Mammals Of Great Basin National Park, Nevada: Comparative Field Surveys and Assessment Of Faunal Change

Abstract

Great Basin National Park in east central Nevada encompasses most of the southern Snake Range including Wheeler Peak, which at 3980 m is the highest peak in the interior Great Basin. The original detailed surveys of the mammals of this region were made between 1929 and 1939 by field crews from the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California, Berkeley. Between 2000 and 2003, we conducted additional field surveys of mammals in the park region in conjunction with the National Park Service Inventory and Monitoring Program. Here, we provide a com- prehensive report on the mammal fauna of the park and its immediate surroundings based on a review of historical records and recent field surveys. We document 48 native species of mammals in the region. In addition, there are 7 species that potentially occur within the park, 4 species of questionable occurrence, 6 species formerly present but now extirpated, and 4 nonnative species. We provide a short account for each species that summarizes ecology and local dis- tribution and lists both historical and recent records of occurrence. Through comparative analysis of historical and recent data, we examine faunal changes in the park region during the past 70 years. Based on our results, we make some general recommendations for future resource management.