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Papers in Natural Resources Natural Resources, School of

May 1998

Mammals [of the Sand Hills]

Patricia W. Freeman University of Nebraska-Lincoln, [email protected]

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Freeman, Patricia W., " [of the Sand Hills]" (1998). Papers in Natural Resources. 8. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/natrespapers/8

This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Natural Resources, School of at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It has been accepted for inclusion in Papers in Natural Resources by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. Mammals by Patricia Freeman Curator of Zoology University of Nebraska State Museum

Introduction passed through the area along the ripari- habitats for many diff erent types of mam- an [river] community bordering the Platte mals. Th e drier upland Sand Hills have an Of approximately 81 of mam- River.” abundance of plains pocket go phers, plains mals present in Nebraska today, 55 oc cur On the other hand, the Sand Hills ap- pocket mice, Ord’s kan garoo , in the Sand Hills, with an additional three pear to be a barrier to the distribution of , and deer mice. Wet areas are char- species that are associated only with the some mammals. Th e eastern woodrat is acterized by the masked , jumping . Nebraska as a whole is a southern species that during a warm- , meadow , and . Th e truly a crossroads for mammals be cause er, wetter time moved north. Today an iso- open areas, such as ridge tops and blow- two-thirds of the species reach their distri- lated population occurs only along the Ni- outs, tend to be the best microhabitat for butional limits in the state ( Jones, 1964). obrara River in central Nebraska. An other kangaroo rats, which are bipedal and fast- Most of these mammals are wide spread , the olive-backed pocket mouse, moving; the dense grass microhabitat is fa- species or are specifi c to the as is found north of the Niobrara River in vored by voles, which are quadrapedal and a whole and are not aff ected by this sandy Cherry County and in the Pan handle, slow moving. Typically, kangaroo rats are zone. Jones (1964) wrote that “only a few but evidently it does not inhabit the Sand from western, drier habitats, and voles are mammals are restricted to this area. Most- Hills. from eastern, moister habitats. In the Sand ly it serves to fi lter western species mov- Th e Sand Hills, with their extraordi- Hills, however, these two mammals occur ing east and, in part, eastern species mov- nary variety of habitats from top to together because of the mosaic of sand and ing west, al though some of the latter have interdunal and river bank, provide grass (Lemen and Freeman, 1986).

Ord’s kangaroo Nebraska and Parks Commission Game and Parks Nebraska

193 Nebraska Game and Parks Commission Game and Parks Nebraska Black-tailed jackrabbit

Distribution of Species usually trapped in ri parian habitats, sur- luso (in press) recently reported an occur- prisingly, has been found in the dry up- rence of the red bat from the Nebraska With the settling of the West, the only land Arapaho Prairie in Arthur County. National Forest near Halsey in Th omas marsupial found in the , Th is native prairie is owned by the County. the opossum, has been slowly expanding Conservancy, managed by the University Th e rabbits and hares found in the Sand its range northward and westward. How- of Nebraska-Lin coln, and is a place where Hills represent several faunas. Two spe cies, ever, there are few records of it from the much research on the upland, drier Sand the cottontail and the black-tailed Sand Hills ( Jones, 1964). Of the Hills has taken place. Th e moles in the jackrabbit, are western, the fi rst reaching and moles found in the Sand Hills, three Sand Hills are smaller, paler versions of its easternmost limit in the western half species are eastern in affi nity; the masked the moles seen outside the sandy region. of the state and the second being state- shrew, has boreal (cold, mostly north ern) Th irteen species of bats have been wide. Th e eastern cottontail is an eastern affi nities. Th e short-tailed shrew and the found in Nebraska, but only seven in species and the fourth spe cies, the white- least shrew are not common in the Sand the Sand Hills. Th ere may be more, but tailed jackrabbit, is a species. Hills and tend to be in moderately dry be cause extensive netting has not been Ecologically, the de sert cottontail is not habitats, such as grassy roadside ditches done on the lakes, , and stock tanks common in the Sand Hills, although it is away from both the direct upland and the in the area, few records exist. Th e small- found in the western part. Th e eastern cot- more riparian habitats (Manning, 1983; footed bat, the silver-haired bat, the big tontail is common but is found primarily Genoways, personal communication). In brown bat, and the hoary bat are all wide- in the area’s ri parian or agricultural com- the near Halsey, spread in distribution. Keen’s bat and the munities. Nei ther species of cottontail can short-tailed shrews were captured in lush red bat are eastern; and the free-tailed bat be found in the dry upland habitat of the fl ood-plain and well-drained grassy ar- is southern, actually neotrop ical, in affi ni- Sand Hills. Jackrabbits have been found all eas of the river system, while a single least ty. Th e free-tailed bat and Keen’s bat have over the state, but the black-tailed is more shrew was captured on a burned grassy been found only in the central Niobrara common in the southern part of the state, slope formerly planted in trees (Manning River valley in the Sand Hills (Czaplews- and the white-tailed is more common in and Geluso, in press). Th e eastern , ki and others, 1979). Manning and Ge- the northern part. Apparently, the black-

194 tailed rabbit has been expanding its range in the western part of the Sand Hills. ( Jones, 1964). northward in historic times, especially in Two recent records of the silky pocket Th e rats and mice make up the ma- cultivated land. Both jackrabbits are in the mouse are from Arapaho Prairie in Ar- jority of found in the Sand Hills. Sand Hills, but the black-tailed rabbits thur County (Freeman, un published re- Some of the smallest are the harvest mice. may be becoming more abundant in the search) and from the Nebraska National Two species occur in the Sand Hills and southern part ( Jones, 1964). Forest in Th omas County (R. M. Timm, throughout the state. Th e plains harvest Five , consisting of three personal communication). A single kan- mouse is found in drier, upland habitat and ground squirrels, a prairie , and a tree garoo rat, Ord’s kan garoo rat, gets into is less common than the western har vest , are distributed in the Sand Hills. the state from the southwest and reach- mouse, which is found in several habitats, Franklin’s is typically an es the eastern edge of the Sand Hills. It including dry, sandy areas and tall grass inhabitant of the tallgrass prairie to the is an that occupies the open, san- near lakes. Th e western harvest mouse has east but extends into the Sand Hills along dy microhabitat and is abundant in blow- southwestern affi nities, while the plains natural and constructed waterways. Th e outs and ridge tops. As blowouts stabi- harvest mouse is a grassland species (Hoff - thirteen-lined ground squirrel is abun- lize with grass, this animal becomes less mann and Jones, 1970; Armstrong and dant statewide, while the black-tailed common. Kangaroo rats and pocket mice others, 1986). is typically an inhabitant of are commonly seen foraging for seeds at Th e deer mouse and white-footed the shortgrass prairie. Th ese three squir- night on the sandy roads that traverse the mouse are close relatives. Th e deer mouse rels are considered grassland or steppe Sand Hills. Th e new fl uorescent tracking is a widespread species found in many hab- species by Hoff mann and Jones (1970) tech nique has allowed scientists to see un- itats but not in deep woods and marshy ar- and by Armstrong and others (1986). In usual things. Following the trail of a kan- eas. Th e white-footed mouse, on the oth- contrast, the spotted ground squirrel is a garoo rat up the stalk of a sunfl ower er hand, although a widespread species, is western species found in dry habitats and that was over a meter tall, researchers more restricted to wooded areas. In the places like the Sand Hills. However, it is found the seed head at the top had been Sand Hills, the deer mouse is a common not nearly as abundant as the com mon clipped off . Not far from the plant lay a animal in both upland and more moist thirteen-lined ground squirrel. Th e fi fth little pile of seed remains and husks. Al- grassy areas, but the white-footed mouse squirrel is the squirrel, a common in- though it did not seem unusual to follow is restricted to waterways, especially where habitant of the eastern forest and non- the smaller, quadrupedal pocket mice into there are trees and taller cover ( Jones, grassland areas. It extends into the Sand and up stands of sunfl ower , it was 1964). Hills along the major river sys tems. Th e surprising to fi nd that the larger, bipedal Th e northern grasshopper mouse is fox squirrel has come up the kangaroo rats can also feed in the tops of a grassland species whose distribution River and spread westward in historic these tall prairie plants (Lemen and Free- ex tends beyond the Sand Hills to the times ( Jones, 1964). man, 1985, 1986). east, but it is probably restricted by tall- Th e plains pocket , a grassland Th e is a widespread, large, semi- grass prairie. It can be found in the up- species, is also found in the Sand Hills, aquatic found on the major water- land Sand Hills community. Th is mouse is but the population is generally smaller and ways in the Sand Hills. In the state as a more common in the western part of the paler than its eastern relatives. Like moles, whole, it is still common in spite of having state than in the eastern part but is not the of pocket closely match- been heavily trapped for pelts in historic commonly trapped in either area. Grass- es the color of the soil in which they live times. Th e species was protected in 1907 hopper mice are known to have large ( Jones, 1964). Among the seed-eating pocket mice and kangaroo rats, the plains pocket Beaver dam, North Fork of Birdwood Creek, McPherson County mouse and the hispid pocket mouse are abundant. Th e plains pocket mouse is nearly statewide in distribution. In the Sand Hills, the hispid pocket mouse oc- cupies the same geographic range as the plains pocket mouse; however, the his- pid pocket mouse is more restricted to denser grass-forb areas than the small- er plains pocket mouse (Lemen and Free- man, 1986). Th e trails these mice make in the grass have been followed by dust ing them with a non-toxic fl uorescent pow- der. Th en, with a black light, re searchers have tracked them through these grass forb areas (Lemen and Freeman, 1985). Th is technique has provided an extreme- ly accurate picture of where mice are for- aging in the Sand Hills and where their are hidden. Another pocket mouse, the silky pocket mouse, is rare. It is generally thought of as a southwest-

ern species and has only been caught Charles Flowerday

195 old buildings to clumps of cattails ( Jones, 1964; Gersib, 1986). Four species of carnivores have been extirpated from the state. Th ese are the gray , black , , and moun tain lion. It is possible that are becom- ing re-established in the state after many years of extirpation. Th ey have been seen and trapped recently in the Republican River south of the Sand Hills (Famey and Jones, 1978). Eff orts are now being made by the Nebraska Game and Parks Com- mission to reintroduce them. A fi fth spe- cies, the black-footed ferret, is also prob- ably extirpated. It is a grassland species found in close association with prairie dog Neil Jensen, Soil Conservation Service Jensen, Neil towns. It is possible that it still resides in Muskrat territories where they fi nd food and mates. A single adult male has been trailed in an upland Sand Hills prairie for almost a ki- lometer (900 meters, more than one half a mile; Lemen and Free man, 1985). Th e east- ern woodrat, a packrat with a southern af- fi nity, can be found only in the central Ni- obrara River valley, where it is an isolated population restricted to the dense wooded habitat. Its range is thought to have been ex tended during a warm, wet period, then isolated in the moist river valley during a warm, dry period ( Jones, 1964). Th e southern bog , a grass- eating rodent, is a northeastern species that can be found only on the eastern edge of the Sand Hills along the Niobr-

ara and Loup rivers. A southern isolate Charles Flowerday of this species occurs in the southwest- Muskrat houses, McPherson County ern part of the state south of the Sand Hills. Two other mammals that are re- lated to the lemming are the along waterways that extend eastward into the Sand Hills near the Niobrara River, and the . Both have the same the Sand Hills. Th ey are numerous in the but extensive trapping in the last few years geographical range in the Sand Hills, but planted coniferous forest at Halsey but are has not verifi ed this possibility. the prairie vole, a widespread grassland less common in eastern Nebraska. Among the , the and species, occupies the drier grassy valleys Th e last rodent is the meadow jump ing are common Sand Hills species. and areas around lakes, while the meadow mouse. A rodent with boreal affi nities, it is Mink, like , are most abundant vole, a boreal species, is found right next found mostly in the east in moist, riparian around the lakes, ponds, and marshes of to the water and in sedge areas surround- habitats that extend into the Sand Hills. It the Sand Hills. Burrows of are ed by water (C. A. Lemen, personal com- would not be found in upland Sand Hills commonly found in the hillsides. Less munication). Th us, ponds and lakes in the habitat. common weasels are the long-tailed wea- Sand Hills will have meadow voles in the Carnivores generally are widespread sel (a widespread species) and the least wettest areas surrounded by drier ground mammals. Of the dog-like carnivores (a boreal species), which reaches inhabited by prairie voles. Th ese popula- present in the Sand Hills today, the coy- part of its southern limit in Ne braska and tions vacillate slightly with the rise and ote is widespread; the swift fox, an almost gets into the Sand Hills from the east fall of the water table. extirpated (eliminated) grassland species, ( Jones, 1964). Two skunks, the spotted Like the beaver, the muskrat is a wide- should still be in the Sand Hills, but few skunk and the , can be found spread, large, semi-aquatic rodent that in- records exist; the , although wide- in the Sand Hills. Th e striped skunk is a habits the waterways; but, unlike bea ver, spread, is more common in moist areas to widespread and common mammal, but it is commonest in the ponds, lakes, and the east; and the , with a southern the spotted skunk, a south ern species, is marshes in the Sand Hills. Another wide- affi nity, is very rare (a record exists from uncommon. Th e latter has moved north- spread large rodent is the porcu pine, which Loup County; Jones, 1964). are a ward with the settlement of Nebraska prefers to live in trees where it eats bark. In widespread spe cies that, when found away ( Jones, 1964). Nebraska, it is most common in the conif- from trees, as in the Sand Hills, den in ev- Th e only native today in the Sand erous western forest of the and erything from burrows in the ground to Hills is the . It is uncommon in the

196 Nebraska Game and Parks Commission Game and Parks Nebraska River otter mammals in the Sand Hills, the house mouse and the Norway rat. Both live in and around dwellings and do not compete well with native mammals away from human habitation.

Summary For mammals the Sand Hills provide a large, sandy contact zone between two very diff erent grassland habitats, one wet and one dry. Th e and moister areas of the Sand Hills allow the invasion of such species as the opossum, the masked shrew, the short-tailed shrew, the least shrew, the eastern mole, the eastern cottontail rabbit, the fox squirrel, the white-footed mouse, a packrat (the east ern woodrat), the mead- ow vole, the southern , the jumping mouse, the gray fox and the least Marianne Beel weasel. Mammals that thrive in the drier conditions of the Sand Hills include the Sand Hills and tends to prefer wooded ar- pated from the eastern part of the Sand de sert cottontail, the black-tailed jack- eas that would occur mostly along the riv- Hills but can still be seen in west ern parts. rabbit, the spotted ground squirrel, Ord’s ers, particularly the Niobrara. Mule deer and white-tailed deer of course kan garoo rat, the silky pocket mouse, the Several hooved mammals, namely , are common in the region and through- western harvest mouse, and the north- bison, and mountain sheep, were once out the state. In the more open west, mule ern grasshopper mouse. Since these habi- present in the Sand Hills, but now, with deer tend to outnumber white-tailed deer, tats are interspersed in patches in the Sand the exception of some elk and bison at the a species more typically found in wooded Hills, this area provides a unique mosaic of Fort Niobrara Wildlife Refuge, are gone. or semi-wooded areas. habitats that allow an unusually wide vari- Th e pronghom antelope has been extir- Th ere are two of ety of species to live side by side. 197 References

Armstrong, D. M., Choate, J. R., and Jones, J. K., Jr., 1986, Distributional patterns of mammals in the plains states: Occa- sional Papers of the Museum of Tech University, v. 105, p. 1-27. Czaplewski, N. J., Famey, J. P., Jones, J. K., Jr., and Dreucker, J. D., 1979, Synopsis of bats of Nebraska: Occa sional Papers of the Museum of Texas Tech Univer- sity, v. 61, p. 1-24. Famey, J. P., and Jones, J. K., Jr., 1978, Re- cent records of the river otter from Nebraska: Transactions of the Academy of Sciences, v. 81, p. 275-276. Gersib, D., 1986, Nebraska furbearers: NEBRASKAland Magazine, v. 64, p.

18-34. Soil Conservation Service Hoff mann, R. S., and Jones, J. K., Jr., 1970, Badger Infl uence of late-glacial and postgla- cial events on the distribution of Re- cent mammals on the Northern Great versity of Kansas Publications of the Habitat selection and move ment pat- Plains, in Dort, Wakefi eld, Jr., and Museum of Natural History, v. 16, p. 1- terns in Sandhills rodents: Prairie Nat- Jones, J. K., Jr., eds., Pleistocene and 356. uralist, v. 46, p. 129-141. Recent Environments of the Central Lemen, C. A., and Freeman, P. W., 1985, Manning, R. W., and Geluso, K. N., in : University of Kansas Tracking mamals with fl uor-scent pig- press. Habitat utilization of mammals in Press, Lawrence. ments: a new technique: Journal of a man-made forest in the Sandhills re- Jones, J. K., Jr., 1964: Distribution and tax- Mammalogy, v. 66, p. 134-136. gion of Nebraska: Occasional Papers of onomy of mammals of Nebraska: Uni- Lemen, C. A., and Freeman, P. W., 1986, the Museum of Texas Tech University.

Mule deer Marianne Beel

198 Table 12-1. Mammals of the Sand Hills 1 nity Affi Wetlands Northern riparian forest Oak hickory forest Southern riparian forest Oak hickory pine forest forest Coniferous Sand Hills grassland Shortgrass prairie Mixed prairie prairie Tallgrass Shrublands Marsupials Opossum (Didelphis virginiana) S X X X X X

Insectivores Masked shrew (Sorex cinereus) N X X Short-tailed shrew (Blarina brevicauda) E X X X X Least shrew (Cryptotis parva) E X X X X X Eastern mole (Scalopus aquaticus) E X X

Bats Keen’s bat (Myotis keeni) E X X X Small-footed bat (Myotis leibi) P X X Silver-haired bat (Lasionycteris noctivagans) P X X X X Big brown bat (Eptesicus fuscus) P X X X X X Red bat (Lasiurus borealis) E X X X X X Hoary bat (Lasiurus cinereus) P X X X X *Brazilian free-tailed bat (Tadarida brasiliensis) S X

Rabbits Desert cottontail (Sylvilagus auduboni) W X X X Eastern cottontail (Sylvilagus fl oridanus) E X X X X X Black-tailed jackrabbit (Lepus californicus) W X X X White-tailed jackrabbit (Lepus townsendi) G X X X X

Rodents Franklin’s ground squirrel ( franklini) G X Spotted ground squirrel (Spermophilus spilosoma) W X X X Th irteen-lined ground squirrel (Spermophilus tridecemlineatus) G X X X Black-tailed prairie dog (Cynomys ludovicianus) G X X X Fox squirrel (Sciurus niger) E X X X X X Plains pocket gopher ( bursarius) G X X X Plains pocket mouse ( fl avescens) W X X Silky pocket mouse (Perognathus fl avus) W X X X Hispid pocket mouse (Perognathus hispidus) G X X X X Ord’s kangaroo rat (Dipodomys ordi) W X X X X Beaver (Castor canadensis) P X X X Western harvest mouse (Reithrodontomys megalotis) W X X X X Plains harvest mouse (Reithrodontomys montanus) G X X X White-footed mouse (Peromyscus leucopus) P X X X X X X Deer mouse (Peromyscus maniculatus) P X X X X X X X X X X X Northern grasshopper mouse (Onychomys leucogaster) G X X X X *Eastem woodrat (Neotoma fl oridana) S X X X *Southem bog lemming (Synaptomys cooperi) E X Prairie vole ( ochrogaster) G X X Meadow vole (Microtus pennsylvanicus) N X X X

1 Affi nity comes from Armstrong, Choate, and Jones (1986) and relates to geography but is strongly correlated with moisture conditions. Eastern and northern species are generally from moister conditions and western or southwestern species from drier, more desert-like conditions. Ecological categories are limited to those found in Nebraska. P = Widespread, G = Grassland or steppe, N = Northern or boreal, S = Southern or neotropical, E = Eastern or Northeastern, W = Western or southwestern, and I = introduced. *Species marginally occurring in the Sand Hills

199 1 nity Affi Wetlands Northern riparian forest Oak hickory forest Southern riparian forest Oak hickory pine forest forest Coniferous Sand Hills grassland Shortgrass prairie Mixed prairie prairie Tallgrass Shrublands

Muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus) P X X X Meadow jumping mouse (Zapus hudsonius) N X (Erethizon dorsatum) P X X X House mouse (Mus musculus) I Norway rat ( norvegicus) I

Carnivores Coyote (Canis latrans) P X X X X X X X X X Swift fox (Vulpes velox) G X X Red fox (Vulpes vulpes) P X X X X X X X Gray fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus) S X X X X X (Procyon lotor) P X X X X X Long-tailed weasel (Mustela frenata) P X X X X X X X X X X X (Mustela nivalis) N X X X Mink (Mustela vison) P X X X Badger (Taxidea taxus) P X X X X X Spotted skunk (Spilogale putorius) S X X X X X X X Striped skunk (Mephitis mephitis) P X X X X X X X X X X X Bobcat ( rufus) P X X X X X X X

Artiodactyls Elk (Cervus canadensis) P X X X X Mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) P X X X X X X White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) P X X X X X X X Pronghom (Antilocapra americana) G X X X Bison (Bison bison) P X X X X X

From An Atlas of the Sand Hills. Ann S. Bleed & Charles A. Flowerday, Editors. Resource Atlas No. 5b. Th ird edition (expanded)–May 1998. Conservation and Survey Division, Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Nebraska–Lincoln. Pages 193–200.

200