The San Francisco call and post., 1913-12-12
Z BILLION WILD
FOLK PEOPLE
CALIFORNIA

| The wild animal population of Call
ifornia is several billions. there beinsA
2,5o0.0O0.o00 rodents alone. an average
| of 25 to each one Of the 100, ,0o0, 900
acres in this state.
This was one of the facts put forth
by Walter P. Taylor, curator of the
museum Of vertebrate zoology at the
University of California, in lecture
at the Washington school, Oakland.
Taylor spoke on Little Known Call
ifornian Animals"
The Kangaroo rat, which builds its
nests of sticks, bones, stones, glass,
seed pods, tooth brushes knives and
forks stolen from campers or what
ever else may be found, is one of the
few animals that never drinks water.
Its sole food is dry weed seeds. Sci
entists say that 1t assuages its thirst
from these by some internal chemical
process.
QUICKER THAN SHOT
The fisher. small tree climbing
animal" said Taylor, sis the most
agile wild animal in California
1t takes two men to shoot one, be-
cause the fisher is always on the op-
posite side of the tree from a single
marksman.
A marten can catch a squirrel,
but fisher can catch a marten.
1T is one of two animals which
| likes and eats porcupines. The other
| is the bear
THE black bear, by the way. is
nearly extinct in California. 1t is
gone entirely from southern Califor-
MIA.
Twenty years ago the grizzly bear
ranged all over California Today
| the museum has been unable to find a
single wild specimen.
SEA OTTER NEARLY GONE
Another nearly extinct animal is
the sea otter. It's nearest relative Is
the river otter, which never goes into
the ocean. In 1900 the sea otter was
most numerous. Now it is nearly ex-
terminated It's skin. If good. is worth
$4,000. The few left are protected
Another strange marine animal is
the sea elephant. 1t has nearly dis
appeared, showing that wild beasts or
birds can live against carefully regu-
lated sport, but when they go into
the markets, they begin soon to be-
rarer and rarer.
"A remarkably big animal, now
ma king its last stand. is the Roosevelt
elk, found only in Del Norte county.
In 1926 it ranged from Del Norte to
San Francisco.
WOODCHUCK "COMES HIGH
The California woodchuck has been
| traced by the museum TO Mount Whit
ney. the highest altitude at which evil
dence has been found of any wild ami
NAL.
| "A curious creature is the mountain
beaver. 1t has changed little in the
100000 years that the horse has de-
veloped from a small, three toed ami
NAL
This beaver is related to no other
living animal in any close sense. 1t is
itself fast on the way to extinction.
THE coney has similar history.
| 1t lives in almost inaccessible heights
| of the Sierras. 1t collects herbage,
which it dries for winter food.
1T. too. has been outdistanced in
the evolutionary course. being crowded
to the high mountain tops.
THREE DRINKS MONTH
The big horned sheep of the desert
is likewise a strange beast. IT feeds
on dry twigs. and does not need water.
IF spring is handy. ii drinks. II
not convenient, it gets along on three
drinks month 1t can go on without
drinking water at all.
IAN expedition from the museum
discovered an entirely new species OF
sheep on the eastern Sierras some
time ago.
The prong horned antelope sup
piled the cheapest meat to San Fran
cisco in 1851 Now it is nearly gone.
1.-The skunk is supposed to be harm
full Government figures show it is a
valuable animal to the farmer Is well
as to the furrier.
The bat also does great good in de-
vouring insects. The mastif bat.
found south of Fresno, is four to six
inches long.
.The rat is the most destructive and
most absolutely valueless animal. 1t
causes an annual loss of $100. 900. 600
in the United States alone. IT carries
Sc parasites and is the bubonic plague
source"