On 14/8/2006, Dennis Paulson wrote: Hi, tweeters.

> 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've been following the occurrence of wildlife in the city fairly closely
for about 9 years and less closely before that. The following is a fairly
comprehensive list of all of the native vertebrates I have seen or gotten
recent reports of for Seattle and close to Seattle.

Many Sightings are from Camp Long in West Seattle and also in Seward Park,
where I've worked on and off as a naturalist for 6 years:

Vagrant shrew Sorex vagrans:
Seen a few times both live and dead at Camp Long in the last 6 years

Shrew sp.:
suspected Trowbridge, but don't really know - Camp Long about 5 years ago
more than once I believe. I suspect they're still there.

Coast mole Scapanus orarius:
frequent through much of the city

Shrew-mole Neurotricus gibbsi:
Seen at Camp Long a few times 3 - 6 years ago. I've looked a number of
times in spots where I saw them years ago to no avail, but it is likely that
some still may exist.

Townsend mole Scapanus townsendi:
Seen dead near Sea-tac airport 6 years ago, suspect they still occur in the
city of Seattle. I've seen dead ones elsewhere in the metropolitan Seattle
area, but can't remember where and when

Little brown bat Myotis lucifigus
Big brown bat Eptesicus fuscus
Other bats? (about 9 spp occur in Western WA):
I haven't been able to identify our bats to species, but see good numbers of
bats on my bat-watching hayrides at Seward Park of at least 2 sizes. I'm
told the previous 2 spp are the most probable.

Mountain beaver Aplodontia rufa:
Numerous at Seward Park and I think Discovery Park also, maybe Carkeek?

Muskrat Ondatra zibetheca:
Frequent along Lake Washington

Townsend's chipmunk Eutamius townsendi:
A few still live at Seward (though I may have never seen them when I worked
there 2000 - 2002. I think I saw them at Carkeek about 5 years ago and they
may still be there.

Douglas squirrel Tamiasciurus douglasi:
I think I saw them about 10 years ago at Carkeek, but don't remember
clearly. The closest place I've seen them recently is Winona Pk on the west
shore of Lk Sammamish 7 years ago

Northern flying squirrel Glaucomys sabrinus: These were at Camp Long at
least until about 5 years ago, but Barred Owls have since become abundant
there and I question if they have survived.
I'd look for them at the other larger wooded parks.

Deer mouse Peromyscus maniculatus:
These occur at least at Camp Long, though at one point about 5 years ago
someone was releasing them after having been live trapped in Kent. I
believe there was already an extant population. I expect they exist in many
of the wilder spots and parks in Seattle

Creeping vole Microtus oregoni: A feral cat or neighbors cat just killed one
of them at Camp Long. I suspect there are not many left. I've seen their
tunnels through the grass there also. I've also seen the tunnels through
the grass at Seward Park and expect they are in other parks.

Vole sp. I saw several dead reddish furred voles about a year ago at
estuary's edge at the park on the west bank of the Duwamish across from
Kellogg Is. ("Herring's House Park - was Terminal 107)

Pacific Jumping Mouse Zapus trinotatus:
I've seen them one or two times near Sea-tac, but suspect that they still
occurred in some of the wilder spots in the south end of Seattle up to
somewhere around 10 years ago. I remember a sick one that may have been
within the city limits about 7 years ago, but don't remember where and
whether it was in the city or only in the metropolitan area.

Bushy-tailed Woodrat: I heard rumors that they may have been at Discovery
Park up to at least a few years ago, but I'd like more solid information

Dall's porpoise Phocoenoides dalli - It may have been over 10 years since
I've seen one in the Puget Sound

Harbor Porpoise Phocoena phocoena - ? I haven't seen any recently.

Orca Orcisus orca:
not frequently seen in Seattle, but they pass West Point in West Seattle 2
times a year

Coyote Canis latrans:
Saw one trotting down the trail at Camp Long last fall, and have seen
evidence of them on occasion. A scrubby resting area at South Seattle
Community College south of the south parking lot was recently turned into
either more parking or buildings, more habitat to the north of the college
was turned into a Chinese Garden. Those areas also had Northern Alligator
Lizards and Garter Snakes - I believe Northwest up to a few years ago. I've
heard reports of Coyotes from other parts of the city.

Red fox Vulpes vulpes: Probably still at the West Seattle Golf Course and
Camp Long (where ehey used to be common) and some other wilder bits of the
city. I haven't seen or smelled them this year, but when Coyotes are seen
in the area the foxes are harder to find. They apparently either get eaten,
leave the area or become more shy.

Raccoon Procyon lotor: Quite common in much of the city, though their
population seems to go up and crash in about a 4 to 5 year cycle. I've
heard it may be Distemper kills them when their population peaks

Striped Skunk Mephitus mephitus:
I might have smelled one near the West Seattle Golf course about a year or 2
ago. I wonder what happened to this mammal. I theorize that the alien
Opossum occupying much the same niche has out-competed it. Someone recently
told me he saw one in Schmitz park years ago, but I forget how long ago.

Spotted Skunks Spilogale putorius? were they ever in Seattle?

Shortstailed weasel Mustela erminea
Long-tailed weasel Mustela frenata
I'd love to know if there are any more weasels in the city. Saw 2 of
unidentified species playing during the day about 4 years ago at the Black
River Riparian area (and heron colony) at the NW edge of Renton - about 2
miles from the SE city limit.

River otter Lutra canadensis: They are at Alki Point, the Duwamish River
and Lake Washington

Mountain lion Felis concolor - where is D.B. Cougar now?

(Bobcat Lynx rufus- one was run over on West Marginal Way about 1964 then
stuffed and displayed in a local West Seattle school for years)

Harbor seal Phoca vitulina - frequent in Elliot Bay and the Puget Sound

Northern fur seal Callorhinus ursinus - don't know

California sea lion Zalophus californiansus - Frequent at least some years
in the Puget Sound including Elliot Bay

Stellar's sea lion Eumetopias jubatus - about 3 - 7 winters ago saw a number
of them in the Puget sound

Northern elephant seal Mirounga augustirostris - don't know

Mastodon - none lately


Amphibians:

Long-toed salamander Ambystoma macrodactyla: a fair number breed in the pond
at Camp Long and I suspect in the West Duwamish Greenbelt

Northwestern salamander Ambystoma gracile - Abundantly breeding at Camp Long
pond, but less abundant since a Great Blue Heron hunted in the pond every
day for a couple of months. That may be the heron that now has a solo nest
just south of Sherman Rock. I hope it will become a colony.

Pacific Giant Salamander Dicamptodon tenebrosus:
One was found dead about 8 years ago at Camp Long and I suspect they may be
in Longfellow Creek. I also suspect the salamanders that were seen in
Ravenna Park when I lived in the area 7 years ago were Pacific Giants and
about a week ago I got a report of a "tadpole" in Little Brook (tributary of
Thornton Cr.) in north Seattle that I suspect was a Pacific Giant
Salamander. They are likely in other creeks.

Rough-skinned newt Taricha granulosa: up to 2 or 3 years ago were in the
woods just south of South Seattle community College and the West Duwamish
Greenbelt. I believe the city just sold some of their last remaining
habitat to a developer. I never saw them, but someone who lives there knows
them well. Last seen at Camp Long about 10 to 18 years ago. Northwestern
Salamanders may have eaten them. Reports are that the Northwestern
Salamanders may not have been there 18 years ago or may not have been
abundant then.

Western redbacked salamander Plethodon vehiculum:
Common at Camp Long. Occurs at Schmitz Park, I looked and looked at Seward
to no avail. I expect they are in a couple of other sites in the city.

Ensatina Ensatina eschscholtzi:
Was frequent at Camp Long until a couple of years ago, but I've only seen a
few in the last year. They also occur at Seward Park and I think Schmitz
and in the greenbelts of at least West Seattle. Old piles of wood or
plywood appear to be their favorite habitat.

Pacific tree frog/Chorus frog Hyla/pseudacris regila:
These occur several places, including some populations where they were
re-introduced. They are no longer at Camp Long where they occurred up to
about 4 years ago. I suspect there may have been too many Northwestern
Salamanders for them there. They are at least still at Pritchard Beach
Wetland and Magnuson Park and I think a few other spots. At least a few
years ago there was a colony or two near Lichton Springs

Northern red-legged frog Rana aurora aurora - at least a few years ago there
was one spot in the West Duwamish Greenbelt where they still bred. We also
used to have something like one egg mass a year for a while at Camp Long's
pond which produced about 1 to 3 juveniles before they dispersed into the
woods at the end of the summer. Two springs ago I saw one lonely looking
adult months after the breeding season (the first adult I'd ever seen at
Camp Long). I imagined it never found a mate and had been waiting for
months at the pond to no avail. I haven't seen any since. I expect the
heron would have gotten it if it was hanging around the pond this spring

Western Toad Bufo sp.
I heard a recent report of a Toad in Magnuson Park. I question its origin.
I'd love to know when toads last lived in what is today Seattle. I've been
thinking about the feasibility of re-introducing them to Seward Park if an
appropriate breeding pond were created. Discovery Park may be more feasible
for this.

Reptiles:

Northwestern pond turtle Clemmys marmorata marmorata:
I've been told that none have been seen at Lake Washington for about 18
years or so.

Western fence lizard Sceloperus occidentalis:
If they really were still at Lincoln Park I expect I would have seen them.
Are they still at Point Defiance in Tacoma

Northern alligator lizard Gerrhonotus?Elgaria coeruleus:
I last saw one a year ago at Seward Park, though never before or after. It
may have been released or it may have been part of a continuous population.
before that I last saw them a couple of years ago in West Seattle by the new
Cooper School at the edge of the West Duwamish Greenbelt. Up to a few years
ago they would have been in any scrubby area that has a moderately large
amount of connected area towards the south end of the city. Some of the
best spots have been wiped out in the last 7 years, but I expect a few
colonies still survive, but as they are physically and genetically isolated
each colony may get wiped out if they are not re-connected or re-introduced
or new blood added.

Common garter snake Thamnophis sirtalis:
I've never knowingly seen this species in the Seattle area.

Northwestern garter snake Thamnophis ordinoides:
Like the Northern Alligator Lizard they need some contiguous scrubby area,
but I've seen them in the woods too, though they seemed to be in transit.
They've always been more frequent than the Alligator Lizards. Their best
habitat (where they were numerous at least 5 years ago) at the West Seattle
Golf Course adjacent to Camp Long was recently bulldozed to "clean it up"
when some dignitaries were coming to the Golf Course earlier this year. I
cat has been seen hunting regularly in the next best garter snake spot this
year and only one garter snake has been seen all year at Camp Long - The
worst year for them I've seen since I arrived in 2000.

Western Terrestrial Garter Snake Thamnophis elegans (a bit of a misnomer as
they like water more than the more common and more terrestrial Northwest
Garter Snake):
The only place I've seen them (T. elegans vagrans - The Wandering Garter
Snake) is at Seward Park, where I've seen them in small numbers since 2000.
I only saw one and possibly heard a report of one in the last year. I
haven't made a very thorough search for them, but I'm worried about them.
I've only rarely seen this species of garter snake anywhere.

Rubber Boa Charina bottae???
I'd love to know of any recent or historical reports. One man told me the
other day that he saw a "livid green" snake in West Seattle about 40 years
ago that I expect was a Rubber Boa, though it is conceivable that it was a
Racer. I need a better description. Another post talks of Rubber Boas
possibly in Seward Park. It is remotely conceivably that they still survive
there, but I highly doubt it. I'd love to know the last confirmed report
from Seward. I've been thinking about whether it would be feasible and
appropriate to re-introduce them there and what habitat improvements might
be needed.

As some of you know, I've been scheming about how we might save and
restore a maximum number of these species to Seattle and beyond. Though
I've been focused more on restoring the plant communities it has been with
the greater ultimate goal of helping the animal communities. I'd be
interested in communicating with others that could contribute to this goal.

Stewart Wechsler
Ecological Consulting
West Seattle
206 932-7225
ecostewart at quidnunc.net

-Advice on the most site-appropriate native plants
and how to enhance habitat for the maximum diversity
of plants and animals
-Educational programs, nature walks and field trips
-Botanical Surveys

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