Endemic Animals of Oregon

The camas pocket gopher (Thomomys bulbivorus ), also known as the camas rat or Willamette Valley gopher, is a rodent, the largest member in the genus Thomomys, of the family Geomyidae. First described in 1829, it is endemic to the Willamette Valley of northwestern Oregon in the United States. The herbivorous gopher forages for vegetable and plant matter, which it collects in large, fur-lined, external cheek pouches. Surplus food is hoarded in an ...
extensive system of tunnels. The dull-brown-to-lead-gray coat changes color and texture over the year. The mammal's characteristically large, protuberant incisors are well adapted for use in tunnel construction, particularly in the hard clay soils of the Willamette Valley. The gophers make chattering sounds with their teeth; males and females make purring (or crooning) sounds when they are together, and the young make twittering sounds. Born toothless, blind and hairless, the young grow rapidly before being weaned at about six weeks of age.Although the camas pocket gopher is fiercely defensive when cornered, it may become tame in captivity. While population trends are generally stable, threats to the species' survival include urbanization, habitat conversion for agricultural use and active attempts at eradication with trapping and poisons. It is prey for raptors and carnivorous mammals, and host to several parasitic arthropods and worms. Scientists believe that the gopher's evolutionary history was disrupted when the Missoula Floods washed over the Willamette Valley at the end of the last ice age. The floods almost completely inundated its geographic range, which may have caused a genetic bottleneck as survivors repopulated the region after the waters receded. Less

Grimpoteuthis bathynectes is a deepwater species of so-called Dumbo octopus first described in 1990. So far only thirteen specimens have been recorded. Less

The Pacific shrew (Sorex pacificus ) is a species of mammal in the family Soricidae. It is endemic to western Oregon in the United States.The Pacific Shrew is native to western Oregon, more specifically from the Siltcoos lake to the coast going from the border line of Douglas and Lane counties continuing south to the northern parts of California. The first documented Pacific shrew to be caught was found at the mouth of the Umpqua River in 1858. ...
They are normally found in damp areas along creeks in forests and sometimes near collapsed trees. Their refuge is of the utmost importance and they are seldom found far from it. This includes collapsed trees or dense vegetation. They use the flora to build a nest, gathering small plants such as grass, moss, lichen, or leaves into a pile and pushing themselves into the middle. Less

Baird's shrew (Sorex bairdi ) is a species of mammal in the family Soricidae. It is endemic to northwest Oregon. Baird's shrew inhabits moist conifer forests.Its fur is darker brown in winter than in summer, when it is brownish-chestnut or olive brown, with paler sides and belly. Males and females are about the same size, which is common among shrews in general. Also like other shrew species, Baird's shrew feeds on insects, worms, snails, and ...
spiders. It shares the forests of its range with six other species of shrew, such as the Pacific shrew.Body length ranges from 100 to 143 mm, with an average weight of 7.6 g, but ranging anywhere from 5.5 to 11.2 g. Less

Grimpoteuthis tuftsi is an octopus known from seven specimens. Less

Comitas spencerensis is an extinct species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Pseudomelatomidae, the turrids and allies.This species was tentatively placed by the author in Comitas, although future studies may prove the need for a new generic name. Less

Oenopota amiata is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Mangeliidae. Less