Mammals in the Tortolitas

Javelina or Peccary
(Pecari angulatus)

Javelinas resemble a small razorback hog, are dark gray in color with a heavy neck and shoulders. Heavy black and gray bristles give a mottled appearance with lighter colored markings just above the shoulders. When the animal is alarmed or angry, a black mane is raised along the neck and shoulders. An average weight is between forty and fifty pounds. Both sexes display tusks and have a musk gland near the rump.

Javelinas travel together in small herds and the female gives birth to two young in early winter. Their diet consists of cactus, cactus fruit, acorns and roots. Prickly pears are their favorites and the spines are not a deterrent. Although they thrive in the desert, they require daily trips to a water source. Herds forage together and prefer desert washes. They make homes in abandoned mine tunnels and eroded cavities in canyons.

Being very nearsighted, they rely on their sense of smell and will either freeze in position, charge or scatter in all directions when danger presents. It is this unpredictable behavior that has given them a reputation for aggressive behavior. An encounter is best avoided.

Mountain Lion or Cougar
(Felis Concolor)

The mountain lion is second only to the jaguar in size but displays a grayish brown coat with lighter belly instead of spots. It averages six to seven feet long, can weigh 100 to 200 pounds and has a two to three foot long, round tail with a dark tip. The feet are also round and large with sharp claws; it has round ears and yellow eyes.

Mountain lions are solitary animals except when mating. Two to five young cubs are born in the spring usually in a den in the rocks. They prefer the upper edges of the desert in rimrock areas that provide cover for hunting. Their favorite food is deer, which they stalk or lie in wait for on rocky ledges above deer trails. They are capable of jumping a distance of twenty feet or more. They will also eat rabbits, rodents, bighorn sheep, javelina and birds. They once had a range that covered North and South America but are now extinct in many areas. Their wide distribution resulted in a variety of names such as cougar, puma, catamount and panther.

Bobcat
(Lynx rufus baileyi)

The bobcat has a total length of 30 to 36 inches with a short tail and short black tufts on its pointed ear tips. They can weight fifteen to forty pounds and have a tan coat with dark spots and stripes. Their face is very similar to the domestic cat with long whiskers and yellow-green eyes but they have heavy legs and large feet.

The bobcat ranges desert areas in rough terrain and is mostly nocturnal. It is an expert hunter and preys on rabbits, rodents and ground nesting birds by lying patiently in wait. Young are born in the spring or early summer in a den, which is usually hidden deep among the rocks. A litter of two to four cubs, once a year, is common and the male is driven away from the den shortly after their arrival. Like most cats, bobcats are solitary animals the rest of the year.

Coyote
(Canis latrans)

Since it is omnivorous and can to adapt to any climate or terrain, the coyote ranges throughout the United States. It is most prevalent in the southwest where it finds an abundant food supply. Coyotes have a yellowish tan coat, usually weigh about 25 to 40 pounds and can reach a length of 45 inches. Its twelve-inch long feathered tail is tipped with black. It resembles its relative the wolf and is often mistaken for the domestic dog.

Four to eight pups are born in the spring, in shallow burrows or deep in rock caves, and are cared for and fed by both parents. Coyotes will hunt together in groups but they also obtain food by scavenging and eating roots, grass, berries and other fruits. They are social animals and will congregate in packs.

The coyote has been called “song dog” or “God’s Dog”for its habit of barking, yelping or singing, usually when in groups or calling to other coyotes. Many legends and tales have been handed down in Native American cultures about this wily, intelligent and widespread cousin of the wolf.

Coati
(Nasua narica)

It appears the coati migrated into the Southwest from Mexico, perhaps in the early part of the twentieth century. The coati has a two-foot long, bushy, ringed tail that is usually carried upright and makes it distinctive. It is about four feet long and two feet tall with a brown coat and darker mask on the face, which has a long nose and sharp teeth. The hind legs are longer than the front and end in claws.

Three or more young are born in early summer in a den among rocks or hollow trees. They join a group of up to 200 individuals when old enough to travel. They will call to their mother in a high piping voice when they wander away from the others. Groups forage together and eat worms, insects, small rodents, berries, bird’s eggs, small mammals and roots, small lizards and snakes. They are adept at turning over rocks or digging up the ground in their search for food.

Coatis are very slow runners and will freeze at perceived danger. However, if flight is necessary, they are excellent climbers and will run up trees to escape predators.

Desert Cottontail
(Sylvilagus auduboni)

This western form of cottontail is about 15 inches long, grayish brown in color with the distinctive white tail that gives it its name. It has large eyes, whiskers, long ears and short legs. Hind feet are long, about three to four inches. In its desert habitat, it nests in burrows where several litters of two to six rabbits are born every year. They leave the nest when quite small and are very playful until fully grown.

These prolific little vegetarians feed in the early morning and early evening, wherever succulent greenery is available. They are prey for every carnivore that shares their range and are speedy at escaping, resorting to a zigzag run while heading for the nearest brush or burrow. Once into cover, sometimes in a tangle of prickly shrubs, they will freeze until danger is past.

Rock Squirrel
(Citellus variegatus)

Anyone living in the Tortolitas has seen these ground-dwellers on the rocky outcrops. They are about twenty inches long with a nine-inch bushy, striped tail. Dark gray to tan in color, they are white underneath with tan feet.

Nests can be built in rock crevices or in burrows between buried boulders. Five to ten young are born in spring and summer. A vantage point for sentry duty is usually located near the nest and danger is noted with a loud, shrill whistle to warn other squirrels. When threatened they will slip quietly off to their burrows and wait until the danger is past. Predators are many, including snakes, ferrets and hawks.

These hungry little animals harvest the prickly pear fruit, seed pods, nuts, berries, grass seeds, acorns and are known to dine on birds’ eggs. After fattening up all summer, they will hibernate. In the desert this period may be for only a few days or weeks.

info@tortolita.com
(520) 907-9107