Part 7

In Mount Rainier National Park it has been reported from near Longmire, Tahoma Creek and Carbon River. In 1897 records show that it was fairly common in the Nisqually River Valley, but in recent years observations have become extremely limited. Its present status must be considered as uncommon to rare.

This is without doubt the most interesting as well as the handsomest skunk in the Northwest. Unlike its larger cousin, the Puget Sound striped skunk, this little animal is graceful and rather agile. Seldom is it seen during the day time, preferring to roam about in search of food during the night. Its travels take it over a wide area, and it shows a fondness for man-made buildings. It has been known to occupy attics in dwellings, and one disconcerted wife of a National Park Service employee found one casually strolling through the hallway of her house one night! It is rather playful and even tempered, and seldom resorts to the strong perfume it carries.

Its food is varied, and may include almost anything from insects and reptiles to small rodents. As a mouser it rivals a cat in effectiveness. Sometimes referred to as the “hydrophobia skunk” or “phoby-cat” it has had a bad reputation in the past as a carrier of hydrophobia. However, the belief so prevalent among many people that its bite will always produce this dread malady has no foundation in fact. Many animals may carry hydrophobia, and there are few authentic records of the skunks as carriers.

PUGET SOUND STRIPED SKUNK _Mephitis mephitis spissigrada_ Bangs

Larger and stockier than the little spotted skunk, the Puget Sound striped skunk is black, with a narrow white stripe through the forehead, a broad white stripe starting on the head and dividing at the shoulders into two broad stripes that run back along the sides of the body. There are long white hairs on the tail; the tip of the tail is black.

_Specimens in park collection:_ RNP-43, Longmire Museum, Park Headquarters.

The Puget Sound striped skunk is found from northwestern Oregon through the lowlands of western Washington and into the Puget Sound section of southern British Columbia.

In the park it has been recorded only once. This lone record was from near the Nisqually Entrance where one was killed on the highway by an automobile.

This type of skunk is well known throughout the United States. Its cousins through the Middle West, East and South are familiar to every farm boy. Its struggle for existence has been seriously threatened in many localities because of the value of its fur. Because it prefers open country to dense forests and mountains, it occupies the same regions as man.

The skunk is by nature a timid and gentle animal, and by moving slowly it is possible to approach one with no fear of disastrous results. However, practically anyone will agree that it is a safer course to simply let the skunk go its way unmolested. The powers of persuasion it possesses are not to be taken lightly!

NORTHWESTERN COUGAR _Felis concolor oregonensis_ Rafinesque

The cougar is the largest of the cats found in the region, measuring up to more than eight feet in total length and weighing 150 pounds or more. The body is slender, with a small head and long tail. Its coloration above may range from reddish brown to gray brown, darkest along the back. The underparts are whitish with the light areas extending forward as far as the chin. The tail is brown with a prominent black tip. Young cougars are somewhat lighter in color, with large dark spots along the back and sides.

_Specimens in park collection:_ Mounted specimen at the Forest House at Ohanapecosh.

Cougars, or mountain lions, were formerly found over practically all of the United States, but are now extinct over most of their original range.

The Northwestern cougar ranges from northern California through Oregon and Washington into British Columbia. It is fairly common in some parts of its range.

In the park it may be found from the lower elevations up to forest line. Most records have come from around the Nisqually River drainage and from the west side of the park. However, it is apparently well distributed throughout the region.

Probably no animal found within the park affects the visitor as does the cougar. To many people it is regarded as a highly dangerous, blood-thirsty creature awaiting only a chance to pounce upon some unsuspecting hiker. On the contrary, there are few animals in the woods that are as shy or that run faster from humans than does the cougar. The chances of actually observing one in the wilds are very remote, as the lion usually sees without being seen, and beats a hasty retreat.

Much has been said pro and con about the ability of the cougar to emit a “scream.” Much depends upon the person’s conception of what makes up a “scream.” For the most part the cougar is silent, but contrary to what is often claimed, it does have the ability to express itself vocally. At times it may utter a loud cry that reminds one somewhat of the caterwaul of a domesticated tomcat. One female lion in a zoo gave a long series of such squalls when her kitten was taken from her. The so-called “woman in agony” scream, so often attributed to the cougar, is more likely that of the grown young of the great horned owl.

The cougar is also well known because of its great liking for venison, and without doubt it accounts for several deer a year. To say that a lion kills large numbers of deer each year (some persons claim as high as 100 per year) is something that needs clarification. There is little doubt that when deer are abundant a lion will get a considerable number; conversely when deer are not common the number taken will be low. Under natural conditions the lion serves as an important “control” upon the numbers of deer in any given region, for the most part killing old animals that have passed their prime or young deer that aren’t sufficiently alert, so offering no real threat to the deer population as a whole, but definitely helping to preserve forest reproduction from destruction by preventing an excessive multiplication of deer.

BOBCAT, NORTHWESTERN WILDCAT _Lynx rufus fasciatus_ Rafinesque

The bobcat is a typical member of the cat tribe, and resembles the common domestic cat in many respects. It differs in size, being perhaps twice as large, has longer legs, a very short tail, and big feet. The Northwestern Wildcat is a rich rufous brown over the back, grizzled with black; paler on the sides; with white underparts splotched with black. The legs are barred with dark brown and black. The tail is dark brown above with black bars, the extreme tip and underside is white. The ears are slightly tufted, the side whiskers or throat ruff are conspicuous.

_Specimens in park collection:_ Mounted specimen, Longmire Museum, Park Headquarters.

Bobcats are found in all of the United States, and northward into western Canada.

The Northwestern wildcat occurs in northwestern California, Oregon, Washington, and southwestern British Columbia. The cats are uncommon in Mount Rainier National Park, where their range is apparently confined mostly to the lower elevations near the southern and western boundaries.

Of all the wild creatures of the woods, the bobcat is perhaps the shyest. Many woodsmen of several years experience can count upon the fingers of one hand the cats they have seen, with the exception of those caught in traps or treed by dogs. Often it is only by observation of their tracks or sign that their presence is revealed. This is all the more remarkable when it is understood that like domestic cats, they hunt by day as well as by night.

Their habits are typically cat-like. They prey upon rodents and birds, and may occasionally kill deer, particularly fawns.

CANADA LYNX _Lynx canadensis canadensis_ Kerr

The lynx is like the bobcat in size and build, but is lighter in color, and may further be distinguished by the black tipped tail, longer ear tufts, more conspicuous side whiskers, and broad spreading feet.

_Specimens in park collection:_ None.

The range of the lynx is principally in Canada, although it extends into northern Oregon in the Northwest, southward in the Rocky Mountains into Colorado, and as far south as Pennsylvania in the northeast.

Taylor and Shaw, in _Mammals and Birds of Mount Rainier National Park_, 1927, observe that, “The shy and secretive habits of the members of the cat tribe make their study unusually difficult. At the outset one finds himself practically restricted to an examination of tracks and sign. These indicate the abundance of cats of the genus _Lynx_ (either lynx or bobcat) in suitable locations throughout the park. The Canada lynx is confined to higher portions of the park, the bobcat to lower altitudes. J. B. Flett reports the capture of a Canada lynx some years ago by C. A. Stoner in the Sawtooth Range just south of the park.

“Tracks and sign ... were most in evidence on the backbone ridges at or just above timberline.”

For the past several years there have been no authentic records of the Canada lynx in the park, and it is extremely doubtful that the animal now occurs within park boundaries.

HYPOTHETICAL LIST

Although not known to occur in Mount Rainier National Park prior to the date of this publication, the following mammals may be recorded:

Alaska Brown Bat, _Myotis lucifugus alascensis_ Miller Longeared Bat, _Myotis evotis pacificus_ Dalquest Northwest Coast Bat, _Myotis californicus caurinus_ Miller Big Brown Bat, _Eptesicus fuscus bernardinus_ Rhoads Puget Sound Weasel, _Mustela ermina streatori_ (Merriam) Townsend Chipmunk, _Tamias townsendii townsendii_ Bachman Yellow Pine Chipmunk, _Tamias amoenus affinis_ Allen Oregon Flying Squirrel, _Glaucomys sabrinus oregonensis_ (Bachman)

The occurrence of the following mammals was listed by Taylor and Shaw, _Mammals and Birds of Mount Rainier National Park_, 1927, as follows:

Muskrat, _Ondatra zibethicus osoyoosensis_ (Lord). “In lower portions of the park; apparently now trapped out within its boundaries.” Norway Rat, _Rattus norvegicus norvegicus_ (Erxleben). “Here included on the authority of J. B. Flett, who has observed it at Longmire.” House Mouse, _Mus musculus_ Linnaeus subsp? “At Longmire; at present scarce, perhaps extirpated.”

It is believed that the three species above are not now found within the park.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

ANTHONY, H. E. 1928 _Field Book of North American Mammals. G. P. Putnam’s Sons, New York._

BAILEY, V. 1936 _The Mammals and Life Zones of Oregon, North American Fauna, Number 55, U. S. Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Biological Survey, Washington, D. C._

BROCKMAN, C. FRANK 1947 _Flora of Mount Rainier National Park. U. S. Department of Interior, National Park Service, U. S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D. C._

DALQUEST, WALTER W. 1948 _Mammals of Washington. University of Kansas Publications, Museum of Natural History, Volume 2._

HAMILTON, W. J. JR. 1939 _American Mammals. McGraw-Hill Book Company, Inc., New York._

SETON, ERNEST THOMPSON 1929 _Lives of Game Animals, Volumes 1-4. Doubleday, Doran and Company, Inc., Garden City, New York._

TAYLOR, W. P., and SHAW, W. T. 1927 _Mammals and Birds of Mount Rainier National Park. U. S. Department of Interior, National Park Service, U. S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D. C._ 1929 _Provisional List of the Land Mammals of the State of Washington. Occasional Papers of the Charles R. Conner Museum, Number 2._

WRIGHT, GEORGE M., and THOMPSON, BEN H. 1935 _Fauna of the National Parks of the United States, Fauna Series Number 2. U. S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D. C._

1905 _Annual Report of the Secretary of the Interior, U. S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D. C._

1923-1938 _Mount Rainier National Park Nature Notes, Volumes 1-13._

1931-1948 _Annual Wildlife Census, Mount Rainier National Park._

INDEX OF COMMON NAMES

BAT Alaska Brown, 82 Big Brown, 82 Long-Eared, 82 Miller, 61 Northwest Coast, 82 Northwestern Long-Legged, 61 Silver-Haired, 62 Townsend Lump-Nosed, 62 BEAVER Mount Rainier Mountain, 43 Pacific, 39 BEAR, Olympic Black, 24 BOBCAT, 79 CHIPMUNK Cooper, 31 Hollister, 31 Townsend, 82 Yellow Pine, 82 COUGAR, Northwestern, 78 COYOTE, Mountain, 64 DEER Columbian Black-tailed, 13 Rocky Mountain Mule, 18 ELK American, 19 Roosevelt, 20 FISHER, 70 FOX, Cascade Red, 67 GOAT, Cascade Mountain, 21 GOPHER, Rainier Pocket, 52 HARE Cascade Varying, 48 Washington Varying, 47 LYNX, Canada, 80 MARMOT, Cascade Hoary, 28 MARTEN, Northwestern Pine, 68 MINK, 71 MOLE Coast, 58 Townsend, 57 Gibbs Shrew-Mole, 58 MOUSE Cascade Meadow, 54 Cascade Red-Backed, 56 House, 82 Mountain Lemming, 55 Northwestern Jumping, 56 Olympic Meadow, 54 Oregon Meadow, 53 Washington White-Footed, 51 MUSKRAT, 82 OTTER, Pacific, 75 PIKA, Cascade, 38 PORCUPINE, Yellow-Haired, 44 RACCOON, Pacific, 26 RAT Norway, 82 Western Bushy-Tailed Wood, 49 SHREW Bendire Water, 60 Cinereous, 60 Navigator Water, 60 Olympic Dusky, 59 Trowbridge, 60 Wandering, 59 SKUNK Little Spotted, 76 Puget Sound Striped, 77 SQUIRREL Cascade Flying, 36 Douglas Pine, 34 Oregon Flying, 82 Washington Mantled Ground, 33 WEASEL Least, 73 Puget Sound, 82 Washington, 72 WOLF, 66 WOLVERINE, 74

INDEX OF SCIENTIFIC NAMES

Aplodontia rufa rainieri, 43 Canis latrans lestes, 64 lupus fuscus, 66 Castor canadensis leucodonta, 39 Cervus canadensis nelsoni, 19 canadensis roosevelti, 20 Citellus saturatus, 33 Clethrionomys gapperi cascadensis, 56 Corynorhinus rafinesque townsendii, 62 Eptesicus fuscus bernardinus, 82 Erethizon dorsatum epixanthum, 44 Felis concolor oregonensis, 78 Glaucomys sabrinus fuliginosus, 36 sabrinus oregonensis, 82 Gulo luscus luteus, 74 Lasconycteris noctivagans, 62 Lepus americanus cascadensis, 48 americanus washingtonii, 47 Lutra canadensis pacifica, 75 Lynx canadensis canadensis, 80 rufus fasciatus, 79 Marmota caligata cascadensis, 28 Martes caurina caurina, 68 pennanti, 70 Mephitis mephitis spissigrada, 77 Microtus longicaudus macrurus, 54 oregoni oregoni, 53 richardsonii arvicoloides, 54 Mus musculus, 82 Mustela ermina gulosa, 73 ermina streatori, 82 frenata washingtoni, 72 vison energumenos, 71 Myotis californicus caurinus, 82 epotis pacificus, 82 lucifugus alascensis, 82 volans longicrus, 61 yumanensis saturatus, 61 Neotoma cinerea occidentalis, 49 Neurotrichus gibbsii gibbsii, 58 Ochotona princeps brunnescens, 38 Odocoileus hemionus columbianus, 13 hemionus hemionus, 18 Ondatra zibethicus osoyoosensis, 82 Oreamnos americanus americanus, 21 Peromyscus maniculatus oreas, 51 Phenacomys intermedius oramontis, 55 Procyon lotor psora, 26 Rattus norvegicus norvegicus, 82 Scapanus orarius orarius, 58 townsendii, 57 Sorex bendirii bendirii, 60 cinereus cinereus, 60 obscurus setosus, 59 palustris navigator, 60 trowbridgii trowbridgii, 60 vagrans vagrans, 59 Spilogale gracilis latifrons, 76 Tamias amoenus affinis, 82 amoenus ludibundus, 31 townsendii cooperi, 31 townsendii townsendii, 82 Tamiasciurus douglasii douglasii, 34 Thomomys talpoides shawi, 52 Ursus americanus altifrontalis, 24 Vulpes fulva cascadensis, 67 Zapus princeps trinotatus, 56

_Notes_

Transcriber’s Notes

—Retained publication information from the printed edition: this eBook is public-domain in the country of publication.

—Corrected a few palpable typographical errors.

—In the text versions only, text in italics is delimited by _underscores_.