Rachel Carson FishU.S. Fish& Wildlife & Wildlife Service Service National Wildlife Refuge 321 Port Road Wells, Maine 04090 Rachel Carson 207/646 9226 Federal Relay Service National Wildlife for the deaf and hard-of-hearing 1 800/877 8339 Refuge U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service 1 800/344 WILD Mammals http://www.fws.gov October 2001 NT OF E TH TM E R I A N P T E E R D I . O S R . U M A 49 RC H 3, 18 New England cottontail John A. Litvaitis Welcome to Rachel Carson National Short-tailed Shrew Wildlife Refuge. The refuge consists (Blarina brevicauda) of eleven divisions located along Abundant. Dense coat black to grey; Maine’s southern coast between tail very short. Found in fields, mixed This goose, designed by Portland and Kittery. Protecting woods and marsh borders. They J.N. “Ding” Darling, has become the symbol estuaries, salt marshes and adjacent travel in shallow tunnels, foraging on of the National Wildlife upland areas, the 5,000-acre refuge earthworms, insects and small Refuge System. provides valuable wildlife habitat. rodents. They are one of very few mammals with a poisonous bite. This list of 55 species is based on records and observations by refuge Water Shrew personnel. Quiet and patient (Sorex palustris) observers will have the best Uncommon. Black to dark grey; opportunities to see mammals. To feet are hairy and partially webbed. insure the animals’ safety and yours, Found along streams. Water shrews please do not feed or approach them. can swim, run on the surface of water They are wild and can be and search for food along stream unpredictable. Should you spot a rare bottoms. They dive for aquatic or unusual species, please contact the insects, snails and leeches, staying Refuge Manager at Rachel Carson under water for nearly one minute. National Wildlife Refuge; 321 Port Road; Wells, ME; 04090 or call Smokey Shrew 207/646 9226. (Sorex fumeus) Uncommon. Brown in summer, dark *Denotes species of special concern grey in winter. Tail is dark on top and (SC) as of February 2001 by the yellow-tan beneath. Found in damp, Maine Department of Inland rocky, upland woods. They travel Fisheries and Wildlife. These through fallen leaf tunnels to forage mammals may become endangered for insects, earthworms and grasses. without habitat protection. (There are no known state or federally Hairy-tailed Mole threatened or endangered mammals (Parascalops breweri) on the refuge.) Common. Dark brown with large, clawed forefeet; tiny eyes. Found in Virginia Opossum MARSUPIALS open woods and fields. They create (Didelphis virginiana) (Marsupialia) mazes of subsurface tunnels, Common. Greyish-white; long, scaly constantly searching for insects and tail. They live in deciduous woods earthworms. They eat one to three near wetlands and can be found in times their body weight daily. developed areas. They forage at night for fruit, small mammals, nestling Star-nosed Mole birds, eggs, carrion and refuse. (Condylura cristata) INSECTIVORES Masked Shrew Common. Blackish fur; nose has (Insectivora) (Sorex cinereus) many short “tentacles.” Found in Abundant. Brown; belly is grey- marshes and tall grass meadows. black. Found in marshes and moist They forage for insects, earthworms, woodlands with dense vegetation leeches and small fish. Researchers and fallen logs. It may be the most believe they may use their long nasal common small mammal in the appendages as an electrosensor to Northeast. Forages day and night find food. for insects, slugs and spiders. distinctive black mask. Small-footed myotises hunt insects at night, often in hemlock stands. Eastern Pipistrelle* (Pipistrellus subflavus) (SC) Observers may find the pipistrelle foraging over field edges, streams and ponds. It flies in the late afternoon, sometimes feeding on insects with swallows and swifts. Red Bat* (Lasiurus borealis) (SC) Distinctly bright orange to yellow-brown with long fur. Seldom Little Brown Myotis found far from woods, they roost in leaves. Flight has been clocked at 40 miles per hour. Migratory species; BATS Little Brown Myotis* they are believed to fly to Central (Chiroptera) (Myotis lucifugus) and South America for the winter. (SC) Northernmost of all North American bats. They may be seen Hoary Bat* foraging for food just above the (Lasiurus cinereus) surface of rivers and ponds. Little (SC) Brown to tan with white- brown myotises can live to be 33 tipped fur. Feeds on moths and years old. mosquitos late into the night. Roosts in trees that provide dense cover. Northern Long-eared Myotis* Long-distance migrator, similar to (Myotis septentrionalis) the red bat. (SC) Most often feeds within forests, picking insects from twigs and leaves. Big Brown Bat* By day, solitary males and groups of (Eptesicus fuscus) females hide in tree hollows or cling (SC) A bat of open areas. They behind loose bark. forage—primarily for beetles —just after sunset. Most often the species Silver-haired Bat* inhabiting people’s houses. (Lasionycteris noctivagans) (SC) Resembles a very large moth. RODENTS New England Cottontail* This bat slowly flies over woodland (Rodentia) (Sylvilagus transitionalis) ponds and streams in search of (SC) Rare. Differs from eastern insects. They live in tree crevices. cottontail by black spot between ears Migratory. and dark edges on front of ears. Inhabits shrubby fields and salt Small-footed Myotis* marshes. Feeds on green vegetation (Myotis leibii) in summer, and bark and twigs in (SC) Also called Leib’s bat, this winter. Requires dense cover. species is very small, weighing only up to 0.28 ounces. They have a Snowshoe Hare Northern Flying Squirrel (Lepus americanus) (Glaucomys sabrinus) Common. Found throughout the Common. Brown silky fur, belly hairs refuge in dense, brushy areas. white with dark bases. Large eyes. Favors second growth aspen-birch Active at night in mature, mixed forests. Feeds on grasses, ferns, woods. Not true fliers, they glide bark, buds and clover. from branch to branch by spreading a fold of skin. They nest in Eastern Chipmunk (Tamias striatus) Abundant. Found on all refuge divisions and a virtual guarantee on the Carson Trail from spring to fall. Feeds on seeds, roots, nuts and insects. Woodchuck or Groundhog (Marmota monax) Common. Chunky body with yellow- brown, white-tipped fur; black feet. They are found in open fields and Northern brushy areas. Woodchucks excavate flying tunnels where they sleep at night squirrel and overwinter. They feed by day on Robert Savannah grasses, wildflowers, bark and twigs. Grey Squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) woodpecker holes. Diet is similar to Common. Found in and around oak the grey squirrel. and pine forests. They eat seeds, nuts, buds, bark, bird eggs and fungi. Southern Flying Squirrel* Grey squirrels live in leafy nests and (Glaucomys volans) cavities of mature trees. They do not (SC) Told from northern flying hibernate. squirrel by overall smaller size; belly hairs are all white. Found in mature Red Squirrel oak-pine forests. Species has been (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus) observed on the Upper Wells Abundant. Found in coniferous or Division. They eat nuts, buds, twigs, mixed woods. They are active at insects and bird eggs. dawn and dusk, except in winter when they forage at midday. Red Beaver squirrels eat conifer seeds, nuts, (Castor canadensis) fruit, mushrooms, and nestling birds Common. Dark brown; paddle- and rabbits. They nest in cavities but shaped, scaly tail. Found in tidal also make leafy nests in trees or on rivers and permanent streams with the ground. adjacent hardwood forests. Builds dams, creating ponds beneficial to waterfowl and other marsh birds. Deer Mouse Active mostly at night, they can (Peromyscus maniculatus) readily climb. House mice eat insects, Common. Large eyed; seeds and refuse. brown to blackish above, white underparts. Tail has a tuft of hair at Meadow Jumping Mouse its end. Deer mice are common along (Zapus hudsonius) edges of both coniferous and mixed Common. Brown with a dark band on forests. They forage at night for their backs, kangaroo-like feet. They insects and may climb trees for buds inhabit salt marshes and wet fields. and seeds. They eat seeds, fruit and insects. They can jump up to one foot when White-footed Mouse surprised. (Peromyscus leucopus) Abundant. Similar to deer mouse but Woodland Jumping Mouse reddish with a dark band down the (Napaeozapus insignis) back. Lacks tuft of hair on end of Common. Brown back, russet sides, tail. Primarily nocturnal. Found in very large hind feet. Found in woods with ground vegetation and coniferous and deciduous woods near downed logs. They eat nuts, seeds, streams. They forage around stumps grasses, and insects on the ground and downed branches for plants, and in trees. seeds and fungi. Meadow Vole (Microtus pennsylvanicus) White-footed mouse Common. Dark brown, grey underparts. Found in and near salt marshes and meadows. They maintain a system of runways in which they forage on grasses and sedges. Woodland Vole (Microtus pinetorum) Rare. Reddish brown with grey underparts. The only representatives Southern Red-backed Vole of this species in Maine have been (Clethrionomys gapperi) found on the refuge. They live in Common. Chestnut-colored. Found in deciduous or mixed woods, tunneling coniferous or mixed woods. They are underground or under grasses. They active day and night and feed on eat roots, wildflowers and nuts. grasses, nuts, seeds, fungi, and insects on the ground and, less Southern Bog Lemming commonly, in trees. (Synaptomys cooperi) Uncommon. Approximately five House Mouse inches in length including a 3/4-inch (Mus musculus) tail. Brown-grey in color, ears nearly Abundant. Grey to yellow-brown; concealed. Found in wetlands, bogs tail is scaly, belly buff-colored. Non- and wet meadows. native. Found in and around buildings near fields and woods. Norway Rat Red Fox (Rattus norvegicus) (Vulpes vulpes) Common. Dark brown, smaller than a Common.