The following animals are also found in the park area:
Bangs Flying Squirrel: Glaucomys sabrinus bangsi. A medium-sized
squirrel, total length about 12.5 inches. Upperparts dark grayish
cinnamon; underparts pinkish cinnamon.
These squirrels are strictly nocturnal and for this reason it is
difficult to tell how common they really are. Found only in the
forested areas they nest in woodpecker holes or in hollows in the
trees or possibly build a nest among branches or utilize old pine
squirrel nests when hollows are not available.
Probably common throughout most of the forests of the park.
Mountain Weasel: Mustela frenata arizonensis. A medium-sized weasel
about 14 to 15.4 inches long. Upperparts raw umber-brown, darker
on the head; underparts yellow to orange with a white chin. In
winter the animal is all white with a black tip on the tail.
Frequenting the more open ground in the park they live primarily
on rodents. In the winter they hunt beneath the snow. I have seen
them stick their heads up through the snow, look around and
quickly dive beneath again.
Dwarf Weasel: Mustela streatori leptus. A very small weasel with a total
length of not over 9.8 inches. Upperparts dark brown; underparts
white. In winter it is white with black tip on the tail.
Seldom seen but is probably found in most of the open sections of
the park as it is common on all sides.
Weasels are strictly terrestrial and are very highly carnivorous
and blood thirsty. Very active and courageous attacking without
hesitation animals considerably larger than themselves. They have
very slender, long bodies and short legs.
Northern Plains Skunk: Mephitis mephitis hudsonica. A large skunk with a
large bushy tail. Black in color with a broad white stripe along
each side of the back extending from nape of neck to base of tail.
Reported as common in the lower northern valleys along the
Gardner, Yellowstone and Lamar Rivers and occasional in other
inland valleys by Bailey in 1923.
Longtail Red Fox: Vulpes fulva macrourus. This species has a longer tail
than the average red fox. In color it is a reddish yellow to
golden yellow with grizzled whitish; underparts white; feet and
lower part of legs black.
The red fox although not common is occasionally seen in the north
and northeastern sections of the park. It was at first regarded as
rare but seems to be increasing somewhat in recent years.
Mountain Bobcat: Lynx rufus uinta.
Canada Lynx: Lynx canadensis. These two animals are very similar in
habits though the lynx is more a dweller in the colder forest
regions while the bobcat may be found in more open areas closer to
habitation. Both have tufted ears and a short tail and neither of
the above species has the distinct spots that are characteristic
of some of the species of bobcats. The lynx is the largest of the
bobcats and is slightly larger than the mountain bobcat. The
bobcat has a tail seven or eight inches long with two black bands
on the upper surface in front of a black tip while the lynx has a
tail only about four inches long and with black only on the tip.
These animals are rare in the park area and have only been
recorded in the northern section. My only observation of one was
about eight miles north of the park along the Yellowstone River.
Wolverine: Gulo luscus. Heavily built animals with short legs, short
ears, a short bushy tail, and long coarse hair. Appearing much
like a small, short-legged bear. Total length is from 37 to 41
inches and weight from 22 to 35 pounds. It is dark brown or
blackish in color with two broad, pale, lateral bands of brownish
white to yellowish white from shoulder to rump.
The wolverine is a powerful and savage fighter, strictly
carnivorous and well earns its name of “glutton.” It had a bad
reputation among trappers for it followed their trap lines, robbed
and even broke up their traps and dug up their food caches.
Wolverines are no longer common in this part of the country and
while there may have been a number of them in the park area some
years ago they are probably only very rare visitors now.
Brown Pocket Gopher: Thomomys talpoides fuscus. The piles of dirt which
suddenly appear in the grass of lawns or meadows are made by the
pocket gopher. He excavates a network of tunnels below the sod
line, pushing the dirt through an opening on to the surface, then
filling the opening up again. Their food consists of vegetable
matter such as roots, bulbs, tubers and surface foliage and green
vegetation.
The pocket gopher is rather small in size, about eight inches
long, including a tail of a little over two inches, and is light
brown in color. The tail is only sparsely haired and the front
feet are large and built for digging. The Uinta ground squirrel or
picket-pin is frequently referred to by some people as a gopher,
but it should not be confused with the true gopher and is seldom
seen above the ground.
Found in meadows and open areas throughout the park.
Rocky Mountain Jumping Mouse: Zapus princeps. Sometimes called Kangaroo
Mouse this little animal is a medium-sized mouse with greatly
elongated hind legs and a slender tail nearly six inches long. Its
upperparts are yellowish brown lightly sprinkled with blackish,
the underparts white.
This mouse lives on vegetation and seeds. It is found throughout
the park in meadows and open country but nowhere abundantly. It
hibernates during the winter.
Gale Redback Mouse: Clethrionomys gapperi galei. These mice live on
green vegetation, seeds, roots and stems and probably occupy most
of the forested sections of the park. They live in burrows and are
not very often seen. Several have been trapped in residences in
Mammoth. They are active all winter under the snow.
They are small to medium sized mice with the upperparts reddish
chestnut distinctly differing from the buffy gray sides;
underparts whitish to yellowish gray.
Dusky Shrew: Sorex obscurus.
Mountain Water Shrew: Sorex palustris navigator. Most species of shrews
are smaller than any mice, with pointed noses, minute eyes, and
small ears which are hidden in the fur. They are insect eaters and
like any kind of fresh meat. They are active all winter.
The dusky shrew is a sepia brown in color and is found throughout
most of the park area. Mountain water shrews make their homes in
banks of icy streams and are mouse-size with upper parts slaty
mixed with hoary. They have larger feet than the dusky shrew and
have bristly fringes along the toes with partial webs which equip
them for swimming readily.
The Rocky Mountain Shrew (Sorex vagrans monticola) has been
collected once in the park and it is also probable that the Masked
Shrew (Sorex cinereus) is also here as it has been found in the
surrounding area.
According to Bailey, Yeager and others the following bats have been
found in the park during the summer, all migrating south for the winter:
Big Brown Bat: Eptesicus fuscus
Numerous over the central plateau section.
Hoary Bat: Lasiurus cinereus
A few range over most of the park.
Long-eared Bat: Myotis evotis
Numerous in the lower portions of the park.
Silver-haired Bat: Lasionycteris noctivagans
Fairly numerous in timbered areas.
Yellowstone Bat: Myotis lucifugus carissima
Numerous over most of the park and especially at Lake and around the
Devils Kitchen at Mammoth.