Nutria (Myocaster coypus). Not as abundant as the Sika Deer (Cervus nippon). Uncommon but in­ muskrat; found throughout the marsh. Larger than a creasing. Found in the more secluded areas of the muskrat, it is sometimes mistaken for a beaver. refuge. For further information contact: MAMMALS Black Rat (Rattus rattus). Uncommon. White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus). Refuge Manager Abundant. May often be seen at dusk in tree- Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge of Norway Rat (Rattus norvegicus). Common. bordered fields. Route 1, Box 121 House Mouse (Mus musculus). Common around Cambridge, Maryland 21613 refuge buildings and in wild. A HYPOTHETICAL LISTING OF Phone: (301) 228-2677 BLACKWATER SPECIES BASED ON REPORTED Red Fox (Vulpesfulva). Common, but seldom seen. RANGE. Inhabits wooded and brushy areas where it feeds on rabbits, rodents and birds. Keen's Bat (Myotis keenii).

Gray Fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus). Uncommon. Silver-haired Bat (Lasionycteris noctivagans). NATIONAL WILDLIFE Prefers the heavily wooded areas. Eastern Pipistrell (Pipistrellus subflavus). REFUGE As the Nation's principal conservation agency, the Big Brown Bat (Eptesicus fuscus). Department of the Interior has responsibility for most of our nationally owned public lands and Hoary Bat (Lasiurus cinereus). natural resources. This includes fostering the wisest use of our land and water resources, protecting our Evening Bat (Nycticeius humeralis). fish and wildlife, preserving the environmental and cultural values of our national parks and historical Southern Bog Lemming (Synaptomys cooperi). places, and providing for the enjoyment of life through outdoor recreation. The Department asses­ Meadow Jumping Mouse (Zapus hudsonius). ses our energy and mineral resources and works to assure that their development is in the best interests NOTES of all our people. The Department also has a major responsibility for American Indian reservation communities and for people who live in island Location territories under U. S. administration.

Raccoon (Procyon lotor). Very common in all Date Total wooded areas bordering water. Its varied diet in­ cludes fish, frogs, rodents, eggs, insects and plants. Observers

Longtail Weasel (Mustela frenata). Common in Weather Wind brushland, fields, and marsh. Time Mink (Mustela vison). Uncommon. May be found in all aquatic habitats.

Striped Skunk (Mephitis mephitis). Common in DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR brushy areas of refuge. U.S. FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE

River Otter (Lutra canadensis). Uncommon, but August 1979 occasionally seen along banks of Wildlife Drive. RL 51530-3 WELCOME

BLACKWATER NATIONAL WILDLIFE out the marsh. Brought into Maryland in the 1940's ANNOTATED LIST OF MAMMALS Eastern Cottontail Rabbit (Sylvilagus floridanus). REFUGE is located on the Eastern Shore of for use on fur farms, the nutria eventually reached OF THE BLACKWATER NATIONAL Very common in brushy thickets bordering roads Chesapeake Bay in Dorchester County, Maryland, the wild where they adapted to the climate of WILDLIFE REFUGE. and dikes. Frequently seen during spring and about 12 miles south of Cambridge. Established in Blackwater. summer. 1933, the refuge consists of 14,287 acres of brackish Opossum (Didelphis marsupialis). Common in marsh, freshwater ponds, and brushy and timbered The sika deer, actually an oriental species ol elk, wooded areas and wood margins. Occasionally seen swamps. The wooded areas are predominately lob­ was introduced onto James Island in Chesapeake along roadsides at night. Omnivorous - eats both lolly pine and mast producing hardwoods; three- Bay about 1916. They are now quite common in plant and animal food. square bulrush is the dominant vegetation in the southern Dorchester County. Shorter and darker marsh. than the white-tailed deer, this animal prefers the more secluded areas of the refuge. Although the mammals of Blackwater are often overlooked in favor of the more abundant and con­ spicuous bird-life, the refuge hosts a wide variety of mammalian forms ranging from the marsupial opossum to the hoofed white-tailed deer. Gray Squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis). Common One species worthy of special note is the large, throughout refuge woodlands. Prefers nut-producing grizzled gray Delmarva fox squirrel. Currently hardwood trees. More arboreal than the Delmarva listed as an endangered species, this squirrel is found fox squirrel. only in a few localities on the Eastern Shore. Masked Shrew (Sorex cinereus). Uncommon. Common on the refuge, it is occasionally observed Delmarva Fox Squirrel (Sciurus niger cinereus). in the woods bordering the Wildlife Drive. Forest Common in wooded areas that contain little or no Least Shrew (Cryptotis parva). Common in the underbrush. Distinguished from gray squirrel by its management programs at Blackwater are oriented marsh. toward perpetuation of this handsome squirrel. larger size. The coloration varies but is usually light gray. This squirrel spends more time on the ground Shorttail Shrew (Blarina brevicauda). Common in than the gray squirrel and often feeds in corn and damp woodland soil habitats. soybean fields.

Starnose Mole (Condylura cristata). Common in Southern Flying Squirrel (Glaucomys volans). damp soil. Seldom seen because of its nocturnal habits.

Eastern Mole (Scalopus aquaticus). Common in Rice Rat (Oryzomys palustris). Common through­ cultivated fields. out the brackish marshes. The following list of 30 species is based on observa­ tions by refuge personnel and a report prepared by Little Brown Bat (Myotis lucifugus). Common. White-footed Mouse (Peromyscus leucopus). John L. Paradiso of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Roosts in hollow trees. Abundant in wooded and brushy areas. Service. Eight additional species are listed as hypothetically existing on the refuge since it is Meadow Vole (Microtus pennsylvanicus). within their range. Scientific names and the order in Abundant in marsh where it will build its nest in which they appear follow Miller and Kellog, List of muskrat houses. North American Recent Mammals (U.S. National Museum Bulletin 205), while common names were taken from Burt and Grossenheider, A Field Guide Pine Vole (Pitymys pinetorum). Common on all to the Mammals. More detailed information on the dry land habitats. following species may be obtained from Paradiso, Muskrat (Ondatra zebethicus). One of the most Two other rather unusual residents are the nutria Mammals of Maryland, North American Fauna, abundant mammals at Blackwater. Their large and sika deer. The nutria, a large aquatic rodent No. 66 (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, April dome-shaped houses may be seen throughout the introduced from South America, is present through­ 1969). Red Bat (Lasiurus borealis). Common in woodlands. marsh.