Animals

Other than birds, wetland wildlife is not always easily seen. However, signs left behind by animals are usually much easier to find than the animals themselves. Signs may include tracks, tufts of fur or feathers where an animal was eaten, claw marks on the ground where an animal dug, food fragments like shells or bones where where an animal fed, nests, burrows, beds, animal droppings (scat), or small trails. The dried mud before you is a good place to find tracks. the most common animals (not including insects and birds) here include ground squirrels, pocket gophers, black-tailed jack rabbits, voles, shrews, mice (including the endangered salt marsh harvest mouse), raccoon, grey fox, western pond turtles, muskrat, gopher snakes, western fence lizards, newts and salamanders. Due to the rapid destruction of wetland areas, over 50% of animals listed on the California endangered or threatened species list are found to be wetland dependent.

Tour text from "Self Guided Tour of Shollenberger Park" available on site.