ZION Mammals of Zion-Bryce and Cedar Breaks

MAMMALS OF ZION-BRYCE AND CEDAR BREAKS

List of Mammals

WATER SHREW, Sorex palustris vigator. — A mouse-sized animal with dense grayish-black fur like a mole. Probably not over 10 people have ever seen this animal in this region, and it is little known by the general public, even though it is reasonably common in nearly all the cold mountain streams of the west. Fishermen sometimes see one swimming under water, shining like silver because of the air bubbles in its fur. It has been found in a small stream on the north side of Cedar Breaks, the cold spring brook below Refrigerator Canyon, Zion, and Gifford's Spring in Springdale. It probably lives in all the cold spring brooks of Cedar Breaks, Zion Park and Zion Monument; but has not yet been found in Bryce. It is carniverous, feeding chiefly on insects; and is active both day and night.

DUSKY SHREW, Sorex obscurus obscurus. — This is much less common than the previous species, and has been found only at Cedar Breaks in damp places.

BATS are another and much better known group of insect feeders. In this region, however, they have not been carefully studied; and while it is probable that over a dozen kinds occur here, we are at present able to list but seven kinds, as follows!

BLACK-NOSED BAT, Myotis subulatus melanorhinus. — A small brown bat common in Zion Canyon.

LARGE BROWN BAT, Eptesicus fuscus pallidus. — A large bat often seen in Zion, flying higher and straighter than others.

CANYON BAT, Pipistrellus hesperus hesperus. — The smallest bat found here, common in Zion.

RED BAT, Nycteris borealis teliotis. — Although this bat has not been taken within the boundaries of the parks, we have specimens taken in 1935 at LaVerkin, 8-1/2 miles west of Zion Park, Lower Sonoran Life Zone. For details of this record, students are referred to Ranges and Relationships of Certain Mammals in Southwestern Utah, by C. C. Presnall and E. Raymond Hall, in Proceedings of the Utah Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters, vol. 13, pp. 211-213.

PALLID BAT, Antrozous pallidus pacificus. — A large bat occasionally seen catching insects around the lights at Zion Lodge.

LARGE FREE-TAILED BAT, Tadarida macrotis. — One specimen of this rare bat was taken in Zion Canyon in 1928. This was recorded by A. M. Woodbury in the Journal of Mammalogy, vol. 18, p. 515.

MEXICAN FREE-TAILED BAT, Tadarida mexicana. — One specimen was taken in Zion Canyon in 1931.

BLACK BEAR, Ursus americanus amblyceps. — In pioneer times bears were common on the high plateaus of southern Utah, but vigorous hunting by the stockmen, who ranged this country long before the parks were established, nearly exterminated them. None has been seen in Bryce since 1922, when a small one was killed in Campbell Canyon. The only recent report for Zion National Park is from Wilfred Adams and Tom Thorley, of Cedar City, Utah, who had their pack horses stampeded by a bear in the autumn of 1924 or 1925, on Horse Pasture Plateau. A large black bear was seen on May 19, 1938, at Cedar Breaks, by some visitors. They ran back to inform a snow-removal crew, who followed the tracks for some distance without seeing the animal. Again, on August 27, 1937, a bear was seen one mile east of the Breaks.

UTAH GRIZZLY, Ursus utahensis. — The last one known in this region was killed at the Crystal Springs Ranch, about 6 miles north of Zion National Park, sometime in the '80s.

RACCOON, Procyon lotor pallidus. — Up until about 1909 raccoons were numerous in Zion Canyon, but they have become progressively scarcer in the entire region since then. It is doubtful whether they now exist in the park areas, with the possible exception of North Creek, Zion, where tracks were seen in 1936.

RING-TAIL, Bassariscus astutus nevadensis. — This mild-mannered nocturnal creature is a raccoon-like animal — small, slim and long-tailed. It is very common in all parts of Zion Park and Monument below 7000 feet. Several live in the attics of residences in Zion, and its small cat-like tracks (slightly smaller and narrower than those of a house cat) are often seen on dusty trails. It eats a variety of food, small rodents, birds and insects, as well as fruits and nuts.

LONG-TAILED WEASEL, Mustela frenata nevadansis. — This common weasel is brown above and yellowish below. The tail is tipped with black even when the remainder of the fur is pure white in winter. It is found throughout all of our areas, being most common in Bryce, and least common in Zion; in fact its abundance is directly proportional to the number of chipmunks, which are thought to form its chief food in this region, It is a sly animal, not often seen.

SPOTTED SKUNK, Spilogale gracilis saxatilis. — This little skunk is common everywhere below 7000 feet; living among rock ledges; but it is seldom seen, as it is active only at night. It is black with numerous white spots and stripes. It feeds chiefly on mice, and other small mammals, lizards, and insects. In 1927 it was so common in Zion that it was a nuisance, but it is now no more common than elsewhere.

STRIPED SKUNK, Mephitis mephitis astor. — The larger Striped Skunk in Zion is found from the lowest to the highest elevations (Lower Sonoran to Transition Zones), usually near permanent streams. The lack of water at Bryce probably explains why none have bean seen there, while at Cedar Breaks the altitude is too high.

AMERICAN BADGER, Taxida taxus taxus. — Badger diggings are found in all parts of this region except in dense forests, but the animals are not plentiful and are seldom seen. They remind one of a vary small silvery-haired bear that has become flattened out. Other distinguishing marks are two white stripes through the eyes and one down the center of the black face. Their heavy front legs and large, strong claws enable them to easily dig large burrows in search of their food — gophers, prairie dogs, ground squirrels, and other rodents. Although their burrows are often found at high altitudes, as at Cedar Breaks, they have never been observed there during winter months.