"White dune landscape, White Sands National Monument, 2016." by U.S. National Park Service , public domain
White SandsMammals |
Brochure about Common Mammals of White Sands National Park (NP) in New Mexico. Published by the National Park Service (NPS).
White Sands
National Park Service
Department of the Interior
White Sands National Monument
Common Mammals of White Sands
NPS historic photo of a coyote catching a mouse
W
hile visiting White Sands National Monument, it is very unlikely that
you will see any of our resident mammals. They have adapted to the
hot summers of the Tularosa Basin by hiding in their dens until it cools
down, leaving behind only their footprints from their nightly hunting.
Pallid bats can be found roosting in
many areas, such as the visitor center.
They are identified by their large ears
and light-colored fur. These winged
mammals can eat insects in the air
like other bats, but locate most of
their food on the ground while
walking around. Their large ears
help them to hear their prey’s
footsteps. They eat insects like
scorpions and crickets, but also
lizards and rodents.
The Apache pocket mouse is an
endemic subspecies to White Sands
and is one of the few residents of the
dunes. It is named for the large fur
lined pockets in their cheeks that hold
hundreds of seeds when the mouse
forages. It is light in coloration, which
helps it blend with the sand. It is
a favorite snack of the kit fox. The
Apache pocket mouse extracts
all of its water from the food it
digests. It can go its entire life
without ever drinking water.
The kangaroo rat has a few tricks
to help escape predators. It uses its
long hind legs to distance itself from
potential predators . While running,
the kangaroo rat will use its long tail as
a rudder to change direction suddenly.
Mainly found in vegetated areas of the
monument, the kangaroo rat is 13
inches in length, eight of which are
its tail. This amazing animal is also
able to jump up to ten feet high if
scared. That is like a three foot child
leaping over a six story building!
Pocket gophers at White Sands
are found in areas that are sparsely
vegetated. They will spend most of
their life in burrows, occasionally
coming out to find a mate or forage.
Their diet consists of plants such as
four wing saltbush and Indian rice
grass. They fall prey to predators
who know to look for gopher
mounds, such as badgers and
coyotes. At White Sands their coat
can range from reddish to a sandy
brown to yellowish-white.
Pallid Bat
Antozous pallidus
Apache Pocket Mouse
Perognathus flavescens Apachii
Kangaroo Rat
Dipodomys spectabilis
Pocket Gopher
Geomys spp.
To learn more about White Sands, visit http://www.nps.gov/whsa
Porcupine
The porcupine is North America’s
second largest rodent. The porcupine
lives in a variety of habitats. At White
Sands, the porcupine lives in the
highly vegetated areas at the edges
of the dunefield. Porcupines are the
only mammal in North America with
antibiotics in its skin. This helps the
porcupine heal after it falls out of a
tree, trying to reach for tender buds,
and is poked with its own quills.
They eat buds, roots, and bark. The
porcupine is not as commonly seen
today as it was a few decades ago.
The desert cottontail can be found
around the visitor center and in
the desert scrub habitats of the
monument. In the summer they are
usually found shading themselves
from the heat and are active at night.
In the cooler months they can be
seen at all hours of the day. The
desert cottontail can run half as
fast as the jackrabbit (20 mph)
but has the comfort of a burrow
to hide from predators. They are
strictly vegetarians and eat grasses
and leaves.
The black-tailed jackrabbit is dubbed
so because it has a large black line
running from the top of its tail to
its rump. It can be found where the
dunes meet the desert. Sometimes
they become a meal for the coyote. It
can outrun a coyote at speeds of up
to 40 mph. It cannot endure a long
flight and since it does not burrow,
it has to depend on its speed to
outdistance predators. Jackrabbit
kits are born fully formed and are
able to forage for themselves in
about two weeks.
Erethizon dorsatum
Desert Cottontail
Sylvalgus audobonii
Black-Tailed Jackrabbit
Lepus californicus
Kit Fox
The Chihuahua-size kit fox is the
largest animal that lives in the
dunefield. It weighs about five
pounds. Unlike other canines, it is
not a pack animal. This nocturnal
animal eats mostly small animals
such as kangaroo rats, Apache pocket
mice, insects, lizards, and snakes.
It has large ears for listening, also
used to dissipate heat. Kit foxes at
White Sands have fur in between
their toes to help give them traction
in the sand. Great horned owls prey
on the kit fox.
The badger is in the same family as
the weasel. These nocturnal animals
are found along the outer edges of
the dunefield where there is more
vegetation. Badgers have a strong
sense of smell that helps them locate
their prey. They use their huge claws,
which can be up to two inches long,
to dig burrows and unearth their
prey. Rodents, reptiles, and insects
are mainstays of the badger diet.
Badgers are quite aggressive, but
some have been observed playing
and even hunting with coyotes!
This furry fella is as iconic of the
southwest as his larger cousin the
wolf is of the northwest. Coyotes
can be found on the fringes of the
dunefield among the Chihuahuan
Desert scrub. They are active in the
early evenings and mornings, but
are occasionally spotted in the day.
Coyotes eat anything from rodents
to road kill. This canine is very
successful and highly adaptable to
different environs like the other
mammals at White Sands.
The bobcat can be found on the
outskirts of the dunefield at White
Sands. The bobcat’s nocturnal
lifestyle allows it to depend on
stealth, and not pursuit, to catch
its prey. Its meal of choice is small
rodents. It will also eat ground
nesting birds and even insects.
It looks larger and furrier than
domestic cats but is no match for
the mountain lion. Bobcats are
solitary by nature and have a range
that extends several miles.
Vulpes macrotis
Badger
Taxidea taxus
Coyote
Canis latrans
Bobcat
Lynx rufus
Revised 04/03/2016