The Mammals of Texas

ORDER CARNIVORA

Family Canidae (canids)

Coyote, Canislatrans; Gray Wolf, Canislupus; Red Wolf, Canisrufus; Swift or Kit Fox, Vulpesvelox; Red Fox, Vulpesvulpes; Common Gray Fox, Urocyoncinereoargenteus

Family Ursidae (bears)

Black Bear, Ursusamericanus; Grizzly or Brown Bear, Ursusarctos

Family Procyonidae (procyonids)

Ringtail, Bassariscusastutus; Northern Raccoon, Procyonlotor; White-nosed Coati, Nasuanarica

Family Mustelidae (mustelids)

Long-tailed Weasel, Mustelafrenata; Black-footed Ferret, Mustelanigripes; Mink, Mustelavison; American Badger, Taxideataxus; Western Spotted Skunk, Spilogalegracilis; Eastern Spotted Skunk, Spilogaleputorius; Hooded Skunk, Mephitismacroura; Striped Skunk, Mephitismephitis; North American Hog-nosed Skunk, Conepatusleuconotus; Northern River Otter, Lontracanadensis

Family Phocidae

Monachus tropicalis

Family Felidae (cats)

Mountain Lion, Pumaconcolor; Ocelot, Leopardispardalis; Margay, Leopardiswiedii; Jaguarundi, Pumayagouaroundi; Jaguar, Pantheraonca; Bobcat, Lynxrufus

KEY TO THE CARNIVORES OF TEXAS

  1. Catlike; total number of teeth 30 or less; claws retractile: 2

Not catlike; total number of teeth 34 to 42; claws usually not retractile:7

  1. Tail 10 to 15 cm, shorter than hind foot; total number of teeth 28; upperparts reddish or grayish brown streaked with black: Lynxrufus (bobcat).

Tail 30 to 100 cm, much longer than hind foot; total number of teeth, 30: 3

  1. Upperparts concolor in adults, not spotted: 4

Upperparts spotted with black rosettes with light centers at all ages:5

  1. Total length of adults up to 3 m; tail about 1 m; weight usually 45 kg; color tawny: Pumaconcolor (mountain lion).

Total length of adults up to 1 m; tail about 45 cm; weight up to 7 kg; upperparts reddish or grayish: Pumayagouaroundi (jaguarundi).

  1. Total length of adults 2 m or more; weight more than 45 kg: Pantheraonca (jaguar).

Total length usually less than 1.2 m; weight usually less than 18 kg:6

  1. Length of hind feet more than 120 mm; length of head and body alone about 75 cm; weight 7 to 16 kg: Leopardispardalis (ocelot).

Length of hind foot less than 120 mm; length of head and body about 50 to 55 cm; weight 2 to 3 kg: Leopardiswiedii (margay).

  1. Doglike; total number of teeth, 42:8

Not doglike; total number of teeth less than 42 (except in bears):13

  1. Hind foot usually less than 170 mm; weight less than 9 kg (foxes):9

Hind foot usually more than 170 mm; weight more than 9 kg (coyotes, wolves):11

  1. Tip of tail white; upperparts yellowish or reddish; feet and lower part of legs black; hind foot near 160 mm: Vulpesvulpes (red fox).

Tip of tail black; hind foot usually less than 150 mm:10

  1. General color of body grizzled grayish; legs reddish brown; tail with black stripe on upperside and black tip; hind foot usually more than 140 mm: Urocyoncinereoargenteus (common gray fox).

General color of body grayish-tan; hind foot usually less than 140 mm: Vulpesvelox (swift or kit fox).

  1. Hind foot less than 200 mm; nose pad less than 25 mm in width; weight usually less than 18 kg: Canis latrans (coyote).

Hind foot more than 200 mm; nose pad more than 25 mm in width; weight usually more than 18 kg:12

  1. Hind foot more than 250 mm; general color grayish: Canislupus (gray wolf).

Hind foot less than 250 mm; general color tawny or reddish mixed with black: Canisrufus (red wolf).

  1. Tail considerably shorter than hind foot; total number of teeth, 42; weight of adults usually more than 100 kg; color black or brown (bears):14

Not as above:15

  1. Claws of front feet 7 to 12 cm long; face distinctly "dished in"; ruff or mane present between shoulders; last upper molar nearly twice as large as the one in front of it: Ursusarctos (grizzly or brown bear).

Claws on front feet seldom as long as 75 mm; face slightly arched or nearly straight in profile; no ruff or mane; last upper molar about 1.5 times as large as the one in front of it: Ursusamericanus (black bear).

  1. Total number of teeth, 40; tail usually with indications of alternating dark and light rings:16

Total number of teeth, 32 to 36; tail lacking dark and light rings:18

  1. Tail as long as, or longer than head and body with 14 to 16 alternating black and white rings and a black tip; hind foot less than 80 mm; weight 1 to 2 kg: Bassariscusastutus (ringtail).

Tail shorter than head & body and with 6 to 7 alternating dark and light rings or rings inconspicuous; hind foot of adults 85 mm or more:17

  1. Snout extending conspicuously beyond mouth and highly flexible; tail about five times as long as hind foot; alternating rings obscured in adults: Nasuanarica (White-nosed Coati).

Snout not extending conspicuously beyond mouth; tail two to three times as long as hind foot, rings conspicuous at all ages: Procyonlotor (Northern raccoon).

  1. Upperparts black with longitudinal white stripe or stripes (skunks):19

Upperparts not black and white striped:24

  1. Total number of teeth, 32; back with single, broad white stripe from head to tail; nose pad large and flexible Conepatusleuconotus (North American hog-nosed skunk).

Total number of teeth, 34; back normally with two or more white stripes; nose pad normal:21

  1. Total length of adults > 700 mm; hind foot, 75 mm or more: Conepatusleuconotus (eastern hog-nosed skunk).

Total length of adults usually < 600 mm; length of hind foot usually <70 mm: Conepatusmesoleucus (common hog-nosed skunk).

  1. Six distinct broken or continuous white stripes on anterior part of body; white spot in center of forehead; hind foot seldom 50 mm:22

Not as above:23

  1. Black and white stripes on back nearly equal in width; white spot on forehead large, covering more than half of the area between the eyes; white stripes beginning between the ears or just behind them: Spilogalegracilis (western spotted skunk).

Black stripes on back wider than the white ones; white spot on forehead small, seldom more than 15 mm in diameter; white stripes on back begin about 25 mm behind the ears: Spilogaleputorius (eastern spotted skunk).

  1. Dorsal white stripe bifurcate; sides black: Mephitismephitis (striped skunk).

Dorsal stripe white or black but never bifurcate; sides usually with narrow white stripe beginning at ear: Mephitismacroura (hooded skunk).

  1. Total number of teeth, 36; feet webbed; tail long, heavy, tapering; ears short; color chocolate brown; total length 1 m or more: Lontracanadensis (river otter).

Total number of teeth, 34; feet not webbed; total length less than 1 m:25

  1. Tail about as long as hind foot; claws on front feet about 25 mm in length and much longer than those on hind foot; body thick-set, heavy; fur lax and long: Taxideataxus (American badger).

Tail noticeably longer than hind foot; body long and slender; fur relatively short:26

  1. Color chocolate brown to black; midline of belly white: Mustela vison (mink).

Color yellowish brown; head usually with black and white markings; tip of tail black and contrasting markedly with rest of tail:27

  1. Feet brown or tan; hind foot 50 mm or less; weight 500 g or less: Mustelafrenata (long-tailed weasel).

Feet black; hind foot more than 50 mm; weight 500 to 1,500 g: Mustelanigripes (black-footed ferret).