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What follows are the species profiles of mammals that are found in and around agricultural fields in the Cannon River Watershed. Each species listed includes the description, the status (including range), and the natural and agricultural roles of the mammal. The most abundant mammals, or those with the greatest impacts, will also be listed in each section. |
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Carnivores |
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Carnivores generally play an indirect, but extremely important, role in agriculture as predators of pest species. Rarely, if ever, inhabiting farmland, they are generally visitors that will make agricultural fields only part of their feeding territory. Agricultural practices, however, can have great effects on these predators - the population decline of the eastern spotted skunk is a prime example. Carnivores of other agricultural note include the short-tailed weasel, the long-tailed weasel, and the striped skunk. |
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Short-tailed Weasel (Ermine) - Mustela erminea
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| Description |
The total length of the short-tailed weasel is around 307cm (289-330), with a tail around 85cm (75-94). It is long-bodied, short-legged, and has a small, elongated head. In the summer (top weasel in pictures) the ermine is dark brown above, and white below, with white fur on the inner sides of the back legs. In the winter (bottom weasel in pictures) the ermine is all white, sometimes stained with yellow. The tip of the tail is black during both seasons. |
| Status |
The short-tailed weasel ranges throughout Minnesota, but is uncommon in the southwest. It is common in wooded areas, but can also occur in prairie edges. It ranges throughout northern North America and Eurasia. |
| Natural Role |
The short-tailed weasel is a predator of most small mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and various invertebrates, although its primary food is voles and mice. Its ability to turn white during the winter helps the weasel both hunt and evade predators. |
| Agricultural Role |
The weasel has no direct effect on crops, although its hunting of voles and mice can influence their effects on crops. Since it rarely inhabits farm fields, these effects on prey populations would be most prevalent along the edges. Its only other effect would be as a pest in henhouses. |
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Long-tailed Weasel - Mustela frenata
| Description |
The long-tailed weasel has a total length around 425cm (398-459), with a tail around 152cm (131-165). It is generally larger than the short-tailed weasel. In the summer the long-tailed weasel is brown above, and white below, although the insides of the hind legs are not white. In the winter, it is all white. The tip of the tail is black during both seasons. |
| Status |
It is common in southern Minnesota in both open country and woodland, but is uncommon in the north. It ranges throughout the United States and into Central America. |
| Natural Role |
Like the short-tailed weasel, the long-tailed weasel's diet consists mostly of small mammals, the majority of which is voles and mice, although it can prey on animals as large as cottontails. |
| Agricultural Role |
The long-tailed weasel has a similar agricultural role as the short-tailed weasel, indirectly effecting farmland by preying on voles and mice. |
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Eastern Spotted Skunk - Spilogale putorius
| Description |
The eastern spotted skunk has a total length between 470 and 550cm, with a tail between 178 and 220cm. A skunk about the size of a small housecat that is black with white markings. "The white markings of spotted skunks generally comprise four stripes that begin on the forequarters but curve downward and break into patches on the hindquarters. A white patch marks the forehead, and the long, bushy tail is tipped with white" (Hazard, 1982). |
| Status |
Threatened in Minnesota. |
| Natural Role |
The eastern spotted skunk is primarily a predator of small mammals, but will feed on insects and most anything else. |
| Agricultural Role |
Farming has benefited the eastern spotted skunk until recently. They lived in human made shelters, outbuildings and woodpiles, and preyed on house mice, rats, and stored food. The increase of high-intensity agriculture, however, has hurt their populations through the loss of habitat and cover. While the spotted skunk is rare now, it is still an effective rat killer, which can outweigh the damage it causes by occasionally taking chickens. |
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Striped Skunk - Mephitis mephitis
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| Description |
The striped skunk has a total length between 540 and 760cm, with a tail between 200 and 280cm. Males are generally larger than females. The striped skunk is larger than the spotted skunk. It is all black except for a thin white stripe on its forehead, and two long white stripes running down its back from a white patch on its head. Its bushy tail is black. |
| Status |
The striped skunk is common in central and southern Minnesota except in closed forest. It ranges from southern Canada to northern Mexico. |
| Natural Role |
The striped skunk is an omnivore, getting the majority of its diet from insects, but also eating fruit where available. They may also feed on small mammals, birds, and nuts. Due to their powerful scent, it has few predators except birds of prey. The great horned owl is the primary predator of striped skunks. |
| Agricultural Role |
While the striped skunk has the capacity to feed on crops, it mostly is a major predator of crop-destroying insects and small mammals, and can be viewed as beneficial to agriculture. It is a major reservoir of rabies, however, and should be avoided. |
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Red Fox - Vulpes vulpes
| Description |
The red fox has a total length between 842 and 1045cm, and a tail between 294 and 390cm. It is a shade of yellowish red, and there is usually a trace of black in the fur down the back and in the bushy tail. The feet and the outerside of the ears are black. The throat, the underside of the body, and the tip of the tail are white. |
| Status |
Red foxes are common in Minnesota, ranging throughout northern North America and Eurasia. They prefer semi-open country. |
| Natural Role |
The red fox is mostly carnivorous, feeding on a variety of animals, including a variety of small mammals, birds, snakes, and turtles. It will occasionally feed on insects and fruits as well. The bulk of its diet, however, is often mice and voles. |
| Agricultural Role |
By feeding on
herbaceous
small mammals, red foxes can indirectly benefit agriculture. Unlike smaller carnivores, they have large territories and can make prey on animals even in the middle of agriculture fields. |
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Gray Fox - Urocyon cinereoargenteus
| Description |
The total length of the gray fox is between 905 and 1040cm, and the tail is between 293 and 378cm. The gray fox is a speckled gray, and a black stripe runs down the middle of the back and onto the tail. The underfur, the back of the ears, the legs and feet, and the sides of the neck are a yellowish buff. |
| Status |
It is only common in southeastern Minnesota, and prefers wooded areas. It ranges throughout most of the United States and into Central America. |
| Natural Role |
The gray fox is a major predator of cottontails, although it will feed on a variety of vertebrate and invertebrate life, as well as fruits. Insects may sometimes make up nearly half of their diet. |
| Agricultural Role |
Since the gray fox prefers wooded areas, it is unlikely to have much of an affect on farmland outside of keeping edge populations of cottontails low. |
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Coyote - Canis latrans
| Description |
The total length of the coyote is around 1,226cm (1,177-1,330), and the tail is around 328cm (300-356). It has a bushy tail, pointed ears, and a pointed nose. The back and sides are a mottle yellowish gray mixed with black, the legs are yellowish, and the underside is white. |
| Status |
The coyote is common in northern Minnesota and rarer in south, yet still prevalent in open and brushy areas. It ranges throughout North America and into Central America. |
| Natural Role |
Since the coyote is the largest wild carnivore in this area, it is capable of feeding on most anything, from small and medium-sized mammals and birds, to large white-tailed deer. |
| Agricultural Role |
A large part of the diet of coyotes is smaller
herbaceous
mammals, which can become agricultural pests, making coyotes important regulators of these populations. Since they primarily feed on carrion livestock and deer, their threat to farmers is often overrated. |
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