Mammal Identification

The following Mammal Identification resources can be used during and after the Wenatchee Naturalist course.

Books:

• Living with Wildlife in the Pacific Northwest, by Russell Link (2004) University of WashingtonPress, 392 pages. The book was written for people wanting to know more about the wildlife occupying areas around their homes, and for people seeking solutions for human/wildlife conflicts. The text includes excellent life history narratives and illustrations for many common mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians.
• Wildlife of the Pacific Northwest: Tracking and Identifying Mammals, Birds, Reptiles, Amphibians, and Invertebrates by David Moskowitz Timber Press Field Guides (2010). Includes illustrated descriptions for more than 180 mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and invertebrates most common in Washington, Oregon, British Columbia, northern California, Idaho, and western Montana. With more than 460 photographs, hundreds of scale drawings, and more than 90 distribution maps, it belongs in every pack and is a must-have for nature lovers of all ages and skill levels.
• Tracking and the Art of Seeing: How to Read Animal Tracks and Sign by Paul Rezendes. HarperResource (1999) In this newly revised and updated edition of his highly acclaimed field guide, renowned nature photographer and tracking expert Paul Rezendes brings the fields and forests to life with his unique observations on North American wildlife and their tracks and sign. Illustrated with hundreds of his original photographs, Tracking & the Art of Seeing provides complete information on the behavior and habitat of over 50 animal species and shows you how to identify animals by their tracks, tail patterns, droppings, dens, scratches and other signs.
• Animal Tracks Peterson FlashGuides, Laminated, folded paperback By Richard Philip Grossenheider & Olaus J. Muriel Roger Tory Peterson (Editor) A compact field guide that shows at a glance all the most common wildlife and plant life of a particular type or a particular region, and they employ the famous Peterson Identification System to pinpoint the key differences between species.
• Peterson Field Guide to Animal Tracks: Third Edition Peterson Field Guides by Olaus J. Murie, Mark Elbroch & Roger Tory Peterson. (2005).
• Scats and Tracks of North America: A Field Guide to the Signs of Nearly 150 Wildlife Species (Scats and Tracks) by James Halfpenny Falcon Press Publishing (2008).
• Animal Tracks of Washington and Oregon (Animal Tracks Guides) by Ian Sheldon. Lone Pine Field Guide (1997).

Older out-of-print books that are available as low-cost used books:

• Animal Tracks of the Pacific Northwest by Chris Stall The Mountaineers (1981)
• Mammals of the Pacific States by Lloyd G. Ingles. Stanford University Press (1965). A complete account of the mammals of the three Pacific states (California, Oregon, and Washington), this work is in two parts. Part 1 deals with morphology, classification, and geology. Part II gives brief descriptions of the various species, supplemented by dichotomous keys and pictorial keys. The book contains 260 photographs, line drawings, range maps, and pictorial keys.
• Mammals of the Northwest :Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and British Columbia by Earl J Larrison Seattle Audubon Society (1976).
• Mammals of the Pacific Northwest: A Pictorial Introduction, by James R. Christensen and Earl J. Larrison, The University Press of Idaho Northwest Naturalist Books (1982).

Selected Websites:

• The Methow Naturalist
• The Burke Museum: You can explore the biodiversity of Washington’s mammals. All species in the state are found on our checklist, and you can click on each name for an account of its natural history, geographic distribution, and further information.
• Washington Department of Wildlife, Living with Wildlife webpage.