Toads don’t cause warts. If your dog tries to eat one, it might foam-at-the-mouth. Habitat With a wide habitat range, western toads can be found from sea level to 11,000 feet elevation and from Baja, Mexico to Alaska. Like other amphibians, toad numbers have been declining in recent decades, but new field observations give cause for hope. Evidence appears to … Read More
Mountain Lion – Fragmented Power Pouncer
History Since the late 1850’s, North America’s big cat has been known as the mountain lion. Early Spanish explorers called it ‘gato monte‘ which means cat of the mountain. Latin America calls it puma (powerful) which comes from the 16th century Peruvian Quechua language. Because of its wide range, diverse habitats, and the span of human cultural locations, this animal … Read More
Tail Flashing Cache Faker – Western Gray Squirrel
Habitat The Western Gray Squirrel is a tree (arboreal) rodent and is the largest of its kind in the Sierra Nevada Mountains weighing between one-half to two pounds. Tree squirrels like dense cover in which to travel across branches, build several kinds of nests, and seek safety. They live at nearly every elevation in Nevada County. Favorite trees are the black … Read More
Three-eyed Push-Up Tyrant with Break-Away Body Parts
The western fence lizard is also known as a blue-belly because of the brightly colored scales under its throat and at the outer edges of the underbelly. It is a fossorial (burrowing) poikilotherm (an animal that regulates body temperature by sun basking or dirt burrowing). In females and youngsters, the blue markings are faint or not there at all. Characteristics … Read More
Porcupine – Pointed Payback for Getting Too Close
If you’re lucky enough to see one of these shy nocturnal rodents, don’t worry. It won’t charge or shoot sharp darts. If your dog sees it, his/her up-close canine curiosity may result in a painful payback. Deer Creek Porcupine Spotters Needed! According to the Nevada County Resource Conservation District and Wikipedia’s List of Mammals of California porcupines should live in the … Read More
