University of Nebraska - Lincoln DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln Papers in Natural Resources Natural Resources, School of May 1998 Mammals [of the Sand Hills] Patricia W. Freeman University of Nebraska-Lincoln, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/natrespapers Part of the Natural Resources and Conservation Commons Freeman, Patricia W., "Mammals [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 species 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 rats, prairie in the Sand Hills, with an additional three pear to be a barrier to the distribution of voles, 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 shrew, jumping Niobrara River. Nebraska as a whole is a southern species that during a warm- mouse, meadow vole, and muskrat. 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 mammal, the olive-backed pocket mouse, moving; the dense grass microhabitat is fa- species or are specifi c to the grasslands 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 dune top to together because of the mosaic of sand and ing west, al though some of the latter have interdunal wetland and river bank, provide grass (Lemen and Freeman, 1986). Ord’s kangaroo rat Nebraska Game 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 United States, Th is native prairie is owned by the Nature 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 desert cottontail and the black-tailed Sand Hills ( Jones, 1964). Of the shrews 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 grassland 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, ponds, 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 Nebraska National Forest 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 mole, 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 rodents 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 Ne braska 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 squirrels, consisting of three personal communication). A single kan- mouse is found in drier, upland habitat and ground squirrels, a prairie dog, and a tree garoo rat, Ord’s kan garoo rat, gets into is less common than the western har vest squirrel, are distributed in the Sand Hills. the state from the southwest and reach- mouse, which is found in several habitats, Franklin’s ground squirrel 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 animal 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). prairie dog 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 plant er hand, although a widespread species, is western species found in dry habitats and that was over a meter tall, re searchers 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.