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Animal Kingdom, Rodentia distinguishing characteristics:
only 2…
Animal Kingdom
Small Mammals
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Order Lagomorphia (Rabbits, hares, pikas)
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Marsupials
Opposums
North American Opposum 
NA Opposum skull
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Birds
Gruiformes
(Cranes, rails, coots)
Falconiformes
(eagles, hawks, falcons)
DISTINGUISH BETWEEN:
Sharpe-shinned hawk
- all feathers in tail are same length, creating a sharp edge
Coopers Hawk:
- tail is round - Cooper = C, the tail edge is rounded as tail feathers on edge are shorter
RED LISTED
Northern Goshawk:
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Peregrine Falcon
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Charadriiformes (Gulls, murrelets)
RED LISTED
Marbled Murrelet
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Galliformes
(Grouse, turkeys, etc.)
DISTINGUISH BETWEEN
Spruce Grouse:
- black with white speckles
- red above eye
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Blue/Sooty Grouse:
- has orange patch above eye (orange opposite of blue)
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Ciconiiformes (Herons, egrets)
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Pelecaniformes (Pelicans, Cormorants)
Procellariiformes (Tube-nosed sea birds, petrels & albatrosses)
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Anseriformes (Waterfowl), Family Anatidae
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Rodentia distinguishing characteristics:
- only 2 upper and lower incisors
- No canine teeth
- front surface yellow enamel
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Cricetids
(NA Rats & Mice, Voles & Lemmings & Muskrats)
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Voles, Lemmings & Muskrats
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Lagomorph Distinguishing Characteristics
- 2 pairs upper incisors
- longitudinal grooves on all incisors (upper & lower)
- more teeth (26-28) than rodents
- tail short/absent
- vegetarian
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Distinguishing traits of insectivora:
- Molar - like teeth
- W shape teeth
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Distinguishing Characteristics
- Lacking complete zygomatic arch
- Auditory bullae
- Teeth with dark red pigment on cusp tip
RED LISTED
Pacific Water Shrew
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Water Shrew
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Distinguishing Characteristics:
- Complete zygomatic arch
- molars dilambdodont (double triangle)
- First incisor large, not projecting forward
Unlisted Species
Coast Mole
RED LISTED
Townsend's Mole
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Distinguishing characteristics:
- Well-developed post-orbital processes
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Distinguishing characteristics:
- complicated patterns (closed triangles) of tooth enamel
RED LISTED
Souther Red-backed vole
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Townsend's Vole
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Unlisted Species to Know
Common muskrat
Distinguishing Characteristics:
- Presence of costal grooves
- Absence of nasolabial grooves
RED LISTED
Blotched Tiger Salamander
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Northwestern Salamander
grey body, light brown belly, distinct grooves
Distinguishing Characteristics:
- Nasiolabial grooves present but maybe small
- Costal grooves prominent
- Four digits on forelimbs
Western Redback
Red/brown/green/yellow stripe down back, clean edge on stripe, distinct costal grooves
Ensatina
plain brown/black, distinct costal grooves
Distinguishing characteristics:
- Skulls lack supraorbital processes
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Distinguishing characteristics:
- Upper cheeck teeth w/ projection on outer side
- Ear area flask shaped
RED LISTED
Mountain Beaver
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Distinguishing characteristics:
- 1st Upper cheek tooth is hour-glassed shape
- Tiny cheekbone segment in upper face
RED LISTED
Northern Pocket Gopher
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Distinguishing characteristics:
- Infraorbital opening on the side of the rostrum
- Grooved upper incisors
- Huge Auditory Bullae
Unlisted Specimens
Great Basin Pocket Mouse
Distinguishing characteristics:
- Cusps on molar teeth arranged in 3 rows of tubercles (not closed triangles)
Black Rat
Distinguishing characteristics:
- Molars have 2 rows of tubercles to make up cusps
Unlisted Species to know
Bushy-tailed Woodrat
Distinguishing characteristics:
- Upper incisors narrow and grooved
- Infraorbital opening on side of rostrum is large
Unlisted Species
Meadow jumping mouse
Pacific Jumping mouse
Distinguishing characteristics:
- Large infraorbital foramen (hole on the left and right of below eyes) and present
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Distinguishing characteristics:
- Skulls have well developed supraorbital processes
- lattice like fenestration
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RED LISTED
Common Pika
Common Pika
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Distinguishing Characteristics:
- No costal grooves
- Rough skin (maybe)
- Spots small or missing
- Toxic skin secretion
Rough-skinned newt
Distinguishing Characteristics:
- Large
- No costal grooves
- brown-purple w/ bold black splashes
- 3 segments in 4 toes of hind foot
- bladelike teeth
Pacific Giant Salamander
Pointier nose than blotched, no costal grooves
Distinguishing Characteristics:
- Webbed feet
- Dorsolateral ridge
- Distinct looking: smooth/moist skin, long legs, webbed toes on hind feet
RED LISTED
Northern Red Legged Frog
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Oregon Spotted Frog
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Distinguishing Characteristics:
- Small head, upper jaw not hooked
- Carapace not leathery
- Plastron Large
- Some species with vertebral keel
RED LISTED
Western Pond Turtle
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Western Painted Turtle
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Distinguishing Characteristics:
- Up to 2m long
- Front legs flippers
- One claw on each forelimb
RED LISTED
Leatherback
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Distinguishing Characteristics:
- All lack pelvic girdle and vestigial hind limbs
- left lung absent/small
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Distinguishing Characteristics:
- Body flat and wider than neck
- Head w/ stubby spines and deep notch at back of skull
- single row of pointed scale fringe around body
RED LISTED
Pygmy Short-horned Lizard
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Distinguishing Characteristics:
- sea ducks
- mergansers, buffleheads, goldeneyes, scoters
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Distinguishing Characteristics:
- perching ducks
- diving ducks
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Distinguishing Characteristics:
- stiff tailed
- freshwater diving ducks
- Only ruddy ducks in BC
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Distinguishing Characteristics:
Snow goose
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Distinguishing characteristics:
- Auditory bullae elongated for aquatic life
- zygomatic arch (cheekbone) expanded
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Distinguishing Characteristics:
- Presence of tail (male cloaca for fertilization)
- primitive family
Distinguishing Characteristics:
- Vertical pupils
- teeth in upper jaw present
- Have spade-shaped bone in hind feet for burrowing
Distinguishing Characteristics:
- Absence of teeth in upper jaw
- Biddlers organ near testes
- Heavily ossified (bony) skulls
Distinguishing Characteristics:
- Intercalary cartilage in toes
- Toe pads for adhesion
- Long slender limbs
Distinguishing Characteristics:
- Hard-shelled carapace
- front legs are flippers
- One claw on each forelimb
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Distinguishing Characteristics:
- Rubbery looking with blunt head & tail
- eyes small, vertical pupil
- dorsal colour uniform brown
- have pelvic girdle, flexible jaws, vestigal hind limbs
Distinguishing Characteristics:
- Head wider than neck
- tubular hinged fangs
- head w/ small scales
- eye with vertical elliptical pupil
- pair of heat sensing puts between eye and nostril
- tail with rattle of 1+ buttons
Distinguishing Characteristics:
- Body long & slender with pointed snout and long tail
- has distinct fold along side
- dark stripes along edges of belly scales
Distinguishing Characteristics:
- Body long/slender with pointed snout
- smooth scales
- Canada: have longitudinal stripes down back
- Juveniles have bold blue or grey tail, grey/brown when adults
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AMerican Kestrel
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