by biologist Jim Ray from Pantax Complex

Presidio mole – Subspecies of common mole

– Presidio County 1887

– northern Coahuila 1951

Gray footed chipmunk– Status good in GMNP

– high elevations Sierra Diablo and

– Guadalupe Mtns

Yellow nosed cotton rat– Thought rare and in need of listing

– Recent trapping evidence indicates

abundant in range in Trans Pecos

Prairie dog– Former Candidate for listing as federally threatened.

– 97 counties historically 86 currently

– TPWD survey 170,000 acres

– Goal is 293,000 acres – continue to reach that goal

State Threatened Rodents

Texas Kangaroo rat

Status: State

Threatened

Threats: Restricted

range appears heavily

grazed and eroded

sites optimal

Needs: USFWS more

information

State Threatened Rodents

Palo Duro Mouse

(Peromyscus truei

comanche)

Status: State

Threatened

Threats: Restricted

range (Palo Duro

Canyon) Competition

from other species

State Threatened Rodents

Coues Rice Rat

Status: State Threatened

Threats: Restricted range coastal grasslands and loss of habitat

Needs: habitat protection especially resacas

Common Mexico to Panama

Pocket Gophers

9 Species now 12

– Llano pocket

gopher (G.

texensis)

– Attwater's pocket

gopher (G.

Attwateri)

– Others include

Botta’s, desert,

Baird’s, plains

Jones, Texas,

and yellow faced

Yellow-faced Pocket Gopher

Rabbits – Order Lagomorpha

Swamp rabbit – eastern third of Texas

Eastern cottontail - eastern three-fourths of the state and in some areas of the Trans-Pecos

Davis Mountains cottontail - Occupies upland habitats in the western one-half of the state. Status: Tracked TXBCD Not listed– Guadalupe and Chisos Mountain populations severely reduced

with no specimens 30 years

– Texas Tech study Davis Mountain population remains healthy

Black-tailed jackrabbit – absent only from the Big Thicket area

Hoofed Mammals

Javelina Status: Declining?

Elk - Formerly present only in the

Guadalupe Mountains now introduced

species

Pronghorn Status: Declining

Bison Status: Captive herd

Feral Hog

White-tailed and Mule Deer

White tailed deer statewide

Mule Deer Status: Declining

Carnivores – Order Carnivora

Felidae - cats – records of 6 species– 4 species endangered

– Margay only known from one historical occurrence - extant

– Jaguar - extant

Canidae - wolves and foxes – 6 species – 2 Red wolf and gray wolf – extant

Procyonidae – raccoons, coatis – 3 species

– Coati state threatened

Ursidae – Bears– Historically 4 subspecies black bear: Currently 2

– Grizzly bear extant

Mustelidae – weasels, skunks, otters– 11 species including 6 species skunk

– Black-footed ferret – extant

Carnivores – Order CarnivoraFelidae - cats – records of 6 species– 4 species endangered

– Margay only known from one historical occurrence - extirpated

– Jaguar - extirpated

Canidae - wolves and foxes – 6 species – 2 Red wolf and gray wolf – extirpated

– Swift fox former candidate for listing

Procyonidae – raccoons, coatis – 3 species

– Coati state threatened

Ursidae – Bears– Historically 4 subspecies black bear: Currently 2

– Grizzly bear extirpated

Mustelidae – weasels, skunks, otters– 11 species including 5 species skunk

– Black-footed ferret – extirpated

Ocelot

Status: Federally endangered

Laguna Atascosa NWR and population in northern Willacy County

Threats: Restricted range small population size, habitat loss

Needs: Habitat restoration and protection, culverts

Ongoing research: Ocelot PVA, camera trapping, genetics, GPS collars at LANWR

Jaguarundi

Status: Federally

endangered

Extreme southern Texas

in Cameron, Hidalgo,

Starr, and Willacy

counties

Last confirmed report

1986 road kill

Issues – loss of habitat,

thought extirpated

White-nosed Coati

Status: State threatened

Texas, NM, AZ is northern

edge of range widespread

in Mexico

Threats: Habitat loss

riparian woodland

Needs: Life history,

abundance, general

ecology and management

Status of Black Bear in Texas

John Young and Dave Holdermann, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Wildlife Division, Wildlife Diversity Branch

Bears at Our Borders

Bears in Coahuila Mexico Serranias del Burro

Litter size 2-4 cubs/female

Estimated cub survival 81%, adult survival 88-94%

Linkage along mountain range

Source population for recolonization

Mid 1990’s breeding population established

Not restricted phenomena

1993-1997 15 bear sightings in east Texas

TPWD Habitat Suitability Study

Sulphur River Bottom HIS 0.76

Middle Neches River HIS 0.89

Lower Neches River HIS 0.79

Big Thicket National Preserve HIS 0.73

•24 confirmed sightings

•67% sightings since

1990

•70% in Northeastern

Counties

•Where are bears

coming from

Panhandle Sightings

21 Sightings

6 confirmed Dallam,

Carson, Hartley,

Oldham, Potter

Counties

2 mortalities – Dallam

Carson – east of

Amarillo

Human ISSUES

Highways

Depredation Conflicts– female bear and two cubs

killed 14 angora goats and one sheep

– Damage to remote hunting camps

– Destruction of horse feed

Illegal/Accidental kills –– 2002 Val Verde Co. shot

170-pound sow in self-defense two cubs orphaned

– Electrocution

Landowner and public attitudes and actions

Biological Issues

Females share range limiting dispersal

Suitable habitat separated by Chihuahuan Desert

Continued habitat loss and fragmentation– 17,045,000 in 1990

– 20,851,520 in 2000

– projected 27,183,000 by 2025.

east Texas lack of breeding females

Crider (In Press) documented cub survival in Serranias del Burro dropped to 20% in drought years

Addressing Issues

University of Michigan – East Texas Landowner Attitude Survey

Texas Tech – GIS study identify, characterize and map potential habitat, and construct a predictive model of Trans Pecos Population

Texas Tech – West Texas Landowner Attitude Survey

East Texas Black Bear Working Group – East Texas Black Bear Management Plan

Published in Outdoor Annual Black Bears are state Threatened species

Furbearing Mammals of

Texas

CITES Listed Animals

Bobcat and River Otter

– Neither species endangered in the US

– Listed because they look like other endangered cats

and otters of the world

– TPW Regional Offices also have tags along with

some taxidermists

CITES tag must be acquired and attached for

sale/or movement out of state regardless of

commercially or recreationally harvested

River Otter

TPW surveys 23 counties every 3 years to track population

Population stable to expanding

Recent otter taken in San Saba County

Issues – highways, habitat loss

Bobcat

Avg. 35 lbs up to 50lbs

Tail 6 – 12 inches

Spotting heavy in some light in others

Distributed across Texas – density varies

Populations stable to expanding

Mink

eastern one-half of

state westward to

northern Panhandle in

habitats near

permanent water

Reduced harvest in

recent years suspect

increased population

Long-tailed weasel

Little known about

population

Low economic

importance

Eastern, southern,

western Texas

Swift or Kit FoxSmallest of foxes

found in western third of state

live in the open desert or grasslands and adapted to pasture, plowed fields, and fencerows

Recently removed from Candidate list for endangered

Issues – depredation by coyotes, rangeland conversion

Red Fox

Introduced for sport

found east, central and central Trans-Pecos

Not common

mixed woodland uplands interspersed with farms and pastures

Gray Fox

Distributed statewide

common in wooded

sections east of the

Shortgrass plains and

in the pinyon-juniper

community above

desert

Populations stable to

expanding

Beaver

Increasing

number of

nuisance

complaints

Populations

expanding

Eastern, south

and central

Texas

SkunksHooded skunk – Status: declining; reasons

unclear

– Needs: monitoring

Western Spotted skunk– Status: declining?

– Threat: loss of prairie habitat

– Ongoing research: ecology of striped skunks Angelo State Univ.

Eastern spotted skunk– Status: once common now

rare some areas and declining

– Threats: insecticides

Skunks

Hog nosed skunk: 2

subspecies: common and

eastern

Status:– eastern

subspecies extirpated;

– south Texas Plains

extirpated?

– Hill country remain

common

Needs: ecology,

behavior, management

recommendations

Raccoon and Ringtail

Raccoon found

throughout state

Ringtail throughout

Texas excepting

extreme south Texas

Ringtail population

status unknown

Raccoon stable and

increasing

American BadgerStatus: locally abundant

Possible eastward range expansion

Threats: habitat fragmentation from development

Needs: management recommendations and continued monitoring

Ongoing research: IAFWA best management trapping practices; possible study on badger genetics Angelo State Univ.

COYOTE

Non-game animal but most important economic

furbearer

Coyote abundant in suburban areas

red and blond coyotes were mistakenly identified

as coy dogs because their coats were not of the

more common tri-color pelage

Predation on cats and dogs

– Pet missing/partially eaten – coyote, hawk, owl

– Pet ripped apart – domestic dog

?

WOLVES

Coyote

Gray Wolf

formerly ranged over the western two-thirds of the state

last authenticated reports of gray wolves in Texas were 2 in 1970 Brewster County

Gray wolf collared in Michigan killed in Missouri in 2001

Red Wolf

eastern half of Texas

are now extirpated from Texas

Coyote for comparison

Texas provided breeding stock for captive program

One wild population South Carolina

Mexican Wolf – Lobo Wolf

smallest of the wolves

in North America.

60 to 90 pounds

4 to 5 feet length

Wolf-dog Hybrid

wolf-dog hybrids are poorly adapted as pets and are difficult to train

Hybrids are frequently destructive, attack people and domestic animals, and are generally too wary of people to be effective guard animals.

Some problem or unmanageable hybrids have been intentionally released into the wild in Michigan – no evidence of this in Texas.

wolf-dog hybrid ownership is prohibited in nine states, restricted in 17 states, and requires a special permit in three others,

Milwaukee Journal (1992) reported that there are an estimated 300,000 to 1,500,000 wolf-dog hybrids in private possession

Mountain Lion

Non-game animal

Open season

Occurs throughout state

– Most mortalities occur in

south Texas and the Trans

Pecos

Population Status

– Reported mortalities steady

since 1985

– between 114 and 180

TPW does not relocate

mountain lion

Mountain

Lion Sign

Reporting a Mountain Lion

Sighting/Road kill

Report sightings

– utilize sightings, hunter

or trapper reported

mortality, and

confirmed road kills to

track population

– sightings form

John Young

(512)912-7047

Mountain Lion or ???

Description – reddish brown to tawny

Tip of nose to tail males in excess of 7 feet

Males 100 to 150 lbs

Females 55-90 lbs

Immature puma have light to heavy spotting

When its NOT a cougar

– Black in color no matter what grandpa says

– Multiple cats seen at once ―They jumped over my fence‖

MYTHICAL BLACK PANTHER

Does not occur in Texas

rare black phase of the spotted leopard (Panthera pardus) in Africa, Asia, and Indonesia

jaguar (Panthera onca), from northern Mexico through much of South America

Despite numerous reports of black panthers, a black specimen or skin has never seen the light of day in Texas or anywhere else in North America

biologists will remain highly skeptical of black mountain lion reports until an actual skin or specimen lands on someone’s desk

Exotic Cats

Serval

Tiger -"'Pet' Tiger Kills 3-year-old Boy in Texas." Austin American-Statesman 12 October 2001

JUNGLE CAT HYBRIDS/CHAUSIES

BENGAL CATS, a.k.a. Asian Leopard Hybrids.

Pixie-bob – bobcat house cat cross

These cats do not require any special permits and can be shipped to any air port in the U.S

Mammal Resources

Wildlife Fact Sheets TPWDwww.tpwd.state.tx.us/nature/wild/mammals/pduromouse.htm

Texas Mammals Onlinehttp://www.nsrl.ttu.edu/tmot1/Default.htm

Mammals of Texas – 4th edition by Schmidly

Internet Hoaxes