The Mammals of Washtenaw County, Michigan: Occasional Papers of the Museum of Zoology, No. 123Wood, Norman Asa
History
The Mammals of Washtenaw County, Michigan: Occasional Papers of the Museum of Zoology, No. 123
Wood, Norman Asa
Mammals -- Michigan -- Washtenaw County
With the coming of the settlers and the clearing of the forests the
natural mammal habitats were greatly altered or destroyed. This,
together with the hunting by the settlers, caused the gradual
disappearance of the larger mammals, such as the cougar, bear, wolf,
lynx, and deer. The clearings of the settlers created new habitats which
were gradually occupied by species better adapted to civilization, such
as the mole, woodchuck, ground squirrel, fox squirrel, and skunk, and
also the house mouse and Norway rat, which were brought in
unintentionally by the settlers.
For sixty-five years I have lived almost constantly in Washtenaw County
and I have seen the latter part of the exploitation of the forests of
the county and the extermination of most of the larger mammals. From my
father, who settled in the county in 1836, and other old pioneers I have
drawn extensively for information about the early mammals of the county.
Much use has also been made of information contained in the Michigan
Historical Collections. The specimens on which the records here are
based are mostly preserved in the Museum of Zoology.
For considerable assistance in the preparation of the manuscript of this
paper I am indebted to L. R. Dice, Curator of Mammals in the Museum of
Zoology, University of Michigan.
LIST OF SPECIES
_Didelphis virginiana virginiana._ Virginia Opossum.--This species is
rare in the county. One was taken by my father, Jessup S. Wood, in 1845,
in Lodi Township. We have later records for Ann Arbor, Dexter,
Manchester, Saline, and Scio Township. The last recorded specimen was
taken by some boys in November, 1921, just south of the Oakland County
line.
February 5, 1912, a trapper took a specimen near Ann Arbor on a night
when the temperature was about 10° F. below zero.
_Scalopus aquaticus machrinus._ Prairie Mole.--The mole was rare or
absent from the county when first settled, but it has gradually
increased and has spread over most of the cultivated lands. It is most
common in sandy or gravelly loams, and is absent from the hard clay
soils. I remember the first appearance of the species on the old Wood
homestead in Lodi Township about 1870. It soon became common.
_Condylura cristata._ Star-nosed Mole.--Although not very rare in this
county, it is seldom seen. We have records for Lodi Township, Ann Arbor,
Webster Township, Ypsilanti, and Chelsea. It prefers low, marshy land
near the water, and much of its food consists of aquatic insects, which
it secures by swimming. It is not as well adapted for burrowing as the
preceding species, so it lives in softer soil.
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