MAMMALS OF THE UPPER
TEXAS COAST
SO WHAT IS A MAMMAL?
Have BackbonesWarm BloodedBreath AirNurse YoungHave Hair
Mammal FactsFirst Mammals arose 200 million years ago
About 4500 different species worldwide
Range from a shrew of 2inches to a whale of more then 120 feet in length
Orders of Texas MammalsOrder Didelphimorphia (opossum) Order Insectivora (shrews and moles) Order Chiroptera (bats) Order Xenarthra (armadillos) Order Lagomorpha (hares and rabbits) Order Rodentia (rodents) Order Carnivora (carnivores)Order Pinnipedia (seals)Order Artiodactyla (even-toed ungulates)Order Sirenia (manatee)Order Cetacea (whales, porpoises, and dolphins)
Virginia Opossum
Least and Short-Tailed (v) Shrew
Eastern Mole
Bats – 7species ?
Eastern PipistrelleBig Brown BatEastern Red BatHoary BatSouthern Yellow BatEvening BatBrazilian Free-tailed Bat
6%
Nine-banded ArmadilloHansen’s1 in 6
Nine-banded Armadillo1914
Swamp Rabbit
Eastern Cottontail Rabbit
Black-tailed JackrabbitPrecocial vs.altricial
Eastern Fox Squirrel
Eastern Gray Squirrel
Eastern Gray Squirrel
Thirteen Lined Ground Squirrel
Southern Flying Squirrel
Southern Flying Squirrel
4:1
American Beaver
Other Rodents
Coyote
Grey Fox
Red Fox
Red Fox
Elephant
Raccoon
Raccoon
Stripped Skunk
Spotted Skunk
River Otter
Mink
Bobcat
White-tailed Deer
3.6 M TX
Marine Mammals
Caribbean Monk SealWest Indian Manatee9 species of Dolphin17 species of Whale
Many based on one documented sighting
Introduced Mammals
Nutria 1940
Feral Hogs
2.6 M
Feral Cats
Outdoor and feral cats kill between 1.3 billion and 4.0 billion birds in a year in U.S. - Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute
Humans27M TX, 2x 35 yrs
Extirpated Mammals
Cougar
Jaguar
Ocelot
Ringtail
Red Wolf
Red Wolf
Bison
Black Bear
Muskrat
Questions?
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