Time for a wildlife quiz

[Fawkinnae]

Can anyone identify this animal.

[jigglestick]

hoary marmot 8)

[Fawkinnae]

Nope.

[Spinach]

Thats easy, it's a grass eating yoga chipmunk.

What do I win? 

[jigglestick]

Nope.

yes it is dammit, quit arguing with me!

[Fawkinnae]

Nope again. And just a minute there Mr. green vegetable ambassador - you have to be declared the winner first.
Good guess but WRONG.

[jigglestick]

dwarf kangaroo rat

[Woody]

How about a horny marmot then? 

[TNT]

almost looks like a nutria,
small marsh rodent.
better known as vermin.

[jigglestick]

It's a side hill gouger
RUN!!

[Fawkinnae]

Many thoughtful guesses have been submitted so far. However none are correct.

An interesting note - this animal would inhabit a place with side hills.

Another interesting note - the kangaroo rat would easily make my list of top 10 favorite mammals. I've never seen one in the wild.

Still another interesting note - I wonder if the horny marmot humps the leg of unsuspecting mountain climbers?

[jigglestick]

Still another interesting note - I wonder if the horny marmot humps the leg of unsuspecting mountain climbers?

ah, no doug, your thinking of my old chesapeake.
he wouldn't stop at mountain climbers either.
I could warn you not to bother bending over to pick up the soap around that boy. grab a new bar off the shelf.


ever wonder why they call them "horny toads"?

[DIRTBALL2]

That looks like an agouti! DIRTBALL2

[jigglestick]

WOW, you  got all of that one dirtball :o

[Lee Borgersen]

Wombat or a Bunnygoffer?

[Fawkinnae]

Some great guesses going on here but none correct yet.

Jiggle I'm very concerned about you and your Chesapeake in the shower together.

[Fawkinnae]

Native to the Pacific Northwest.

[iceman]

So what do i win if i guess it right ?

[iceman]

it it a Yellow-bellied Marmot

[Fawkinnae]

Nope.

The thrill of victory.
The joy of learning and sharing.

[GRIZ]

I pretty shur it isn't but looks like a rountailed rat.

[Fawkinnae]

I think I need to provide some clues.

Looks like a tailless muskrat. Lives in forests of the Northwest. Presumed to be the most primitive living rodent.

[Lee Borgersen]

Lemming

[Lee Borgersen]

Mountain Beaver

[Lee Borgersen]

Leave it ta Beaver

[iceman]

Sierra mountain beaver
The Sierra mountain beaver bears no close resemblance to the true beaver. It looks much like a tailless muskrat or a gigantic meadow mouse, blackish brown in color. It will seldom be seen by the park visitor, for it utilizes extensive tunnels safely to reach food above ground and is chiefly nocturnal. The burrowings, six or seven inches in diameter, running parallel to the surface, roofless in spots, may be found on bottom land near streams in widely scattered locations at elevations ranging from less than 4,000 feet to more than 10,000 feet.

The food consists of almost any “greenery,” but bark is also eaten. Mountain beavers are known to stack and cure vegetation near the mouths of their runways. This is now believed to be done in order to have a supply of dry bedding, rather than in preparation for the season when green food will not be available.

http://www.yosemite.ca.us/library/mammals_of_yosemite/rodents.html

[GRIZ]

Is the pelt worth anything?

[Fawkinnae]

Ding ding ding! Smallmouthgide (with an assist by Iceman)
That was a tough one I know.

I worked in an office about 20 years ago and one of the guys that worked there came back from a trip to Washington - He had a friend in the forest service who was complaining about beavers that were eating all the seedlings they were trying to plant in a reforestation area. I asked this guy if there were any streams or ponds around and he said no. I told him he was nuts - there were no beavers roaming the mountain sides. He said, "Yes there were... I think they called them mountain beavers." Luckily we had a wildlife biologist and he told us about mountain beavers - also known as aplodontia.

Meat is strong and the hide is worthless. Lewis and Clark may have gobbled down a couple of them.