List of mammals of Connecticut

This list of mammals of Connecticut includes both native and nonnative species (introduced or invasive) found in the state now or in the past, but not domesticated or farm animals.

Many mammals formerly extirpated in the state have returned, sometimes with active human projects and sometimes through a natural expansion from neighboring states as Connecticut's natural environment has become more welcoming to them.

Many mammal species were removed from Connecticut or almost became extinct within the state through hunting and clearing forests to create farmland, starting in the 17th century with European colonization and continuing until the 19th century, when most of the state's forest covering had been replaced with farmland. Populations of moose, turkeys, black bears and mountain lions lost their habitats and were greatly reduced or eliminated in Connecticut.[1] Pollution in the 19th and 20th centuries also played a role in either greatly reducing or extirpating some species, such as the bald eagle.

With the collapse of farming in the 19th century and its continued decline in the state in the 20th century, forests spread back over much of the land. They are not the same forests, however: Chestnut trees, for instance, wiped out by a disease, are not nearly as prevalent as they once were, and the lack of their nuts affects the populations of various mammals. Stone walls, built largely in the nineteenth century, provide more welcoming homes to certain species; and mammals from Europe, including the house mouse and Norway rat, and from elsewhere (such as the coyote) can create a different competitive environment for some species and a different food source for some (the barn owl, for instance, can now feed on Norway rats).

To some extent, deforestation and fragmentation of forests has occurred in recent decades with expanded residential development. Some improvements have come with the removal of certain industries from Connecticut since the mid-20th century and the installation of more sewage treatment plants and improvements in their functioning. Residual industrial pollution remains, however, and prevailing winds keep Connecticut on the receiving end of pollution from the New York City metropolitan area and other areas south and west of the state, Connecticut also continues to produce some of its own pollution.[2]

Dead animals killed by cars on the state's roads are one of the primary ways state residents see diverse varieties of local mammals. The more common roadkill in Connecticut consists of striped skunks, opossums, raccoons, and gray squirrels.[3]

Species

(This list of species concentrates on the habitats in the state in which they can be found, how prevalent they are or have been in the state, history of their prevalence in Connecticut and any other information directly related to the mammals' existence in the state — including laws and regulations, state-sponsored re-introductions, and notable sitings. Descriptions of the species or other, more general information not related to Connecticut can be found by following the links to Wikipedia articles on the individual species.)

Opossums (Order Didelphimorphia, Family Didelphidae)

Shrews and moles

Northern short-tailed shrew

Shrews (Order Lipotyphla, Family Soricidae):

Moles (Order Lipotyphla, Family Talpidae):

Star-nosed mole

Bats

Bats (Order Chiroptera, Family Vespertilionidae):

The state has eight extant species of bats, plus at least one which may now be extirpated from the state.

Because some bats have rabies, the state Department of Environmental Protection advises on its Web site:

"If a bat has bitten or scratched a person or a pet, or is found in a situation where exposure cannot be ruled out, contact the DEP Wildlife Division at (860) 424-3011 or DEP Emergency Dispatch at (860) 424-3333 for advice. An example of a situation where exposure cannot be ruled out is when a bat is found in the same room as a sleeping individual or a very young child."[7]

Bats that occupy buildings:

Bats that roost in trees in summer:

Bats that hibernate in caves and tunnels:

Rabbits and Hares

Snowshoe Hare

Rabbits and Hares (Order Lagomorpha, Family Leporidae):

Rodents

American Red Squirrel

Squirrel family (Order Rodentia, Family Sciuridae)

Beavers (Order Rodentia, Family Castoridae)

Beaver

Mice, rats, voles, lemmings (Order Rodentia, Family Muridae)

Muskrat

Jumping mice (Order Rodentia, Family Dipodidae, Subfamily Zapodinae)

North American Porcupine

New World porcupines (Order Rodentia, Family Erethizontidae)

Carnivorans

Dogs, Wolves, Coyotes, and Foxes (Order Carnivora, Family Canidae)

Gray fox

Bears (Order Carnivora, Family Ursidae)

Black bear

Raccoons and relatives (Order Carnivora, Family Procyonidae)

Raccoon

Weasels and Otters (Order Carnivora, Family Mustelidae)

Mink

Skunks (Order Carnivora, Family Mephitidae)

Cats (Order Carnivora, Family Felidae)

Bobcat

Hoofed mammals

Deer (Order Artiodactyla, Family Cervidae)

White-tailed Deer

White-tailed deer

White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) — The population in the state is enormous and growing in large part because of the expansion of rural residential lands that are hospitable for deer but not suitable for hunting. Other factors are the mixture of young and mature forests, milder winters, and fewer predators. Deer were nearly eliminated from the state by the end of the nineteenth century,[3] with fewer than 20 in all of Connecticut, although they were on the rebound by that point, in part due to state regulations to protect them. In 1907 the state allowed landowners to shoot deer causing crop damage.l In 1974, the state passed its first deer management act and regular, licensed deer hunting began the next year.[23] By the 1970s, the total state population was about 20,000, and up to 76,000 (a low estimate) in 2000.[3]

Fairfield County has the highest deer density in the state. According to one estimate, the county has 59 per square mile, more than double the density in the rest of the state, according to the state Department of Environmental Protection.[24] But another estimate, based on a survey in the winter of 2006–2007 estimated only 29.4 deer per square mile in the county.[25] Deer can carry up to 1,000 ticks, many of which have Lyme disease. The state allows bowhunting for deers from September 15 to January 31.[24] (According to an estimate in Connecticut Wildlife, published in 2004, "Winter density ranges up to about 40 per square mile in southwestern Connecticut, with a statewide mean of 21 per square mile.")[3]

Connecticut has several problems associated with its large deer population:

Moose

Moose

Moose (Alces alces) —[3] have become more prevalent in Connecticut in recent years, with the first documented reproduction (a female and two calves) found in 2000,[3] and an estimated 100 in the state as of 2007.[28] Most of these Moose now live in northern Litchfield County, especially the towns of Hartland, Colebrook and Granby. They can occasionally be found throughout northern Litchfield and northwestern Hartford Counties and are known to wander throughout the state. When forests were largely replaced by farmland in the seventeenth through nineteenth centuries, populations of moose (along with animals such as turkeys, black bears and mountain lions) lost their habitats and were greatly reduced or eliminated from the state.[1] But even before Connecticut was settled by Europeans, the moose population was never large, according to the DEP.[28] Moose are thought to be entering the state from the north (but have roamed as far south as Stamford and Fairfield, communities on Long Island Sound). In Massachusetts, three or four moose are hit by trains each year and about 15 motor vehicle collisions with the animals occur, although in some years there have been as many as 50. One Massachusetts environmental official estimated there were about 1000 moose in Massachusetts.

The greatest danger to people from moose is car collisions. From 1995 to 2006, there was an average of one collision a year of a moose and an automobile across the state, although in the first half of 2007, there were four, including one in June on the Merritt Parkway in Stamford. Unlike deer, moose that feel threatened tend to stand their ground.[1] Local police are authorized to kill the animals if they pose a threat to public safety, which in practice almost only means that the animal is getting too close to a highway.[1] In 2007, police killed bull moose in separate incidents in Waterbury and Fairfield when each moose came close to a highway.[1] In cases where no threat to the public seems imminent, DEP officials will usually try to tranquilize the animal or harass them into a nearby woods (sometimes by banging on pots or forming a line to try to scare the animal away).[1] In 2008, state authorities knocked out a year-old female moose in New Britain with a tranquilizer dart and released it on state forest land in northern Connecticut.[29] Moose are generally reclusive, but male moose tend to wander about in the fall, during their mating season, and year-old moose tend to wander when their mothers get ready to give birth to new calves, according to the state Department of Environmental Protection.[29] The 2008 New Britain moose, for example, was thought by officials to be the same animal seen in Avon and Farmington the week before.[29]

Elk

Elk ("Cervus canadensis" ) Extirpated in the 17th or 18th centuries.

Mammals in Long Island Sound

For more information on mammals in Long Island sound, see Long Island Sound.

Harbor porpoise

Whales (Order Cetacea, Family Delphinidae)

Porpoises (Order Cetacea, Family Phocoenidae)

Seals (Order Carnivora, Family Phocidae)

See also

Notes

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Stelloh, Tim, "DEP forecasts more moose-car collisions: Official expects animal population to increase across the state", The Advocate of Stamford, Connecticut, October 14, 2007, pp 1, A6
  2. Hammerson, Geoffrey, Connecticut Wildlife: Biodiversity, Natural History, and Conservation, University Press of New England: Hanover, New Hampshire, and London, 2004, ISBN 1-58465-369-8, Chapter 1: "The Landacape", pp 1–10
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 3.9 3.10 3.11 3.12 3.13 3.14 3.15 3.16 3.17 3.18 3.19 3.20 3.21 3.22 3.23 3.24 3.25 3.26 3.27 3.28 3.29 3.30 3.31 3.32 3.33 3.34 3.35 3.36 3.37 3.38 3.39 3.40 3.41 3.42 3.43 3.44 3.45 3.46 3.47 3.48 3.49 3.50 3.51 3.52 3.53 3.54 3.55 3.56 3.57 3.58 3.59 3.60 3.61 3.62 3.63 3.64 3.65 3.66 3.67 3.68 3.69 Hammerson, Geoffrey, Connecticut Wildlife: Biodiversity, Natural History, and Conservation, University Press of New England: Hanover, New Hampshire, and London, 2004, ISBN 1-58465-369-8, Chapter 21: "Mammals", pp 379–404
  4. Desmarais, Paul, "Photo Journal: Wilds of Suburbia" photograph (of a masked shrew in Bethel, Connecticut) with long caption, The Advocate of Stamford, Connecticut, October 30, 2007, page A11, Norwalk edition
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Web page titled "Least Shrew", at the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection Web site, retrieved December 30, 2007
  6. Web page titled "Endangered and Threatened Species Fact Sheets", at the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection Web site, retrieved December 30, 2007
  7. Web page titled "Dealing with Distressed Bats" at the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection Web site, retrieved December 30, 2007
  8. 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5 8.6 Web page titled "Bats" at the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection Web site, retrieved December 30, 2007
  9. Desmarais, Paul, "Photo Journal: Wilds of Suburbia" photograph (of an Eastern cottontail rabbit) with long caption, The Advocate of Stamford, Connecticut, October 2, 2007, page A11, Norwalk edition, caption states: "Sources: Nature Works (a Web site), Texas Tech University's online guide and Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection"
  10. 10.0 10.1 [ ]Web page titled "Cottontail Rabbits" at the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection Web site, retrieved December 30, 2007
  11. Desmarais, Paul, "Photo Journal: Wilds of Suburbia" photograph (of a groundhog in Stamford, Connecticut) with long caption, The Advocate of Stamford, Connecticut, September 4, 2007, page A11, Norwalk and Stamford editions
  12. Web page titled "Gray Squirrel" at the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection Web site, retrieved December 30, 2007
  13. Burgeson, John, "White squirrels return to the area", p A9, August `13, 2010, The Advocate of Stamford, Connecticut
  14. Web page titled "Beaver" at the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection Web site, retrieved December 30, 2007
  15. Web page titled "Coyotes" at the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection Web site, retrieved December 30, 2007
  16. Parry, Wynne, "More coyotes may be on the prowl in the area", The Advocate of Stamford, Connecticut, November 23, 2007, pp 1, A4 Norwalk edition
  17. Web page titled "Red Fox" at the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection Web site, retrieved December 30, 2007
  18. [ ]Web page titled "Gray Fox" at the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection Web site, retrieved December 30, 2007
  19. Friedman, Debra, "Black bear moves in, hangs by the pool", p A7, August 13, 2010, The Advocate of Stamford
  20. 20.0 20.1 20.2 Benson, Judy, "State biologists keep track of bear population", article originally published by Hartford Courant; distributed by the Associated Press; article found in The Advocate of Stamford, Connecticut, March 23, 2008, p A14
  21. 21.0 21.1 21.2 21.3 Web page titled "Black Bear> at the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection Web site, retrieved December 30, 2007
  22. Web page titled "Bobcat" at the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection Web site, retrieved December 30, 2007
  23. [ ]Web page titled "White-tailed Deer" at the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection Web site, retrieved December 30, 2007
  24. 24.0 24.1 24.2 24.3 Lee, Natasha, "Controlled hunt set for nature preserves: Group aims to cull deer population", The Advocate of Stamford, Connecticut, October 19, 2007, Norwalk edition, pp 1, A6
  25. 25.0 25.1 Cassidy, Martin B., "Bow-hunting group calls for new deer census in Greenwich", The Advocate of Stamford, Connecticut, September 6, 2007, Stamford edition, page A5
  26. 26.0 26.1 Schweber, Nate, "Car Hits Deer. Then What? It's High Season for Roadkill, and Disposal Costs Mount", article, The New York Times, Connecticut and the Region section, October 21, 2007, page 3
  27. Stelloh, Tim, "Officials target deer in hunting proposal: New Canaan council hopes reduction will curb Lyme disease", article, The Advocate of Stamford, Connecticut, August 19, 2007, page A3
  28. 28.0 28.1 Web page titled "Moose" at the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection Web site, retrieved December 30, 2007
  29. 29.0 29.1 29.2 No byline, "Wandering Moose Tranquilized In New Britain", Hartford Courant, May 21, 2009, retrieved May 23, 2009
  30. Desmarais, Paul, "Photo Journal" photo feature (caption of picture of two harbor seals in Norwalk), The Advocate of Stamford, Norwalk edition, p A11, March 18, 2008

External links