Part 15

Like the marten, the fisher is a lover of the deep woods and is reportedly very agile in the trees. It feeds principally upon rabbits, squirrels, mice, small birds, and frogs. It is not adverse to killing and eating the marten. One of its most interesting sources of food is the porcupine, which the fisher manages to kill without serious injury from the sharp quills. A litter of from two to four young, which are born in a nest in a hollow log or tree, are raised annually.

MINK Mustela vison energumenos (Bangs)

The body of the mink is somewhat like that of a weasel, but heavier and considerably larger. The legs and ears are short; the tail is bushy. The coloration is brown, darkening along the back and becoming almost black on the tail. Sometimes irregular white streaks or spots occur on the throat, chest or belly.

Specimens in park collection: None.

The mink occurs over nearly all of North America, from the Gulf of Mexico north to the Arctic Circle.

Records from the park are few in number and show that it ranges mostly at the lower elevations, although it has been seen at lakes around 5,000 feet. Most records have been obtained along the Nisqually and Ohanapecosh Rivers and around Lake Louise.

The mink seems to be equally at home in the forests or in the open meadows—all it requires is a watercourse or lake that will supply food of some type. Minks are great travelers, often following a stream for a considerable distance as they hunt. The hunting pattern is erratic and every little thing that attracts attention apparently bears investigating. This animal is an expert swimmer and can go long distances under the water in pursuit of fish. Other foods include almost any type of small mammal, birds, eggs, frogs and crustaceans.

There seems to be no sense of fear in a mink and in a fight it is an extremely dangerous adversary. Woe be unto the dog that attempts to corner it, as even the largest dogs usually are sent home with badly slashed faces. Like several other members of the weasel family, a mink gives off a strong odor if disturbed.

WASHINGTON WEASEL, LONG-TAILED WEASEL Mustela frenata washingtoni (Merriam)

The Washington weasel is the largest weasel known to occur in the park, measuring around fifteen inches in total length. During the summer it is dark brown above, darker on the head, with the under parts a dull yellow, lighter on the chin and throat. About two inches of the tip of the tail is black. In the winter its coloration may range from a dull brown, with white underparts, to almost pure white except for a yellowish tinge on the belly, rump and tail. The black tip of the tail remains unchanged.

Specimens in park collection: RNP-45, RNP-79, RNP-82, and RNP-94; Longmire Museum, Park Headquarters.

Weasels inhabit practically all of North America. The Washington weasel is found in the Cascade Mountains of Washington and Oregon, at least as far south as Fort Klamath, Oregon. One specimen is reported from the Chicago Field Museum as having been taken from Happy Lake in the Olympic Mountains.

In the park it is found from the lower elevations to forest line and above, being especially common around the open valleys between 4,000 and 5,000 feet.

Around Paradise Valley this weasel has found excellent hunting near the Lodge and Inn. Here visitors spend considerable time feeding chipmunks and ground squirrels, and attract large numbers with the quantities of food offered. With the slopes literally swarming with choice tid-bits, weasels have taken over each summer and created havoc among the chipmunks and ground squirrels, not to mention arousing the ire of all visitors concerned. Yet some check is necessary on these rodents, which might otherwise multiply beyond the ability of the habitat to support them. In spite of the efforts of the angry onlookers, mother weasel will dodge her way out among the fleeing animals and capture one to take home for her young. Records show that families of weasels have lived beneath the Lodge and Guide House for several years, reaping a rich harvest of food each summer from the rodent population.

LEAST WEASEL, ERMINE Mustela ermina gulosa Hall

The least weasel is small, with a total length of around ten inches. In the summer it is dark brown above, darkest on the head, with the underparts whitish, usually tinged with pale yellow. The tip of the tail is black. In the winter the coat may range in color from a light brown among animals at lower elevations to a pure white at higher altitudes. The tip of the tail remains black, however.

Specimens in park collection: RNP-70, RNP-87, and RNP-111; Longmire Museum Park Headquarters.

This weasel ranges through the Cascade Mountains from southwestern British Columbia to Southern Oregon.

It is found in the park throughout the forested regions, and up as high as forest line, but is most abundant in the lower elevations.

The weasel never fails to impress one with its utter fearlessness and bewildering agility. It is very inquisitive and will probe around buildings as readily as the rocky slopes in its seemingly never-ending search for food. Its victims are limited only by their size, as the weasel shows no hesitation in attacking anything that it can possibly kill. For the most part its food consists of small rodents, such as chipmunks, ground squirrels and mice. Its lust for killing, and the occasional damage it does around poultry, combine to give it an exceedingly bad reputation which completely overshadows the economic good it does. As a natural control of rodent pests in agricultural and grazing regions it has no equal.

WOLVERINE Gulo luscus luteus Elliot

The wolverine has a stocky body, with a powerful head, neck and legs. The legs and tail are short, the coloration is blackish or dark brown, a broad, yellowish band beginning at the shoulders runs along either side and reunites on the animal’s rump. The lower parts are generally blackish, except for the throat and chest, which are usually mottled with white or salmon color. Large males may measure as much as three feet in length, including the tail, which is about ten inches long, and weigh up to fifty pounds.

Specimens in park collection: None.

The wolverine formerly ranged from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean, through the extreme northeastern states, Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, Colorado, Utah, and Oregon northward to the Arctic Ocean. It is believed to be extinct or nearly so over much of its original range in the United States, although it is reported to occur in fair numbers in Sequoia-Kings Canyon National Park.

From 1897 to 1918 wolverines were occasionally reported from the park area, but there have been none recorded since 1933, when one was observed near the White River Ranger Station.

Known by a variety of common names ranging from glutton, carcajou, mountain devil, skunk bear, to maneater, the wolverine lives up to any or all of them. A member of the weasel family, it has somewhat the general build and habits of a small bear. Fierce and ready to fight anything that walks, it is a terrifying animal to face. Even such a huge animal as an elk is attacked without hesitation. Its cunning and boldness is greatly respected by the Indians, who believe it to be inhabited by an evil spirit. For the most part it hunts by night and wanders great distances in search of food.

It will eat any kind of game it can kill, a list which is extensive. Not being able to entirely satisfy an enormous appetite by killing, the wolverine also consumes all the dead carcasses that can be located. It is famous for destruction along trap lines, methodically following the line and eating anything that has been caught. Suspicious and canny, it is difficult to lure into a trap, and often if caught will gain its freedom by smashing even a heavy trap to pieces.

PACIFIC OTTER Lutra canadensis pacifica Rhoads