Page 34 - Black Range Naturalist - Oct 2021

An Overview of the Mammals of the Gila Region, New Mexico1
Jones et al. have published a survey of the mammal life of the Gila in Therya. The work is extensive and a description of findings is beyond the page limits of this issue. We refer you to the article (at link).
The referenced study used camera trap photos as an input in their research. A small subset of their findings is shown below (graphic and caption from the article). Skunk recordings are indicated; skunk species call-outs were added by The Black Range Naturalist. The study results affirmed our impression of the most prevalent species. (See Trailcam Skunks article, earlier.) However, it should be noted that by selecting for images suitable for publication we had introduced bias into our sample.
Range is very diverse. We find ourselves at the margin of the range of many species. The graphic to the left maps the range limits of 35 mammal species. The spaghetti in the middle (where the distribution limits of many species overlap) is the Gila and more specifically the Black Range.
1. Jones,Amanda & Liphardt, Schuyler & Dunnum, Jonathan. (2021). “An overview of the mammals of the Gila region, New Mexico”. Therya. 12. 213-236. 10.12933/therya- 21-1123.
Photo capture rate of large and medium mammal species recorded from 25 cameras covering 100 square km at a density of 1 per 4 square km. A 16-camera grid was established in 2008 and expanded to 25 cameras in 2009. Cameras have been operated continuously since that time, for a total sampling effort of 81,293 camera nights through 2020. Photo rates in the figure are per 1,000 camera nights.
The article also includes a graphic (see right) which depicts a point we often make in The Black Range Naturalist; there are many reasons the natural history of the Black
Conepatus leuconotus
American Hog-nosed Skunk
Mephitis mephitis Striped Skunk
Mephitis macroura Hooded Skunk
Western Spotted Skunk Spilogale gracilis
33