Animals


		Frogwood Wildlife Gallery A collection of animal pictures taken at Frogwood... Frogwood is a wildlife sanctuary. We strive to honor the animals that live in this forest canyon and to be good stewards of the habitat. Columbian Black-tailed Deer (Odocoileus hemionus colombianus) Two fawns and a doe by *El Sol Cabin.* Photo by Jar A rare moment: two different species of nocturnal mammals together! A Skunk and an Opossum prowl around Frogwood at night looking for food (taken with a flash). Photo by Jar *Gray Fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus) visits El Sol Cabin at night.* Photo by Jar *Nocturnal: Mother Gray Fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus)* teaches her two kits how to sniff around Frogwood looking for food at night. Photo by Jar Cricket Photo by Jar A Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura) flies over Frogwood, seen through an opening in the canopy between a Douglas Fir branch and a Tan Oak branch. Photo by Jar Northern Pacific Pond Turtle (Actinemys marmorata marmorata) Photo by Trout Northern Pacific Pond Turtle (Actinemys marmorata marmorata) Photo by Trout A Yellow-Cheeked Chipmunk (T. ochrogenys) climbs up a Redwood tree. Range: redwoods and madrone forests in narrow coastal zone (only inland 15 miles max) from Eel R. mouth, Humboldt Co. to Bodega Bay, Sonoma Co. Photo by Munko Western Fence Lizard (Sceloporus occidentalis). Photo by Jar Deer Mouse (Peromyscus Maniculatus) Photo by Jar Black Scorpion (Pseudouroctonus Vaejonidae) (P. iviei or P. glimmei) Photo by Jar Northern Raccoon (Procyon lotor) at night. Nocturnal, omnivorous, lives around ten years in the wild. Photo by Jar The underside of a Ring-necked Snake (Diadophis punctuaatus) on Frogwood's Upper Vortex Trail (note blue-grey head, which is the color of back or top of snake) Photo by Jar Western Alligator Lizards (Elgaria coerulea) getting ready to mate. Photo by Jar Western Skink (Eumeces skiltonianus). Photo by Trout Western Skinks mating (Eumeces skiltonianus). Photo by Jar California Red-Sided Garter Snake (Thamnophis sirtalis infernalis) Photo by Trout California Red-Sided Garter Snake (Thamnophis sirtalis infernalis) Photo by Jar California Red-Sided Garter Snake (Thamnophis sirtalis infernalis)** Photo by Trout Frogwood is home to many Pacific Chorus Frogs (Pseudacris regilla). They can be heard singing at night, especially up by the Bear Wallow pond. This special frog species can change skin color from brown to almost white and to green! *Pacific Chorus Frog (Pseudacris regilla)* turns brown. Photo by Trout *Pacific Chorus Frog (Pseudacris regilla)* in reeds turns light brown. Photo by Trout *Pacific Chorus Frog (Pseudacris regilla)* turns light green. Photo by Trout *Pacific Chorus Frog (Pseudacris regilla)* turns green. Photo by Jar Tiny young Pacific Chorus Frog (Pseudacris regilla) on hot tub. Photo by Trout Foothill Yellow-Legged Frog (Rana boylei) Underwater. Always found close to water. Bright yellow belly and hind legs. Mating call: high-pitched grating sound like a clucking chicken. Photo by Trout A look inside a Yellow-Jacket nest made of paper with open cells. *Yellow-Jacket Wasps ( ) feasting on a dead organism.* Yellowjackets are 1.3 to 1.6 cm long, and black and yellow in color. Their paper-like nests are usually ball-shaped and can be in the ground, in walls or hanging from trees or buildings. In the summer there may be as many as 4,000 workers in a single nest. Colonies survive for one year only. Nests are not reused. Fertilized queens overwinter and build new nests in the spring. Each wasp can sting repeatedly without dying. Yellowjackets become aggressive late in the summer when new queens are being produced. When they sting you a chemcial is released which tells the other wasps to come and sting you too! *A paper nest made by a Bald-Faced Hornet (Vespula maculata) colony in a madrone tree.* Bald-Faced Hornets are 1.6 to 1.9cm long and are black and white in color. They build ball-shaped, paper-like nests in trees, shrubs and sometimes on buildings. The nests are often 12 inches or more in diameter. These hornets rarely bother people (unless you approach their nest) and they prey almost exclusively on flies. Ceanothus Silk Moth (Hyalophora euryalus) on Fern plant. Photo by Jar Harvestman Tara sp. and Ant Photo by Trout Black Scorpion ( Pseudouroctonus Vaejonidae) (P. iviei or P. glimmei?), Sting is not very dangerous. Photo by Jar California Giant Salamander (Dicamptodon ensatus). The largest of the salamanders in the coastal forests. They breed in streams and can be found at night wandering the stream bottom. Their larvae can be found under stream-bottom rocks. Photo by Trout California Giant Salamander (Dicamptodon ensatus). Photo by Jar Little Brown Bat hiding inside an insulated wall. Photo by Jar Bee Fly (Bombyllidae) on a human hand. The long tube is for feeding on nectar from flowers. Photo by Trout A fat and happy Western Grey Squirrel (Sciurus griseus) perched in a Douglas Fir tree (Pseudotsuga menziesii ) eating a Bolete or Suilis mushroom. Photo by Trout Banana Slug eating a Suilus mushroom. Photo by Trout *American Goldfinch sitting on eggs in an old breaker box on a cabin wall.* Photo by Jar Chicks in nest on cabin wall. Species?? Other Species found at Frogwood: We have seen many other animals and hope to get pictures of them for the web site soon! Bobcat, Mountain Lion (Cougar), Chipmunks, Newts, Pileated Woodpeckers, Northern Flickers, Wild Turkeys, Crows, Ravens, Golden Eagles, Band-Tailed Pigeons, Owls, Stellar's Jays, and all sorts of insects... We have heard that there are also Canadian Lynx present in the Frogwood area. **************************** The photo below is the only animal picture on this page that was NOT taken at Frogwood. Help Protect Cougars!* (File Photo) Common Names: Mountain Lion, Cougar, Panther, Puma, Catamount Frogwood is part of a mountainous region known for one of the highest concentrations of Mountain Lions in the world. Sadly, the last of the North American big cats have been pushed out of the vast majority of their former range. The Cougar was recently almost extinct due to human hunting and encroachment on scarce habitat, but has made a dramatic comeback, with an estimated 30,000 individuals in the western United States. Due to urbanization in the urban-wildland interface, Mountain Lions often come into contact with people, especially in areas with a large population of deer, their natural prey. They have also begun preying on pets, such as dogs and cats, and livestock, but have rarely turned to people as a source of food. There are an estimated 4,000 to 6,000 Cougars in California and an estimated 4,500 to 5,000 in Colorado. We need to protect habitat and learn to coexist with these powerful animal allies! Scientific Classification: Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Carnivora Family: Felidae Genus: Felis Species: F. concolor Binomial name: Felis concolor Physical Characteristics: Pumas are tawny-colored with black-tipped ears and tail. The puma can run as fast as 30 mph (50 km/h), jump 20 ft (6 m) from a standing position, vertically leap 8 ft (2.5 m), and often weigh more than 150 pounds (70 kg). Their bite strength is more powerful than that of any domestic dog. Puma claws are retractable and they have four toes. Adult males may be more than eight feet long (nose to tail), and weigh about 150 pounds (70 kg). In exceptional cases males may reach as much as 200 pounds. Adult females can be 7 ft (2 m) long and weigh about 75 pounds (35 kg). Puma kittens have brownish-blackish spots and rings on their tails. Their life span is about a decade in the wild and 25 years or more in captivity. Behavior: Pumas normally hunt large mammals, such as deer and elk, but will eat small animals, such as beavers, porcupines or even mice, if the need arises. They hunt alone and ambush their prey, often from behind. They usually kill with a bite at the base of the skull to break the neck of their target. The carcass of the kill is usually then buried or partially covered to protect it for several days, while the puma continues to roam and comes back for nourishment as needed. Adult males tend to claim a 100 mile2 (250 km2) stretch for their territory; adult females take 20 to 60 mile2 (50 to 150 km2) on average; however their ranges can vary from as much as 370 mile2 (1,000 km2) to as little as 10 mile2 (25 km2). A male may breed with several females. Female pumas usually have 3 or 4 kittens in a den in a rocky location. If a male puma invades the territory of another male, he may kill the kittens of resident females so that they will become receptive to mating. Attacks on Humans: Attacks on humans are rare, but do occur — especially as humans encroach on wildlands and impact the availability of the puma's traditional prey. There were around 100 puma attacks on humans in the USA and Canada during the period from 1890 to January 2004, with 16 fatalities; figures for California were 14 attacks and 6 fatalities. Attacks by puma on humans and pets are associated with urban areas situated in the wildland urban intermix such as the Boulder, Colorado area which have encouraged the traditional prey of the puma, the mule deer, to habituate to urban areas and the presence of people and pets. Pumas in such circumstances may come to lose their fear of both people and dogs and come to see them as prey. Please send corrections, additions, and comments to: Contact our Wildlife Department - BACK TO TOP - What is Frogwood? - Facility - Reservations - Directions - Links Frogwood Lodge Retreat Center: Working for a better world through facilities management and forest stewardship...Join us.