Varmints (Re: Does anyone know these?...)

[Matthew Montchalin]

On Thu, 25 Nov 1999, R. Joe Campbell wrote:

| tepanchichi
|   mouse
|
| tepanmamal
|   mouse
|
| calxoch
|   mouse

What are the differences between these animals?  Does any one of them come
close to the memaloose found in the Mt. Hood National Forest in Oregon?
Memalooses are bigger than rats, about a foot to a yard in height, sit
back on their haunches, and have opposable thumbs just like monkeys or
possums do.  They like to cry out 'mee!' and this might be why they are
called me[e]malooses.  They are capable of getting into your backpacks and
would just as soon steal cookies and fruit juice from you if you don't
keep them at bay by throwing rocks at them.  I think they are either
omnivorous or vegetarian, and tend to live in troops of about a dozen or
more at once, mostly making their homes in rockpiles in the high cascades.
They are probably related to the white prairie dog of southeastern Oregon,
but instead of living in the plains like to live in higher elevations.