Wildlife

Loons1

Common Loon (Gavia immer)

Freshwater lakes and rivers are the preferred habitat of the common loon (Gavia immer). "Common" is a misnomer however, as California and Oregon have no known nests and Washington has only a few. Although rarely seen, common loons have a zebra-stripe necklace, glossy green checker-board back, and sleek graceful form. Although dozens of sightings have occurred in the North Cascades National Park during spring and summer, breeding was only recently confirmed.

Common loons nest on the ground along lakeshores, on islands, or among wet soggy aquatic vegetation. Females lay 1- 3 eggs in spring following acrobatic courtship behavior. After hatching, the fuzzy young leave the nest in just a few days and are able to swim, dive, and walk. Young loons are vulnerable and fall prey to hawks, mink, turtles, and other predators. Common loons prefer to eat fish but will settle for a frog, small reptile, insect, leech, or aquatic vegetation. Loons can dive and swim very proficiently. Dives usually reach a depth of 0.5 - 3.0 feet.

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Bats

Townsend's Big-Eared Bat (Plecotus townsendi)

There are over 40 species of bats in North America, but we know little about them because they are nocturnal. Bats come out when people go in. These small mammals eat more insects by body weight than any other predator, snatching their prey on the wing. Bats roost upside-down in large groups, sleeping all day and hibernating all winter. Some large species native to the Cascades migrate south in the coldest months. Mother bats nurse their young constantly in the first few weeks after birth, when they seldom leave their upside-down perch inside tree cavities, or caves even to feed. Old-growth forest, with snags, tree cavities and loose bark offer important roosting and nesting habitat for bats in the Cascades. Bats have extremely sensitive hearing. They use echolocation to locate prey and navigate, changing the speed and focus of their high frequency "blips" for precise aerial hunting.2

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Beaver

Beaver (Castor canadensis)

Ten thousand years ago, beavers the size of black bears roamed the continent, and today beavers are still the largest rodent in North America. Beaver sightings are rare, but evidence of their handiwork is common throughout the Cascades: beaver dams, ponds, mounds, and beaver-gnawed trees. Beavers need only hear the sound of running water and the urge to build a dam takes control. Poles, saplings, and mud are dragged and piled into place to form a very efficient structure. Smaller mounds, or lodges, are constructed in the pond as living quarters. Hollow inside, with the entrance underwater, these lodges provide a safe haven from predators. In areas where lodges are not feasible, beavers construct burrows in riverbanks. After their pond freezes in winter, the beavers let some water out through the dam, lowering the water level of the pond and providing a "breathing space" between the water's surface and the bottom of the ice. Beavers have been historically hunted and trapped almost to extinction for their pelts.2

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Flying Squirrel

Northern Flying Squirrel (Glaucomys sabrinus)

The flying squirrel is seldom seen because of its crepuscular lifestyle (active in the hours before dawn and after dusk), but it is quite common. Distinguished by huge eyes and velvet-soft fur, this fragile squirrel does not really fly, but glides gracefully through the forest, stretching broad flaps of skin between its front and rear legs. In old-growth forests flying squirrels seek out old woodpecker cavities for nesting. Here the babies are safe until their eyes open at one month of age. Unlike most members of the rodent family, these squirrels like meat, but their main food in summer and fall is truffles. Truffles are underground fungi that provide vital nutrients to coniferous trees through a symbiotic relationship. Flying squirrels have an important role in the ecosystem, spreading truffle spores throughout the forests. On quiet evenings, you may hear a soft chirp and the thump of a landing as they go about their nightly business of finding food.2

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Marmot

Olympic Marmot (Marmota olympus)

Hoary marmots spend hours sprawled rug-like on rock slabs in the high country, lazily surveying their domain. When hikers appear, marmots are apt to roll a wary eye and contemplate moving rather than making a mad dash for safety. Their high shriek-like call has earned them the nickname whistle-ping although the noise is not really a whistle at all; it comes from the vocal cords. Marmots, the largest member of the squirrel family, excavate intricate burrows and passageways underground. They line their nests with clean dry grass, changed frequently. During the brief alpine summer, marmots put on enough fat to make up half their body weight, then the colony snuggles up together to conserve heat and beds down for about seven months. During rainy interludes they rarely venture out as the marmot's thick, plush coat loses its insulating ability when wet.2

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Mountain Goats

Scrambling across high cliffs and remote peaks, casually edging along precipices inaccessible to other animals, the mountain goat is the ultimate mountain climber. This remarkable animal is actually not a goat at all, but a type of antelope. Their hooves have slightly curved pads that extend beyond the outer shells, which provide them with greater traction and maneuverability than other hoofed animals. Mountain goats have true horns that continually grow, and which they never shed. Their pelage (the hair or fur that covers mammals) is white or yellowish-white, with a dense undercoat of soft wool. During the summer mountain goats are very conspicuous, as they stand out against the rock terrain, but during the winter they blend in with the snow and are nearly invisible. The pelage keeps the mountain goat warm in cold, dry weather, but it is not as effective when it is cold and wet; during heavy rains, mountain goats often seek shelter under rock ledges or trees. Mountain goats choose to spend most of their time above timberline near rocky outcrops, where they can withdraw to safety in case of danger. When the snow is deep, however, mountain goats will head for the relatively balmy environment of lower elevations.3

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Pika

Common Pika (Ochotona princeps)

Hikers passing talus slopes are familiar with the sound, if not the sight, of the pika, a small relative of the rabbit. Their cry sounds something like "Eenk, eenk." When one pika cries the others disappear instantly into the rock crevices, eluding the hunter. These energetic animals belong to the order Lagomorpha (pikas, rabbits, hares) and spend the brief mountain summer gathering mixed greens, dashing about frenetically, then pausing to cast a wary eye around before scrambling off for another load. The plant material they collect is spread on rocks to dry. It is later stacked in rock crevices for storage. Since pikas do not hibernate like most small mammals, this "hay" is their sole source of food during long subalpine winter, lasting 9-10 months in some regions of the Cascades.2

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Snowshoe Hare

Snowshoe Hare (Lepus americanus)

When all the land is wrapped in snow and most forest creatures are deep in winter hibernation, the snowshoe hare moves silently through the forest. Its large hind feet act like "snowshoes," allowing the hare to move quickly over the snow. And they need to move quickly as foxes, great horned owls, golden eagles, weasels, bobcats, and lynxes all prey on this creature. While the hare's defenses of speed, camouflage (the brown coat turns white in winter), and alertness are excellent, predatory pressure on it skyrockets during the winter when other small mammals are hibernating. The species survives the winter assault by prolific summer breeding. Females give births several times a year, producing two to four young, born fully furred and with their eyes open. Hares appear to revel in the warm summer weather, indulging in foot drumming, rough and tumble play, and an ecstatic courtship dance when males and females take turns somersaulting over one another.2

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Weasel

The long, thin body of a weasel is rare among warm-blooded animals -- it is not a heat efficient design. To keep warm, weasels need to eat approximately 40 percent of their body weight every day, more during cold winter months. But the shape is worth the cost -- a weasel can slip into any crevice, flow down any hole after its favorite rodent prey. They are aggressive hunters and seldom lose their quarry once the chase begins. The coat is soft, silky brown in summer and white in winter. Weasels are active year-round, and in winter their white coat makes them almost invisible against the snow. The tail tip stays black and is thought to serve as a decoy. Owls and other predators target the dark tail tip instead of the body and the weasel can usually pull away from a tailhold and escape.2

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Bears4

Grizzly Bear (Ursus arctos) Photo Credit: Brian Wolitski

Black bears and grizzly bears can be difficult to tell apart. Size and color are not distinguishing characteristics. Both species vary greatly in the color of their coats: Black bears are not always black, and grizzly bears are sometimes black and not always grizzled. This can make it very difficult to distinguish between the two.

Black bears and grizzly bears have many things in common. Both sleep through the winter. Both are powerful, fast, and protective of their young. Both species are poached for illegal sale on the black market. Both bears eat a variety of foods, most of them plants. Both have good eyesight and an excellent sense of smell; they can detect scents from miles away. Through the course of a year, both bears use a wide variety of habitats, from low valleys to high meadows. Both are highly intelligent and individualistic. Both bears learn quickly how to get food and garbage from people, a habit very difficult to break.

There are differences between black bears and grizzly bears, too. Grizzlies grow larger than black bears, and, as adults, are not the agile tree-climbers that black bears are. Though this is not always a definitive characteristic, grizzlies tend to have a concave rather than straight facial profile. Grizzlies have a muscular shoulder hump and longer claws adapted for digging, which they do vigorously. Tracks can also be used to distinguish between the two bears. Grizzly bears can be more aggressively protective of their young and their food than black bears, though you should be very careful in the presence of either.

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Cougars5

Mountain lion, puma, and catamount – there are many names from many places, all belonging to the cat known in the Pacific Northwest as cougar. To scientists it is known as Felis concolor, or "cat of a single color." In American folklore, it is the ghost walker, the ghost of the wilderness.

Natural History: Larger than the other two North American wild cats -- the lynx and the bobcat -- an adult cougar may weigh from 85 to 180 pounds. It may reach six to eight feet in length including the thick, expressive, dark-tipped tail which makes up about one-third of its total length. A cougar's coat is typically a tawny color, shading into gray in the northern part of the species' range. The muzzle and chest are white, with a dark triangular marking on each side of the mouth.

Cougars are primarily nocturnal creatures and, even when active in daylight, they are secretive and rarely seen. They favor dense forest and brush that provides good stalking cover while hunting. Cougars also take advantage of steep canyons and rock outcroppings to remain hidden.

A cougar is a solitary animal, coming together with another cougar only for mating. Female's first breed at 18 to 24 months of age, and litters are born at two- to three-year intervals thereafter. Gestation is 92 days. Cubs are born with blue eyes and a spotted coat; the spots gradually fade and disappear completely by age two. Cubs stay with their mother for up to two years.

The cougar patrols a territory of 125 to 175 square miles, with female range a bit smaller than male. Territories are typically defended through mutual avoidance, as a cougar marks its boundaries with "scrapes" consisting of a mound of dirt and forest litter, urine, and dung. These scrapes serve to warn away other cougars of the same gender, though the range of females often overlaps male ranges. Cougars eat everything from mice to elk, but deer are their preferred prey.

The largest cat in North America, cougars once ranged across the continent. As free-ranging animals they seldom live more than 13 years. Due to aggressive predator control programs and habitat loss, they are now scarce in much of their former range. Though they continue to suffer from habitat loss due to human intrusion, the cougar is not considered a threatened or endangered species in the Western United States.

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Wolves6

Wolves have been sighted throughout the Cascade Range. Locations of wolf sightings in the North Cascades include Glacier Peak Wilderness. These wolves are gray wolves (Canis lupus, sometimes called timber wolves). There are probably very few gray wolves in the North Cascades. No one knows whether the population is increasing, decreasing, or remaining the same.

Since 1990, biologists have seen three separate groups of adult wolves with pups in the Cascades. Wolves mate in February or March. About 63 days later a litter averaging six pups is born.

Gray wolves once roamed the continent from as far north as the Arctic to as far south as Mexico. Today they occupy about one percent of their former range in the contiguous United States. Extensive trapping of wolves for their pelts began with the arrival of the Hudson's Bay Company in the American Northwest in 1821. From 1827 through 1859, buyers at the company's forts around the North Cascades purchased 7,761 wolf pelts from trappers. The wolf population was further reduced by bounties and trappers employed by the government. Wolves were thought to be eliminated in Washington by the 1930s although unconfirmed evidence of transient wolves occasionally turned up in later years.

Wolf Facts: Wolves have very well developed senses: They can hear rodents moving under heavy snow and other wolves howling from several miles distant. They can smell prey more than a mile away. Wolves run on their toes. This lengthens their legs and makes it possible for them to run faster and turn more quickly. There are probably fewer than 2,500 wolves in the whole United States today, outside of Alaska. Every dog in the world is descended from wolves that were tamed by humans living in or near China less than 15,000 years ago. A wolf's winter coat is very woolly, and can be two and one-half inches thick with individual hairs as long as five inches.

Wolves look a lot like a big dog -- because dogs descended from wolves. But a wolf has longer legs, bigger feet, and a narrower chest than large domestic dogs. While a domestic dog's tail may curl, a wolf's does not. The "gray" wolf coat may vary in color from pure white to coal black. The usual color is not gray but light tan or cream mixed with brown, black, and white. Much of the black is concentrated on the back; the forehead tends to be brown and the lower part of the head and body is whitish. Wolves howl, whimper, and rarely bark. Their howling is described as haunting by some, mournful by others who have heard them in the wild. The call of adult wolves differs from that of coyotes and dogs. It is a long and clear howl not interrupted by short yaps and barks. Distinguishing wolves from coyotes and dogs is difficult, especially when lighting is poor, the sighting is brief, or the animal is at a great distance. In general, adult wolves are much larger than coyotes. Coyote colors rarely vary while wolf colors vary widely, and solid-colored wolves are common.

Coyote: Height at shoulder: 16-20 inches. Weight: 20-30 pounds. Color: All shades of gray and tan, even spotted.

Wolf: Height at shoulder: 26-34 inches. Weight: 70-115 pounds. Color: Black, white, all shades of gray and tan, grizzled all over, never spotted.

Wolves eat mostly mammals such as moose, elk, deer, beaver, and marmot. They were probably the major predator in the North Cascades for thousands of years until the later 19th century. Wolves often eat the sick, weak, diseased, injured, and the very young or old.

Wolves live in family groups called packs made up of 2 to 12 or more members. Packs are governed by an Alpha pair, usually the only pair to breed. Although an average of six pups is born, few survive the rigors of their first year. Wolves are highly intelligent and communicate with each other by scent marking, vocalizations, and facial and body posturing. Howling helps them keep track of each other, establish territories, assemble the pack, and defend a kill. They may also sometimes howl just for the fun of it.

Future: Wolves are listed as endangered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 47 states, meaning that throughout all or in a significant portion of its range the gray wolf is in danger of becoming extinct. In Washington State, both the federal and state governments list the wolf as an endangered species.

The Endangered Species Act, passed in 1973, requires the federal government to protect and conserve species threatened with extinction. The Act makes the "take" of wolves a violation. As defined in the Act, "take" means to "harass, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, trap, capture, or collect, or to attempt to engage in any such conduct."

It is mandatory under the Endangered Species Act that federal agencies work toward the wolf's recovery. Recovery is defined as having a population of adequate size and composition to make survival over the long run likely. The wolf recovery program for the Northern Rocky Mountains, prepared by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, includes all of Washington State. Specific population goals for the North Cascades have not yet been determined.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the lead agency for protection and recovery of endangered species in the United States. Several natural resource agencies are working toward the conservation and management of the wolves, including: Animal Damage Control, Bureau of Indian Affairs, U.S. Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Forest Service, National Park Service, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, and the British Columbia Ministry of the Environment.

Wolves rarely prey on domestic stock, but such incidents do happen. Experts employed by the federal government remove wolves that kill livestock from the area. Plans have been developed to deal with problem wolves if livestock losses occur in Washington. The loss of habitat, reduction in prey species, and human-induced mortality are the largest threats to the wolves survival. Attitudes about wolves that stem from stories of "the big bad wolf" and sensational journalism may affect their survival even today. Sources of human-induced mortality include poaching, misidentification as coyotes, or, as in British Columbia, through predator control and hunting programs. Wolves in the wild are afraid of humans and generally avoid contact with them. There are no documented instances of healthy wolves attacking humans in North America, and only one instance of a rabid wolf doing so. Perhaps some of the widespread fear of wolves is the result of encounters with dogs allowed to run wild. In most places where wolves roam, people are not even aware of their presence.

It appears that wolves are re-colonizing their former habitat. Wolves' ability to disperse over long distances and reproduce prolifically may enable the species to reestablish itself in Washington.

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References Cited

1. National Park Service. North Cascades: Lucky to see a Loon. <http://www.nps.gov/noca/loon.htm>

2. National Park Service. North Cascades: Mammals. <http://www.nps.gov/noca/mammals.htm>

3. North Cascades National Park: Wildlife. <http://www.north.cascades.national-park.com/info.htm>

4. North Cascades National Park: Bears. <http://www.north.cascades.national-park.com/info.htm#bear>

5. National Park Service. Cougars. <http://www.nps.gov/ccso/cougar.htm>

6. National Park Service. Wolves in the North Cascades: Questions and Answers. <http://www.nps.gov/noca/wolf.htm>