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Mammals Obtained by Dr. Curt von Wedel from
the Barrier Beach of Tamaulipas, Mexico

BY

E. RAYMOND HALL



University of Kansas Publications
Museum of Natural History
Volume 5, No. 4, pp. 33–47, 1 figure in textOctober 1, 1951



University of Kansas
LAWRENCE
1951

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[Pg 34]University of Kansas Publications, Museum of Natural History


Editors: E. Raymond Hall, Chairman, A. Byron Leonard,
Edward H. Taylor, Robert W. Wilson

Volume 5, No. 4, pp. 33–47, 1 figure in text

October 1, 1951


University of Kansas
Lawrence, Kansas


PRINTED BY
FERD VOILAND, JR., STATE PRINTER
TOPEKA, KANSAS
1951

23–7414

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Mammals Obtained by Dr. Curt von Wedel from the Barrier Beach of
Tamaulipas, Mexico

BY

E. RAYMOND HALL

WHAT species of mammals occur on the "coastal island", barrier beach, ofTamaulipas? Are the closest relatives of these mammals on Padre andMustang islands of Texas, instead of on the mainland of Tamaulipas, orare the mammals on the barrier beach distinct from all others? Thesewere questions that Dr. von Wedel of Oklahoma City and I asked ourselvesin March of 1950 when we were in southern Texas. With the aim in mind ofanswering these questions, Dr. von Wedel arranged round-triptransportation, by air, for the two of us between Brownsville, Texas,and Boca Jesús María. The latter place is a "pass", tidal inlet, throughthe long barrier beach. The waters of the Gulf of Mexico and of thelagoon behind the beach flow back and forth with the changing tidesthrough the inlet.

We arrived at Boca Jesús María on March 18, 1950, and left on March 22,1950. Our headquarters there were in one of the four one-story buildingsimmediately north of the inlet. This place is approximately 89½ milessouth, and 10 miles west, of Matamoros, Mexico. Most of our collectingwas done on the sand dunes one and one-half miles north of the buildingsbut on the evening of March 20 we made a round-trip, by boat of course,to the sand dunes on the south side of the inlet to set traps; thesetraps, and the Dipodomys that were caught in them, were picked up thefollowing morning.

At the time of our visit, the part of the barrier beach south of thetidal inlet was connected with the mainland. The connection was far tothe southward, according to our pilot, Mr. Kagy of Brownsville, and alsoaccording to the testimony of the Mexicans at the fishing camp where westayed on the north side of the inlet. The barrier beach which lay tothe north of the inlet extended sixty-odd miles northward to the deltaof the Río Grande and had, we were told, eight "passes," including PasoJesús María. At the time of our visit, however, only three of thesetidal inlets were open, it was said; the five others were thought to befilled in with sand, which permitted terrestrial animals to move fromone part of the beach to another. Dr. von Wedel and I saw two tidalinlets that were open when we were being flown back to Brownsville.

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