Mammals of the Southeastern United States

Description

First comprehensive account of the mammals of the entire southeastern US The southeastern United States is home to a remarkable and diverse mammalian fauna that is a significant part of the region’s rich natural heritage. Mammals of the Southeastern United States presents accounts of 137 species that currently or previously occurred in the Southeast. Although accessible and useful for the generalist, this book provides an up-to-date compilation of basic knowledge about native and nonnative mammals of the region that is suitable for students of all ages and for professional mammalogists and biologists alike.   This volume profiles common species like the eastern gray squirrel, the white-tailed deer, and the Virginia opossum, but also includes among its accounts many extant species, such as the jaguar and porcupine, that once occurred in the region; native species, like the Caribbean monk seal, that are now extinct; native species that have been extirpated, or wiped out, from all or part of the region, such as the red wolf, cougar, American bison, and elk; and many introduced species, including the Mexican mouse opossum, common squirrel monkey, and capybara.   Each species account includes full-color images of the animal, plates featuring at least three views of its skull, color distribution maps of its approximate geographic range in the Southeast and in North America, and an up-to-date synthesis of several aspects of its biology, including habitat, diet, predators, parasites, diseases, and behaviors. An introductory chapter on conservation summarizes the current status of mammalian populations in the region and provides insight into some of the threats mammals now encounter in the Southeast.   Contents Preface Acknowledgments Introduction: Conservation Status of Mammals in the Southeastern United States. Species Accounts Class Mammalia American Opossums Order Didelphimorphia Family Didelphidae Virginia Opossum (Didelphis virginiana) Alston’s Mouse Opossum (Marmosa alstoni) Mexican Mouse Opossum (Marmosa mexicana) Dugongs, Manatees, and Sea Cows Order Sirenia Family Trichechidae West Indian Manatee (Trichechus manatus) Armadillos Order Cingulata Family Dasypodidae Nine-banded Armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus) Primates Order Primates Family Cebidae Sqirrel Monkey (Saimiri sciureus) Family Cercopithecidae Grivet (Chlorocebus aethiops) Rhesus Monkey (Macaca mulatta) Pikas, Hares, and Rabbits Order Lagomorpha Family Leporidae Snowshoe Hare (Lepus americanus) Black-tailed Jackrabbit (Lepus californicus) European Rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) Swamp Rabbit (Sylvilagus aquaticus) Eastern Cottontail (Sylvilagus floridanus) Appalachian Cottontail (Sylvilagus obscurus) Marsh Rabbit (Sylvilagus palustris) Rodents Order Rodentia Family Sciuridae Red-bellied Squirrel (Sciurus aureogaster) Eastern Gray Squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) Eastern Fox Squirrel (Sciurus niger) Red Squirrel (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus) Northern Flying Squirrel (Glaucomys sabrinus) Southern Flying Squirrel (Glaucomys volans) Black-tailed Prairie Dog (Cynomys ludovicianus) Woodchuck (Marmota monax) Thirteen-lined Ground Squirrel (Ictidomys tridecemlineatus) Franklin’s Ground Squirrel (Poliocitellus franklinii) Eastern Chipmunk (Tamias striatus) Family Castoridae American Beaver (Castor canadensis) Family Heteromyidae Hispid Pocket Mouse (Chaetodipus hispidus) Family Geomyidae Baird’s Pocket Gopher (Geomys breviceps) Plains Pocket Gopher (Geomys bursarius) Southeastern Pocket Gopher (Geomys pinetis) Family Zapodidae Woodland Jumping Mouse (Napaeozapus insignis) Meadow Jumping Mouse (Zapus hudsonius) Family Nesomyidae Northern Giant Pouched Rat (Cricetomys gambianus) Family Cricetidae Rock Vole (Microtus chrotorrhinus) Prairie Vole (Microtus ochrogaster) Meadow Vole (Microtus pennsylvanicus) Woodland Vole (Microtus pinetorum) Southern Red-backed Vole (Myodes gapperi) Round-tailed Muskrat (Neofiber alleni) Common Muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus) Southern Bog Lemming (Synaptomys cooperi) Northern Pygmy Mouse (Baiomys taylori) Eastern Woodrat (Neotoma floridana) Allegheny Woodrat (Neotoma magister) Golden Mouse (Ochrotomys nuttalli) Texas Deermouse (Peromyscus attwateri) Cotton Deermouse (Peromyscus gossypinus) White-footed Deermouse (Peromyscus leucopus) North American Deermouse (Peromyscus maniculatus) Oldfield Deermouse (Peromyscus polionotus) Florida Deermouse (Podomys floridanus) Fulvous Harvest Mouse (Reithrodontomys fulvescens) Eastern Harvest Mouse (Reithrodontomys humulis) Western Harvest Mouse (Reithrodontomys megalotis) Plains Harvest Mouse (Reithrodontomys montanus) Marsh Oryzomys (Oryzomys palustris) Hispid Cotton Rat (Sigmodon hispidus) Family Muridae House Mouse (Mus musculus) Brown Rat (Rattus norvegicus) Roof Rat (Rattus rattus) Family Erethizontidae North American Porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum) Family Caviidae Capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) Family Echimyidae Coypu (Myocastor coypus) Hedgehogs, Gymnures, Solenodons, Shrews, Moles, Desmans, and Relatives Order Eulipotyphyla Family Soricidae Northern Short-tailed Shrew (Blarina brevicauda) Southern Short-tailed Shrew (Blarina carolinensis) Elliot’s Short-tailed Shrew (Blarina hylophaga) North American Least Shrew (Cryptotis parva) Crawford’s Gray Shrew (Notiosorex crawfordi) Cinereus Shrew (Sorex cinereus) Long-tailed Shrew (Sorex dispar) Smoky Shrew (Sorex fumeus) American Pygmy Shrew (Sorex hoyi) Southeastern Shrew (Sorex longirostris) American Water Shrew (Sorex palustris) Family Talpidae Star-nosed Mole (Condylura cristata) Hairy-tailed Mole (Parascalops breweri) Eastern Mole (Scalopus aquaticus) Bats Order Chiroptera Family Phyllostomidae Buffy Flower Bat (Erophylla sezekorni) Cuban Flower Bat (Phyllonycteris poeyi) Jamaican Fruit-eating Bat (Artibeus jamaicensis) Cuban Fig-eating Bat (Phyllops falcatus) Family Molossidae Florida Bonneted Bat (Eumops floridanus) Pallas’s Mastiff Bat (Molossus molossus) Brazilian Free-tailed Bat (Tadarida brasiliensis) Family Vespertilionidae Big Brown Bat (Eptesicus fuscus) Eastern Red Bat (Lasiurus borealis) Seminole Bat (Lasiurus seminolus) North American Hoary Bat (Aeorestes cinereus) Northern Yellow Bat (Dasypterus intermedius) Evening Bat (Nycticeius humeralis) Tri-colored Bat (Perimyotis subflavus) Rafinesque’s Big-eared Bat (Corynorhinus rafinesquii) Townsend’s Big-eared Bat (Corynorhinus townsendii) Silver-haired Bat (Lasionycteris noctivagans) Southeastern Myotis (Myotis austroriparius) Gray Myotis (Myotis grisescens) Eastern Small-footed Myotis (Myotis leibii) Little Brown Myotis (Myotis lucifugus) Northern Myotis (Myotis septentrionalis) Indiana Myotis (Myotis sodalis) Carnivores Order Carnivora Family Felidae Ocelot (Leopardus pardalis) Bobcat (Lynx rufus) Cougar (Puma concolor) Jaguarundi (Puma yagouaroundi) Jaguar (Panthera onca) Family Canidae Coyote (Canis latrans) Wolf (Canis lupus) Red Wolf (Canis rufus) Gray Fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus) Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes) Family Ursidae American Black Bear (Ursus americanus) Family Otariidae California Sealion (Zalophus californianus) Family Phocidae Hooded Seal (Cystophora cristata) Caribbean Monk Seal (Neomonachus tropicalis) Harbor Seal (Phoca vitulina) Family Mustelidae North American River Otter (Lontra canadensis) Fisher (Pekania pennanti) Long-tailed Weasel (Mustela frenata) Least Weasel (Mustela nivalis) American Mink (Neovison vison) American Badger (Taxidea taxus) Family Mephitidae Striped Skunk (Mephitis mephitis) Eastern Spotted Skunk (Spilogale putorius) Family Procyonidae Ringtail (Bassariscus astutus) White-nosed Coati (Nasua narica) Raccoon (Procyon lotor) Odd-Toed Ungulates Order Perissodactyla Family Equidae Horse (Equus caballus) Even-Toed Ungulates, Whales, Dolphins, and Porpoises Order Artiodactyla Family Suidae Wild Boar (Sus scrofa) Family Cervidae White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus) Chital (Axis axis) Elk (Cervus canadensis) Fallow Deer (Dama dama) Sambar (Rusa unicolor) Family Antilocapridae Pronghorn (Antilocapra americana) Family Bovida American Bison (Bison bison) Goat (Capra hircus) Appendix 1: Whales, Dolphins, and Porpoises in Coastal Waters of the Southeastern United States Appendix 2: Measurement Conversions Glossary References Illustration Credits Index