KS Mammals

Eastern spotted skunk

A Mustelid on the threatened species list in KS Restoration efforts have occurred near Dodge on the Arkansas River

Big brown bat

A bat that is likely to be found roosting in buildings or other human settlements

Eastern red bat

A bat that is most likely to be found roosting in trees Solitary

Antlers

A branched bony protuberance found on Deer that is shed each year

Swift fox

A canidae of short grass prairie areas

Coyote

A canidae that can live in a pack or solo and go back and forth between the two. A canidae that can respond to environmental capabilities by adjusting its breeding rate Very adaptable critter!

Red fox

A canidae that lives statewide in cities, towns, and areas with cover

Gray Fox

A canine that lives in forested areas of eastern Kansas Capable of climbing trees!

Mule deer

A deer of arid and open areas of western KS

White-tailed deer

A deer that lives statewide around cover... may be outcompeting their rival species in western KS

Fox squirrel

A familiar rodent of cities/towns and woodland areas... lovers of this have transplanted them into every city in KS, but they've also benefited from ecological succession

Canidae Family (Canines)

A family of Carnivore that have long muscular muzzles Includes the Fox and Coyote

Mustilidae Family (Mustelids)

A family of Carnivore that have low, long bodies and well adapted musk glands Includes Badger, Skunk, Weasels

Felidae Family (Cats)

A family of Carnivore that includes animals with retractable claws Like the Cougar!

Procyonidae Family (Raccoons)

A family of Carnivores that includes plantigrade animals with ringed tails and large brains Like the Ringtail

Cervidae (Deer Family)

A family of Ungulates that has antlered forms

Bovidae (Cattle Family)

A family of Ungulates with true horns... The Bison is in this Fam

Scuridae Family (Squirrels)

A family of bushy tailed and mostly diurnal rodents

Family Castoridae (Beaver)

A family of rodents that are adapted to aquatic environments and are a significant keystone species... named for the castor glands that are used in territory defense

Family Erethizondiae (Porcupine)

A family of rodents that includes large animals equipped with thousands of quills for defense

Geomyidae Family (Pocket Gophers)

A family of rodents that live essentially their entire life in underground tunnel systems Their incisors are ALWAYS showing

Family Heteromydae (Pocket Mice)

A family of rodents with cheek patches, long back legs and tails that they hop on

Pronghorn Family

A family that contains the fastest land mammal in North America Sheds the horn sheath each year

Bobcat

A felidae that eats rodents, birds, and especially Cottontails.

Beaver

A keystone species type of Rodent that well adapted to live in aquatic areas Builds dams that house numerous other species of wildlife Castor canadensis

Eastern Cottontail

A lagomorph species with altricial young A rabbit species

Black-tailed Jackrabbit

A lagomorph with precocial young A hare species

Family Cricetidae (Mice, Voles)

A large family of rodents that includes small animals with large eyes and ears and long tails that are not bushy

Cougar

A large felidae that only occasionally wanders into Kansas No reproducing population of this species exists in Kansas

Townsend's big-eared bat

A moth specialist

Striped skunk

A mustelid with a viscous and very musky defense mechanism... killed only by vehicles and birds that cannot smell!

Southern Flying Squirrel

A nocturnal squirrel of dense woodlands of eastern Kansas

Norway rat

A nuisance rodent that arrived in USA from European ships... The most prolific breeding rodent that causes major crop damage

House mouse

A nuisance rodent that arrived in USA from European ships... very common Causes great amounts of damage by chewing crops and household wires

Delayed Implantation

A phenomenon in which the sperm remains dormant in the uterus until a suitable day length enables it to fertilize the egg Practiced by Bats and some Carniovrans

Long-tailed weasel

A powerful long-bodied Mustelid capable of taking prey twice its size

American badger

A powerful long-bodied Mustelid on prairie areas... builds its own den that in turn creates homes for many other species... Will eat pretty much anything it can wrangle down, especially loves Prairie Dogs and other burrowing rodents that it digs out Can work alongside Coyotes

Mink

A powerful long-bodied Mustelid... preys primarily on Muskrat and other animals in wetland areas

Black-footed ferret

A powerful long-bodied Mustelid... preys primarily on Prairie Dogs in western KS... Endangered, it's the rarest of all mammals in KS

Thirteen-lined ground squirrel

A rodent in the squirrel family that is found in open areas of western KS, especially in agricultural areas Burrows and Dens underground

Woodchuck

A rodent in the squirrel family that is found in wooded areas of eastern KS... AKA Groundhog

Black-tailed prairie dog

A rodent in the squirrel family that is too amazing to write about in a small Quizlet place so just study them otherwise

Ord's Kangaroo rat

A rodent that has large cheek pouches and large back feet... a jumping mouse! Dens in sandy soils Can go without drinking surface water

North American porcupine

A rodent that is protected by thousands of quills It's chewing of tree bark can be seen high in trees during the winter Preyed on by Cougars

Plains pocket gopher

A rodent that is well adapted for a fossorial life... distinctive burrows can be seen in sandy soil areas

Southern plains woodrat

A rodent within the family of Mice/Voles... known as packrat... builds nests in trees or under cover with any old random stuff it finds

Hispid cotton rat

A rodent within the family of mice/voles

Prairie vole

A rodent within the family of mice/voles... Important food source for larger Prey Makes trails that can be easily seen in grassland areas

Muskrat

A rodent within the family of mice/voles... always found in aquatic situations and builds lodges out of grass it has gnawed down Preyed on by Mink

Deer mouse

A rodent within the family of mice/voles... important food source for larger Prey Very common

Carnassial Apparatus

A special dental adaptation of all carnivores... the first molar used for crushing bone

Brazilian free-tailed bat

A species that carries white-nosed syndrome... roosts in large numbers together in Kansas caves One of the most economically beneficial wildlife species in existence The most gregarious species of mammal in the world

Gray Squirrel

A squirrel species of eastern Kansas deciduous woodlands and cities

Nest

A structure in which a mammal constructs in order to carry out the process of raising babies, and sometimes for shelter

Rabbits

A type of Lagomorph that has altricial young... like the Cottontails

Hares

A type of Lagomorph that has precocial young... like the Black-tailed Jackrabbit

Raccoon

A very versatile Carnivoran ... generalist for days

Myotis

A word for any small species of bat that is gregarious and capable of sharing WNS in their hibernacula

Nocturnal

Active at Night

Crepuscular

Active at dawn or dusk

Diurnal

Active during the day

Elliot's short-tailed shrew

An animal well adapted to a fossorial lifestyle

Least shrew

An animal well adapted to a fossorial lifestyle... the smallest mammal... can be found through much of KS

Den/Burrow

An area in which a mammal digs out of the ground for cover, rest, and raising young

Maternal Roost

An area in which female bats raise and rear their pups

Riparian Area

An area of cover including woody plants and trees along a river or body of water

Eastern Mole

An extreme digger with eyes that do not even function... but an amazing ability to feast on Earthworms in fossorial environments

Order Lagomorpha (Rabbits and Hares)

An order of Mammals that includes short-tailed herbivorous animals with typically long ears Engage in cophraphy, when they eat their own poo poo

Order Chiroptera (Bats)

An order of Mammals that: Have hollow bones Enormous Pecs #goals Skin membranes over long fingers and running down body... WINGS! FLIGHT!

Artiodactyla (Even-toed Ungulates)

An order of herbivorous mammals characterized by hooves, double digestion in a four chambered stomach, and the presence of antlers or horns Ruminants

Order Cingulata (Armadillos)

An order of mammal that consists of armored animals with peg-like teeth

Order Eulipotphyla (Shrews and Moles)

An order of mammals that consists of animals well adapted to fossorial lifestyles... very limited vision but strong sense of touch

Order Rodentia (Rodents)

An order of mammals that includes species with large and continually growing incisors, and therefore animals with a gnawing lifestyle

Order Carnivora (Carnivores)

An order of mammals that includes species with well developed canines and a carnassial apparatus on the lower molars

Order Didelimorphia (Opossums)

An order of marsupial mammals in which young mostly develop in a Jill's pouch

Virgina Opossum

An unusual mammal that has more teeth than any other KS mammals... a generalist to the extreme.. a marsupial that may have babies many times per year

Nine-banded Armadillo

An unusual mammal that is protected by nine armored plates and that has undifferetiated peg teeth

Browsing

Feeding on twigs and leaves of woody plants

Horns

Protuberances that originate from the skull, are not branched, and are never shed

Incisors

Teeth that are used for cutting and gnawing

Molars

Teeth that are used for grinding

Canines

Teeth that are used for subduing prey

Diestema

The arch on the jaw between the two incisors and the molars, present in Rodent skulls

Hibernaculum

The area in which a mammal utilizes to hibernate

Carrion

The dead decaying flesh of dead animals

Cleft Palate

Ungulates posses incisors only on the lower jaw

Black bear

Most recent Kansas record was a few years ago in far sw KS, but may still show up there or in southeast KS

Least Weasel

One of the smallest carniovorans in the whole world Likes eating Cottontails

Silver-haired bat

Only a migrant through Kansas Frequently killed at wind turbines

Bison

This Bovidae was once very abundant, now only found in private collections

Wapiti (Elk)

This large deer was once very abundant, now rarely wanders into Kansas or in a population at Fort Riley

Pronghorn

This ungulate lives in short grass prairie of western KS