This is a new area and will be under construction for some time.
The initial pages are only an outline and we are asking members to submit content with an item title, a short description, a photograph and a link to a more complete description of the item. Please include sources used. Please send content to newsletter@alamomasternaturalist.org.
Red Fox
In the wild, foxes can live for up to 10 years, but most foxes only live for 2 to 3 years due to hunting, road accidents and diseases. Foxes are generally smaller than other members of the family Canidae such as wolves, jackals, and domestic dogs. Reynards (male foxes) weigh on average, 5.9 kilograms (13 lb) and vixens (female foxes) weigh less, at around 5.2 kilograms (11.5 lb).
Unlike many canids, foxes are not usually pack animals. Typically, they live in small family groups, and are opportunistic feeders that hunt live prey (especially rodents). Using a pouncing technique practised from an early age, they are usually able to kill their prey quickly. Foxes also gather a wide variety of other foods ranging from grasshoppers to fruit and berries. Foxes are omnivores.[7] The diet of foxes is largely made up of invertebrates. However, it also includes rodents, rabbits and other small mammals, reptiles, (such as snakes), amphibians, grasses, berries, fruit, fish, birds, eggs, dung beetles, insects and all other kinds of small animals. Foxes cache excess food, burying it for later consumption, usually under leaves, snow, or soil.
Foxes are readily found in cities and cultivated areas and (depending upon species) seem to adapt reasonably well to human presence.
Mountain Lion
The cougar (Puma concolor), also known as puma, mountain lion, mountain cat, catamount or panther, depending on the region, is a mammal of the family Felidae, native to the Americas. A capable stalk-and-ambush predator, the cougar pursues a wide variety of prey. Primary food sources include ungulates such as deer, elk, moose, and bighorn sheep, as well as domestic cattle, horses and sheep, particularly in the northern part of its range. It will also hunt species as small as insects and rodents. This cat prefers habitats with dense underbrush and rocky areas for stalking, but it can also live in open areas. The cougar is territorial and persists at low population densities. Individual territory sizes depend on terrain, vegetation, and abundance of prey.
Click here to read about Cheryl Hamilton’s encounter with two mountain lions.
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Beaver Skull, Photo by Chris Menzel
Why Discolored Teeth? Have you ever thought about why rodents have discolored teeth…or even noticed? Like most curious things in nature it is a special adaptation that assists in survival. Common rodents include, rats, mice, squirrels, beavers, porcupines, guinea pigs, and beavers to name only a few. Forty percent of mammal species are rodents, and they are found throughout most of the world. Rodents are characterized by two continuously growing incisors in both the upper and lower jaws that must be kept at a constant length by gnawing. Incisors are the front most teeth in the mouth. Rodents must have razor sharp incisors to gnaw through wood, break into nuts and seeds, and for defense against predators. The incisors are composed of two different substances, the front (anterior) portion of the tooth is comprised of a high iron content enamel that creates the yellowish-orange tooth color. The iron content is much harder than the rear (posterior) portion of the tooth which is a softer material called dentine. Therefore, as the animals chew, the softer material wears away faster than the colored harder part so that the teeth are constantly sharpened as they grow. The next time you see a rodent give a moment of appreciation to how Mother Nature gave this creature a special tool to survive. Chris H. Menzel – Alamo Area Master Naturalist.
