Kearney, Nebraska

MAMMALS

 As you travel through this area, you will undoubtedly encounter one or more species of terrestrial vertebrates residing here. The following lists contain 10 species of amphibians, 20 species of reptiles, and 53 species of mammals which have been reported in the area. Many of these animals are rare or extremely inconspicuous so your chances of seeing them are slim. You will find that some of these animals have an affinity for roads and are often killed by vehicles. Striped skunk, opossum, raccoon, and white-tailed deer are often seen dead along the highway.

 (Adapted from Lynch, J. 1985. Annotated checklist of the amphibians and reptiles of Nebraska. Trans. Nebr. Acad. Sci. 8:33-57.)
 
 

ORDER MARSUPIALIA                                         STATUS

___ Virginia Opossum (Didelphis virginiana)               Common

ORDER INSECTIVORA

___ Masked Shrew (Sorex cinereus)                         Common
___ Northern Short-tailed Shrew (Blarina brevicauda)      Common
___ Least Shrew (Cryptotis parva)                         Uncommon
___ Eastern Mole (Scalopus aquaticus)                     Fairly common

ORDER CHIROPTERA

___ Big Brown Bat (Eptesicus fuscus)                      Common
___ Red Bat (Lasiurus borealis)                           Common
___ Hoary Bat (Lasuirus cinereus)                         Uncommon
___ Brazilian Free-tailed Bat (Tadarida brasiliensis)     Rare

ORDER LAGOMORPHA

___ Eastern Cottontail (Sylvilagus floridanus)            Abundant
___ Black-tailed Jackrabbit (Lepus californicus)          Common
___ White-tailed Jackrabbit (Lepus townsendii)            Rare

ORDER RODENTIA

___ Woodchuck (Marmota monax)                             Rare
___ Franklin's Ground Squirrel (Spermophilus franklinii)  Uncommon
___ Thirteen-lined Ground Squirrel
      (Spermophilus tridecemlineatus)                     Abundant
___ Black-tailed Prairie Dog (Cynomys ludovicianus)       Uncommon
___ Fox Squirrel (Sciurus niger)                          Abundant
___ Plains Pocket Gopher (Geomys bursarius)               Common
___ Plains Pocket Mouse (Perognathus flavescens)          Uncommon
___ Hispid Pocket Mouse (Chaetodipus hispidus)            Uncommon
___ Ord's Kangaroo Rat (Dipodomys ordii)                  Uncommon
___ Beaver (Castor canadensis)                            Abundant
___ Western Harvest Mouse (Reithrodontomys megalotis)     Common
___ Plains Harvest Mouse (Reithrodontomys montanus)       Uncommon
___ White-footed Mouse (Peromyscus leucopus)              Abundant
___ Deer Mouse (Peromyscus maniculatus)                   Abundant
___ Northern Grasshopper Mouse (Onychomys leucogaster)    Fairly Common
___ Hispid Cotton Rat (Sigmodon hispidus)                 Rare
___ Eastern Woodrat (Neotoma floridana)                   Rare
___ Prairie Vole (Microtus ochrogaster)                   Abundant
___ Meadow Vole (Microtus pennsylvanicus)                 Abundant
___ Muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus)                          Abundant
___ Southern Bog Lemming (Synaptomys cooperi)             Rare
___ House Mouse (Mus musculus)                            Abundant
___ Norway Rat (Rattus norvegicus)                        Common
___ Meadow Jumping Mouse (Zapus hudsonius)                Uncommon
___ Porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum)                        Rare

ORDER CARNIVORA

___ Coyote (Canis latrans)                                Abundant
___ Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes)                               Fairly Common
___ Raccoon (Procyon lotor)                               Abundant
___ Long-tailed Weasel (Mustela frenata)                  Uncommon
___ Least Weasel (Mustela nivalis)                        Uncommon
___ Mink (Mustela vison)                                  Common
___ Badger (Taxidea taxus)                                Fairly Common
___ Striped Skunk (Mephitis mephitis)                     Abundant
___ River Otter (Lutra canadensis)                        Reintroduced
___ Bobcat (Felis rufus)                                  Rare

ORDER ARTIODACTYLA

___ Wapiti (Cervus elaphus)                               Accidental
___ Mule Deer (Odocoileus hemionus)                       Common
___ White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus)            Abundant
___ Moose (Alces alces)                                   Accidental
___ Bison (Bison bison)                                   Extirpated