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قراءة كتاب Mammals of Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado

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Mammals of Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado

Mammals of Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado

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دار النشر: Project Gutenberg
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6.8 in samples of S. v. obscurus, and of 5.9 in a sample of S. v. monticola (Findley, 1955:64, 65) reveals the intermediate size of the specimens from the Mesa Verde. The gap between habitat suitable for Sorex vagrans on the Mesa Verde and the nearest record-station for S. v. monticola to the south and west in the Chuska Mountains is wider than the gap between the Mesa Verde and the nearest record-station for S. v. obscurus to the north and east, one mile west of Mancos, 75971, 7000 feet, or at Silverton. On geographic grounds the specimens from the Mesa Verde are referred to S. v. obscurus. The two specimens from Morfield Canyon were trapped on November 4, 1957, and are grayish above and silvery below. Their pelage contrasts markedly with the dorsally brownish and ventrally buffy pelage of the September-taken specimens from Prater Canyon.

Myotis californicus stephensi Dalquest
California Myotis

Specimens examined.—-Total, 3: Rock Springs, 7400 ft., 69243, 69246, August 21 and 22, 1956; 4505 Denver Museum, within the Park (exact locality not recorded), R.L. Landberg, July 27, 1931.

The specimens from Rock Springs were an adult male and a non-pregnant adult female. Both were shot over the road in pinyon and juniper. The specimens are referred to M. c. stephensi on account of their paleness, stephensi being paler than M. c. californicus from east of Mesa Verde in Colorado.

Myotis evotis evotis (H. Allen)
Long-eared Myotis

Specimens examined.—Total, 4: Chickaree Draw, Prater Canyon, 8200 ft., MV 7841/507, probably in the summer of 1935; Rock Springs, 7400 ft., 69241, August 23, 1956, and 69249, August 18, 1956; Museum, Headquarters, 6950 ft., 69251, August 24, 1956.

An adult male (69241) was taken in a Japanese mist net stretched fifteen feet across a dirt road where it entered the stand of pinyon and juniper at the south edge of the burn on Wetherill Mesa between 7:20 and 8:30 p.m.; at the same place and time I captured five other bats of four species: Myotis thysanodes, Myotis subulatus, Eptesicus fuscus, and Plecotus townsendii. A piece of mist net attached to an aluminum hoop-net two and one half feet in diameter was used to good advantage in capturing bats rebounding from the larger mist net, and in frightening bats into the larger net when they approached closely. An adult male (69249) was shot at 7:20 p.m. while flying six to eight feet from the ground between pinyon trees up to 20 feet high; the air temperature was 70° F. A female (69251) was found seemingly exhausted on the floor in the museum at Park Headquarters in the daytime, and was immature as indicated by small size, open basicranial sutures, unworn teeth, weakly ossified zygoma, and open epiphyseal sutures of phalanges.

Myotis subulatus melanorhinus (Merriam)
Small-footed Myotis

Specimens examined.—Total, 8: Rock Springs, 7400 ft., 69242, 69244, 69245, 69247, 69248, August 21 to 23, 1956; Hospital, Park Headquarters, MV 7886/507, ♂, July 12, 1939; Headquarters, MV 7877/507, ♀, August 30, 1938; 4504 Denver Museum, within the Park (exact locality not recorded), R.L. Landberg, July 27, 1931.

The specimens from Rock Springs are two adult males that were shot, and one adult male, one adult female, and one young male that were netted at the place described in the account of Myotis evotis. The three adult males are near the average color of M. s. melanorhinus, and distinctly darker than the Myotis californicus from the Mesa Verde. In the female the pelage is paler and brighter, and the ears and membranes are darker, than in M. californicus.

Myotis thysanodes thysanodes Miller
Fringed Myotis

Specimen: Rock Springs, 7400 ft., 69250, ad. ♀, August 23, 1956; taken in net as noted in account of Myotis evotis.

Myotis volans interior Miller
Long-legged Myotis

Specimen: Rock Springs, 7400 ft., 69252, ad. ♀, August 21, 1956; shot over road.

Eptesicus fuscus pallidus Young
Big Brown Bat

Specimen: Rock Springs, 7400 ft., 69253, ad. ♀, August 23, 1956; taken in net as noted in account of Myotis evotis.

Plecotus townsendii pallescens (Miller)
Townsend's Big-eared Bat

Specimens examined.—Total, 5: Rock Springs, 7400 ft., 69254, ad. ♀, non-pregnant, August 23, 1956; Square Tower House, 6700 ft., 69255–69258, March, 1955.

The specimen from Rock Springs was taken in a net as noted in the account of Myotis evotis. The specimens from Square Tower House were obtained by D. Watson in a dimly lighted chamber formed by fracture in the rocks at the bottom of the canyon wall, above the talus slope. The bats were suspended from the wall of the chamber, which was at least six feet wide and fifteen feet long.

Tadarida brasiliensis mexicana (Saussure)
Brazilian Free-tailed Bat

Specimens examined.—Total, 2: Cliff Palace, 6800 ft., MV 7862/507 and 7863/507, males, both collected by A.E. Borell, on August 23, 1936.

Lepus californicus texianus Waterhouse
Black-tailed Jackrabbit

The black-tailed jackrabbit inhabits the Montezuma Valley to the north of the Mesa Verde and the Mancos Valley to the northeast, and has been seen occasionally on the top of the Mesa according to reports with date and locality noted in the files at the Park for the years 1941, 1942, 1947, 1948, 1950, and 1951. In 1942 four observations were made, in 1950 and 1951 two observations were recorded each year, and in other years only one observation was recorded each year. Nine observations are for Chapin Mesa south of Far View; only two observations are for higher elevations on the North Rim.

Sylvilagus audubonii warreni Nelson
Desert Cottontail

Specimens examined.—Total, 2: Head of Prater Canyon, MV 7850/507; Far View Ruins, 75974, ad. ♀, non-pregnant, November 8, 1957.

One specimen was shot, while it was sitting near a pile of logs, by J.R. Alcorn by means of a bow and arrow. Although S. audubonii occurs on the Mesa along with S. nuttallii, S. audubonii is the species of the lowlands throughout the western United States at the latitude of Mesa Verde National Park. For example, S. a. warreni (69260) but not S. n. pinetis was obtained along the east side of the Mancos River at 6200 feet elevation (less than 50 yards outside the Park) and the same was true at the same elevation at a place 4½ mi. N of the Park (No. 69259 from 2 mi. E Cortez).

Sylvilagus nuttallii pinetis (J.A. Allen)
Nuttall's Cottontail

Specimens examined.—Total, 3: ad. ♂, 69263, skull only, dead on road, 1¾ mi. N Park Headquarters, 7275 feet, August 9, 1956; ad. ♀, 69261, no embryos, dead on road, ¾ mi. S and 1¾ mi. W Park Point, 8000 ft, August 8, 1956; ad. ♂, 69262, shot in brushy area on the burn on Wetherill Mesa 2 mi. NNW Rock Springs, 7900 ft., August 24, 1956.

Nuttall's cottontail in Colorado is in general the cottontail of the highlands, and the three localities just mentioned are on the top of the Mesa Verde.

Sciurus aberti mimus Merriam
Abert's Squirrel

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