Select Mammals of Loudoun County

Select Mammals of Loudoun County

Class Mammalia Warm-blooded Fur Produce Milk Most bear live young

Order: Marsupialia Marsupials The Pouched Mammals

Opossum (Didelphis virginianus) Only marsupial in North America. Omnivores.

Order: Chiroptera Bats Hand wing Insect feeders. Use echo location to find prey and navigate. Wing membrane is stretched between finger bones.

Little Brown Bat (Myotis lucifugus) Mouse ear - to flee light Locally common. Forms roosts of several hundred in attics of old buildings and caves.

Red Bat (Lasiurus borealis) Hairy tail - northern Common. Solitary. Roosts in trees and shrubs.

Smallest bat in Virginia and surrounding states. Common, solitary in summer. Roosts in trees amongst clumps of leaves, caves and rock crevices. Erratic flight, often above water in search of insects. Congregates late summer near preferred feeding areas. Eastern Pipistrelle (Pipistrellus subflavus) Bat yellow beneath

Order: Insectivora Shrews and Moles Voracious insect eaters. Often eating up to half their body weight per day. May have a weak venom to paralyze prey (harmless to humans). Fossorial.

Northern Short-tailed shrew (Blarina brevicauda) Small eyes, reduced ears hidden beneath fur. Abundant.

Eastern Mole Big front feet. (Scalopus aquaticus) Reduced eyes, no external ear openings. Solitary. To dig - foot water dweller

Star-nosed Mole (Condylura cristata) Somewhat gregarious, with several moles using the same tunnels. Excellent swimmers Feeds primarily on aquatic and terrestrial worms and insects, occasionally small fish 22 rays on nose

Order: Rodentia Rodents Have gnawing teeth and only one set of upper incisors Herbivores.

Beaver (Castor canadensis) Extirpated and reintroduced. Largest North American rodent. Slap the water s surface with their tail when disturbed. Hirst Road Bridge Catoctin Creek

Woodchuck (Marmota monax) Squirrel family Digs burrows (which are often used by other animals including rabbits, skunks, opossums, snakes and turtles.)

Gray Squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) Eats nuts, berries, leaf buds and the occasionally baby birds.

Fox Squirrel (Sciurus niger) Squirrel of open woods and tree rows along rivers and between open fields. Color highly variable. Larger than gray squirrel.

Southern Flying Squirrel (Glaucomys volans) Common (The Northern Flying Squirrel is State endangered). Nocturnal. Glides between trees. Does not fly.

Chipmunk (Tamias striatus) Ground dweller. Stores berries and nuts underground. Hibernates in winter. Cheek Pouches

Semiaquatic. Found in marshes. Mainly nocturnal. Herbivores. An important food source for many predators. Muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus) Lodge

Eastern Woodrat (Neotoma floridana) State threatened. Prefers mountainous regions with caves, cliffs, rock outcrops and talus slopes. Collects objects and stores them in middens. Furred tail

Norway Rat (Rattus norvegicus) Hairless tail Introduced. Live in cities and on farms (barns rat). Tunnels or uses spaces between walls. Eats almost anything edible. Prolific. Best population control is to remove their food source. Poisoning kills other animals.

House Mouse (Mus musculus) Introduced. Found in close association with people. Consume anything edible, highly destructive, especially to stored grain. Control by removing food source. Use snap traps rather than poisons.

Jumping Mouse (Zapus hudsonius) Uncommon to rare. Only mouse in our area to hibernate. Prefers moist grassy fields near marshes and streams. Climbs, but can jump up to 3 feet.

White-footed and Deer Mouse (Peromyscus leucopus) (Peromyscus maniculatus) Mice of woodlands. Excellent climbers Favorite food of many woodland predators. Deer mouse Distinctly bi-colored tail

Meadow Vole (Microtus pennsylvanicus) Short tail Prolific. Young weaned at 14 days old and reach sexual maturity when 25 days old. Found in grasslands and fields. Do not climb. Forms tunnels and runs beneath grass. Major prey item of nearly every predator in Virginia.

Order: Lagamorpha (Rabbits) Have two pair of upper incisors

Cottontail Rabbit (Sylvilagus floridanus) Common, but populations fluctuate. Prefers disturbed areas such as field edges and abandoned farm fields. Fairly prolific. A major prey item of foxes, owls, hawks and even snakes. Rabbits are known to carry Tularemia and also play a role in the life cycle of tick born diseases.

Order: Carnivora Have 2 sets of canines Eat Meat

Raccoon (Pyrocon lotor)

Mustelidae Weasel Family Striped Skunk Mephitis mephitis

Least Weasel (Mustela nivalis) Smallest carnivore in North America

Long-tailed weasel (Mustela frenata)

Mink Mustela vison

River Otter Lutra canadensis Always found in or near water. Eat crayfish, crabs, fish. Very playful and intelligent. A species of concern due to destruction of habitat and pollution of waterways.

Canidae Dog Family Red Fox/Gray Fox Prefers fields Mostly eat rodents, but also berries and insects. Both foxes seem very susceptible to mange. Both foxes can get rabies, but Grey foxes have a higher rate of rabies than Red foxes.

Coyote (Canis latrans) Much maligned. Eats mostly rodents and insects and berries. May help keep feral cat populations in check. Very adaptable.

Ursidae The Bear Family Black Bear (Uras americanus) Omnivore

Felidae The Cat Family Bobcat (Felis rufus) Secretive. Eats rodents, squirrels and rabbits and occasionally birds. 10 25 lbs. Prefers mountains and swampy coastal areas. Mostly absent from the piedmont.

Order: Artiodactyla Even-toed Ungulates

White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus) Common Vectors in the spread of Tick borne illnesses. Destructive to forest ecosystems and farmlands in large numbers.