Crater Lake National Park Service arrowheadNational Park Service
U.S. Department of the Interior

Crater Lake National Park
Checklist of Mammals

A- Abundant
C - Common
LC - Locally Common
U - Uncommon
P - Present, but not often seen
R - Rare
* - endangered species
** - threatened species
+ - sensitive species

Help us out! To further park research, please report any sightings of animals listed as other than abundant or common to a park visitor center. Please report all bear sightings.

  S W
Insect-eaters    
Vagrant shrew
Northern water shrew
Shrew-mole
California mole
 C
C
C
U		 P
P
P
P
Bats    
Little brown myotis
Long-eared myotis
Silver-haired bat
Big brown bat
 C
U
R
C		 -
-
-
-
Carnivores    
Black bear
Raccoon
Marten +
Fisher +
Shorttail weasel
Longtail weasel
Mink
River otter
Wolverine **
Badger
Striped skunk
Coyote
Red fox
Gray fox
Mountain lion
Canada lynx **
Bobcat
 C
R
C
R
R
C
R
R
R
C
LC
C
C
U
R
R
R		 P
P
LC
P
P
P
R
R
R
P
R
C
-
-
R
R
R
Rodents    
Mountain beaver
Yellow-bellied marmot
California ground squirrel
Golden-mantled ground squirrel
Townsend chipmunk
Yellow pine chipmunk
Western gray squirrel
Douglas squirrel
Northern flying squirrel
Sierra pocket gopher
Beaver
Deer mouse
Bushytail woodrat
Meadow vole
Western red-backed vole
Long-tailed vole
Richardson vole
Muskrat
Pacific jumping mouse
Porcupine
 U
C
LC
A
A
C
R
A
C
C
R
A
LC
U
C
LC
U
R
LC
C		 P
P
P
P
P
P
R
P
P
P
R
P
P
P
P
P
P
R
P
P
Rabbits and Pikas    
Pika
Snowshoe hare
Nutall's cottontail
 C
C
R		 P
U
R
Deer and Elk    
Roosevelt elk
Mule deer
Black-tail deer
 C
C
C		 R
R
R
Antelope    
Pronghorn antelope
 U -
Accidentals    
Ring-tailed cat
White-tailed deer
    
Listed Species

The status of all park animals is set according to the statutes of the Endangered Species Act of 1972.

Endangered: Any species that is in danger of becoming extinct in a significant portion of its range.

Threatened: Any species in danger of becoming endangered in a significant portion of its range.

Sensitive: A species with not enough data to understand where it exists as a population in the ecosystem although there is evidence of declines in population.

Please don't feed the animals! More than fifty mammals make their home at Crater Lake National Park, ranging in size from the little brown bat to the Roosevelt elk. While most visitors to the park hope to see a bear or an elk, you’re more likely to encounter birds, chipmunks, and ground squirrels. These animals live in a harsh volcanic landscape that is buried by snow eight months of the year. Be a gracious guest during your visit—enjoy watching the wild animals, but do not feed them! No matter how much they may beg or plead for your food, feeding animals is not permitted. Here’s why:
It's bad for the animals

Animals that learn to depend on human handouts lose their instinctive abilities to find food for themselves. Even a single potato chip is bad for wild animals—potato chips do not naturally occur in their diet. Neither do cheese curls, candy, sandwiches, or even peanuts or raisins. Animals quickly come to recognize humans as a source of food, and may forget their natural food seeking skills. When winter comes, the easy food supply they’ve come to depend on disappears. They may now starve because they have lost their self-sufficiency.

Wild animals that are fed by humans are soon no longer “wild.” They lose their natural fear of humans and become vulnerable to other animals that would harm them. Increased territorial behavior and fighting may occur when many animals are crowded into small areas competing for the same food.

Crater Lake National Park receives half a million visitors per year. If each person feeds just one animal just one treat, that still equals half a million instances of feeding every year!

It's bad for the ecosystem

Every creature plays an important role in natural ecological cycles. Disrupting these cycles may have dramatic consequences.

Wild animals seem to face difficult challenges for survival. It’s natural to want to “help out.” However, this is the life for which they are designed and adapted. Even with good intentions, we may easily disrupt natural processes. Consider the following example:

Feeding birds and squirrels is a common practice. However, without our snacks, these animals would be collecting pine seeds to eat now and to store in winter caches. These caches are also an important food source for larger animals, such as bears. Many of the stored seeds may germinate. They have, in effect, been “planted.” Research indicates that small mammals or birds plant most of the whitebark pines which cling to the rim of the caldera. When these animals rely on us for food and stop gathering pine seeds, whitebark pines cease to be planted. Whitebark pine roots, in turn, play a role in stabilizing the rim of the caldera. The chain has been broken.

It's dangerous for you All of the animals in the park are wild. Wild animals do, indeed, often bite the hand that feeds them. Wild animals—and the ticks, fleas, and lice they carry—may also harbor diseases, which may be transmitted to you through contact with them or their feces.
But I didn't hand it any food! If you are a messy camper or a litterbug, you are, in effect, feeding the wildlife. “Feeding” may result not only from giving food to an animal but also from leaving food out at your campsite or allowing food scraps to remain at your picnic site. These actions are in fact unlawful in national parks and are punishable by a citation and a fine. We take feeding park wildlife seriously!
How can I help? Glad you asked! Make sure that you leave a clean camp or picnic site. Leave no trace of your visit—not even an apple core. If you see other visitors feeding wildlife, ask them to stop. Enjoy Crater Lake and all its inhabitants in their wild and natural state.

  EXPERIENCE YOUR AMERICA

Rev. 9/2001 klb