• Skip to main content
  • Skip to header right navigation
  • Skip to after header navigation
  • Skip to site footer
  • WordPress
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
Sabino Canyon Volunteer Naturalists

Sabino Canyon Volunteer Naturalists

Appreciate the natural wonders of Sabino Canyon

  • Log In
  • Home
    • About Us
    • Donations
    • Our Monthly Newsletter
      • Sign Up
      • View Previous Issues
  • What We Do
    • School Programs
      • Elementary Program
      • Kindergarten Program
    • Walks, Hikes & Demos
    • The Canyon Classroom
    • Conservation
    • Photo Galleries
      • Public Gallery
      • Marty’s Pix of the Day
  • Canyon Life
    • Birds
    • Fish, Amphibians & Reptiles
    • Insects
    • Mammals
    • Plants
  • Calendar
  • Become a Naturalist
  • Contact Us

Mammals

Mammals are a clade of endothermic amniotes distinguished from the reptiles and the birds by the possession of hair, three middle ear bones, mammary glands in females, and a neocortex (a region of the brain). The mammalian brain regulates body temperature and the circulatory system, including the four-chambered heart. The mammals include the largest animals on the planet. The basic body type is a four-legged land-borne animal, but some mammals are adapted for life at sea, in the air, in the trees, or on two legs. The largest group of mammals have a placenta which feeds the offspring during pregnancy. Mammals range in size from the 1.2" – 1.6" bumblebee bat to the 108' blue whale.

The word “mammal” is modern, from the scientific name Mammalia coined by Carl Linnaeus in 1758, derived from the Latin mamma (“teat, pap”). All female mammals nurse their young with milk, which is secreted from special glands, the mammary glands. Except for the five species of monotremes (egg-laying mammals), all modern mammals give birth to live young.

Black-Tailed Jackrabbit

Black-Tailed Jack Rabbit

A good place to look for these jackrabbits in Sabino is along the Esperero trail between the Bear Canyon trail and the …

Botta’s Pocket Gopher

Botta's Pocket Gopher

Pocket gophers prefer to pull plants down into their tunnel from below Botta’s Pocket Gophers are about 9.5 inches long …

Coati

Coati walking towards the camera

Curious, active, and gregarious coatis are very social animals, living in bands of up to 30 or more. Also known as …

Gray Fox

Gray Fox 2

The Gray Fox is the only member of the dog family that climbs trees Gray foxes are smaller in size than coyotes, …

Harris’ Antelope Squirrel

Photo of Harris' Antelope Squirrel sitting on a rock

The Harris' Antelope Squirrel usually excavates its underground burrow among rocks. It is an omnivore but especially …

Javelina

Photo of Javelina near Sabino Canyon

While Javelinas look and behave much like pigs, they are not closely related. The Javelina is a hairy, pig-like …

Lesser Long-Nosed Bat

Lesser Long-Nosed Bat 1

These bats are really fun to watch. They move very fast and are highly maneuverable Did you ever wonder why your …

Mountain Lion aka Puma, Cougar

Picture of a Mountain near a creek

Inside this plain brown wrapping is packaged what may be pound-for-pound the most lethal predator of the feline …

White Throated Wood Rat (Pack Rat)

White-Throated Wood Rat (Pack Rat) sitting on twigs

Pack rat nests may be occupied for centuries. These middens provide information about climate and vegetation …

White-Tailed Deer

White-Tailed Deer

Whitetails are rich reddish brown in summer and gray-brown in winter. When I started my training to become a …

Sabino Canyon Volunteer Naturalists
5700 N Sabino Canyon Road
Tucson, AZ 85750

GET IN TOUCH
  • Facebook
  • Home
  • About Us
  • What We Do
  • Canyon Life
  • Become a Naturalist
  • Calendar

Influence the future

“Sabino Canyon Volunteer Naturalists interpret nature for people of all ages. We’re helping to influence the future, while having fun!”

Copyright © 2017–2025 Sabino Canyon Volunteer Naturalists · All Rights Reserved · Powered by Mai Theme