Hi, tweeters.

The discussion of slug-eating garter snakes reminded me that I had
wanted to ask this question of the tweeters group. I've been
interested in urban biodiversity for a long time (although I spend as
much time as possible out of the city!) and have often asked this
question of myself.

How many species of herps (amphibians and reptiles) and mammals now
live within the Seattle city limits? I think this would be a good
indicator of biodiversity in a large city with not a whole lot of
native habitat remaining.

I'd be interested in hearing about what native species of these three
vertebrate classes have been seen within the city in the last, say,
ten years. I'm not interested in what someone has seen in downtown
Issaquah or Snohomish, just within Seattle city limits. In my yard in
Maple Leaf, the only native mammals that are resident are Raccoons. I
have also seen Big Brown Bats and one or more species of myotis
(bats) overhead, but bats are less evident than they were when we
moved to this address in 1991. When we first moved in, there were
Coyotes in the neighborhood, but I haven't seen/heard one in a
decade. No other mammals, and no amphibians or reptiles.

We have E. Gray Squirrels, Virginia Opossums, and Norway and Black
Rats among the non-natives. When I go to Montlake Fill, I typically
see Nutrias, Bullfrogs, and 2-3 non-native turtle species but no
native herps or mammals. The conclusion is inescapable that we are
replacing natives with non-natives (I guess that's been the case for
our own species).

Feel free to respond to me and/or the tweeters list. I will compile a
list of species and share it. Perhaps Gene Hunn knows how many
species of birds have been reported in the city in that same time
interval!

Dennis
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Dennis Paulson
1724 NE 98 St.
Seattle, WA 98115
206-528-1382
dennispaulson at comcast.net

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