Jan. 1, 2012 - Texas Mammals

One of the most widely recognized mammals in the United States is the White-tailed Deer. I took this photo in the early morning light at Aransas National Wildlife Refuge near Rockport, Texas. The one on the left appears to be smaller and more “dainty,” which leads me to believe it is this year’s fawn. If that’s correct, it had already lost the spots that a fawn has.

DeerWhitetailedAransasNWR20111102

About half the states in the U.S. have populations of Feral Pigs. They are descendants of domestic pigs that escaped and are now living in the wild. At Matagorda Peninsula, we saw a herd of them on the other side of the river. They were milling around on the bank and bathing in the river. In some wildlife areas they can be real pests; their rooting in the ground causes considerable damage to native vegetation. They are a popular target species for hunters.

HogFeralMatagordaPeninsula20111108

Here is a female and one of her piglets.

HogFeralMatagordaPeninsula20111108

I was walking to the Laguna Atascosa NWR picnic area to eat my lunch when I came upon these Collared Peccaries (also known as Javelina). I quickly went back to my car to get my camera. Fortunately, they were still there when I got back. This is actually a tropical species but its range extends into southern Texas and Arizona.

JavelinaLagunaAtascosaNWR20111031

Here’s a better look at the juvenile. Notice the light-colored “collar.”

JavelinaLagunaAtascosaNWR20111031

The Eastern Fox Squirrel is found in most of the United States east of the Rockies. It’s about twice as large as the more common Gray Squirrel. This one was trying to raid the bird feeders at Goose Island State Park in Rockport, TX.

SquirrelEasternFoxGooseIslandStateParkRockport20111102

I had a brief look at a Coyote when I was photographing at Laguna Seca Ranch. Unfortunately, it was gone before I could get a photo. This one, however, posed right out in the open near the visitor center at Laguna Atascosa NWR.

CoyoteLagunaAtascosaNWR20111031