Small Predatory Animals (1973)

A predator is an animal which lives by killing and eating other animals. Fish, reptiles, and insects may all be predators. So can birds. Green herons catch and eat lots of fish. And young yellow-billed cuckoos thrive on big green caterpillars. Some mammals are also predatory. Flesh-eating mammals are called carnivores. Large carnivores include African lions, leopards, and cheetahs. All carnivores have similar teeth. On this tiny least weasel skull, notice the long sharp canine teeth which project beyond the other teeth. These are ideal for seizing and killing prey. Few predators are as bold and aggressive as weasels. Tiny least weasels are adept at finding and killing meadow voles. Least weasels are brown during summer, fall, and early winter. But by midwinter, many are as white as snow. How would this white color help protect them in winter? All weasels eat nothing but meat. They never dine on vegetable matter. The least weasel feeds almost entirely on voles or mice. Its larger cousin, the long-tailed weasel, also eats rats, ground squirrels, and young rabbits. A close relative of the weasel is the mink. Mink usually live around brush and boulder-strewn waterways and lakes. Like weasels, mink depend on keen senses of smell, sight, and hearing to locate and capture prey. The careful, quiet observer may see a mink probing the ledges under a small waterfall in search of food. They are expert swimmers and can dive to 15 or 18 ft below the surface. Mink are found over most of North America, except in the deserts of the southwestern United States and the very cold areas of northernmost Canada. In many parts of North America, they are still caught by fur trappers. The total value of their pelts runs into millions of dollars each year. But how are mink valuable to man in other ways? Are they valuable simply because they are beautiful? Do they have an aesthetic value which is hard to measure in dollars and cents? Mink do not hibernate. Their search for food must continue throughout the winter. In springtime, why does the female pay special attention to a stump, hollow log, or a rock crevice within her territory? Her family lives in such a location. Usually, there are three to six youngsters in a mink family. The young, called kits, are born naked and with their eyes closed. Within 8 weeks, the fast-growing kits will try to capture small animals for themselves. These kits are already half-grown. Mink eat fish, frogs, crayfish, insects, and birds. Like other members of the weasel family, mink prey only on other animals. They do not eat plants or fruit. An occasional snake may also fall victim to the mink's sharp canine teeth. They also prey upon many other mammals. One of the largest mammals which a mink might attack is a muskrat. The muskrat that senses the presence of a mink may hurry away from its own home. The mink, however, knows that the muskrat is near. How does he know? His well-developed sense of smell alerts him. The predator begins to search for his quarry. The muskrat tries to hide itself in the cattails, but it can't escape. The muskrat is much larger than the mink, but the mink is faster and stronger. And his canine teeth allow the mink to hang on tightly, no matter how vigorously the muskrat thrashes in the shallow water. When the struggle is over, the mink may move into the muskrat's house. Everyone probably recognizes this predatory mammal. The black mask across the face and the bushy ringed tail easily identify the raccoon. The raccoon skull resembles that of the weasel. Note the prominent canine teeth. Raccoons usually make their dens in hollow tree trunks or limbs. If we climb this dead tree and look inside, we will see a mother nursing her young. At birth, a cub weighs only 3 oz, but within 12 weeks may weigh 3 or 4 lbs. Most raccoon families have three to five young. Curiosity is a strong trait of these animals, and soon the young begin to explore the entrance to their den. Raccoons are largely nocturnal. That is, they are active at night. But sometimes the female may take the cubs for a short daytime hikes. On warm days, the family may go for a swim, pausing to rest for a bit on a convenient rock. Raccoons have a highly developed sense of touch, especially in the soles of their feet. They continuously use their forepaws to feel and search for food, such as crayfish. They probably do not actually wash their food. They simply like to play with things, especially in water. So, when a raccoon captures a crayfish, it may fondle it a few minutes before eating it. Frogs also fall victim to the raccoon's sensitive front paws and its sharp canine teeth. And they have little trouble catching small fish in shallow water. Raccoons are omnivorous. That means they feed on both animal and vegetable matter. How does this differ from weasels and mink? A natural vineyard of wild grapes is especially enticing. In the fall, they harvest tasty ripe persimmons. Raccoons will also eat honey, bees, and wasps. Yellowjacket wasps nest underground. The raccoon will risk a few wasp stings to get at the yellowjacket larvae. While digging out the larvae, he may also eat a few of the adult wasps. When he finishes, all that remains is a large hole in the ground. Man is the raccoon's chief enemy. Thousands of raccoons are hunted, trapped, or killed by automobiles each year. Natural enemies include bobcats, great horned owls, and forest fires. Foxes, like weasels, mink, and raccoons, are also predatory mammals. The ever-alert gray fox stalks fields and brushy fence rows hunting for rabbits and mice to eat. How does a gray fox skull resemble that of the weasel or raccoon? Gray foxes prefer to live near lakes and streams surrounded by forests and dense brush lands. In such areas, they find good hunting for rodents, insects, and an occasional bird. Though primarily carnivorous, the gray fox, like the raccoon, is omnivorous. The ability to climb trees is useful to an animal that enjoys tasty ripe persimmons, apples, grapes, and wild cherries. The gray fox is the only North American member of the dog family that regularly climbs trees. It can climb them because it has especially long claws. A gray fox den usually contains three to five cubs. Foxes, like other predatory mammals, have only a few young at a time, and their babies mature slowly. These cubs, for example, remain under the protective guidance of their parents for at least 7 months. But the small rodents and other animals that foxes eat usually have large numbers of young, which mature very quickly. Why is this important to foxes and other predators? The gray fox is much less wary than its close cousin, the red fox. Red foxes, nervous and suspicious, usually stay away from people. But the gray fox often lives quite close to human settlements. But because these predators are most active at night, they aren't often seen by people. Gray foxes occasionally raid flocks of poorly housed chickens. And sometimes make their dens under old farm buildings. A patient person living in the suburbs may actually coax wild gray foxes into his backyard by tempting them with powdered sugar donuts, grapes, and table scraps. Predatory mammals live totally or in large part by killing and eating other animals. Without them, the creatures upon which they prey might multiply so rapidly that nature's fragile balance would be destroyed. Because predators play such a vital role, they should always be respected and protected.