RACCOON, SKUNK, AND GOPHER

This is part 3 of several successive posts showing animals displayed at the Placerita Canyon

 Nature Center near Santa Clarita, Southern  California

RACCOON

Their earliest ancestors originated in Europe about 25 mya [million-years ago] during late Oligocene time). Then about 6 mya, some of them migrated to the Americas via the Bering Land Bridge [see one of my earlier posts]. About 3 mya (Pliocene), they also migrated from North America to Central and South America via the Panama area [see another one of my earlier posts] referred to as the “Great American Biotic Interchange.” The true raccoon lineage (genus Procyon) appeared in North America later. 

To sum up this somewhat confusing geologic history: raccoons are found today in North America, Central America, central Europe (e.g., Germany) and Japan)—with different species depending on the locale). 

This blog post concerns the raccoon Procyon lotor and its presence in the United States. This species of raccoon, which has black fur around its eyes (i.e., a bandit’s mask), can swim and climb (including “walking” headfirst down a tree because these mammals can rotate their feet so that they are pointing backward). They have a very versatile diet (can eat invertebrates, vertebates, and plants), and can travel in small packs. They also have a certain level of problem-solving intelligence (i.e., a reasonable memory). Interestingly, they are color blind.

Figure 1. Image of an excellent, taxidermy example of a raccoon, displayed at the “Placerita Canyon Nature Center” just east of Santa Clarita, southern California. 

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STRIPED SKUNK

These insectivores (plus they also eat some plants) occur across much of North America (including southern Canada, the USA, and northern Mexico).  

  Classification

Kingdom Animalia

Phylum Chordata

Class Mammalia

Order Carnivora

Family Mephitidae

Genus Mephitis

Type species M. mephitis

Geologic Range: Early Pleistocene (approximately 1.8 million years ago) (in Nebraska). By late Pleistocene, they were widespread, especially in the southern USA (Wikipedia, 2025).

They weight up to 12 pounds, and are up to 30 inches in length. Most are about the size of a cat. Their fur is black and white, and the soles of their feet are bare. They have long claws, which are used for digging.

When provoked, they arch their back, raises there tail, and stamps its feet, and shuffles backward: this is when you had better back off and give it some room. Otherwise, you will be wearing the smelly (acrid) fluid from its anal glands. This fluid can also be a blinding liquid. So be very careful and to not let it spray you in the face/eyes.  Also, this animal is a major carrier of rabies! In summary, do not torment it. Just leave them alone!

It lives in forests and is known to browse around campgrounds . Do not leave your trash bags where skunks can reach them at night.

They are nocturnal omnivores and eat insects (especially grasshoppers, beetles), as well as small animals, reptiles, birds, and plants (North American Wildlife, 1982).

References

North American Wildlife. 1982. Reader’s Digest. Pleasantiville, New York. 615 pp. 

Wikipedia, 2025.

Figure 2. Image of an excellent, taxidermy example of a raccoon, displayed at the “Placerita Canyon Nature Center” just east of Santa Clarita, southern California. 

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“POCKET GOPHER”

These burrowing rodents are endemic to North America and Central America. To date, there are 41 known species. They range in size from ½ to 2 pounds. They live mostly solitary lives in an extensive network of tunnels that they dig. These tunnels provide protection and places to store food. These animals are very shy and very hard to catch via traps. They seldom go above ground, and they if they to go elsewhere, they travel at night. They eat the roots of shrubs and roots (especially carrots and radishes). They can quickly devastate a garden! They are solitary animals except during breeding season. Left unchecked, they can easily overrun your garden or lawn. Most of what I have written here is based on personal experience. If you do nothing to stop their burrowing, your garden will suffer significantly!

Their fossil record is known for late Pliocene (about 5 million years ago = mya) to Recent time. They are questionably known in strata as old as the Eocene. Their closest relative is the “kangaroo rat.”  

  Classification

Kingdom Animalia

Phylum Chordata

Class Mammalia

Order Rodentia

Family Geomyidae

Genus Geomys

If you have the interest and monies available, I found two journal articles about the pocket gopher:

Martin, R.A. and 4 others. Five million years of pocket gopher history in the Meade Basin of southwestern Kansas and northern Oklahoma. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, v. 31, no. 2011, issue 4. Only the abstract is free.

Jonathan, J. M. and two others. 2019. Locomotory adaptations in entoptychine gophers (Rodentia: Gomyidae) and the mosaic evolution of fossoriality. Journal of Morphology https://doi.org/10.1002/jmor.2099. Only the abstract is free.

Figure 3. Image of an excellent, taxidermy example of a "pocket gopher" displayed at the “Placerita Canyon Nature Center” just east of Santa Clarita, southern California. 

SOME MORE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA ANIMALS

This is part 2 of several successive posts showing animals displayed at the Placerita Canyon

 Nature Center near Santa Clarita, Southern  California

ROADRUNNER BIRD

The earliest fossil record of roadrunner birds is late Pleistocene (about 35,000 to 33,000 years old). These fossils are found in New Mexico, southern California (La Brea Tar Pits), Arizona, Texas, and northern Mexico. An example is Geococcyx conklingi, a large species. 

Roadrunners belong to the cuckoo family and share ancestry with other birds, some of which have records in the dinosaur era. Roadrunners are ground-dwelling birds that have two toes forward and two toes backward = zgodactyl condition.

   Classification

Kingdom Animalia

Phylum Chordata

Class Aves

Order Cuculiformes = the cuckoo family

Family Cuculidae (also includes cuckoo birds and their relatives)

Genus Geococyx 

There are two living species of roadrunners. One is the “Greater roadrunner” G. californianus (the larger of the two species). It lives in the southwest USA and northern Mexico. The other living species is the “Lesser Roadrunner,” which is smaller in size and lives in southern Mexico and Central America.

Roadrunners are omnivores and 90% of what they east is animal matter. They can kill venomous snakes, scorpions, “black widow” spiders, and centipedes. They also eat small rabbits, bats, hummingbirds, other small birds, frogs, mice, grasshoppers, young ground squirrels, beetles, crickets, and caterpillars.

roadrunner bird

OPOSSUM                                          

They originated in South America about 3 million years ago, and eventually migrated to North America, across the Panamanian land bridge (see of my previous blogs posts about this land bridge). Opussums are endemic to the Americas (i.e., occur on no other continents).

They are not rodents; rather they are marsupials (2-3 feet long—tail included) and weigh up to 15 pounds). Interestingly, because of special protein in their blood, they are nearly immune to rattlesnake venom and other viper toxins. Their blood is used in making anti-venom.

  Classification:

Kingdom Animalia

Phylum Chordata

Class Mammalia

Order Didelphimorphic [=the largest order of marsupials in the Western Hemisphere,            with 18 genera and 126 species.]

Family Didelphidae

Genus Didephis

They live 1 to 2 years in the wild and 3 to 8 years in captivity. They are preyed upon by coyotes, foxes, bobcats, large owls, and hawks.

Opossums have very long tails, thereby allowing them to hang from tree branches.

opossum

                                          MULE DEER

They are indigenous to western North America: from Canada to Mexico. This deer is named for its ears, which are large like those of a mule.

Mule deers can be up to 330 pounds and up to 42 inches at the shoulder.

Kingdom Animalia

Phylum Chordata

Class Mammalia

Order

Family Cervidae

Genus Odocoileus

Type species O. hemionus

Mule deer represent a geologically “young” species as they apparently evolved from Whitetail deer about 10,000 years ago during Pleistocene time. Whitetail deep evolved much earlier, about 1.5-2.5 million years ago. 

mule deer

REFERENCE

Wikipedia, 2025.

GAMEBEL'S QUAIL BIRD

Callipepla gambelli was named in honor of William Gambell, a 19^th century naturalist who explored the southwestern United States. This bird is found toay in Arizona, California, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah, Texas, and the Sonora, Mexico.

Both males and females of this bird have a distinctive black “top-knot” on their heads, but males also have a copper-colored head and a white strip around their eyes. Both sexes have blue-gray plumage on their undersides but featherless legs. 

The term “quail” is a collective name for several genera of mid-sized birds that mainly walk around in groups (flocks). They can have, nevertheless, short flights (but rarely do). They are non-migratory. Their wingspan is 14-16 inches. These birds are omnivores that eat plant matter (seeds, some greens) and some insects.

                                                                             Gambel's Quail (about the size of a chicken).

   Classification

Kingdom Animalia

Phylum Chordata

Class Aves

Order Galliformes [also includes chickens and turkeys)

Family Odontophoridae

Genus Callipepla

Type species: C. gambelii 

The earliest known fossil record of an ancient relative of quail is middle Eocene (44 mya) in Utah. The earliest known fossil record of Callipepla is late Oligocene (28.5-23.8 mya) in California (Quinn, 2005). 

Callipepla is an omnivore that primarily eats plant-based food (e.g., seeds, grains, greens) and insects.

References

Quinn, A. 2005. Earliest record of a New World Quail from the East Lake Local Fauna, Otay Formation (late Oligocene) of San Diego County, California. Georgia College and State University, Master’s thesis, 58 pp. [PDF available, free, online]. 

Wikipedia. 2025.

Note: The “stuffed” quail used for this blog post is part of a taxidermy display of the kinds of wildlife that live in the mountains in the area surrounding the Placerita Canyon Nature Center, just east of the Newhall and southeast of Santa Clarita, Southern California. Parking and admission are free, but the facility is closed on Mondays. There is also a flowing stream, as well as hiking trails. Just a short distance westward (near the entrance to the Nature Center) is the site of the first discovery of gold in California, in 1842—-seven years before gold was found at Sutters Mill on the bank of the South Fork American River, near Coloma in northern California. That discovery led to the famous 1849 Gold Rush.

WESTERN ALLIGATOR LIZARD

These lizards are represented by seven species in genus Elgaria, a New World lizard that lives in the western USA and Mexico. These lizards have slim bodies, short limbs, and a long tail.  These animals can be up to 12 inches (30 cm long) and their tail is approximately one-half of that length! The tail, which is somewhat prehensile and used for climbing, can break off on its own if a predator attacks the lizard. These lizards are somewhat aggressive and will bite when threatened (Wikipedia). 

Alligator lizards eat beetles, ants, wasps, aphids, grasshoppers, and other lizards. In my yard, these lizards are a rare occurrence.

Figure 1. Adult Elgaria multicarinata (length approximately 7 inches) from northern Los Angeles County, southern California.

Figure 2. Juvenile Elargia mutlicarinata (length approximately 4 inches) from northern Los Angeles County, southern California.

Classification:

Kingdom Animalia

Phylum Chordata

Class Reptilia

Order Squamata

Family Anguidae

Genus Elgaria

Species [illustrated here] E. multicarinata subsp.

There are five recognized subspecies, all native to the Pacific Coast of North America. They occur variously from Washington to Baja California, Mexico and occur in a variety of habitats. These lizards have considerable variation in their coloration.

References

https://nathistoc.bio.uci

wikipedia: 2025

PHOLCUS: THE LONG-BODIED CELLAR SPIDER

Although I first saw this tiny spider months ago, it took me awhile to time to find a suitable specimen of it. It is a "long-bodied cellar spider,” whose scientific name is Pholcus phalangoides. It most active during the evening. Unfortunately, I could never get a decent, in-focus picture of this spider (an animal that does not like to be photographed!) 

The tiny long-bodied “cellar spiders “have an oval-shaped body and very thin and very long legs, about 5 to 6 times as long as the spider’s body. With their legs folded up, this spider has a width of 18 mm, but the majority of that distance is still taken up by just the legs. The cellar spider matures after about one year and lives for another two years or so. They are active at night. They need water for their survival but drink only once every few days. They can grow new legs but only under certain conditions.

Figure 1. A long-bodied cellar spider, with its long  legs folded somewhat. This spider was about 18 cm wide (before its legs got folded up).

Cellar spiders eat black widow spiders and brown recluses, as well as cockroaches. They use their long legs to cast silk onto their prey and then consume their prey. Thus, if you tolerate them (they are usually well hidden and not a nuisance), then they are “good neighbors.”

  Classification:

Kingdom Animalia

Phylum Arthropoda

Class Arachnida

Order Araneae

Family Pholcidae

Genus Pholcus

Type Species P. phalangoides

[note: This species is a true spider.]

Note: In my research of this spider, I came across a highly confusing taxonomic issue. Tiny, long-bodied cellar spiders, like the one illustrated in this blog, are often mistakenly identified as the “Daddy-Long-Legged Spider.” But, “Daddy-Long-Legged Spiders” are different animals.

“Cellar Spiders”

Kingdom Animalia

Phylum Arthropoda

Class Arachnida

Order Araneae

Family Pholcidae 

Genus Pholcus

Note: The geologic range of Pholcus is from the early Cenozoic (Paleogene) to Recent.

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note: Just so you know, I include here, the classification of “Daddy Long-Legged Spiders:

Kingdom Animalia

Phylum Arthropoda

Class Arachnida

Order Opiliones

Family Sclerosomatidae

Genus Protolophus

Additionally, I might add that, unlike “Cellar Spiders,” the “Daddy-Long-Legged Spiders” have no fangs and do not bike, their abdomen is fused to the cephalolthorax. Also, "Daddy-Long-Legged Spiders  usually have only two eyes and usually live outdoors.

So, please be aware that “cellar spiders” are NOT “Daddy-Long-Legged Spiders.”

REFERENCES

Hogue, C. L. , revised by J.N. Hogue. 2015. Insects of the Los Angeles Basin, 3^rd edition. 474 pp. Natural History Museum publication. 

Wikipedia 2025.

 

THE LARGE REPILE CHAMPSOSAUR: A DINOSAUR-AGE SURVIVOR

 Champsosaurs were reptiles that lived during the Late Cretaceous Turonian time (90 mya) and into early Eocene time (56 mya).  Thus, they lived during the time of some large dinosaurs. Also, they were the largest vertebrate to have survived the extinction crisis at the end of the Cretaceous Period. They occupied freshwater (rivers and swamps) and possibly estuaries. They resembled gharials (with their long narrow snouts used for catching fish) and, to a lesser degree, they resembled alligators. Nevertheless, they are not regarded as belonging to neither one of those two groups.

 Figure 1. Two views (left side and dorsal) of Champsosaurus laramiensis.
 

Champsosaurs were up to 3 m in body length, and their bodies were streamlined, flattish, and covered in small scales. Their eyes were on top of the their head, and their ears were on the underside. Individuals had sexual dimorphism. The females had limb bones for land use, whereas the males were likely fully aquatic.

Ten species of champsosaurs have been named (whether or not all of these names are valid needs investigation). Champsosaurs lived in both freshwaters and salt waters, at the western edge of the Western Interior Seaway in coastal south-central Canada and north-central western USA. Also, a few early Cenozoic species are known from Belgium and northern France. 

Classification

Kingdom Animali

Phylum Chordata

Class Reptilia

Order Choristodera

Genus Champsosaurus; [note: this word is derived from an ancient Greek source].

Type Species C. annectens Cope (nomen dubium)

Figure 2. Champsosaur sketch.

Figure 3. Gharial sketch---for comparative purposes.

Figure 4. Alligator sketch---for comparative purposes.

References Consulted

Abdale, J.R. 2020. Champsosaurus: The Croc-Lizard of the Cretaceous. https://dinosaursandbarbarians.com

Brown, B. 1905. The osteology of Champsosaurus Cope. Memoirs of the American Museum of Natural History, v. 9, pt. 1, 26 pp, 5 pls. [see digitallibrary.amnh.org]

SPHINX CATERPILLAR

This caterpillar belongs to family Sphingidae (the “hawk moths"). It is a large family with about 200 genera and 1,400 species (there are reportedly 28 species of this caterpillar in California!). This genus of caterpillar is found in a great variety of climates, especially the tropics. These caterpillars have a voracious appetite and will eat just about any kind of vegetation. Sphingids are commonly called tomato or tobacco “worms.” But, they are not worms!  

  Classification

Kingdom Animalia

Phylum Arthropoda

Class Insecta

Order Lepidoptae

Family Spingidae

Genus Sphinx

Species: unidentified

Caterpillars are just one stage in the development of these creatures. They go from the pupa stage, to the caterpillar stage, and ultimately to the moth stage. 

I found this particular specimen (dead) on a public sidewalk along the side of the garden at our house. I checked my garden and found no evidence of any sphinx caterpillar activity. Perhaps, this specimen was dropped there by a bird that just happened to roost in a large tree next to our garden. 

Moths are some of the fastest flaying insects known and can fly as fast as 5.3 m/second! Furthermore, some moths can be the size of a hummingbird.

Two figures of the same specimen of Sphinx sp.: length 44 mm and width 10 mm. Upper image: left-side view (I know it looks backwards, but it is not---i.e., the horn is located at the rear of the animal). Bottom image: top view--notice the “horn” on the posterior end of this specimen.