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Home , American mink, Eastern gray squirrel, Fox squirrel, North American porcupine

U.S. & Wildlife Service Agassiz National Wildlife Refuge 22996 290th Street, NE. Middle River, MN 56737-9754 Agassiz 218/449 4115 Web: http://www.fws.gov/midwest/Agassiz Email: [email protected] National Wildlife impaired persons may contact Agassiz through the Federal Relay System at 1 800/877 8339 Refuge List

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service 1 800/344 WILD N9

PRINTED 2009 Agassiz National Wildlife Refuge, established in 1937, occupies part of There are four of moose the eastern bed of glacial Lake Agassiz in . Agassiz is home This blue goose, in northwestern Minnesota. This aspen to the third largest subspecies, designed by J.N. parkland area is located between the Northwestern. Standing six feet tall at “Ding” Darling tallgrass to the west and the the shoulder, bulls weigh between 800 in the 1930s, has coniferous forest to the east. Open and 1,100 pounds and cows between become a symbol water and freshwater marshes occupy 600 and 800 pounds. 37,400 acres of the refuge. Extensive of the National Moose, Wildlife Refuge areas of , shrubs, and grasses are Moose are the largest member of the found on an additional 24,100 upland Jim Mattsson, System. deer family. Both sexes have a “bell” acres. USFWS attached to their throat, which is a Common trees growing in the hard- distinct pendulous flap of skin and hair. wood forest are aspen, bur , Rutting (breeding) season lasts from green and black ash, elm, and box mid-September through October. elder. A 4,000-acre Wilderness Area After an eight month gestation period, is comprised of two black - cows calve in mid-May and June, tamarack bogs and associated bog usually producing a single calf, lakes. weighing between 25 and 35 pounds. For at least the first year of their life Prior to Euro-settlement, 81 species calves are dependent on the cow for ofmammals were found in Minnesota. protection, warmth, and in the winter Today there are 74 resident mammal for gaining access to food and shelter species in the state. Forty-nine of these by following her trail through the snow. species, can be found on the refuge. This amazing species richness is due in Following a peak of more than 400 part to an equallytremendous diversity moose in the early 1980s, the refuge’s of habitats on the refuge. population has declined dramatically. Refuge estimates between 2006 and on the refuge range in size 2009 have hovered around 30 from the pygmy shrew to the moose. individuals. Similarly, throughout Mammals are important in the ecology north-western Minnesota a moose of the refuge. Herbivores, such as mice, population that once exceeded 4,000 , , hares, , had shrunk to less than 100 and deer change plant food energy into , which then becomes by 2007. The sharp decline throughout available to predators such as , northwestern Minnesota began in gray , hawks, and . Some the early 1990s. Extensive research mammals, such as , red , conducted on and around the refuge and play the role of scavenger, in the late 1990s concluded that climate as well as predator. change combined with increased , parasite loads have driven this Jay Johnson, Many mammals are common on the population decline. USFWS refuge and are most active during early morning or late evening hours. Others Moose observations on the refuge are are rare, secretive, or active only rare; however, cows with calves can at night. Some of the best ways to still be observed in May or June and determine a mammal’s presence is to bulls are occasionally seen during the look for its tracks, droppings, dens, breeding season. holes, beds, or mounds. Binoculars and field guides will help you identify Moose Cow mammals. Should you observe an and Calf, unlisted, rare, or uncommon mammal Gary Tischer, species, please contact the refuge office. USFWS Standing six feet tall at the shoulder, bulls weigh between 800 and 1,100 pounds. Greg Gerjets, Woodland Harmony Photography Gray , Wolf Scott Swanson, In February 1982, the first wolf pack A wolf pack’s varies from USFWS on Agassiz was confirmed. Since 1982 50 to 150 square miles, depending on a second pack has been established on food availability. Gray wolves were the refuge and adjoining state wildlife originally the most widely distributed management areas. Secretive, wolves land mammal in the world, living on all may be observed throughout the year. four northern hemispheric continents. Gray wolves lived throughout North Adult wolves stand 30 inches high at America before colonial settlers the shoulder and weigh from 60 to arrived. 120 pounds. Color varies from almost white in the arctic to nearly black, with With settlement, the wolf was gray being most common. eradicated throughout most of its former range. Consequently, it was In Minnesota, an average wolf pack protected under the Endangered includes seven individuals. The pack Species Act of 1973. Before 1973, there has a dominant (alpha) breeding pair were about 650 wolves in Minnesota. of adults, which mate for life, and As of 2008, their numbers have offspring from previous years. An increased to about 2,900. Since the average of six pups are typically born early 2000s, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife in late April. Pup mortality exceeds Service has undertake efforts to 50% during the first year of life. remove the wolf from the List in Minnesota and the Great Lakes Region. The fisher is a -dwelling that is about the size of a red . are a close relative of the fisher, but are smaller and live in Minnesota’s coniferous forests. The fisher is dark brown, with a grizzled appearance caused by white bands on Coyote, the guard hairs. The tail is long and D. Hardesty bushy. One to four young are born in Coyote, sometimes referred to as a late March or early April. Although “brush wolf”, look like a medium-sized fisher have inhabited the refuge for and are gray or reddish gray, with many years, the first documentation rusty legs, feet, and ears. Throat and of offspring was in June of 1993. belly are white color. Five to ten pups Fishers are solitary, except during are born in April. Since the gray wolf and when rearing young. became established, coyote numbers Fishers live mainly in hardwood forests have declined and are rarely observed. and are rarely observed.

River , River Otter Beth Siverhus River are large weasel-like mammals, three to four times the size of a mink. Otters present a sleek appearance with their fairly small head, long slender body, and long, thick tapering tail with short hair. Their short is dark brown, a bit lighter on the underside, and often grayish or White-tailed White-tailed Deer silvery on the throat. The otter’s eyes Deer, Becky White-tailed deer are one of the most are located toward the front of the face Carlson, commonly observed animals on the giving better frontal vision. Usually one USFWS refuge. The annual deer population to four young are born in April or May. has ranged from 430 to 3,400 deer on Agassiz and three adjoining state Otter crossings between pools and wildlife management areas. The ditches can be observed along the refuge’s deer population objective is for refuge roads and trails. Otters can be between 1,625 and 2,160 deer. Look for observed in wetlands, especially deer in a variety of habitats. Fawns are ditches throughout the refuge. born from late May through June. Complete Mammal List Muskrats are rich brown in color with a silver-colored belly and a long, black, Arctic shrew (Sorex arcticus) naked tail. Muskrats are sometimes Masked shrew (Sorex cinereus) American water shrew (Sorex palustris) confused with beaver, but beaver are Pygmy shrew (Microsorex hoyi) larger and have a flat, broad tail. Five Northern short-tailed shrew (Blarina brevicauda) to six young are born per litter with Star-nosed mole (Condylura cristata) some females producing up to three Little brown myotis (Myotis lucifugus) litters per year. Muskrats begin build- Eastern red bat (Lasiurus borealis) ing houses in September out of cattail, Hoary bat (Lasiurus cinereus) bulrush, and other wetland vegetation. Big brown bat (Eptesicus fuscus) Their houses provide loafing and - Eastern cottontail (Sylvilagus floridanus) ing sites for geese and . White-tailed jackrabbit (Lepus callotis) Muskrat, Snowshoe hare (Lepus americanus) Jack Bartholmai Eastern chipmunk (Tamias striatus) Woodchuck (Marmota monax) Franklin’s ground (Spermophilus franklini) Thirteen-lined ground squirrel (Spermophilus tridecemlineatus) ( carolinensis) Eastern (Sciurus niger) (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus) Mink, Mike Northern flying squirrel (Glaucomys sabrinus) Furtman Plains pocket gopher (Geomys bursarius) Beaver (Castor canadensis) Mink White-footed (Peromyscus leucopus) Mink can be seen in and around wet- Deer mouse (Peromyscus maniculatus) lands throughout the refuge. Mink 1Norway rat (Rattus norvegicus) and otters look similar, but mink are House mouse (Mus musculus) smaller and have a bushy tail. In the Northern red-backed (Clethriononys rutilus) winter, mink feed almost exclusively Meadow vole ( pennsylvanicus) on muskrats. Common muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus) Meadow jumping mouse (Zapus hudsonius) North American (Erethizon dorsatum) can range from 15 to 35 Coyote ( latrans) pounds in size. They have short, Gray wolf (Canis lupus) ( vulpes) inconspicuous ear tufts and a short Common ( cinereoargenteus) tail. They are generally nocturnal American black ( americanus) and solitary. Bobcats feed on small 2Northern ( lotor) mammals, , and carrion, when Fisher (Martes pennanti) available. Young can be born at any Short-tailed weasel (Ermine; Mustela erminea) time of the year, but most commonly Long-tailed weasel (Mustela frenata) in the spring. (Mustela nivalis) Bobcat, American mink (Mustela vison) Gary Tischer, Red Fox American (Taxidea taxus) USFWS Red fox have the appearance of a Northern river otter ( canadensis) Striped ( mephitis) small dog. Four to nine pups are born Bobcat ( rufus) in April. Young fox disperse from the 3Elk (Cervus elaphus) parent’s territory between September White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) and October. Red fox may be observed Moose (Alces alces) on roads, trails, and dikes, or in various upland habitats year-round. 1Exotic species 2Not native to area before Euro-settlement The complete mammal list shows common and scientific names and the 3Not a resident mammal of the refuge order in which they appear in Baker et al., “Revised Checklist of North AmericanMammals North of , 2003.”