Transcript Game Fur-Bearer Animal Species Identification - Slideshow.pptx

GAME AND FUR-BEARER ANIMAL
SPECIES IDENTIFICATION
#8985-A
Table of Contents
• Introduction
• Game Animals
• Fur-Bearing Animals
Introduction
• There are several classifications of animals and
many animals can have more than one
classification.
• It is as important to classify an animal, as it is to
identify it.
•
It is important for a game manager to know how
each plant and animal fits into an ecosystem.
•
Every hunter should be able to identify game
species from non-game species.
Identification adds to the enjoyment of the outdoors
and keeps the hunter from taking the wrong species
during a hunt.
Game Animals
• Game animals include selected mammals that
can be hunted for sport.
• These animals have specific seasons and limits,
which are identified in the Texas Parks and
Wildlife Department’s Outdoor Annual Hunting
and Fishing Regulations.
Hunting of any game animals must follow the
regulations for taking these species, which include
• Collard Peccary
• Desert Bighorn Sheep
• Squirrel
• Mule Deer
• White-tailed Deer
• Pronghorn Antelope
Collared Peccary (Javelina)
Tayassu tajacu
Pig-like creatures with four-toed front hooves and threetoed hind hooves.
Photo courtesy of John Mosesso, NBII
It has a short, pig-like snout and a distinct whitish
collar across the shoulders of the adult.
Photo courtesy of John Mosesso, NBII
• The rest of the upper parts are grizzled black and
grayish with a dark dorsal stripe.
• The young are reddish to yellowish brown with a
black stripe down their backs.
Photo courtesy of John Mosesso, NBII
Adult javelinas weigh 30 to 50 pounds and travel in
small bands.
Photo courtesy of the Texas Bighorn Society web camera.
• Javelinas can kill or injure dogs and are a menace
to deer hunters.
• However, West Texas ranchers are anxious to
restore javelina populations because their feeding
habits help control undesirable cacti in West Texas.
• Javelina territory seldom reaches beyond the Red
River to the north or the Brazos River Valley to the
east.
Desert Bighorn Sheep
Ovis canadensis “mexicana”
• Bighorn sheep are large and dark brown in color.
Photo courtesy of the Texas Bighorn Society web camera.
• Males have heavy,
tapering, curled,
brown horns.
• The smaller horns on
females have less curl.
Photo courtesy of the Texas Bighorn Society web camera.
Photo by Claire Dobert courtesy of U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
• Weight for rams range from 170 to 340 pounds.
• Ewes weigh from 103 to 136 pounds.
Photos courtesy of the Texas Bighorn Society web camera.
• It was once believed that desert bighorn sheep
were extinct in Texas.
• The total population in Texas is very small.
• Restocking efforts with wild-trapped sheep from
Arizona are encouraging.
Photo courtesy of the Texas Bighorn Society web camera.
• Bighorn sheep hunting is highly restrictive.
Hunting is by permit only in selected areas of
Trans-Pecos Counties.
Link to Texas Bighorn Society Web Cam
Fox (Red) Squirrel
Sciurus niger
The fox squirrel is found throughout the state with
the exception of West Texas and the bottom tip of
South Texas.
Fox squirrels have a reddish or rusty colored
underside, with the upper parts of the body being
brownish or grayish.
Photo courtesy of John Mosesso, NBII
Their tail is usually half of their total length and is
cinnamon in color mixed with black.
Photo courtesy of John Mosesso, NBII
Gray (Cat) Squirrel
Sciurus carolinensis
The gray squirrel is found largely in East Texas.
Their numbers are declining due to over-hunting and
removal of favorable habitat.
Photo courtesy of John Mosesso, NBII
• Gray squirrels’ heads and backs are a rusty, dark
yellow. They have gray-tipped or white-tipped
hairs on their legs, arms, sides of neck, and sides
of rump.
• This gives them a gray
tone body color.
Photo courtesy of John Mosesso, NBII
Mule Deer
Odocoileus hemionus
The Trans-Pecos and parts of the High Plains are
home of the mule deer.
• Mule deer are 3 to 3.5 feet in height.
• The average weight of Texas males range from
125 to 300 pounds.
Photo courtesy of Gary Kramer, USDA Natural Resources Conservation
Photo courtesy of Gary Kramer, USDA Natural Resources Conservation
This deer has large ears and a tail that usually has a
black tip with a white base and white on the inside of
the tail.
Photo courtesy of John Mosesso, NBII
• Mule deer antlers are bifurcated.
• The record antler spread for mule deer is 47.5
inches.
Photo courtesy of U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service
White-tailed Deer
Odocoileus virginianus
White-tailed deer vary in weight, antler size, food
habits, and color.
Photo courtesy of Scott Bauer, USDA Agricultural Research Service
• White-tailed deer are the most abundant big game
animal in the state.
• Texas has about four million of this species, the
largest state population in the nation.
• Deer, like cattle, are ruminants.
• White-tailed deer are relatively small, weighing
from 70 to 120 pounds.
Photo courtesy of John Mosesso, NBII
• White-tailed deer have short ears and relatively
long tails. When alerted to danger, they will run
with the tail up and erect, exposing the white
underside.
• Top speed is between 30 and 35 miles per hour.
Photo courtesy of Scott Bauer, USDA Agricultural Research Service
• Bucks have antlers with all major points from a
main beam.
• Antlers are actually bone materials that grow from
bases, called pedicels.
Drawing by Tom Kelley courtesy of U. S.
Fish and Wildlife Service
• Does are usually antler-less.
• White-tailed deer have a very keen sense of smell
and good hearing.
Photo courtesy of John Mosesso, NBII
Pronghorn Antelope
Antilocapra americana
The pronghorn antelope is a hoofed, deer-like animal
with horns instead of antlers.
Photo courtesy of John Mosesso, NBII
Pronghorn antelopes’ weight averages 90 to 120
pounds for males and about 90 pounds for females.
Photo courtesy of Jack Dykinga, USDA Agricultural Research Service
• Pronghorns travel the
western half of Texas
from the Panhandle to
the Rio Grande Valley.
• Pronghorn can only be
hunted by permit in
selected areas of the
Trans-Pecos, Permian
Basin, and Panhandle
counties.
Photo courtesy of Gary Kramer, USDA Natural Resources Conservation
Fur-bearing Animals
• Fur-bearing animals are species of mammals that
have value mainly for their pelts.
• Trapping any of these species has specific
regulations for taking fur-bearers, as identified by
the TP&W Department’s pamphlet, Fur-bearing
Animal Regulations.
TP&W Department recognizes ten species with
specific value for their pelts, including
•
Badger
•
Otter
•
Beaver
•
Raccoon
•
Foxes
•
Ring-tailed Cat
•
Mink
•
Skunks
•
Nutria
•
Opossum
Badger
• The badger is found throughout the western half of
Texas.
• Badger prefer the same habitat as prairie dogs and
ground squirrels, which happen to be their principle
source of food.
• The badger is a member of the weasel family.
The badger has short legs and a broad body with
grizzled, grayish-yellow color to its fur.
IMS Photo
• It has a distinct white stripe extending from the
near the tip of its nose, over the top of the head,
and to the shoulder area.
• The badger is a member of the weasel family.
IMS Photo
There is a false impression that badgers hibernate in
the winter. They may sleep for several days during
inclement weather, but they do not hibernate.
Beaver
Castor canadensis
• Beavers are members of the rodent family.
• They are aquatic in nature and are found over a
large area in Texas.
• Beavers need access to water from a pond,
stream, or river.
• They feed on a wide variety of vegetation, but the
inner barks of willows and cottonwoods are
preferred.
Photo courtesy of U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
•
Beaver have a large, horizontally flat, and scaly tail.
•
Their hind feet are webbed and much larger than
their front paws.
Photo courtesy of U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service
•
Beaver fur is a dark, rich, chestnut brown color
during the fall.
•
The color fades during the spring.
•
Body under parts are paler and often have a
silvery sheen.
IMS Photo
Desert Fox
Vulpes macrotis
This fox species is native to Brewster, Culbertson,
and El Paso counties.
•
The upper parts of the desert fox body are a
buffy gray, while the sides, mid-belly, and
undersurface of the tail are a clear buff.
•
The throat and posterior part of the belly are
white.
•
The tip of the tail is black.
•
Desert foxes have large ears.
Gray Fox
Urocyon cinereoargenteus
• The gray fox is the only fox species found in most
counties in Texas.
• The exception is the Panhandle region.
The gray fox has grayish upper parts, reddish brown
legs, tawny sides, and whitish throat, cheeks, and midline of the belly.
Photo by Gary Stolz courtesy of U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
The tail has a blackish stripe on the topside and a
black tip.
Photo courtesy of U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Swift Fox
Vulpes velox
• The swift fox species is the smallest of the
American foxes.
• It is found in the High Plains of Texas.
The upper parts of their bodies are a pale yellow,
frosted with white and lightly washed with blackish
hair.
Photo courtesy of Gary Kramer, USDA Natural Resources Conservation
• The backs of the swift fox’s ears are a yellowish
brown and the tail is a buffy gray with a black tip.
• There is a black spot at the base of the tail on the
upper side.
Photo courtesy of Gary Kramer, USDA Natural Resources Conservation
Red Fox
Vulpes fulva
• The red fox is an introduced species to Brazos,
Robertson, and Taylor counties in Texas.
• It is about the same size as the gray fox.
• There is a distinct difference in the cranial
characteristics of the two species.
Photo courtesy of U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
• The upper parts of the body are bright, golden
yellow and become darker along the middle of
the back.
• The tail is a thick bush and has a white tip.
Photo by Jim Thiele courtesy of U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Mink
Mustela vison
• Mink are native to the eastern half of Texas.
• They are a weasel-like animal about the size of a
cat.
• Mink have a dark, chocolate brown color.
• There is a white midline on the underside from the
chest to the vent.
Photo by Dennis Larson courtesy of USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service
Mink are semi-aquatic
and prefer small streams.
IMS Photo
Nutria
Myocastor coypus
• The nutria is another introduced species to
Texas.
• Native to South America, it was brought to the
USA in 1938.
• Nutria can be found throughout Texas except in
the Trans-Pecos and High Plains.
Nutria are members of the rodent family.
Photo by Christine Eustis courtesy of U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
• It closely resembles the beaver, except that it has
a long, round, sparsely haired tail.
• The unusual thing about the nutria is the
mammary glands are near the midline rather than
along the abdomen.
Photo by John and Karen Hollingsworth courtesy of U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Opossum
Didelphis virginiana
• The opossum is North America’s only marsupial.
• The Virginia opossum is the only species found
north of Mexico.
• The opossum has a long, scaly prehensile tail
which resembles that of the rat.
• It has a long, dense fur with grayish and blackish
color phases.
• Opossum are nocturnal
and are found
throughout all but the
extreme western part
of Texas.
IMS Photo
Otter
Lutra canadensis
• River otters inhabit a small area in East Texas.
• The otter is a large, dark brown weasel with a
long slender body.
• It has a thick, tapering tail.
Photo by Gary Stolz courtesy of U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service
• The otter’s webbed feet have five toes and the
soles are hairy.
• They are mostly aquatic.
Photo by Dave Menke courtesy of U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Raccoon
Procyon lotor
• The raccoon is one species that is located in
every county in Texas.
The blackish facial mask is a key identifying
characteristic of raccoons.
Photo by John and Karen Hollingsworth courtesy of U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service
The tip of the tail is black and the upper parts of the
body are grayish suffused with orange and heavily
sprinkled with a blackish buff.
Photo by John Mosesso courtesy of National Biological Information Infrastructure.
Raccoons are nocturnal and will sleep during long
periods of inclement weather.
Ring-tailed Cat
Bassariscus astutus
The ringtail roams over most of the state, except
extreme South Texas and Northeast Texas.
•
The ringtail resembles a small fox.
•
It has a raccoon-like tail, banded with 14 to 16,
alternating black and white rings. The tail has a
black tip.
IMS Photo
Ringtails are another nocturnal species and spend a
greater part of days sleeping in their dens.
Hog-nosed Skunk
Conepatus mesoleucus
• This skunk species resides in rocky, sparsely
timbered areas, such as the Edwards Plateau and
the Chisos, Davis, and Guadalupe Mountains of
the Trans-Pecos in West Texas.
• They can also be found in the Big Thicket area of
East Texas.
• Hog-nosed skunks have a single, wide, white
stripe that extends from the top of their head to
the base of the tail.
• The hog-nosed skunk’s tail is white, long, and
bushy with scattered black hairs.
• The rest of their body is blackish brown or black.
Hooded Skunk
Mephitis macroura
•
The hooded skunk is a Mexican species and is
found in the Big Bend region of West Texas.
•
The hooded skunk species has two color
patterns.
•
One appears to be similar to the striped skunk,
but with softer fur and a distinct ruff of long hair
on the upper neck.
•
The other color pattern more closely resembles
the hog-nosed skunk.
Spotted Skunk
(Civet Cat)
• The spotted skunk lives in all but a few counties of
the Panhandle.
• The spotted skunk has a small white spot on its
forehead and six distinctive white stripes from
head to tail over the top of the body.
Striped Skunk
Mephitis mephitis
The striped skunk species lives in every county in
Texas.
The striped skunk has two
stripes that join at the
neck region and travel
down the sides of the back
and down each side of the
tail.
Photo by John Collins courtesy of U. S. Fish and Wildlife
Service.
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Instructional Materials Service
Texas A&M University
2588 TAMUS
College Station, Texas 77843-2588
http://www-ims.tamu.edu
2006