ZION Mammals of Zion-Bryce and Cedar Breaks

MAMMALS OF ZION-BRYCE AND CEDAR BREAKS

List of Mammals
(continued)

ROCKCHUCK, Marmota flaviventris engelhardti. — The rockchuck, often called ground-hog or marmot, is of a species related to the eastern woodchuck and the northern whistler, or hoary marmot. It is a chunky, reddish-brown animal resembling a very large, short-tailed ground squirrel, and is commonly seen in and around rocky places above 7000 to 8000 feet. At Bryce it lives along the Rim Road from Whiteman's Bench southward, or at the higher lookout points, from Bryce Point southward; at Cedar Breaks it is abundant, and also on the higher plateaus of Zion National Monument. In Zion Park it is fairly common on East Rim and Horse Pasture Plateau, and several have been seen each year since 1932 among some rocks near Zion Lodge. This last seems to be a low altitude record for the region. The rockchuck is a vegetarian, and goes into hibernation in early October, coming out again in early May even at high elevations, although the snow may be still several feet deep at that time.

ROCK SQUIRREL, Citellua grammurus utah. — The large gray rock or ground squirrels are common below 8000 feet. They are the most commonly seen squirrel at the camps and lodges in Zion Canyon, and have the reputation of stealing all kinds of food from the campers. They hibernate in winter, but unlike the ground squirrels in California, they do not "hole up", or estivate, in the summer. They are more often seen in trees than are many ground squirrels, especially in oaks or hackberries, where they search for seeds and galls.

BROWN-MANTLED GROUND SQUIRREL, Callospermophilus lateralis lateralis. — These smaller striped squirrels are found everywhere above 8000 feet, except in dense forests. At extreme altitudes (as Cedar Breaks) they are less common than at Bryce. They resemble the eastern chipmunk, and are about twice the size of the western chipmunk, from which they can be readily distinguished by the reddish-brown patch over the shoulders and absence of stripes on shoulders and head. Many people refer to then as "big chipmunks". Occasionally they "sing" a bird-like call — a high, soft trill that one would hardly suspect could come from the throat of an animal.

ANTELOPE GROUND SQUIRREL, Ammospermophilus leucurus cinnamomeus. Antelope squirrels are common in the Lower Sonoran Zone and up into the lower edge of the Upper Sonoran. They are small grayish-cinnamon colored squirrels with two white stripes down the back, and a short tail habitually carried over the back, exposing the prominent white underside. Near the south entrance of Zion Park they are often seen scampering across the roads at all seasons of the year. These squirrels, or antelope chipmunks as they are often called, do not hibernate, as do the other three ground squirrels of this region. It should be noted that in the western part of Zion Monument the antelope chipmunks show intergradation toward the form leucurus.

PAIUTE GROUND SQUIRREL, Citellua mollis mollis. — In the extreme western part of Zion National Monument where Highway 91 crosses it 5 miles south of Kanara, motorists sometimes see these squirrels standing erect beside their burrows, into which they dive when disturbed. Locally this habit of "standing" erect has earned for them the name Picket Pins. They usually come out of hibernation in late February or early March.

PRAIRIE DOG, Cynomys parvidens. — This species of prairie dog is limited to a small area in south central Utah, and only two small "towns" are inside the parks — near the north boundary of Bryce. A short distance north of Fairyland, on the plateau, their large, conspicuous mounds occur around the edge of a tree-bordered meadow. Outside the parks, along Highway 89, they are sometimes seen, and before the road was hard surfaced some even dug their burrows in the graveled roadway. They are dull gray in color, looking some what like fat, clumsy squirrels with very short tails.

GRAY CHIPMUNK, Eutamias dorsalis utahensis. — This is the only chipmunk regularly found below 7000 feet in our areas. It is nearly uniform grey in color, the stripes on the upper parts being very indistinct. Like many other animals that live in these canyons, it prefers rocky places, usually living and storing its food in crevices and small caves.

MOUNTAIN CHIPMUNK, Eutamias quadrivitattus inyoensis. — See account of following species.

LEAST CHIPMUNK, Eutamias minimus consobrinus. — Both the Least and Mountain Chipmunks are found in all portions of the park areas above 7000 feet, and occasionally lower, as at the east checking station in Zion. They so nearly resemble each other that only a close observer can tell them apart. The Least Chipmunk is the smaller and has the shoulders gray rather than reddish as does the Mountain Chipmunk. The latter is most common at altitudes of 7000-9000, as at Bryce rim, but at Cedar Breaks the former is the more common.

At the lodges and camps in Bryce and Cedar Breaks the chipmunks (and brown-mantled ground squirrels) furnish much enjoyment to the visitors. They eat large quantities of peanuts from the hand, and carry still larger quantities to food caches under stumps or stones, for use in spring and fall. Pine and fir seeds are stored in the same way, and since many are never used, the chipmunks are as valuable as the red squirrels in reforestation. Both the Least and the Mountain Chipmunks spend considerable time in trees, which often causes such tree foraging birds as the nuthatches to become greatly excited. The birds usually come out ahead in the ensuing encounters.

FREMONT CHICKAREE, Tamiasciurus fremonti fremonti. — Often called pine squirrel or red squirrel, this, the only tree squirrel in the region, is found in all forested areas above 8000 feet. It is most common in the higher portions of Bryce, near Rainbow Point; in dense patches of forest on the higher plateaus of Zion National Monument; and throughout the forests of Cedar Breaks. It is active throughout the year, and stores away large quantities of cones and mushrooms for the winter. The cones are usually stored at the bases of trees or in old snags, and the mushrooms are stored in globular "nests" of plant fiber built among branches above snow level. It is a noisy squirrel, with a large vocabulary of "cuss words". A series of short sharp "barks" is often heard, especially when a Clark crow or a man or some other trespasser invades a squirrel's territory.

The red squirrels of this region have large tails bordered with white, hence they are sometimes mistaken for the much larger and grayer WHITE-TAILED SQUIRREL, Sciurus kaibabensis, which does not naturally occur anywhere outside the Kaibab Forest, north of Grand Canyon. Thirty or forty years ago, however, there were several tame Kaibab squirrels released on the Markagunt Plateau by the Thorley brothers of Cedar City; the descendants of these unwilling emigrants have since been seen at rare intervals by persons motoring over the plateau to Cedar Breaks, but none have been reported within the monument.