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E-mail: font@focusonnature.com
Phone: Toll-free in USA 1-800-721-9986
 or 302/529-1876; Fax: 302/529-1085

 

Mammals and some Other Nature 
in North Carolina  

 1992 thru 2009

(during the months of May, June, July, August)

Noting those found during FONT tours
with an (*)

Lists compiled by Armas Hill 


PHOTO AT RIGHT:
an "OFFSHORE" COMMON BOTTLE-NOSED DOLPHIN
After the (*), numbers in the following list reflect the number of years found 
(out of 8 - the number of years for which mammal & other wildlife records have been kept).



Code:

(i): introduced


Lists follow here of Land Mammals & Marine Mammals

with a subsequent list of "Other Marine Life" 
and a note pertaining to "nature in the Sky".  
  

Other Links:

List of Birds during Previous North Carolina Tours

List of Butterflies, Dragonflies, & Damselflies in North Carolina

List of North Carolina Amphibians & Reptiles

Upcoming FONT Birding & Nature Tours in North Carolina

Directory of Photos in this Website, in this list & others

 Land Mammals:

  1. Virginia Opossum ______ 
    Didelphis virginiana

  2. Southeastern Shrew ______
    Sorex longirostris
  3. Pygmy Shrew ______
    Sorex hoyi
  4. Long-tailed Shrew ______
    Sorex dispar
  5. Smoky Shrew ______
    Sorex fumeus  
  6. Least Shrew ______
    Cryptotis parva

  7. Northern Short-tailed Shrew ______
    Blarina brevicauda
  8. Southern Short-tailed Shrew ______
    Blarina carolinensis
  9. Eastern Mole ______
    Scalopus aquaticus
  10. Hairy-tailed Mole ______
    Parascalops breweri
  11. Star-nosed Mole ______ 
    Condylura cristata

  12. Eastern Cottontail ______ (*) 8
    Sylvilagus floridannus

  13. Appalachian Cottontail ______
    Sylvilagus obscurus
  14. Marsh Rabbit ______ (*) 8
    Sylvilagus palistris

  15. Nutria (i) ______ (*) 5
    Myocastor coypus

  16. American Beaver ______ 
    Castor canadensis

  17. Muskrat ______ (*) 1
    Ondatra zibethicus

  18. Woodchuck ______
    Marmota monax




    Above: A young Woodchuck; Below: 2 of them. 
    (photo by Doris Potter)
  19. Eastern Gray Squirrel ______ (*) 4
    Sciurus carolinensis

  20. Eastern Fox Squirrel ______ (*) 2
    Sciurus niger




    An Eastern Fox Squirrel photographed during the FONT North Carolina Tour in May 2009 
    (photo courtesy of Cindy & Ron Becker))
  21. Red Squirrel ______
    Tamiasciurus hudsonicus
  22. Southern Flying Squirrel ______ 
    Glaucomys volans

  23. Eastern Chipmunk ______
    Tamias striatus




    Eastern Chipmunk
     (photo by Doris Potter)
  24. Eastern Woodrat ______
    Neotoma floridana
  25. Marsh Rice Rat ______
    Oryzomys palustris
  26. Hispid Cotton Rat ______ (*) 1
    Sigmodon hispidus

  27. Woodland Jumping Mouse ______
    Napaeozapus insignis 
  28. Meadow Jumping Mouse ______
    Zapus hudsonius 
  29. Eastern Harvest Mouse ______
    Reithrodontomys humulis
  30. White-footed Deermouse ______ 
    Peromyscus leucopus

  31. North American Deermouse ______
    Peromyscus maniculatus
  32. Cotton Deermouse ______
    Peromyscus gossypinus 
  33. Golden Mouse ______ 
    Ochrotomys nuttalli

  34. Meadow Vole ______
    Microtus pennsylvanicus




    Meadow Vole
         (photo by Doris Potter)
  35. Woodland Vole ______
    Microtus pinrtorum
  36. Mexican Free-tailed Bat ______
    Tadarida brasiliensis
  37. Seminole Bat ______ (*) 2
    Lasiurus seminolus

  38. Eastern Red Bat ______ 
    Lasiurus borealis

  39. Hoary Bat ______
    Lasiurus cinereus
  40. Silver-haired Bat ______
    Lasionycterius noctivagans
  41. Rafinesque's Big-eared Bat ______
    Corynorhinus rafinesquii
  42. Northern Myotis ______
    Myotis septentrionalis 

  43. Little Brown Myotis ______ (*) 1
    Myotis lucifugus 

  44. Gray Myotis ______
    Myotis grisescens
  45. Southeastern Myotis ______
    Myotis austroriparius
  46. Indiana Myotis ______
    Myotis sodalis

  47. Eastern Pipistrelle ______ (*) 2
    Pipistrellus subflavus

  48. Big Brown Bat ______
    Eptesicus fuscus
  49. Evening Bat ______
    Nycticeius humeralis 
  50. Bobcat ______ (*) 2
    Lynx rufus

  51. Red Fox ______ 
    Vulpes vulpes




    Red Fox
         (photo by Howard Eskin)
  52. Gray Fox ______ 
    Urocyon cinereoargenteus

  53. Coyote ______ 
    Canis latrans

  54. Red Wolf (i)  ______ (*)  3
    Canis rufus     (some contend this to be a "historical hybrid" between the Gray Wolf, Canis lupus, and the Coyote, Canis latrans) (The "Red Wolf" was introduced into eastern North Carolina from the Southwest US.)

    7 Red Wolves were seen during a FONT North Carolina tour, early one morning, in August 1998. 

  55. American Black Bear  ______ (*) 4
    Urus americanus

    Black Bears were seen during nearly all land-birding excursions west of Manteo in August 1997, 1998, & 1999. With usually more than one bear per outing. They were seen on dirt roads and "surfing" in nearby fields of soy beans.

  56. Northern Raccoon ______ (*) 2
    Procyon lotor




    Northern Raccoon
    (photo by Doris Potter)
  57. Northern River Otter ______ (*) 3
    Lontra canadensis

  58. American Mink ______ (*) 1
    Mustela vison




    American Mink
    (photo by Howard Eskin)
  59. Least Weasel ______
    Mustela nivalis
  60. Long-tailed Weasel ______
    Mustela frenata
  61. Eastern Spotted Skunk ______
    Spilogale putorius
  62. Striped Skunk ______
    Mephitis mephitis 
  63. White-tailed Deer ______ (*) 6
    Odocoileus virginianus




    White-tailed Deer
         (photo by Howard Eskin) 

 

Marine Mammals:

  1. Great Sperm Whale (p) * ______ (*) 4 
    Physeter catodon

    Great Sperm Whales were seen in May & August 1998 with calves. At times close to the boat.






    2 photos of Great Sperm Whales, as seen during FONT pelagic trips 
    off the North Carolina Coast

  2. Northern Minke Whale (p) ______ (*)  1  
    Balaenoptera acutorostrata

  3. Cuvier's Beaked Whale (p)  ______ (*) 8
    Ziphius cavirostris 

    During 3 August 1998 FONT NC pelagic trips, 9 Cuvier's Beaked Whales were seen.

    In May of 1999, 3 species of beaked whales were seen: Cuvier's, Blainville's, and True's.




    Cuvier's Beaked Whale

  4. Blainville's Beaked Whale (p) ______ (*) 1 
    Mesoplodon densirostris

  5. True's Beaked Whale (p) ______ (*) 1  
    Mesoplodon mirus     mesoplodon sp.(p) 2

  6. False Killer Whale (p) ______ (*)  1  
    Pseudorca crassidens

    6 False Killer Whales were seen at sea during a June 1996 pelagic trip.

  7. Gray Grampus (or Risso's Dolphin) (p) ______ (*) 3  
    Grampus griseus




    Gray Grampus     (or Risso's Dolphin)
  8. Common Bottlenose Dolphin (+p) ______ (*) 8 
    Tursiops truncatus




    Common Bottlenose Dolphin, photographed during a FONT pelagic trip

  9. Atlantic Spotted Dolphin (p) ______ (*) 4  
    Stenella frontalis

  10. Short-finned Pilot Whale (p) ______ (*) 8 
    Globicephala macrorhynchus

  11. Clymene (or Short-snouted Spinner) Dolphin (p) * ______ (*) 1
    Stenella clymene 

    Clymene (or Short-snouted Spinner) Dolphins, during the August 10, 1998 FONT pelagic trip, were said to be the first for North Carolina offshore waters.  


Reference for the above mammal lists is the new book: "Mammals of North America" by Roland W. Kays & Don E. Wilson, published by Princeton Univ Press, 2002. 
   

Other Nature:

 • in the sea:

  1. Longbill Spearfish (p) ______

  2. Portuguese Man-o'-war (p) ______

  3. Oceanic Sunfish (p) ______

  4. Blue Marlin (p) ______

  5. Leatherback Sea Turtle (p) ______

  6. Loggerhead Sea Turtle (p) ______



    Loggerhead Sea Turtle
         (photo by Alan Brady)

  7. creatures in sargassum (p) ______

 
• in the sky:

the Perseid Meteor Shower ______
(In the clear sky above an inland area with no "city lights". The display of meteors about midnight in August can be superb.)

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