1. Arizona Mammals Not all of them

2. Mammals

3. Common Mammals Mammals are tricky to study and observe. They are mostly nocturnal. They tend to hide. They tend to be quiet. They have good senses of smell, sight and hearing.

4. Elk A large bull can weigh as much as 1,200 lbs. but will range usually from 600 to 800 lbs.

5. Bulls sparing

6. This is an elk track.

7. Elk Calf

8. Elk cow and calf

9. Elk Cow Do not have antlers. Are smaller than the bulls. They have two young on average. They live in herds for protection.

10. Another elk cow

12. This cow has her rump hair raised in alarm.

13. Watch where you drive! Elk are found in the northern and eastern parts of our state. During mornings and early evenings elk can be seen moving along roadways.

14. Elk Distribution Map

15. Mule Deer

16. Mule deer doe Does are smaller than bucks. They have 1 to 2 fawns per year. Does tend to stay in herds for protection. They do not have antlers.

17. Mule Deer Buck Older bucks are larger and have bigger antlers. Females examine the size of the rack to determine if she wants to mate with the buck.

19. Bucks fight for the chance to mate for females. The antlers can also be used in defense.

20. Mule deer have excellent sight and hearing.

21. Fawn Fawns are born with spots to help with camouflage. They lose the spots as they get older. Most do not live long enough to reach their first birthday.

22. Characteristics Mule deer got their name from their large ears. They also have a white rump with a black tipped tail. They weigh between 125- 350 lbs.

23. White tailed deer

24. Flagging White tailed Deer The white tailed deer gets its name from the flagging of its tail when it feels threatened. The tail signals to predator that they have been spotted.

25. Bambi White tail fawns also have spots. When a predator is near, the doe runs away from her fawn. The fawn remains motionless until mom returns.

27. Herd of does Herds can be as large as thirty individuals.

28. Antler Size The antlers of the white tail deer are much smaller than mule deer or elk.

29. Coyote

30. Coyotes can be found all over Arizona They have been spotted in the fields in Gilbert

32. Coyote Food Coyotes are the size of a medium dog- about 20-40 lbs. They are omnivores and opportunistic feeders. Given a chance, they will kill and eat small pets.

33. Coyote Tracks

34. Coyote Pup Female coyotes can have up to 16 pups at a time!

36. Jack Rabbit

37. Long Ears The ears of the jack rabbit are designed to lose heat thus keeping the rabbit cool.

38. Baby Jackrabbits Jack rabbits can have as many as 10 young, but usually only have 2-4. They can breed up to 5 times a year. They young are born fully furred, with open eyes, and can run.

40. Food Jack Rabbits are vegetarians. They are eaten by coyotes, wolves, bears, bobcats, and mountain lions.

42. Jack Rabbit Tracks Front Hind

43. Javelina

44. Baby Javelina

45. Not A Pig !

46. Javelinas are in their own family group. They are not pigs because they have only 3 toes on the back feet and their top tusks point down instead of up.

47. Javelina Food The roof of the mouth is so tough, they can eat cactus without pain!

48. Great sense of smell, lousy eyesight!

49. Javelina Only 30-60 lbs. They are very smelly. You might smell a javelina before you see it.

50. Round Tailed Ground Squirrels

51. Eats mostly seeds, but can also eat cactus fruit, leaves, and grasses.

52. These are ground squirrels. They dig burrows beneath shrubs. If they sense danger, they scurry for their burrow.

53. Harris’ Antelope Squirrel

54. Notice the white stripe!

55. These guys can be seen at the zoo begging for food. Harris’ squirrels do not live in trees. They are ground dwellers.

57. Wood Rat

58. Rats as history teachers The wood rat is also known as the packrat. Archeologists study pack rat middens for clues about history including climate, animal bones, and human artifacts.

59. Pack Rat Midden

61. Dried urine surrounds and protects artifacts in the midden

62. Prolific Breeders Packrats can have up to 5 litters a year with up to 15 pups per litter! Snakes help keep the population under control.

64. Prairie Dog

65. In 1900, one prairie dog town had more than 4 million individuals. Ranchers poisoned them to stop the holes from being dug.

66. The Look Out One prairie dog will watch for danger. When danger is spotted, the lookout utters a sharp whistle and the town run for cover in the burrows.

67. Disease Carriers Prairie dogs can carry the plague. Colonies in Flagstaff have regular outbreaks!

68. A Little Pack of Prairie Dog Pups!

71. Difficult Mammals to Spot These mammals are hard to see for a variety of reasons: Nocturnal Rare Live in tough terrain Very wary

72. Ring Tailed Cat

73. Not a Cat! Ring tails are not related to cats, but are related to raccoons. The large eyes let them see very well at night.

74. Hunters extraordinaire They are excellent hunters. They kill rodents and insects by the hundreds.

75. Ring tailed Cat Baby-Ahhh

76. Look at those teeth!

77. This is the Arizona state mammal.

79. Big Horn Sheep

80. Special hooves grip the sides of hills. They can run up and down at the same speed!

82. Big horn sheep track

83. This herd was photographed by canyon lake

84. Rams have large horns. The older the ram, the larger the horns. This male is at least ten years old and is in his prime.

86. I’m checking you out. Rams will examine each other’s horns. If one male has horns that are larger, there is no battle.

87. Fighting Rams

88. Ewes have smaller horns.

89. Ewe With a Kid Most ewes only have one kid at a time. Twins are rare.

90. What a cute kid!

92. Bobcat

93. Named for the short tail Bobcats weigh up to 20 lbs. They are very fierce for their size.

94. Bobcat Kitten

95. Bobcat’s have very long legs compared to their body size.

96. Bobcats can be found all over Arizona. They have a beautiful spotted coats!

97. Bobcat tracks

100. Black Footed Ferret

101. Very rare! Considered to be the rarest mammal in North America.

102. Historic Range The tan area shows where ferrets used to live. The brown circles show where the ferrets are being released into the wild.

103. Tube shaped body to go into prairie dog towns

104. Depend upon prairie dogs! The main prey item is the prairie dog. Ranchers killed prairie dogs by the millions which led to the decline of the ferret.

105. Curious George Ferrets are very curious animals and like to explore new situations.

107. They are nocturnal.

108. Jaguar

109. Camo Coat The spotted coat helps hide the cat in the jungle.

110. Yes, there are jaguars in AZ! Males can weigh up to 200lbs. They are occasionally seen within 60 miles of Tucson.

111. Two jaguars were seen in 2004 in AZ!!!

112. You look yummy….. Jaguars are not picky eaters. They have been seen to eat over 85 different types of prey. They use stealth to ambush prey.

114. Mountain Lion

115. Big Cat Male mountain lions weight about 125 lbs while females weigh 100 lbs on average.

116. Mountain Lion Tracks

117. Size They are about 6 feet long from head to tail.

118. Mountain lions can be found all over the state. They can be found very close to Phoenix.

119. If you come across a mountain lion, make yourself look as big as possible. Make a lot of noise. DO NOT RUN!!!

120. Cubs

121. Mountain lions have been seen very close to the valley. Be careful at the lakes!