MAMMALS OF YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK 



89 



From "Mammals of Lake Tahoe" by Robert T. Orr. Courtesy of publisher, California Academy of Sciences. 



CALIFORNIA COON 



and the rings go entirely around it. The 

 ringtail lacks the black mask, and is 

 a much smaller animal. 



Contrary to a popular idea, it is not 

 necessary for coons to wash their food 

 before they eat it. While never without 

 some water near by, it is surprising how 

 seeps, or even dribbles, are sufficient for 

 them during the summer drouth. Favor- 

 ite foods are fish, birds, small mammals, 

 carrion, insects, vegetables, fruits, and 

 acorns. In fact, they will eat "almost 

 anything." 



The Sierra least weasel is but 8 or 

 9 inches in length, including the short 

 tail. It can go down a mouse burrow, 

 and undoubtedly does, for mice are one 

 of the chief foods. 



Related to the ermine of the Old 

 World, in Yosemite, its upperparts change 

 from brown in summer to white in win- 

 ter. The range is from the red fir forest 

 above the rim of the Valley on up to the 

 rock slides it timberline. 



Chickaree-sized, the mountain wea- 

 sel has a tail that comprises about half 

 the total length of the animal. In sum- 

 mer, the upper parts are brown, the un- 

 derparts yellowish or orange. In Yosem- 

 ite, the winter coat is white overall 

 except for the blackish tip of the tail. 



Tough, lithe and wiry, weasels can get 

 around into all sorts of places. 



Found throughout the middle eleva- 

 tions of the park, mountain weasels are 

 active the year around, day or night. 

 They have been seen between the Yo- 

 semite Museum and the Administration 

 Building a number of times. The mead- 

 ows near Swinging Bridge and Sentinel 

 Bridge are also well-known localities. 



The double-distilled essence of cour- 

 age, mountain weasels will kill anything 

 that they can overcome. Their predomi- 

 nant food is small mammals. 



Thoto by Hood 



Weasel in winter coat. 



