Checklists of Wisconsin Vertebrates are provided through the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources web page. These checklists document six hundred ninety-three species for the state (159 fishes, 19 amphibians, 35 reptiles, 408 birds, and 72 mammals). The authors (Dreux J. Watermolen and Matthew D. Murrell from DNR's Bureau of Integrated Science Services) provide interesting historical information for each group and links to other sites which describe the individual species and often include helpful photographs. These lists do not detail the distribution of the various species within the state, however. In the sections below, I have attempted to suggest references that specifically relate to Crawford County or provide information that would be of assistance to persons studying the natural history of the study area. Many of these references are included in the DNR's section on literature sited.

Records for all of the vertebrates (except birds) of the area are managed with the MABFauna Biological Inventory System developed by the Information Center for the Environment in association with the Man and the Biosphere (MAB) programs of UNESCO and the United States. Along with its companion (MABFlora), MABFauna is a tool which has been developed by MAB to assist in ecosystem management in order to provide for the sustainable use of natural resources and the maintenance of biological diversity. These databases are available for use online (see link above) or as downloadable FoxPro applications for local use. After downloading the application, it was modified to include a Kickapoo Reserve for managing the data of the study area.

One of the most important references for the fish in the area is Fishes of Wisconsin (Becker, 1983 ). This authoritative volume contains a wealth of information about the distribution and ecology of Wisconsin fish. The entire text of this book, complete with taxonomic keys, photographs and range maps, is available on line through the University of Wisconsin Sea Grant Institute . Update information is available in Wisconsin Fish 2000: Status and Distribution (Lyons et. al.) which is available through the Sea Grant Institute. Although I have not done any serious study of the fish in the study area as yet, I have used general identification references (field guides) to recognize a probable banded killifish, Fundulus diaphanus (Family Fundulidae),from the oxbow lake on the property. Becker does suggest the presence of this fish in the Mississippi drainage basin but notes records from Burnett and Vilas counties. He goes on to report that, "The only record known from the driftless area is from the upper Sugar River." The habitat of the oxbow lake seems right for the fish but further collections will be needed to confirm it. Another variety of small fish has also been seen in the oxbow lake but it has not been identified as of this time. I will defer to the fisherpersons of the area to identify the fish of the Kickapoo River itself. I have seen them pull out Mooneyes, Hiodon tergisus (family Hiodontidae), and several catfish to date.

There are several excellent references for the amphibians and reptiles of this area. Amphibians and Reptiles of the Great Lakes Region (Harding, 1997 ) is a nicely illustrated guide with information regarding the identification, distribution, habitat, ecology, reproduction and growth, and conservation of the species that occur here. I have used this reference for matters relating to identification and classification. The most specific reference for the area is Geographic Distributions of the Amphibians and Reptiles of Wisconsin (Casper, 1996 ). This reference is based on the Wisconsin Herpetology Atlas , an online database of Wisconsin's herptiles available through the web page of the Milwaukee Public Museum. It provides distribution maps for the state of Wisconsin that have a resolution to the county level. According to this reference Crawford County is represented by two confirmed species of salamanders (Order Caudata) from two different families. The frogs and toads (order Anura)  include one toad (Bufonidae) and nine species of frogs from two different families. Four families of turtles (Order Testudines) including ten species are confirmed for the county. Only one lizard (Order Squamata; suborder Lacertilia) is listed for the area but the reptiles include eleven confirmed species of snakes representing two families. The reference also describes another six species of herptiles as probable for the county. Two other online sources of information about area amphibians and reptiles are Herpetology of Iowa and Reptiles and Amphibians of Minnesota . These are both excellent sites with useful graphics and descriptive material.

One of the accomplishments of this study thus far has been to make a contribution to the Wisconsin Herpetology Atlas Project. Central newts (Notophthalamus viridescens louisianensis) had not been previously listed for Crawford County. When these were found during early morning spring walks, several were collected and one of the specimens was provided to the Milwaukee Public Museum as a reference specimen (MPM 31623) for the atlas project. The latest revision of the web site reflects this as a new listing for the county.

Early spring along the Kickapoo can be spent dissecting the deafening chorus of frogs breeding in the area. Help in this effort can be found in the form of an amphibian breeding phrenology schedule published in Amphibians of Wisconsin (Christoffel, et. al., 2001 ). A cassette tape of Wisconsin's frog calls is available through the Madison Audubon Society and a CD of Wisconsin frog calls accompanies a book on Wisconsin frogs published by the Northeastern Wisconsin Audubon Society (Korb, 2001). Anurans that I have seen or heard in the area have been tentatively identified as the eastern American toad (Bufo americanus americanus ), western chorus frog (Preudacris triseriata triseriata), Northern Spring Peeper (Pseudacris crucifer), eastern gray treefrog (Hyla versicolor), bullfrog (Rana catesbeina), green frog (Rana clamitans melanota), wood frog (Rana sylvatica ) and the northern leopard frog (Rana pipiens). I also believe that the pickerel frog (Rana palustris) has been seen but this needs to be confirmed by collection.

The most numerous of the turtles that I have seen thus far is the painted turtle (Chrysemys picta). Based on the pattern of scutes on the carapace (top of shell) in the adults and the pattern of markings on the plastron (lower shell), I believe that these are midland painted turtles (Chrysemys picta marginata). I have also seen the common snapping turtle (Chelydra serpentina). Neighbors have reported seeing softshell turtles along the river bank but I have not seen them as yet. Among the snakes that I have seen are the the common garter snake (Thamnophis sirtalis), the northern red-bellied snake (Storeria occipitomaculata occipitomaculata) and the brown snake (Storeria dekayi). I also found a immature black rat snake (Elaphe obsoleta obsoleta). Neighbors in the area report occassionally seeing the adults of this species. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resourses suggests that the there is some problem of abundance or distribution suspected for this species and lists it as a "species of special concern". The northern water snake (Nerodia sipedon sipedon) has also been seen. All of these reptiles are shown for Crawford County by Casper (1996).

Only casual attention has been paid to the mammals of the area since this study began.  Mammals of Wisconsin ( Jackson, 1961 ) is a handy reference for the area. Its very thorough treatment and illustrations of skull structure, dental formulae, and other descriptive material make it very useful for taxonomy and general knowledge but it is probably a bit outdated for geographical data. A study of its range maps shows a total of thirty-six species from sixteen families of seven orders of mammals for Crawford County. With their tendency to be more secretive and to be more active at night (or dusk and dawn) than during the day,  many of the the mammals of the area present more of a challenge for identification than do the birds.

Without more rigorous study methods such as trapping, etc., one can still appreciate the presence of many of the mammals by learning to recognize the signs of their activity. In their Guide To Animal Tracking And Behavior (Stokes, 1986 ), Donald and Lillian Stokes have prepared an invaluable reference for such learning. Using it, one can learn to recognize tracks, scats and other animal signs such as injury to trees or shrubs, digging, scraping and tunneling in the ground, constructed nests, homes and dams, disturbed vegetation, food remains and caches, etc. As people become more experienced, they can be almost as confident of their identifications of animals by these signs as by sight.

Thus far I have identified only fourteen (14) species of mammals with sufficient confidence to list them. These are shown in the table below. Ten (10) of the species have actually been seen. The other five (4) have been recognized by signs of their activity or reports by neighbors. Sightings of the opossum seem to support the popular opinion that they are born "dead on the side of the road" suggested in the delightful 'tongue in cheek' guide to road kills,  Flattened Fauna (Knutson (1987). Shrews have been seen several times in the area; usually in the higher ground near our shed. Although I have yet to catch one for identification purposes, Jackson (1961) lists only Blarina brevicauda for the area and I have listed it as probable for the purposes of this study. The mole is evident by its abundant meandering ridges seen especially in the floodplain area. I was fortunate enough to find a dead one near its tunnel and confirm its identification as an eastern mole. The Coyote is obvious by the calls heard in the evening as we gather around a campfire as well as by the scats it leaves along the right-of-way. The beaver announced its presence by leaving an abandoned lodge near the river and by the damage that it did to the smaller trees of the floodplain. Neighbors have reported that otters are also in the area but I have yet to see one. Ferel cats are occassionally seen around our shed and also in the floodplain area.

 

Mammals Of The Study Area (P = Probable) Didelphis marsupialis -- Opossum Blarina brevicauda -- Short-tailed Shrew (P) Scalopus aquaticus -- Eastern Mole Canis latrans -- Coyote (P) Procyon lotor -- Raccoon Odocoileus -- White-tailed Deer Sciurus carolinensis -- Eastern Gray Squirrel Tamias striatus -- Eastern Chipmonk Castor canadensis -- Beaver (P) Ondatra zibethicus -- Muskrat Peromyscus leucopus -- White-footed Mouse Sylvilagus floridans -- Eastern Cottontail Lutra canadensis -- Canada Otter (P) Felis domestica -- Domestic Cat