NORTH AMERICAN FAUNA 



No. 55 



issued 



by the 



UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



BUREAU OF BIOLOGICAL SURVEY 



Washington, D. C. 



June 1936 



MAMMALS AND LIFE ZONES OF 

 OREGON 



By VERNON BAILEY, formerly senior biologist, Section of Mammalogy, 

 Division of Wildlife Research 



CONTENTS 



Page 



Introduction . 1 



The present study 2 



Physiographic features of the State 4 



Life zones of Oregon 11 



Upper Sonoran Zone 12 



Transition Zone 19 



Canadian Zone... 25 



Hudsonian Zone 29 



Arctic-Alpine Zone 30 



Mammals of Oregon . 54 



An important natural resource 54 



Annotated list of species 57 



Order Artiodactyla: Hoofed mammals. .._ 57 



Order Lagomorpha: Rabbits and conies. 93 



Order Rodentia: Gnawing mammals 117 



Mammals of Oregon Continued. 

 Annotated list of species Continued. 



Order Carniyora: Flesh eaters 261 



Order Pinniped ia: Seals, sea lions, sea 



elephants, and walruses 330 



Order Cetacea: Whales and porpoises. .. 336 

 Order Insectivora: Insect-eating mam- 

 mals 349 



Order Chiroptera: Winged mammals- 

 bats 368 



Order Marsupialia: Marsupials 393 



Bibliography - 391 



Glossary of Indian names of mammals 403 



Index... 404 



INTRODUCTION 



In the early pioneer days of North America the mild climate, 

 rich-soiled valleys, towering forests, and teeming animal life of the 

 Northwest attracted many adventurous explorers, and before the 

 fur-trapping days were over the basis had been laid for the per- 

 manent settlements that held the Territories of Oregon and Wash- 

 ington for the United States. The early history of Oregon is a 

 thrilling romance, full of the stern realities of struggle, endurance, 

 and suffering, leading to eventual victory over appalling obstacles 

 and the development of a great State by a hardy class of people. 

 Even after three-quarters of a century much of the area still remains 

 as public land or is held in large tracts for grazing or lumbering, 

 while national forests protect the best timber. Irrigation already 

 has reclaimed many extensive arid valleys. The extensive lum- 

 bering operations have opened up rich lands suitable for agricul- 

 ture in parts of the valley country, while over the higher levels, on 

 private and public land, reforestation will undoubtedly give better 

 returns than farming. Still other great areas unsuitable for agri- 

 culture and of little value for grazing are ideal for native game and 

 wildlife of valuable and attractive forms. 



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