Content tagged with "Mammals"

Eastern Pipistrelle

Perimyotis subflavus (Pipistrellus subflavus)

One of the few kinds of mammals that people can watch, bats have suffered from misinformation and superstition for years. The only mammals capable of true flight, bats are greatly important in the natural scheme of things.

Eastern Spotted Skunk

Spilogale putorius

There are two species of skunks in Missouri, the more familiar striped skunk and the lesser-known spotted skunk. The spotted skunk has been declining drastically in recent years because of habitat loss.

Feral Hog

Sus scrofa

Feral hogs could cost Missouri millions of dollars in agricultural, environmental and property damage. As they root and wallow, they plow the soil to depths of 2–8 inches—sometimes for many acres! And this is just the beginning of the trouble they can cause to humans, livestock and the environment.

Gray Bat

Myotis grisescens

Gray bats are difficult to distinguish from little brown bats and Indiana bats. The key identifying feature of the gray bat is that its wing is attached to the ankle and not at the base of the toes.

Gray Fox

Urocyon cinereoargenteus

There are two species of foxes in Missouri. The gray fox is more likely to be seen in the southern half of the state, climbs trees readily and is less desired by both fox hunters and fur trappers.

Gray Wolf (Timber Wolf)

Collared, grayish-tan wolf in open field

Canis lupus

The gray wolf originally ranged throughout Missouri, but with settlement the species was gradually exterminated. While there is no evidence of a breeding population in the state, wolves are listed as a protected species in Missouri, and they occasionally wander into Missouri from northern states.