Our annual update to the BFS Mammal List has been completed. Many thanks to our BFS Web Intern Maya Nakamura for checking and updating links, and to Paul Stapp, Cal State Fullerton, and Nina Karnovsky, Pomona College, for help with the taxonomy. Here is a summary of the revisions:
- All links have been checked and updated as needed.
- There are a few taxonomic updates:
- Spelling corrected for Didelphidae (Opossum family) .
- Scientific name for Virginia Opossum corrected to Didelphis virginiana (from Didelphis marupialis)
- Scientific name for California Ground Squirrel changed from Spermophilus beecheyi to Otospermophilus beecheyi
- New World rats, mice, and voles formerly in family Muridae have been moved back to family Cricetidae. Rattus and Mus are still in Muridae.
- The Dusky-footed Woodrat, formerly Neotoma fuscipes macrotis, has been elevated to the its own species, Neotoma macrotis.
- ‘Roof Rat’ is now listed as a common name for Rattus rattus (instead of ‘Common Rat’).
- Skunks are now in their own Family Mephitidae.
- The scientific name of the Western Spotted Skunk is now Spilogale gracilis. (It was formerly Spilogale putorius gracilis.)
- Bobcat is now Lynx rufus (instead of Felis rufus).
- We’ve added more links to CalPhotos pictures.
- Species seen historically at the BFS that have not been seen since 1990 have been integrated into the main list for easier browsing. Notes have been added to each to note their historical occurrence.
We’ll have more mammal photos posted soon when the work on the photo database is completed. In the meantime, here’s a sample of recent photos:
Coyote, photographed at the BFS in May of this year.
Bobcat on the island in pHake Lake, photographed in July of this year.
Raccons at pHake Lake, photographed in December 2008.