Town Fauna

A possum ascends the stairs to a 2nd-floor apartment in Solano Park.

The longer one lives in Davis, the longer one becomes accustomed to the local wildlife. Some are year round residents, others only can be seen at certain times of the year. Local wildlife often inhabits the town flora. Want to know the correct taxonomic classification for one of Davis' biota? Check out Wikispecies.

Domesticated animals also make up a good number of the animals in town, some of which have their own personal pages or check out Cute Animals.

Wild Campus is a UC Davis student group that promotes the conservation of Davis' native wildlife through community outreach and events, providing opportunities for student research, and habitat restoration projects.

Mammals

A gopher, caught in the act.

• Badgers, Mink, River Otters, & Weasels (all in the weasel family)
• Bats
• Coyotes & Foxes (both in the dog family)
• Feral and Abandoned Cats, Bobcats, & very rarely Mountain Lions (all in the cat family)
• Opossums (non-native)
• Rabbits and Hares
• Raccoons & Ringtails (both in the raccoon family)
• Rodents
• Skunks
• Possible occasional bears, boars (non-native), deer, moles, and shrews (although these generally live in other parts of Yolo County and adjacent counties, not in town)

Birds

QUACK! Davis ducks are relatively fearless. These two wait near the Tercero DC for snacks.

• Avocets
• Blackbirds
• Cedar Waxwings
• Crows, Jays, Magpies
• Dowitchers
• Dabbling Ducks
• Diving Ducks
• Falcons
• Geese
• Gulls
• Hawks
• Herons & Egrets
• Mockingbirds
• Owls
• Peeps
• Pelicans
• Pheasants
• Raptors
• Stilts
• Woodpeckers

Others:

See Birds Entry for more information.

Reptiles and Amphibians

Brrrrp! This Pacific Tree Frog tries unsuccessfully to hide.

• Frogs
• Snakes
• Toads
• Turtles
• Lizards

Fish

One of the many summer basslings you can find on Putah Creek.

See Fish Entry for more information.

Arthropods

Also see Insects. bzzzzzzzz... a spider taking advantage of other wildlife in the arboretum If you have a problem with any of the below, you may need to call one of the Davis-area exterminators.

• Ants
• Aphids
• Honeybees and the less domesticated Feral Bees
• Butterflies & Moths
• Carpet Beetles
• Cockroaches
• Crane Fly
• Dragonflies
• Earwigs
• Elm Leaf Beetle
• Fleas
• Flies
• Ladybugs
• Mosquitoes
• Pillbugs a.k.a. roly poly bugs
• Praying Mantises
• Silverfish
• Scale Insects
• Spiders - spider egg sacs can be seen floating around town
• Termites
• Ticks
• Wasps
• Weevils

Gastropods

• Slugs & Snails

sitting on my porch (University Ave, between A & B) a couple of days ago i saw a falcon attack and eat a pigeon. most exciting thing i've seen in davis in quite some time. EllenWoodall

2007-07-18 22:57:35   There's some duplication here with the Town Fauna page. —CovertProfessor

2007-10-28 21:11:22   Whatever difference there was, once, between Town Fauna and this page has gone, as CovertProfessor points out. I think it was once that Fauna included domestic animals and 'wildlife' here didn't, but that is long since gone. Anyone want to merge them, as well as adding a comment box on Fauna? There could be a * along side, or a section for domestics, if one is concerned about it. Else, one cannot find half the information that is really hidden on the other page. — NotTires —NotTires

2008-04-24 10:27:26   I will give merging a shot. I'll bring the flora info over here. Then should we delete the info there and make it a redirect to here, or vice versa? —EmilyH

2008-04-24 10:30:02   Nevermind. Looks like I'm not allowed to edit this page. —EmilyH

2009-09-21 21:54:25   Isn't that gopher in the pic above? —CarlosOverstreet

• Definitely. No moles in sight. —jmofro

2011-05-13 03:18:23   Are moles much of a problem in Davis? —CarlosOverstreet

• Don Shor would know. I know gophers are a serious problem for some folks in the outskirts. -jw
• I have never seen moles here. Pocket gophers are a problem, and some years we get reports of damage from high populations of voles. —DonShor
  • Adding to the small mammal tally, I've spotted some kind of shrew in the grassy fields between Olive Drive and the train tracks. I'm comfortable identifying rodents, but moles and shrews are outside my zone of experience. -jw

2011-05-14 00:12:36   So no moles in Davis that we can confirm? —CarlosOverstreet

2013-02-21 15:34:18   Anyone know what (if any) lizards are indigenous to Davis? I wouldn't mind having some in our yard for a) looking at and b) insect control. —ScottSchiller

• Western fence lizards are the most common lizard around town. Alligator lizards are around here too (I've had a few sneak into my house). There are probably skinks too (Gilberts or Skiltons, not sure which, the populations in this area overlap and look similar). Check out the website californiaherps.com for really good info on California reptiles. -DG

2013-05-08 14:38:47   Anyone seen Central Valley Red Foxes by Davis? —CarlosOverstreet

• Yes. As of 3/18/2020 I have seen two (I have been living in Davis since 2018). One was on the UC Davis Campus near the arboretum late at night. The other was around twilight in the greenbelt of the Willowcreek neighborhood. I suppose - strictly speaking - you can't tell if they're the native red fox population or the non-native population without genetic testing, but previous studies have found the native individuals in these areas, and there are signs posted to alert residents of their presence in Willowcreek. So they are out there, but they're hard to spot. -DG

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