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Pipestone National MonumentA view of Pipestone Creek
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Pipestone National Monument
Mammals
Mink finds a rabbit for a meal

NPS

A mink finds a rather large meal at the Monument's Visitor Center

More than twenty-five species of mammals have been recorded at Pipestone National Monument. Prior to European expansion, larger mammals such as bison, antelope, and elk roamed throughout the area that is now the Monument. Today, primarily smaller mammals such as mink, woodchucks, and thirteen-lined ground squirrels call the Monument home. The following mammals have been recorded at Pipestone National Monument:

Family
Common Name                       Scientific name

Oppossums (Didelphiidae)
Opossum Didelphis virginianus
Shrews (Soricidae)
Masked Shrew Sorex cinereus
Short-tailed Shrew Blarina brevicauda
Vespertilionid (Plain-nosed) Bats (Vespertilionidae)
Big Brown Bat Eptesicus fuscus
Racoons and Coatis (Procyonidae)
Raccoon Procyon lotor
Weasels and Skunks (Mustelidae)
Short-tailed Weasel Mustela erminea
Mink Mustela vison
Striped Skunk Mephitis mephitis
Dogs, Wolves, and Foxes (Canidae)
Red Fox Vulpes fulva
Coyote Canis latrans
Squirrels (Sciuridae)
Woodchuck Marmota monax
Thirteen-lined Ground Squirrel Spermophilus tridecemlineatus
Fox Squirrel Sciurus niger
Pocket Gophers (Geomyidae)
Plains Pocket Gopher Geomys bursarius
Beavers (Castoridae)
Beaver Castor canadensis
Mice, Rats, Lemmings, and Voles (Cricetidae)
Western Harvest Mouse Reithrodontomys megalotis
Deer Mouse Peromyscus maniculatus
White-footed Mouse Peromyscus leucopus
Meadow Vole Microtus pennsylvanicus
Muskrat Ondatra zibethicus
House Mouse Mus musculus
Meadow Jumping Mouse Zapus hudsonius
Hares and Rabbits (Leporidae)
White-tailed Jackrabbit Lepus townsendi
Eastern Cottontail Sylvilagus floridanus
Deer (Cervidae)
White-tailed Deer Odocoileus viginianus


Tallgrass prairie landscape with Big Bluestem Grass  

Did You Know?
Pipestone National Monument is one of the few remaining areas of native tallgrass prairie. Over 400,000 square miles of tall grass prairie once covered the Midwest. Less than 1% of the original tall grass prairie remains today.
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Last Updated: August 24, 2006 at 13:57 EST