Small mammals of the Grand Teton/Yellowstone ecosystem

[West Coast Birder]

Sister thread to the large mammals of GT/YNP thread...

American Pika (@Tom Reichner, these are for you! ). They were busy scurrying around and replenishing their larder.

 

[West Coast Birder]

Golden-mantled ground squirrels.

They are bold, clearly conditioned by people giving them chips, gorp, and other human junk.

 

[West Coast Birder]

Yellow-bellied marmot on Mt. Washburn. There was a hawk circling high above and the marmots were on high alert.

 

[West Coast Birder]

Uinta Ground Squirrel:

 

[West Coast Birder]

Least Chipmunk (another bold and inquisitive species):

 

[West Coast Birder]

North American beaver by the Snake River:

 

[sparker1]

Yellow-bellied marmot on Mt. Washburn. There was a hawk circling high above and the marmots were on high alert.

I was watching a marmot in Colorado some years ago, when suddenly a golden eagle swooped down and carried the marmot away. I never had time to grab the camera.

 

[West Coast Birder]

I was watching a marmot in Colorado some years ago, when suddenly a golden eagle swooped down and carried the marmot away. I never had time to grab the camera.

Wow, that must have been something to behold. Sucks for the marmot though!

 

[Orogeny]

Badgers, Grand Teton NP. I know that they are not rodents, but they do eat them, so, technically, when you see a badger, you are seeing numerous rodents!
Badgers by Tim Herbert, on Flickr

Tim

 

[West Coast Birder]

Badgers, Grand Teton NP. I know that they are not rodents, but they do eat them, so, technically, when you see a badger, you are seeing numerous rodents!
Badgers by Tim Herbert, on Flickr

Tim

They are not easy to see. Secretive fellas.

 

[joayne]

All beautiful images, Sam..
I love Pikas and you've got some great shots of them!
Glad to see no one was taken by eagles on that day!

 

[Tom Reichner]

They are

Sister thread to the large mammals of GT/YNP thread...

American Pika (@Tom Reichner, these are for you! ). They were busy scurrying around and replenishing their larder.

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These are wonderful photos, Sam!

BUT ....... they don't really belong in this thread, because Pika are not rodents. They are not in the order Rodentia. They are Lagomorphs, in the order Lagomorpha, along with rabbits and hares.

As far as I know, there are only 4 types of Lagomorphs living in the Teton & Yellowstone area:

Black-tailed Jackrabbit

American Pika

Cottontail Rabbit (not sure which species)

Snowshoe Hare

I am interested in knowing how many of these 4 species you have photographed in this area.

Perhaps you could start a sister thread, "Lagomorphs of the Grand Teton / Yellowstone Ecosystem"

EDIT: Or ..... you could change the title of this thread to something like: "Lagomorphs and Rodents of the Grand Teton / Yellowstone Ecosystem"



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[Tom Reichner]

Golden-mantled ground squirrels.

They are bold, clearly conditioned by people giving them chips, gorp, and other human junk.

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Superlative Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel images! Of all the species of Ground Squirrels in North America, the Golden-mantled is, by far, my favorite.
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[West Coast Birder]

They are

.
These are wonderful photos, Sam!

BUT ....... they don't really belong in this thread, because Pika are not rodents. They are not in the order Rodentia. They are Lagomorphs, in the order Lagomorpha, along with rabbits and hares.

As far as I know, there are only 4 types of Lagomorphs living in the Teton & Yellowstone area:

Black-tailed Jackrabbit

American Pika

Cottontail Rabbit (not sure which species)

Snowshoe Hare

I am interested in knowing how many of these 4 species you have photographed in this area.

Perhaps you could start a sister thread, "Lagomorphs of the Grand Teton / Yellowstone Ecosystem"

EDIT: Or ..... you could change the title of this thread to something like: "Lagomorphs and Rodents of the Grand Teton / Yellowstone Ecosystem"



.

Indeed, you are quite right, Tom. I knew that... I was going to name my thread "Small mammals of the GT/YNP ecosystem" but for some reason at the last moment, chose rodents instead. I changed the thread title back to what I originally intended.

 

[Tom Reichner]

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Oh great - "small mammals" is perfect, because now it can include the Badgers that Tim added in post #9!

I like the more inclusive approach.
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[Snydremark]

Sister thread to the large mammals of GT/YNP thread...

American Pika (@Tom Reichner, these are for you! ). They were busy scurrying around and replenishing their larder.

Always love some good Pika encounters!

 

[Tom Reichner]

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Depending on one's definition of "small mammals", Coyotes as a species may, or may not, be included in this group. BUT, these siblings are so young that they would fit into anyone's "small mammal" category.

Shot somewhere within the highlighted elliptical area along the road in the northcentral part of the park, as shown on the map below.

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