Download or read book The Initiation of a Long Term Mammal Survey at Palo Pinto Mountains State Park, Strawn, Texas written by Caitlin Sue Pyle and published by . This book was released on 2015 with total page 86 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Palo Pinto Mountains State Park (PPMSP) is currently the newest state park in Texas consisting of 4,395 acres of heterogeneous landscapes with great topographic diversity. It is located in southwestern Palo Pinto County and southeastern Stephens County. Palo Pinto Creek runs along the northern edge of the property providing mesic bottomlands adjacent to more xeric uplands. There are three major topo-edaphic habitat types at PPMSP including oak dominated uplands, mesic slopes covered with juniper, and elm dominated bottomlands. The objectives of this study were to systematically document the presence of mammals within the park, establish monitoring protocols, appropriate data archives using georeferencing, and to provide a baseline for future mammal research activities within PPMSP. The survey took place over 17 weekends between November 2014 and September 2015. Sampling was conducted using Sherman traps, Havahart traps, and game cameras. Bats were excluded from this mammal survey. Nineteen mammal species representing six orders and 12 families were documented within the park. The most abundant species captured from family muridae were Sigmodon hispidus and Peromyscus attwateri. Overall trap success was low, with 2.2% trap success over 3,944 trap-nights for Sherman traps and 2.4% trap success over 170 trap-nights for Havaharts. This survey provides preliminary data for future comparative studies examining mammalian diversity during and after park development.