Brief Overview - Western Sierra Nevada Fauna

Black Bears are the only bear species left in California. Prior to the 1800's, Black Bears were accompanied by Grizzlies throughout California and the California High Sierra Nevada mountains. Their color varies from pure black to brown, cinnamon, or blond. Adults weigh from 125 to more than 500 pounds. Attracted by human food, California Black Bears cause thousands of dollars in property damage each year. When they continually succeed, they may become aggressive and must be destroyed. You can help prevent this from hapening. Store your food properly. Keep all food and anything with a strong odor away from your campsite and stored out of reach of bears using a bear hang or bear containers. By limiting their success we can help Black Bears give up their dependance on human food and return to depending on natural food sources. Natural food sources of the Black Bear can include fawns or carrion but they subsist mostly on vegitation.
If you encounter a bear, scare it away by making loud noises and throwing stones. Be sure to keep a safe distance and keep in mind that mother bears are usually very protective of their cubs. Use your best judgement. Always remember that you are a visitor in THEIR home. In most cases these bears are more afraid of you than you are of them.

California Mule Deer are found throughout California, especially in the High Sierra. They are the prime prey sought by elusive mountain lions. They are browsers. Less than ten percent of their diet comes from grasses, while over half is browsed from shrubs, especially sagebrush. Mule deer in mountainous areas are migratory. As development swallows up their winter range, summer droughts and severe winters with lots of snow and ice result in significant starvation. During the winter months especially, more than 95 percent of a mule deer's diet comes from browsing on shrubs, especially sagebrush, that protrude above the snow. Typically, mule deer antlers grow out and upward, more than forward like a whitetail's. Mule deer antlers tend to fork once and then each fork divides again in mature bucks. More attacks on humans by deer occur than by bears each year. Although it appears to be tame and may even approach you, the California mule deer is a wild animal and may charge if it feels cornered or threatened. Always leave it a wide area to walk away and never tempt it with food or approach it at close range.

Northern Pacific Rattlesnake are found on the pacific slope from British Columbia to California. They are often found at lower foot hill elevations but can also be found at higher elevations in the High Sierra. From inoffensive to easily provoked, this poisonous "pit" viper can vary in size and temperament. Common characteristics of mature "rattlers" are a powerful body that can reach a length of 5.5 feet; a thin neck; a triangular, or heart-shaped head; facial pits; hooded eyes with elliptical pupils; and a tail rattle, often called "buttons." (caution: tail rattles can be lost or may not yet be present in young snakes). The rattlesnake has an acute sense of smell and an ability to sense temperatures higher than its own surroundings. Skin color may vary from dark gray, olive, yellowish-brown, to brown or black, with hexagonal, oval, or nearly circular blotches with well-defined light borders. Generally active from April through September, the rattlesnake may emerge earlier and range later in warm weather. It is generally inactive or in a state of hibernation from November through February. During the spring the snake prowls in the morning and late afternoon. During summer the snake alternately basks and seeks shade especially on rocky granite slopes of the High Sierra. During the hottest months, the snake becomes nocturnal, seeking mice, voles, gophers, and even cottontail rabbits. This species mate in spring and bear young anytime from August through October. Baby rattlesnakes are just as poisonous as adult snakes. If threatened, the rattlesnake may coil, rattle, and raise its upper body, appearing ready to strike while actually backing slowly away with its lower body. However, if surprised, it may lunge up to several feet, striking without any warning behavior whatsoever.

Yellow-bellied Marmot is often mistaken for the groundhog or woodchuck. The Yellow-bellied Marmot is very closely related to the groundhog that is common in the eastern United States. Male marmots are heavier than females. The length of the body is 45-57 cm while the tail is 13-22 cm long. Yellow-bellied marmots have distinct yellow speckles on the sides of their necks, white between their eyes, yellow to red-yellow bellies and yellow-brown to tan, straight hair with white tips. They are known to chuck, whistle, and trill when alarmed by predators; only the whistles and trills are loud alarm calls. Marmota flaviventris spends most of its life in a burrow with several entrances, which it excavates in well-drained soil. The burrows are usually over 1 m in depth, but hibernation burrows may be 5-7 meters deep. Tunnels may be 10-70 m in length. Yellow-bellied marmots are mainly diurnal and terrestrial, but they occasionally climb into shrubs and trees. They hibernate from September-May each year.

Sierra Nevada Trout Species

Brown Trout - Sometimes known as a "German Brown" because of its European origins. In streams the coloring is a light brown with silvery sides and pronounced black spots on the back whereas in large lakes or in the sea the overall coloration is silvery. The Brown is a wary fish that tends to feed at dusk or at night.

Golden Trout - California's state fish. One of the rarer mountain trout species. With a beautiful appearance in (and out of) the water, this trout is one of the most sought after catches for many mountain fisherman. Its flank is dark gold in color with speckles of burnt orange. Dark spots line its top half, particularly on the trout's back.

Rainbow Trout - A common trout species, especially in the lower elevation Sierra Nevada. Prefered resevoir stock fish of the Dept. of Fish and Game. The Rainbow's back has many dark spots and is a dark emerald grey-green color. An off-white belly and rainbow pink flanks are the features that gave this fish its common name.

Brook Trout - Often found in high elevation alpine lakes and brooks. This fish's back and flanks are dark olive in color with a touch of amber. Grey and red spots speckle its flanks and the Brook Trout's belly can range from yellow to orange in color.