MAMMALS AT
YERBA BUENA RESERVE
The 1986 study by students from the UK's
University of East Anglia listed mammals they had reason to believe existed in the
reserve. Much of their information came from invader "vigilantes," always ready
to defend the land they'd confiscated, and always the most likely to see critters
wandering across the fields. The students listed seven species of bat, as well as rats and
other rodents, plus the following larger mammals:
- Opossum, Didelphis virginiana
- Armadillo, Dasypus novemcinctus
- Cottontail, Sylvivagus floridanus
- Red-bellied Squirrel, Sciurus
aureogaster
- Gray Fox, Urocyon cinereoargenteus
- Raccoon, Procyon lotor
- Coati, Nasua narica
- Kinkajou, Potos flavus
- Weasel, Mustela frenata
- Grison, Galictis allamandi
- Hog-nosed Skunk, Conepatus
mesoleucus
- Collared Peccary, Tayassu tajacu
- Brocket Deer, Mazama americana
- White-tailed Deer, Odocoileus
virginianus
So far, being barred from the reserve itself by the invaders, I've seen none of the
above species except for the Red-bellied Squirrels, which are very common in the trees
around Yerba Buena's buildings. This is the same species we had in the Querétaro uplands,
though different from the one in the Yucatan. This week I watched one gathering broad,
coarse Quercus candicans leaves for a nest. My impression was that he was just
repairing his roof between downpours. |