ANIMAL, LIFE IN OKLAHOMA. 



CHAPTER I. 



ANIMAL LIFE IN OKLAHOMA.* 



INTRODUCTION. 



Oklahoma at one time had a wealth of animal life that seemed 

 almost impossible of exhaustion. Not only were birds and animals found 

 here in unbelievable numbers, but the range in species was perhaps 

 greater than in any other area of like size in the western part of the 

 United States. Many of the animals characteristic of the mountainous 

 regions of the west extended to the foot hills of the Eockies and often 

 occurred in the western part of this State. Animals commonly found in 

 the rough and timbered regions of the east came as far westward as 

 the Ozark Mountains and remained in Oklahoma in considerable numbers, 

 while the roving herds of the vast open plains of the northwest found 

 ample pasturage and shelter here during the winter months and some- 

 times grazed beyond the southern boundaries of the State. To this 

 immense throng must be added the myriads of semi-migratory birds and 

 animals of the south that were found during a part or all of the year with- 

 in the present limits of Oklahoma. The location of the State makes it 

 a sort of meeting place, or focal point, for a variety and abundance of 

 animal life that would not be possible under any other conditions. 



The multiplicity of habitats existing in Oklahoma also makes possible 

 a range in animal life that few states enjoy. The arid regions of the 

 western part of Oklahoma have, or had, a large representation of all the 

 varied fauna characteristic of the great semi-desert region to the north 

 and west, while the mountains within the State offer range and protec- 

 tion to a vast assemblage of animais that our rapidly advancing civiliza- 

 tion has not yet been able to destroy. Our broad streams and lakes have 

 furnished shelter and food to water and shore animals that may still be 

 found in abundance in regions not frequented by man, and the timbered 

 regions of the south and east support a wealth of woodland forms that 

 could not exist in localities where forests do not abound. 



The changes incident to the settlement of a new country by man 

 unavoidably cause the destruction of the feeding grounds and shelter of 

 the wild animals, and as the improvement is pushed farther and farther 



*Thils chapter was prepared by Howard Cross, Department of Zoology, 

 Oklahoma University. 



