MAMMALS 
and Other Nature 
in North Carolina  

1992 thru 2014

during the months of May, June, July, August

Noting those during 
Focus On Nature Tours
with an (*)

Lists compiled by Armas Hill 


PHOTO AT RIGHT:
an "OFFSHORE" COMMON BOTTLE-NOSED DOLPHIN


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".  
  

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).


Codes:

(i):    introduced species

(p):   seen during offshore pelagic trip   

(ph): species with a photo in the FONT website 

Links:

Birds during Previous FONT North Carolina Tours

Butterflies of Eastern North America, inc, North Carolina

Moths of Eastern North America, incl. North Carolina

Dragonflies & Damselflies of Eastern North America, incl. North Carolina

Amphibians & Reptiles of Eastern North America, inc. North Carolina

Upcoming FONT Birding & Nature Tours in North Carolina

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

 Land Mammals:

1. Virginia Opossum  (ph) ______ 
   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  (ph)  ______ (*) 8
    Sylvilagus floridannus
    
    
13. Appalachian Cottontail ______
    Sylvilagus obscurus
    
    
14. Marsh Rabbit ______ (*) 8
    Sylvilagus palistris
    
    
15. Nutria (i) (ph)  ______ (*) 5
    Myocastor coypus
    
    
16. American Beaver  (ph)  ______ 
    Castor canadensis
    
    
17. Muskrat  (ph)  ______ (*) 1
    Ondatra zibethicus
    
    
18. Woodchuck  (ph)  ______
    Marmota monax
    
    
    
    
    Above: A young Woodchuck; Below: 2 of them. 
    (photo by Doris Potter)
    
    
    
    
    
    
19. Eastern Gray Squirrel  (ph)  ______ (*) 4
    Sciurus carolinensis
    
    
20. Eastern Fox Squirrel  (ph)  ______ (*) 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  (ph)  ______
    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  (ph)  ______
    Microtus pennsylvanicus
    
    
    
    
    Meadow Vole
    (photo by Doris Potter)
    
    
35. Woodland Vole ______
    Microtus pinrtorum
    
    
36. Mexican Free-tailed Bat  (ph)  ______
    Tadarida brasiliensis
    
    
37. Seminole Bat ______ (*) 2
    Lasiurus seminolus
    
    
38. Eastern Red Bat ______ 
    Lasiurus borealis
    
    
39. Hoary Bat ______
    Lasiurus cinereus
    
    
40. Silver-haired Bat  (ph)  ______
    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  (ph)  ______ (*) 2
    Lynx rufus
    
    
51. Red Fox  (ph)  ______ 
    Vulpes vulpes
    
    
    
    
    Red Fox
    (photo by Howard Eskin)
    
    
52. Gray Fox ______ 
    Urocyon cinereoargenteus
    
    
53. Coyote  (ph)  ______ 
    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  (ph)  ______ (*) 2
    Procyon lotor
    
    
    
    
    Northern Raccoon
    (photo by Doris Potter)
    
    
57. Northern River Otter ______ (*) 3
    Lontra canadensis
    
    
58. American Mink  (ph)  ______ (*) 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  (ph)  ______ (*) 6
    Odocoileus virginianus
    
    
    
    
    White-tailed Deer
    (photo by Howard Eskin) 

Marine Mammals:

1. Great Sperm Whale (p) (ph)  ______ (*) 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) (ph)  ______ (*) 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) (ph) ______ (*) 3  
   Grampus griseus
   
   
   
   
   Gray Grampus (or Risso's Dolphin)
   
   
   
8. Common Bottlenose Dolphin (p) (ph) ______ (*) 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) (ph)  ______ (*) 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 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) (ph)  ______
   
   
   
   
   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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