# Small animals native to the Pacific Northwest **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 4, 2016, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/small-animals-native-to-the-pacific-northwest/767665 "2016-10-04T22:24:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![rat\_avatar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rat_avatar/32/255_2.png) [@rat\_avatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rat_avatar)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2016, 6:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/small-animals-native-to-the-pacific-northwest/767665/21 "2016-10-05T06:58:44Z")
> [@dtilque](#): > > The ODFW page cited above says nutria and possums are invasive. And I thought nutria _were_ damaging. Nutria permanently damage marshes and other wetlands, they also damage sea walls and man made shorelines. Pikas are my favorite native small critter even if you have to head up to talus and scree to see them. This thread reminded me to learn the local voles rodents and bats which we have quite a few of but I do know that the northern bog lemmings are another native species. ---
**Author:** ![racer72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/racer72/32/3075_2.png) [@racer72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racer72)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2016, 10:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/small-animals-native-to-the-pacific-northwest/767665/22 "2016-10-05T10:59:23Z")
> [@Bumbershoot](#): > > The [Olympic marmot](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olympic_marmot) inhabits the Olympic Peninsula in Washington. Saw some of these at Hurricane Ridge this past summer. Got some nice pictures of one fellow that put on a modeling show for the tourists. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2016, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/small-animals-native-to-the-pacific-northwest/767665/23 "2016-10-05T12:15:11Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > My favorite is the [Mountain Beaver](http://wdfw.wa.gov/living/mtn_beavers.html), which is not actually a beaver but the most primitive living rodent. This is what I was going to mention. A [fascinating](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mountain_beaver) animal. [Here’s](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_mammals_of_Oregon) the Wikipedia article on mammals of Oregon. Some of the ~larger rodents include woodrats, several ground squirrels, some pocket gophers, etc. And then there’s the jackalope, of course. ---
**Author:** ![Quercus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/7ab992/32.png) [@Quercus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quercus)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2016, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/small-animals-native-to-the-pacific-northwest/767665/24 "2016-10-05T13:45:07Z")
Nobody has mentioned porcupines yet? Well, they only arrived after the Panamanian bridge formed, so maybe not ‘native’? ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2016, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/small-animals-native-to-the-pacific-northwest/767665/25 "2016-10-05T17:07:31Z")
> [@gkster](#): > > My favorite is the Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus: > [Save The Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus](http://zapatopi.net/treeoctopus/) They did a pretty good job making that hoax page, didnt they? > **[Pacific Northwest tree octopus](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacific_Northwest_tree_octopus)** > > The Pacific Northwest tree octopus is an Internet hoax created in 1998 by a humor writer under the pseudonym Lyle Zapato. Since its creation, the Pacific Northwest tree octopus website has been commonly referenced in Internet literacy classes in schools and has been used in multiple studies demonstrating children's gullibility regarding online sources of information. > This fictitious endangered species of cephalopod was given the Latin name Octopus paxarbolis (the species name being coined from... ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2016, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/small-animals-native-to-the-pacific-northwest/767665/26 "2016-10-05T17:13:50Z")
I’m surprised nobody mentioned banana slugs. And geoducks. Two slimy, spineless, relatively large animals that serve at times as mascots for the area. ---
**Author:** ![watchwolf49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9c0ed/32.png) [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2016, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/small-animals-native-to-the-pacific-northwest/767665/27 "2016-10-05T17:49:37Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > I’m surprised nobody mentioned banana slugs. And geoducks. Two slimy, spineless, relatively large animals that serve at times as mascots for the area. We’ve been focusing on mammals larger than rats but smaller than cougars … otherwise I was going to bring up bald eagles being something of a nuisance. I mean that in a good way, it’s pleasing to see when environment efforts work and the return of this bird in the Willamette Valley is a good sign that economic development and proper custodianship of nature can indeed work together for the greater good. Hopefully the powers that be will start considering releasing condors here sometime in the future. ETA: You can’t believe _everything_ on Wikipedia … now can we? ---
**Author:** ![sitchensis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sitchensis/32/4892_2.png) [@sitchensis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sitchensis)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2016, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/small-animals-native-to-the-pacific-northwest/767665/28 "2016-10-05T17:55:51Z")
Up until about 10 years ago we had [pygmy rabbits](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pygmy_rabbit) ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2016, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/small-animals-native-to-the-pacific-northwest/767665/29 "2016-10-05T17:56:57Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > I’m surprised nobody mentioned banana slugs. And geoducks. Two slimy, spineless, relatively large animals that serve at times as mascots for the area. He asked about " Mammals larger than rats". ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2016, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/small-animals-native-to-the-pacific-northwest/767665/30 "2016-10-05T21:27:15Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > He asked about " Mammals larger than rats". Ok, they may not be mammals, but banana slugs and geoducks are larger than rats. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2016, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/small-animals-native-to-the-pacific-northwest/767665/31 "2016-10-05T21:48:39Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > Ok, they may not be mammals, but banana slugs and geoducks are larger than rats. Well geoducks certainly can be, and a banana slug can be about as long. The geoduck “body” is about the size of a good sized rat, but the siphon can be a meter long! Normally a adult weighs about 1.5 #, but some 10X that size have been reported. Heavier than a rat, certainly. (12oz is normal for a good sized male, but we had a pet who was 2#!) But a large male norway rat outweighs a banana slug slug by about 3X. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2016, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/small-animals-native-to-the-pacific-northwest/767665/32 "2016-10-05T21:55:17Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > But a large male norway rat outweighs a banana slug slug by about 3X. A banana slug is longer than and can outweigh a Black Rat, however, ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2016, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/small-animals-native-to-the-pacific-northwest/767665/33 "2016-10-05T22:18:10Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > A banana slug is longer than and can outweigh a Black Rat, however, _Ariolimax columbianus_ can be up to ten inches and weigh just a little over 4oz. _Rattus rattus_, per wiki is 5 to 7" long, including a 3-4" tail, and weighs 4–12 oz. So, not counting the tail, certainly longer- and a big slug\* can\* outweigh a small adult rat. That being said, if you see a big specimen of either the slug or the geoduck in the wild, they are amazing! Not to mention geoducks are tasty. The big one have such a long life that it is rather a shame to eat them, however. ---
**Author:** ![wevets](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9a140/32.png) [@wevets](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wevets)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2016, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/small-animals-native-to-the-pacific-northwest/767665/34 "2016-10-05T23:27:56Z")
No one’s mentioned the [Long-tailed weasel](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long-tailed_weasel) yet - saw one on Sunday up in the Cascades, I assume they’re in Oregon too. Cute little things. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/small-animals-native-to-the-pacific-northwest/767665.md?page=1)