_Reithrodontomys megalotis megalotis_ } western harvest
(Baird) } mouse
Genus =Peromyscus= Gloger--white-footed mice
_Peromyscus maniculatus oreas_ Bangs }
_Peromyscus maniculatus hollisteri_ }
Osgood }
_Peromyscus maniculatus austerus_ (Baird) }
_Peromyscus maniculatus rubidus_ Osgood } deer mouse
_Peromyscus maniculatus gambelii_ (Baird) }
_Peromyscus maniculatus artemisiae_ }
(Rhoads) }
Genus =Neotoma= Say and Ord--wood rats
_Neotoma cinerea occidentalis_ Baird } bushy-tailed wood rat
_Neotoma cinerea alticola_ Hooper }
Genus =Synaptomys= Baird--lemming mice
_Synaptomys borealis wrangeli_ Merriam northern lemming mouse
Genus =Phenacomys= Merriam--heather voles and tree mice
_Phenacomys intermedius intermedius_ }
Merriam } heather vole
_Phenacomys intermedius oramontis_ }
Rhoads }
Genus =Clethrionomys= Tilesius--red-backed mice
_Clethrionomys gapperi saturatus_ }
(Rhoads) }
_Clethrionomys gapperi idahoensis_ }
(Merriam) } Gapper red-backed
_Clethrionomys gapperi cascadensis_ } mouse
Booth }
_Clethrionomys gapperi nivarius_ }
(Bailey) }
_Clethrionomys californicus } California red-backed
occidentalis_ (Merriam) } mouse
Genus =Microtus= Schrank--meadow mice
_Microtus pennsylvanicus funebris_ Dale } Pennsylvania meadow
_Microtus pennsylvanicus kincaidi_ } mouse
Dalquest }
_Microtus montanus nanus_ (Merriam) } montane meadow
_Microtus montanus canescens_ Bailey } mouse
_Microtus townsendii townsendii_ }
(Bachman) } Townsend meadow
_Microtus townsendii pugeti_ Dalquest } mouse
_Microtus longicaudus halli_ Ellerman } long-tailed meadow
_Microtus longicaudus macrurus_ Merriam } mouse
_Microtus richardsoni arvicoloides_ }
(Rhoads) } water rat
_Microtus richardsoni macropus_ (Merriam) }
_Microtus oregoni oregoni_ (Bachman) creeping mouse
Genus =Lagurus= Gloger--short-tailed voles
_Lagurus curtatus pauperrimus_ (Cooper) sagebrush vole
Genus =Ondatra= Link--muskrat
_Ondatra zibethicus osoyoosensis_ (Lord) }
_Ondatra zibethicus occipitalis_ (Elliot) } muskrat
Genus =Rattus= Fischer--Old World rats
_Rattus rattus rattus_ (Linnaeus) } roof rat
_Rattus rattus alexandrinus_ (Geoffroy) }
_Rattus norvegicus norvegicus_ (Erxleben) Norway rat
Genus =Mus= Linnaeus--house mice
_Mus musculus_ Linnaeus, subsp.? house mouse
Family APLONTIDAE--mountain beaver
Genus =Aplodontia= Richardson--mountain beaver
_Aplodontia rufa rufa_ (Rafinesque) }
_Aplodontia rufa rainieri_ Merriam } mountain beaver
Family DIPODIDAE--jumping mice and allies
Genus =Zapus= Coues--jumping mice
_Zapus princeps trinotatus_ Rhoads }
_Zapus princeps kootenayensis_ Anderson } big jumping mouse
_Zapus princeps idahoensis_ Davis }
_Zapus princeps oregonus_ Preble }
Family ERETHIZONTIDAE--American porcupines
Genus =Erethizon= Cuvier--North American porcupine
_Erethizon dorsatum epixanthum_ Brandt } porcupine
_Erethizon dorsatum nigrescens_ Allen }
Family CHINCHILLIDAE Bennett--chinchillas and allies
Genus =Myocastor= Kerr--nutria
_Myocastor coypus_ (Molina), subsp.? nutria
Order LAGOMORPHA--pikas, hares and rabbits
Family OCHOTONIDAE--pikas
Genus =Ochotona= Link--pikas
_Ochotona princeps cuppes_ Bangs }
_Ochotona princeps fenisex_ Osgood } pika
_Ochotona princeps brunnescens_ Howell }
Family LEPORIDAE--hares and rabbits
Genus =Lepus= Linnaeus--hares
_Lepus townsendii townsendii_ Bachman white-tailed jack
rabbit
_Lepus americanus washingtonii_ Baird }
_Lepus americanus cascadensis_ Nelson } snowshoe rabbit
_Lepus americanus pineus_ Dalquest }
_Lepus americanus columbiensis_ Rhoads }
_Lepus californicus deserticola_ Mearns black-tailed jack
rabbit
Genus =Sylvilagus= Gray--cottontails and allies
_Sylvilagus nuttallii nuttallii_ (Bachman) Nuttall cottontail
_Sylvilagus floridanus_ (Allen), subsp.? Florida cottontail
_Sylvilagus idahoensis_ (Merriam) pigmy rabbit
Order ARTIODACTYLA--even-toed ungulates
Family CERVIDAE--deer and allies
Genus =Cervus= Linnaeus--American elk or wapiti
_Cervus canadensis roosevelti_ Merriam } elk or wapiti
_Cervus canadensis nelsoni_ Bailey }
Genus =Odocoileus= Rafinesque--northern deer
_Odocoileus virginianus ochrourus_ Bailey }
_Odocoileus virginianus leucurus_ } white-tailed deer
(Douglas) }
_Odocoileus hemionus hemionus_ }
(Rafinesque) } mule deer or
_Odocoileus hemionus columbianus_ } black-tailed deer
(Richardson) }
Genus =Alce= Gray--Moose and Old-World elk
_Alce americana shirasi_ Nelson moose
Genus =Rangifer= Hamilton-Smith--reindeer and caribou
_Rangifer arcticus montanus_ Seton-Thompson caribou
Family BOVIDAE--cattle, sheep, goats and allies
Genus =Bison= Hamilton-Smith--bison
_Bison bison oregonus_ Bailey bison
Genus =Ovis= Linnaeus--sheep
_Ovis canadensis canadensis_ Shaw } mountain sheep
_Ovis canadensis californiana_ Douglas }
Genus =Oreamnos= Rafinesque--mountain goat
_Oreamnos americanus americanus_ } mountain goat
(Blainville) }
_Oreamnos americanus missoulae_ Allen }
Order CETACEA--whales and porpoises
Family ZIPHIIDAE--beaked whales
Genus =Berardius= Duvernoy--beaked whales
_Berardius bairdii_ Stejneger Baird beaked whale
Genus =Mesoplodon= Gervais--beaked whales
_Mesoplodon stejnegeri_ True Stejneger beaked whale
Family DELPHINIDAE--porpoises
Genus =Delphinus= Linnaeus--dolphins
_Delphinus bairdii_ Dall Baird porpoise
Genus =Lissodelphis= Gloger--right-whale porpoises
_Lissodelphis borealis_ (Peale) } northern right-whale
} porpoise
Genus =Lagenorhynchus= Gray--striped porpoises
_Lagenorhynchus obliquidens_ Gill striped porpoise
Genus =Grampus= Gray--killer whales
_Grampus rectipinna_ (Cope) Pacific killer
Genus =Grampidelphis= Iredale and Troughton
_Grampidelphis griseus_ (Cuvier) grampus
Genus =Globicelphalus= Hamilton--blackfishes
_Globicephalus scammonii_ (Cope) blackfish
Genus =Phocoena= Cuvier--harbor porpoises
_Phocoena vomerina_ (Gill) harbor porpoise
Genus =Phocoenoides= Andrews--Dall porpoises
_Phocoenoides dalli_ (True) Dall porpoise
Family PHYSETERIDAE--sperm whales
Genus =Physeter= Linnaeus--sperm whale
_Physeter catodon_ Linnaeus sperm whale
Family KOGIIDAE--pigmy sperm whale
Genus =Kogia= Gray--pigmy sperm whale
_Kogia breviceps_ (Blainville) pigmy sperm whale
Family RHACHIANECTIDAE--gray whale
Genus =Rhachianectes= Cope--gray whale
_Rhachianectes glaucus_ (Cope) gray whale
Family BALAENOPTERIDAE--finback whales
Genus =Balaenoptera= Lacépède--finback whales
_Balaenoptera physalus_ (Linnaeus) finback whale
_Balaenoptera borealis_ Lesson Pollack whale
_Balaenoptera acutorostrata_ Lacépède pike whale
Genus =Sibbaldus= Gray--blue whale
_Sibbaldus musculus_ (Linnaeus) blue whale
Genus =Megaptera= Gray--humpbacked whales
_Megaptera novaeangliae_ (Borowski) humpback whale
Family BALAENIDAE--baleen whales
Genus =Eubalaena= Gray--baleen whales
_Eubalaena sieboldii_ (Gray) Pacific right whale
ACCOUNTS OF SPECIES AND SUBSPECIES
=Didelphis virginiana virginiana= Kerr
Opossum
_Didelphis virginiana_ Kerr. Anim. Kingd., p. 193, 1792.
_Type locality._--Virginia
_Description._--Slightly smaller than a house cat; body in older animals
heavy and fat; tail long, naked, scaled and prehensile. Ears large,
naked and black with white tips; muzzle elongate and pointed; color of
fur variable; overhair usually white and underfur white tipped with
black; guard hairs long and coarse but underfur soft and dense; forefoot
with opposable thumb; females with abdominal pouch.
_Remarks._--The opossum has been introduced from the eastern United
States into California and Oregon and has become well established in
those states. Recent records from Clear Lake, Skagit County, and South
Bend, Pacific County, indicate that the opossum is now resident in
Washington and it may be expected to increase and spread (Scheffer,
1943). The animals may also enter the area about Walla Walla from
Oregon. The source of the opossums which have appeared in Washington is
not yet known.
Of this animal, Dr. Carl Hartman (1923: 347) has written:
"In the popular mind, the generation of no animal is so shrouded in
mystery as that of the opossum. Throughout the country, among both
whites and negroes, deeply rooted tradition has it that the opossum
copulates through the nose and that the female blows the fruit of
conception into the pouch. Other myths relating to details of the
reproductive process in this species are current among the people.
"The growth of such legends need not surprise one, however, for the
early birth of the embryos and the use of the pouch as an incubator
certainly challenge the imagination. These phenomena attract the
attention because they are unique, differing from the familiar method
of rearing the young obtaining among the higher mammals, including man.
Familiarity breeds contempt; the ordinary ceases to be marvelous. Thus
on account of its rareness and its 'different' character the opossum,
our only marsupial, figures in the folklore to a prominent degree."
=Neurotrichus gibbsii=
Gibbs shrew-mole
_Description._--The shrew-mole is tiny, possessing a head and body
2-1/2 to 3 inches long and a tail about 1-1/2 inches in length.
The body is relatively stout but is less cylindrical than that of
_Scapanus_. The eyes are nearly buried in the fur. The nose is long
and pointed. The legs are short and the forefeet wide and powerful.
The tail is thick, constricted at the base and clothed with short,
stiff bristles. The fur is short and posteriorly directed. In color the
shrew-mole is dark slate, almost black.
[Illustration: FIG. 21. Gibbs shrew-mole (_Neurotrichus gibbsii
minor_), female in captivity; Seattle, Washington, September 12,
1939. (Fish and Wildlife Service photo by Victor B. Scheffer, No.
719.)]
_Remarks._--Shrew-moles inhabit moist habitats from sea level to 8,000
feet. They are burrowing mammals and prefer to live in soft earth, free
of sod. In the lowlands of western Washington, shrew-moles are most
abundant in damp, shady ravines where the vegetation includes deciduous
trees and dense underbrush with but little grass. In the mountains,
shrew-moles are usually found near streams or rock slides, where the
larger annuals grow densely on soil that is deep, soft, and free of
turf. Vertically they range from the Humid Transition Life-zone
through the Canadian, and well into the Hudsonian Life-zone.
[Illustration: FIG. 22. Distribution of the Gibbs shrew-mole in
Washington. A. _Neurotrichus gibbsii gibbsii._ B. _Neurotrichus
gibbsii minor._]
Shrew-moles are both diurnal and nocturnal. They rest or sleep
periodically, the length of their rest or sleep being longer when much
food is eaten, and the intervals between their periods of rest or sleep
is longer when less food is eaten. Owls and snakes appear to be their
principal enemies. Predatory mammals eat some shrew-moles, and probably
kill many that they do not eat. Shrew-moles are completely blind, and
their long, prehensile nose guides all their activity. Their ordinary
movements on the surface of the ground are slow and cautious. When
frightened they break into a scuttling rush which ends beneath a leaf or
bit of bark where the animal becomes motionless. Shrew-moles, on the
surface of the ground, make considerable noise. They construct molelike
burrows, but these are not as extensive or complicated as those of
moles. The shrew-mole hunts for food in shallow trenches that it makes
just under the layer of dead leaves and vegetable debris that covers the
ground in their habitat. The food of the shrew-moles includes
earthworms, isopods, insect larvae, soft-bodied insects, and other
animal matter. Some vegetable matter is eaten.
Breeding takes place at all seasons of the year, save perhaps in
December and January. Embryos vary from one to four. The nest of a
shrew-mole at Seattle, King County, consisted of a handful of damp
leaves in a cavity of a rotten, punky, alder stump. The nest contained
four half-grown young.
=Neurotrichus gibbsii gibbsii= (Baird)
_Urotrichus gibbsii_ Baird, Mamm. N. Amer., p. 76, 1857.
_Neurotrichus [sic] gibbsii_ Günther, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, pl.
42, 1880.
_Neurotrichus Gibbsii_ True, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., 7 (1884):607,
1885.
_Neurotrichus gibbsii_ Bryant, Zoe. 1:359, February, 1891.
_Neurotrichus gibbsii gibbsii_ Miller, U. S. Nat. Mus. Bull.,
79:11, December 31, 1912.
_Type._--Obtained at Naches Pass, 4,500 ft., Pierce County,
Washington, by G. Gibbs on July 15, 1854 (see Dalquest and Burgner,
1941); type in United States National Museum.
_Racial characters._--Size relatively large; tail relatively long;
foreclaws straight on ventral surface.
_Measurements._--Two females from Tye, 4,000 ft., Stevens Pass,
King County, average: total length, 121.5; length of tail, 45;
length of hind foot, 18.
_Distribution._--The Cascade Mountains, from British Columbia
south, and Destruction Island, Jefferson County. Records of
occurrence are Baker Lake (J. M. E.), Tye (M. V. Z.), and Mount
Rainier (Mount Rainier Ntl. Park Mus.)
_Remarks._--Shrew-moles are present on Destruction Island, a small
island in the Pacific off the coast of Jefferson County. These moles are
large, and are like _gibbsii_. It is thought, however, that this
resemblance is due to convergent evolution rather than a once-continuous
range with _gibbsii_. It is significant that a shrew (_Sorex trowbridgii
destructioni_), the only other native land mammal on the island, differs
from its mainland counterpart in much the same way as does _Neurotrichus
g. gibbsii_ from _Neurotrichus g. minor_.
=Neurotrichus gibbsii minor= Dalquest and Burgner
_Neurotrichus gibbsii_ minor Dalquest and Burgner, Murrelet, 22:12,
April 30, 1941.
_Type._--Obtained on the University of Washington Campus, Seattle,
King County, Washington, by W. W. Dalquest on May 19, 1940; type in
the Museum of Vertebrate Zoölogy.
_Racial characters._--Size small; tail short; foreclaws light and
weak as compared to those of _gibbsii_, with ventral surfaces
curved.
_Measurements._--Eighty-five specimens (males and females) from
Seattle, King County, average: total length, 107.0; length of
tail, 35.3; length of hind foot, 15.0.
_Distribution._--The lowlands of western Washington. Marginal
records are: Mt. Vernon (Jackson, 1915: 97), Cottage Lake (W.W.D.)
and Yacolt (M. V.Z.).
Genus =Scapanus= Pomel
Moles
[Illustration: FIG. 23. Coast mole (_Scapanus orarius orarius_) left
and Townsend mole (_Scapanus townsendii_) right; Puyallup. Washington,
May, 1914. (Fish and Wildlife Service photo by T. H. Scheffer, No.
B-18637.)]
Moles are of stocky build and have cylindrical, rounded bodies. The eyes
are tiny, nearly concealed in the fur. They have no external ears. The
legs are short; the forefeet wide, spadelike, and armed with powerful
claws. The fur is erect, not posteriorly directed. The color of the fur
is deep bluish or brownish slate. The short, nearly naked tail is pale
pink or whitish. Moles of this genus are found only along the Pacific
Coast of North America from southern Canada south into Baja California.
=Scapanus townsendii= (Bachman)
Townsend mole
_Scalops townsendii_ Bachman. Jour. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, 8
(pt. 1):58, 1839.
_Scapanus tow[n]sendii_ Pomel. Arch. Sci. Phys. Nat., Geneva, 9
(ser. 4):247, 1848.
_Scapanus Townsendii_ True. Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., 7 (1881):607,
1885.
_Type._--Probably obtained at Fort Vancouver. Clark County.
Washington, by J. K. Townsend. A cotype was obtained on May 9.
1835; type in Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia.
_Measurements._--Three males and 6 females from southwestern
Washington average, respectively: total length 221, 214; length of
tail 51, 46; hind foot 28.3, 26; weight 147, 117 grams.
_Distribution._--The lowlands of western Washington. Marginal
occurrences are: Sauk (Jackson. 1915: 61); Skykomish (Jackson,
1915: 61) and Yacolt (M.V.Z.).
_Remarks._--_Scapanus townsendii_ occurs only in a narrow belt extending
from southwestern British Columbia to northwestern California. It seems
to prefer a generally damper habitat than the smaller-sized coast mole,
although both species are sometimes found in the same locality. The
larger mole is abundant in the meadows on the flood plains of rivers at
low elevations, and on the glacial outwash prairies. It is often
numerous in the fir forests, although its workings and mounds are less
conspicuous there. The bodies of nine drowned individuals were found in
a well by an old cabin in dense fir forest near Duvall, King County.
Townsend moles occasionally occur in the Canadian Life-zone, as at
Staircase on the north side of Lake Cushman in Mason County where
workings were observed, but most records are from the Humid division of
the Transition Life-zone.
The Townsend mole is mainly nocturnal. If ridges of its runways are
crushed down, they usually remain so throughout the day and are rebuilt
the following night. Only about ten per cent of the ridges that were
crushed were rebuilt in the daytime, and most of these were repaired in
the early morning. The species is almost completely subterranean. Some
individuals are crushed on highways by cars, showing that these moles
occasionally travel on the surface of the ground.
Townsend moles throw up numerous mounds, each usually containing about a
cubic foot of earth. The mounds commonly are built just about as far
apart as a man can step. The general direction as well as the twists and
turns of a mole's burrow can usually be determined from the mounds.
Townsend moles also construct ridges on the surface of the ground by
pushing up sod in building a tunnel just below the grass roots. Smaller
ridges are less commonly made by coast moles. More extensive tunnels,
constructed deeper in the earth, serve as living quarters.
[Illustration: FIG. 24. Distribution of the Townsend mole, _Scapanus
townsendii_, in Washington.]
According to Wight (1928: 24), Scheffer (1922: 11) and Moore (1933: 39),
the food of this large mole includes earthworms and ground-inhabiting
insects, insect larvae, spiders, centipedes, flesh, and small amounts of
soft vegetation. Scheffer (1922: 10) found that the large mole breeds in
February and produces from two to four young at a litter, with an
average of three.
=Scapanus orarius=
Coast mole
_Description._--The coast mole is almost identical with the larger mole
in form of body but is smaller. Head and body are about 5-1/4 and tail
about 1-1/2 inches in length.
The coast mole occupies all of the territory inhabited by the Townsend
mole and ranges slightly farther northward, southward and eastward.
However it does not range east of the boundaries of the three Pacific
Coast states or British Columbia.
The mounds and workings of the coast mole are smaller than those of the
Townsend mole and consequently are less noticed. It seems less prone to
make numerous mounds, a pace apart, than the larger mole, and burrows
tend to extend deeper in the ground. Upthrust ridges are less commonly
built by _orarius_ than by _townsendii_.
[Illustration: FIG. 25. Coast mole (_Scapanus orarius orarius_).
Freshly killed; Seattle, Washington, June 9, 1938. (Fish and Wildlife
Service photo by Victor B. Scheffer, No. 64.)]
Jackson (1915: 62) mentions the possibility of ecologic differences
between _orarius_ and _townsendii_. There are some differences in
habitat and habits. The coast mole seems to live deeper in the ground,
prefers better drained soil, and is less colonial than the Townsend
mole. These are average differences, however, and the two species
commonly occur together. Another difference is that the larger mole
rarely enters the dense deciduous woods, such as the brush-grown alder
and dogwood jungles along the stream valleys. I have taken the coast
mole in such localities, and often have found their workings there. The
surface of a nearby meadow may be dotted with mounds of both species,
but the larger mole seems not to enter ground that is thickly grown with
brush. The coast mole ascends to greater altitudes in the Cascade
Mountains than does the Townsend mole.
Like the larger mole the coast mole feeds principally on earthworms and
insects (Moore, 1933: 38). On September 29, 1939, in a ravine at
Seattle, in two baited traps set six inches apart, a creeping mouse
(_Microtus oregoni_) and a coast mole were found. The mouse had come to
the bait and been caught. The mole had seemingly emerged from the ground
through a tunnel a foot away and had been attracted to the body of the
mouse. It had eaten an area a half inch in diameter and three-quarters
of an inch deep into the body of the mouse just behind the shoulder,
when in shifting its position it had become caught in the unsprung trap
behind it. When found the mole lay dead with its nose inside the body of
the mouse and its back broken. This is the only case known to me of a
coast mole appearing voluntarily on the surface of the ground. Never
have I found coast moles crushed on the highway; several Townsend moles
so killed have been found.
[Illustration: FIG. 26. Distribution of the coast mole in Washington.
A. _Scapanus orarius orarius._ B. _Scapanus orarius yakimensis._
C. _Scapanus orarius schefferi._]
The coast mole seems to breed very early in the spring. Males with
swollen testes are found late in January. The young usually number four
and are born in late March or early April. The breeding season seems to
be the same as that of _townsendii_ but the number of young to a litter
may average slightly greater.
=Scapanus orarius orarius= True
_Scapanus orarius_ True. Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., 19:52, December 21,
1896.
_Scapanus orarius orarius_ Jackson, N. Amer. Fauna, 38:61,
September 30, 1915.
_Type._--Obtained at Shoalwater (= Willapa) Bay, Pacific County,
Washington, by J. G. Cooper on August 30, 1855; type in United
States National Museum.
_Racial Characters._--Color dark bluish; frontal region of skull
not inflated.
_Measurements._--Eight males and two females from Seattle, King
County, average, respectively: total length 159, 155; length of
tail 33, 31; hind foot 20.7, 20.5; weight 58.5, 55.8.
_Distribution._--Western Washington. Marginal occurrences are:
Skykomish (B.S.C.), Merritt (B.S.C.), Wenatchee (B.S.C.), Lester
(Jackson, 1915: 64) and Yacolt (M.V.Z.).
=Scapanus orarius yakimensis= Dalquest and Scheffer
_Scapanus orarius yakimensis_ Dalquest and Scheffer, Murrelet,
25:27, September 19, 1944.
_Type._--Obtained 3/4 mile north of Union Gap, Yakima County,
Washington, by J. A. Gray, Jr., on July 3, 1941; type in Museum of
Vertebrate Zoölogy.
_Racial Characters._--Color pale, grayish; skull narrow with
inflated frontal region.
_Measurements._--Six specimens (males and females) from Selah,
Yakima County, average: total length 164; length of tail 37;
length of hind foot 21.5. The type specimen weighed 58 grams.
_Distribution._--The Yakima Valley area; recorded from the type
locality northwestward to Easton (B.S.C.).
=Scapanus orarius schefferi= Jackson
_Scapanus orarius schefferi_ Jackson, N. Amer. Fauna, 38:63,
September 30, 1915.
_Type._--Obtained at Walla Walla, Walla Walla County, Washington,
by T. H. Scheffer on August 8, 1914; type in United States National
Museum.
_Racial Characters._--Large size; pale color; large, wide skull
with inflated frontal area.
_Measurements._--Six topotypes average: total length 159; length
of tail 35; hind foot 21.5.
_Distribution._--Southeastern Washington; recorded from Fort Walla
Walla (Jackson, 1915: 64), Walla Walla (Jackson, 1915: 64) and
Dayton (M.V.Z.).
Genus =Sorex= Linnaeus
Long-tailed shrews