Mammals of Arizona Field Guide

By Stan Tekiela

• Popular, proven format: the previous edition (9781591930754) sold more than 13,000 copies


• Not intimidating: information geared toward the average person


• New edition with all 144 of Arizona’s mammals


• Species organized by family (identifiable by common visual characteristics) and then by size for ease of use


• Professional photographs and range maps


• Times each animal is most likely to be active, as well as track patterns, scat photos, and other signs mammals might leave behind


• Author Stan Tekiela is an award-winning author, wildlife photographer, and naturalist with more than 30 years of field experience throughout the US and Canada


• Author routinely attracts more than 100 people to his speaking events and writes a popular column distributed to newspapers in the Midwest and Northeast


• Readers have become fans of Stan’s style and flair for nature observations and interpretations


• All-in-one source of information, facts, photos, and gee-whiz tidbits in a concise guide


• Extreme value: massive information for less than $20

• Language: English
• Publisher: Adventure Publications
• Release date: Dec 5, 2023
• ISBN: 9781647554248

Book preview

Mammals: Mice & Rats

Desert Shrew

Notiosorex crawfordi

Signs: tiny tunnels or runways on the surface of soil; shrew is rarely, if ever, seen

Activity: nocturnal; active all year

Tracks: hind paw ⅜ (.9 cm) long, forepaw slightly smaller; 1 set of 4 tracks, but prints are so close together they appear as 1 track; 4 prints together are 1 square (6.4 sq. cm), sometimes with a slight tail drag mark; shrew tracks are not very common

Stan’s Notes: A secretive, solitary animal with poor eyesight, as are all shrews. This is one of the smallest mammals in Arizona and the world and also the most widespread shrew in the state, but it is rarely seen due to its nocturnal lifestyle. Also called Gray Shrew.

Its long pointed snout is characteristic of all 30-plus species of shrews seen in North America. Gives off a strong musky odor, which makes it unattractive to large mammalian predators, but the scent does not seem to deter birds of prey such as owls and hawks. Heart rate will race to as many as 1,200 beats per minute when it is excited. Can die from fright when captured.

Has little body mass due to its small size, so it must feed nearly every hour to keep warm or starve to death. Like some other shrew species, Desert Shrew has a toxic saliva that helps it subdue prey. However, since its teeth are not designed for injecting the poison, it must be chewed into the prey. Moves constantly, darting about to find food. Often eats more than its own body weight daily in worms, slugs, and beetles. Not an aggressive predator like other shrews, but will eat carrion. Does not hibernate.

A desirable animal to have around your home and yard because it eats many harmful insects and keeps populations of mice in check. Does not transmit rabies and is not harmful to people.

Additional Shrew Species

Shrews are small mammals that look similar to mice, but shrews have longer, more pointed snouts and well-haired, rather short tails. Fur color ranges from gray to brown or black.

All shrew species in Arizona eat insects and other small animals. With extremely high metabolic rates, they forage for food round-the-clock, consuming their body weight in food every 24 hours. Shrews are the only known mammal to have a toxic saliva.

They live in the shallow tunnels of other small mammals, such as voles, or beneath fallen logs and other debris. While all shrews have poor eyesight, they have an excellent sense of smell and the ability to hear in very high frequencies. Some are thought to be able to sense electromagnetic fields, enabling them to locate prey in complete darkness.

Not for color identification.

Not pictured:

Cockrum’s Gray Shrew 3–3¾"

Merriam’s Shrew 3–4½"

Montane Shrew 4–4½"

Rock Pocket Mouse

Chaetodipus intermedius

Signs: evidence of a burrow under clumps of vegetation, runways and surface tunnels radiating from the entrance of burrow; scat not seen

Activity: nocturnal; remains in the nest during the coldest winter days or during heavy rain in summer

Tracks: hind paw ⅞ (2.3 cm) long with 5 toes, forepaw ½ (1 cm) long with 4 toes; 1 set of 4 tracks along trails leading to and from the burrow

Stan’s Notes: A species that can have highly variable color, often matching the color of soil in which it lives. Body size varies from region to region. Males are slightly larger than the females (sexual dimorphism) and also have a larger snout, head, and jaw. Almost always associated with rocks, talus slopes, and rocky deserts with sparse vegetation.

Feeds mainly on seeds (granivorous). Will gather larger seeds and transport them in its fur-lined cheek pouches, hence the common name Pocket Mouse. Stores seeds in its underground burrow to eat later. Also eats insects when they are available (insectivorous).

Digs shallow burrows with several chambers only a few inches deep, with several entrances. Plugs the entrance holes to burrow in safety during the day.

Usually active aboveground in Arizona only from March through October. Not a true hibernator, but thought to enter a state of deep sleep known as torpor during cold spells in winter.

Home ranges are very small, with most adults spending their entire life in an area less than 20 feet (6.1 m) wide. Males have a slightly larger territory than females.

Additional Pocket Mouse Species

Despite the common name Mouse, pocket mice are not a type of mouse, nor are they closely related to any other mammal species in North America. Pocket mice are found only west of the Mississippi River, where they are mainly seen in open grassy fields and deserts. They live underground in burrows and prefer sandy soil, which allows them to dig more easily into the earth.

All pocket mice are nocturnal. Unlike jumping mice, they are not good jumpers. They have coarse fur, often with stiff bristles, and fur-lined cheek pouches to carry food and nesting material—the reason for the term Pocket in their common names.

Western Jumping Mouse

Zapus princeps

Signs: surface runways leading in many directions, grasses with missing seed heads (topped), piles of grass stems that are the same length and have seed heads removed

Activity: nocturnal; active 5–6 months of the year, hibernating from October to April or May

Tracks: hind paw 1¾ (4.5 cm) long with a long narrow heel and 5 toes, forepaw ½ (1 cm) long with 4 toes; 1 set of 4 tracks; tracks with tail drag mark seen only in mud during months of activity

Stan’s Notes: The jumping mouse got its name from its ability to leap up to 3 feet (1 m) to escape predators or when it is startled. Although the name implies that it jumps to get around, it usually walks on all four feet or moves in a series of small jumps.

Often will remain motionless after jumping several times. Uses its long tail, which is more than 50 percent of its total length, for balance while jumping. Hind legs are longer than front legs and are very fragile, often breaking when live-trapped for research.

Feeds in summer on Endogone, an underground fungus that it finds by smell. Does not store food for winter, feeding heavily instead during the last month before it hibernates. Gains up to 100 percent of its body weight in fat. A true hibernator, inactive in winter. Male emerges from hibernation in April, female two weeks later. Some studies show that many may not survive the winter, as only half the population appears the next spring.

Matures sexually before 1 year of age. Many females born in spring are breeding in July. Adults reproduce two times or more each year.

Doesn’t cause crop damage. Will rarely enter a dwelling. Jumping mice (genera Zapus and Napaeozapus) are only in North America.

Western Harvest Mouse

Reithrodontomys megalotis

Signs: surface runways, ball-shaped nest made of dried grass on the ground, most obvious after a field or grassland fire, nest is sometimes attached to grass stems or in a small tree or shrub

Activity: mostly nocturnal; active year-round, often huddles in nest during the day with other members of its family

Tracks: hind paw ⅝ (1.5 cm) long with 5 toes, forepaw ¼ (0.6 cm) long with 4 toes; sometimes has a tail drag mark

Stan’s Notes: This mouse is found from Illinois to California, but is more common in western states. Harvests dried grass to build its large softball-sized nest, hence the common name. Known to use the nest of a bird. Will construct its ball-shaped nest in the cup of a bird nest. May use more than one nest in its home range. Uses the runways and burrows of other animals such as pocket gophers and voles.

Considered to be a good mouse to have around because it feeds heavily on weed seeds. Stores many seeds in underground caches. A big climber, jumping into trees and shrubs and scurrying about among the branches. Non-territorial and tolerant of one another. Rarely enters homes or other buildings.

A female usually has up to four litters per season. However, it has been reported that a captive female reproduced 14 times, giving birth to a total of 58 young.

Additional Harvest Mouse Species

Harvest mice are a group of small mice that look like miniature Deer Mice with long narrow tails. They are classified in a separate genus because they have a groove front-and-center in their upper incisor teeth that other small mice lack. Although some species of jumping mice and pocket mice also have grooved incisors like harvest mice, this is not a feature that the casual observer will see.

There are five species of harvest mice in the United States, three of which occur in Arizona. All harvest mouse species live in grassy areas, feed on grass seeds and build softball-sized nests of dried plant material.

The Plains Harvest Mouse occurs in the southeastern part of the state, with its range reaching into central Arizona. Its tail length is shorter than the head and body length, and its fur is overall paler than that of the Fulvous Harvest Mouse. The Fulvous occurs only in the far southeastern corner of Arizona. Its tail is at least as long as the length of its head and body, and it has coarse fur, giving a grizzled effect, with distinct orange sides.

Deer Mouse

Peromyscus maniculatus