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(Mostly) Wild Mammals
(class Mammalia,
subphylum Vertebrata, phylum Chordata, kingdom Animalia, domain Eukaryota)
Virginia Opossum (Didelphis virginiana, Didelphidae family, Didelphimorphia order, Marsupials, Metatheria infraclass, Theria subclass)
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Virginia Opossum
(Didelphis virginiana), seen at
10 pm, Durham, NC, 9/2/12 |
Virginia Opossum
(Didelphis virginiana), looking in the direction of bird feeders.
Durham, NC, 12/20/10 |
Virginia Opossum
(Didelphis virginiana) turning around when being observed |
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California Sea Lions (Zalophus californianus, family Otariidae,
suborder Caniformia, order Carnivora, infraclass Eutheria, subclass Theria)
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Sea lions (definitely not two males) taking it easy, San Francisco, CA, 8/6/07 |
Male sea lions jostling for position, San Francisco,
CA, 8/6/07 |
The same male sea lions after all was settled and decided, San Francisco, CA, 8/6/07 |
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Collared Peccary or Javelina (Pecari tajacu, Tayassuidae family, Artiodactyla order, Eutheria infraclass, Theria subclass)
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Javelina (or Collared Peccary), Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park, Mission, Hidalgo County, TX, 11/15/19 |
Two little Javelinas facing off, Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park, Mission, Hidalgo County, TX, 11/15/19 |
Javelina (or Collared Peccary), Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park, Mission, Hidalgo County, TX, 11/15/19 |
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Mule Deer (Odocoileus hemionus, subfamily Capreolinae, family Cervidae, order
Artiodactyla, Eutheria infraclass, Theria subclass)
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Mule Deer doe and
fawns, Angel Island, Marin County, CA, 10/4/12 |
Mule Deer stag,
Angel Island, Marin County, CA, 10/4/12 |
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White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus, subfamily Capreolinae, family Cervidae, order
Artiodactyla, Eutheria infraclass, Theria subclass)
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White-tailed Deer, in
a Durham, NC front yard, 9/20/11. |
White-tailed Deer, Durham, NC, 12/13/20 |
White-tailed Deer,
Third Fork Trail, Durham, NC, 7/25/11. This doe was not afraid of
people and came close to the trail. |
White-tailed Deer
fawn peeking at me
from under its mother, Durham, NC, 10/7/11 |
White-tailed Deer doe and fawn, Zebulon, NC, 8/08. Photo
by Cindy Privette. |
Deer, Goose
Creek State Park, Beaufort County, NC, 3/12/12. It was
hiding behind a bush. |
Coyote (Canis latrans, Canidae family, Carnivora order, Eutheria infraclass, Theria subclass)
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Coyote, one of two
that ran across the road between two wooded areas in Diamondhead, MS,
10/17/10. |
Southern Short-tailed Shrew (Blarina carolinensis, Blarinellini tribe, Soricinae subfamily, Soricidae family, Soricomorpha order, Eutheria infraclass, Theria subclass)
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Southern Short-tailed Shrew, showing vestigial eye |
Same Southern Short-tailed Shrew, showing foot |
Same Southern Short-tailed Shrew, showing everything but its furry tail |
Same Southern Short-tailed Shrew |
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Raccoons (Procyon Iotor, Procyonidae family, Carnivora order)
The right birdfeeder can help you get great
raccoon photos if you can't get to a wild place like South Lido Park in Florida.
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Young raccoon, Durham, NC, 7/6/09, attempting to get at a bird feeder. |
Young raccoon that came to
visit the birdfeeders late at night, Durham, NC, 12/1/12 |
Young raccooms leaving the
birdfeeder area, Durham, NC, 12/1/12 |
Raccoon, South Lido Park, Sarasota area, FL,
2/10/03. Raccoons here are abundant and often wander down
the street to local hotels, generally at night. |
Raccoon, Durham, 5/24/05 (12:04 am).
This one was caught not only red-handed but in an awkward position for
escape. Note the hand-like left hind paw. |
Cottontail Rabbits (Sylvilagus genus, Leporidae family, Lagomorpha order, Eutheria infraclass, Theria subclass)
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Eastern Cottontail Rabbit (Sylvilagus floridanus) eating vegetation, Durham, NC, 6/29/20 |
Eastern Cottontail Rabbit (Sylvilagus floridanus), Durham, NC, 6/28/20 |
Swamp Rabbit (Sylvilagus aquaticus),
Pine Knoll Shores, Carteret County, NC, 7/23/08, was eating leaves |
Eastern Chipmunks
(Tamias striatus, Marmotini tribe, Xerinae subfamily, Sciuridae family, Rodentia order, Eutheria infraclass, Theria subclass)
We in the Piedmont are at the edge of the
Eastern Chipmunk range according to
the 2005 report
North Carolina Gap Analysis Project: Species Report: Eastern Chipmunk (Tamias striatus).
The link to this site was
furnished by Jean Bohs of Durham County, NC, who has also provided one of the photos
below.
Many people in Piedmont NC have reported seeing
them in residential neighborhoods. However, Harry LeGrand says that he has
seen very few in natural areas around here.
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Eastern Chipmunk, Moses Cone Memorial Park, Watauga County, NC, 6/6/17 |
Eastern Chipmunk, Boone Gardens, Watauga County, NC, 5/31/22 |
Eastern Chipmunk, Peaks of Otter, Bedford County, VA, 8/22/18 |
Eastern Chipmunk,
Johnston Mill Nature Preserve, Orange
County, NC, 2/7/09. This was my first sighting of an Eastern Chipmunk in
the Piedmont.
Hilton Pond has some perspectives from far northwestern South
Carolina. |
Eastern Chipmunk,
northern Durham County, NC, 3/11/06.
Photo taken by Jean Bohs of Chippy, who has showed up regularly for 5
years. |
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Fox Squirrel (Sciurus niger,
subfamily Sciurinae, family Sciuridae, suborder Sciuromorpha, order Rodentia, Eutheria infraclass, Theria subclass)
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This Southern Fox Squirrel (S. n. niger) was larger
than Gray Squirrels, and climbed a tree rather laboriously. Note
the very long tail. This squirrel appeared in Pinehurst, Moore
County, NC on 3/23/09. |
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Texas Fox Squirrel (S. n. limitis), Quinta Mazatlan, McAllen, Hidalgo County, TX, 12/2/17 |
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Red Squirrel (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus,
subfamily Sciurinae, family Sciuridae, suborder Sciuromorpha, order Rodentia,
infraclass Eutheria, subclass Theria)
Eastern Gray Squirrel (Spermophilus carolinensis, subfamily Sciurinae, family Sciuridae, suborder
Sciuromorpha, order Rodentia, infraclass Eutheria, subclass Theria)
The species name is based on
the
Animal Diversity Sciurinae page.
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Eastern Gray Squirrels
starting a mating ritual,
Durham, NC, 12/11/12 |
Eastern Gray
Squirrel, with a nut, Durham, NC, 10/23/11 |
Eastern Gray Squirrel,
Durham, 1/10/06.
This squirrel was apparently building a nest. |
Eastern Gray Squirrel,
Durham, 2/28/07, also building a
nest, apparently. Don't ask me what that mud-colored ball is for! |
Eastern Gray Squirrel,
where squirrels should be! Durham, NC, 12/12/08 |
Eastern Gray Squirrel,
Durham, NC, 11/7/09 |
Doing the sensible thing and putting a birdfeeder
on a pole in the yard can deprive you of hours of free Gray Squirrel entertainment.
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2/6/05. After birdfeeder dismantling
and shortly after birdfeeder repair and relocation. A pose easily
mistaken for remorse, but actually a curious searching for the source of
the flashing light. |
Close to the door investigating potential
predator. (You've got to blink sometime!) |
Return to the attack! Stage One:
crossing over to the bird feeder. |
Stage Two: Hanging by your toes,
reaching the top of the bird feeder. |
Stage Three: reaching the bottom of the
bird feeder. Shaking it causes seeds to fall out. |
Upon mission completion, scrambling back to
safety. |
Groundhog (Marmota monax, family Sciuridae, order Rodentia, Eutheria infraclass, Theria subclass)
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Groundhog, Museum of Life & Science, Durham, NC, 6/18/17 |
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Coypu or Nutria (Myocaster coypus, tribe Myocastorini, subfamily Echimyinae, family Echimyidae, superfamily Octodontoidea, order Rodentia, Eutheria infraclass, Theria subclass)
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Coypu
(better known as Nutria in the US), Turnbull Center, Port Aransas, Nueces County, TX, 2/20/14 |
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North American Beaver (Castor canadensis, family Castoridae, order Rodentia, Eutheria infraclass, Theria subclass)
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Beaver, Goose Creek State Park, Beaufort County, NC, 7/13/18 |
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Bobcat (Lynx rufus, Felinae subfamily, Felidae family, Feliformia suborder, Carnivora order, Eutheria infraclass, Theria subclass)
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Bobcat, Abbott's Lagoon, Point Reyes National Seashore, Marin County, CA, 5/8/16 |
Same Bobcat |
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Other Mammals
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Cat,
Ocracoke, 5/15/03. This
picture wasn't posed (and, OK, the cat probably wasn't wild.) |
Pony, Ocracoke Island, 5/12/04. This
sleek pony could have come out of a movie. |
This pony, same time and place, looks
somewhat skinny. |
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© Copyright 2005-2019 Dorothy E. Pugh