There are many forms of wildlife around our neighborhood. Our guest writer Patti Vinson checked in with some resident experts about a few animals that share our spaces.
Opossums
They lurk in the dark, have sharp teeth and a menacing hiss and look like giant rodents. But if you happen to spot an opossum in your backyard, consider yourself lucky. These little guys are fascinating creatures that benefit our shared ecology and are worthy of our appreciation.
Opossums, as a group, are among the oldest, most primitive mammals. They walked the Earth with dinosaurs, looking pretty much the same in today. Some scientists call them “living fossils” because they have survived relatively unchanged for at least 50 million years.
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Another unusual feature: its scaly, nearly hairless tail is prehensile, meaning it can grasp things. “They’ll use it to carry leaves for their nests and dens or hold on to branches as they climb,” explains Sam Kieschnick, an urban wildlife biologist.
Perhaps most intriguing of all is this mammal’s defense mechanism: “playing possum.” Kieschnick says, “Opossums lower their heart rate, slow their breathing, keep their mouth open and even stick out their tongue. Not only do they look dead, but they ‘smell dead,’ too,” by emitting a foul-smelling odor from their anal glands.
“Opossums have adapted to living with us – using some of our decks or sheds as a shelter, using the ditches along the roads as corridors, and even using some of our refuse as nutrients. They are a remnant of the past, the same sort of animal that early explorers or Indigenous peoples would interact with – and we can still do that today.”
Armadillos
Kieschnick gets excited over the official small mammal of Texas. “Armadillo talk! I love armadillos — they’re such cool animals,” he smiles. “I’d argue that they’re one of our most recognizable and charismatic animals here in Texas. How many times have you seen a cartoon of an armadillo with a cowboy hat to represent Texas?”
Highly recognizable by their protective shell made of tough, bony plates covered by leathery skin, the species found most often in these parts is the nine-banded armadillo. Contrary to popular belief, not all species of armadillos can roll into a ball when threatened, and any of these critters in this area will likely rely on their surprising speed to scamper away from danger.
Kieschnick says, “They typically are nocturnal, but it’s not uncommon to see them during the day, digging in leaf litter and in forested areas looking for bugs and grubs and worms to eat. They’re insectivores — so they’ll actively search for these.”
It’s true that holes dug on your property aren’t always a welcome sight. “Unfortunately, sometimes they’ll be hunting for grubs in our yards and lawns. It can be frustrating, no doubt,” Kieschnick sympathizes, “but I’d argue that they’re benefitting the soil by aerating it and eating some of the grubs that could also damage the plants.”
Rio Grande Chirping Frog
It’s a neighborhood mystery that seems to roll around about this time every year. You’re enjoying a warm summer evening outside when you hear a loud, high-pitched chirp. Or maybe you’d describe it as the sound of rubber-soled shoes on a gym floor. Or is it the call of an unfamiliar insect?
Mystery solved: Let’s all welcome the Rio Grande Chirping Frog (RGCF) to the neighborhood.
East Dallas neighbor and Master Naturalist Whitney Wolf first became aware of the RGCF several years ago. “I started hearing chirping at night when we took the dogs walking around the neighborhood. The chirping has always sounded like sleepy birds to me. As a long-time birder, I knew that was unlikely,” she remembers. She conducted a bit of detective work and found recordings of a frog with an identical call, but every range map in field guides didn’t show them in North Texas.
Rio Grande Chirping Frog
Sometime later, Wolf attended a master naturalist meeting in Corpus Christi, where one of the training sessions was about frogs. She learned that the Rio Grande Chirping Frog had extended its range into North Texas but published field guides hadn’t caught up yet.
It was at this conference that she finally glimpsed the frog. “They were having a mothing event (i.e. – attracting, observing, photographing, identifying and documenting moths, according to the National Moth Week website) led by Kieschnick. And they found a Rio Grande Chirping Frog. It’s the only one I’ve ever actually seen.”
Wolf is glad to help clear up the mystery. “Any number of my friends and neighbors have asked me about the ‘bird chirping at night.’ They’re surprised to learn it’s a tiny frog making that peeping noise. RGCFs have been living in my yard for years and even survived Icemageddon.”
