MAMMALS
in
Eastern 
North America

Noting those during 
Focus On Nature Tours
with an (*)
including those during 
our tours
in Florida, Newfoundland,
and North Carolina

1992 thru 2011 

List compiled by Armas Hill 


Photo at Upper Right: a RED FOX
(photograph by Doris Potter)


Codes:

(i):    introduced species
(p):   seen during offshore pelagic trip
(ph): species with a photo in the FONT website 


FL:   occurs in Florida
NC:  occurs in North Carolina
NJ:   occurs in New Jersey

Links to Groupings in this List:

LAND MAMMALS   Opossum & Armadillo    Shrews & Moles     Rabbits

Porcupine     Some Aquatic Mammals (Nutria, Beaver, Muskrat)     Woodchuck & Squirrels

Rats, Mice, and the like     Bats     Cats     Dogs     Bears     Raccoon & Mustelids

Seals     Deer     Manatee

MARINE MAMMALS    Whales, Dolphins, Porpoise

Other Links:

Upcoming FONT Birding & Nature Tours in North America  

Mammals of North America  (with some photos)

Birds during Previous FONT North Carolina Tours  (with some photos)

Butterflies of Eastern North America, incl, North Carolina  (with some photos)

Moths of Eastern North America, incl. North Carolina  (with some photos)

Dragonflies & Damselflies of Eastern North America, incl. North Carolina (with some photos)

Amphibians & Reptiles of Eastern North America, incl. North Carolina  (with some photos)

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


A book, published back in 1903, entitled "The Mammals of Pennsylvania and New Jersey - A Biographic, Historic and Descriptive Account of the Furred Animals of Land and Sea, both Living and Extinct, known to have Existed in These States", was written by Samuel H. Rhoads.
References to that historic book are throughout the list that follows. 

 Land Mammals:


       Opossum & Armadillo

1. Virginia Opossum  (ph) ______   FL  NC
   Didelphis virginiana
   
   
   
   
   A Virginia Opossum photographed during a FONT tour
   (photo by Karl Frajford)
   
   
2. Nine-banded Armadillo  (ph) (*)  ______  FL 
   Dasypus novemcinctus
   
   
   
   
   Nine-banded Armadillo
   
   
   Shrews
   
   
3. Cinereous Shrew  ______  (was called the Masked Shrew)
   Sorex cinereus
   
   This species and the following, called the Eastern Masked Shrew, Sorex personnatus, by Rhoads in 1903. 
   
   
4. Southeastern Shrew ______  NC  (was conspecific with Sorex cinereus, the former Masked Shrew) 
   Sorex longirostris
   
   Referring to the above 2 animals as one species, Rhoads (in 1903) wrote the following:   
   
   "This the least of our mammals, and being subterranean in its living and rare in upland tracts, it is seldom seen alive."
   
   Nor was it alive in the photo below, taken by Alan Brady in 1998, at Pickering Beach in Delaware, where the animal was found.  With the shrew in the photo is a US cent.
   
   
   
   
   Southeastern Shrew
   
      
5. Pygmy Shrew ______  NC
   Sorex hoyi
   
   
6. Long-tailed Shrew ______  NC
   Sorex dispar
   
   
7. Smoky Shrew ______  NC
   Sorex fumeus  
   
   
8. Gaspe Shrew  ______
   Sorex gaspensis
   
   
9. Water Shrew  ______
   Sorex palustris
   
   Called the Eastern Marsh Shrew, or Big Water Shrew, by Rhoads in 1903. 
   
   
10. Arctic Shrew  ______
    Sorex arcticus maritimensis
    
    
11. Least Shrew  ______  NC
    Cryptotis parva
    
    Called the Least Mole Shrew by Rhoads in 1903.
    
    
12. Northern Short-tailed Shrew ______  NC
    Blarina brevicauda
    
    Called the Large Bob-tail Shrew, or North Eastern Mole Shrew, by Rhoads in 1903.
    
    
13. Southern Short-tailed Shrew ______  NC
    Blarina carolinensis
    
    
14. Eastern Mole ______  NC
    Scalopus aquaticus
    
    Called the Eastern Naked-tail Mole by Rhoads in 1903. This species was described by Linnaeus in 1758.
    
    
15. Hairy-tailed Mole ______  NC
    Parascalops breweri
    
    Called the Eastern Hairy-tailed Mole, or Brewer's Mole, by Rhoads in 1903.
    
    
16. Star-nosed Mole ______  NC
    Condylura cristata
    
    Also called the Long-tailed, or Swamp Mole by Rhoads in 1903. The species was described by Linnaeus in 1758.   
    
    
    Rabbits
    
    
17. Eastern Cottontail  (ph) (*)  ______  NC 
    Sylvilagus floridannus
    
    Called the Southeastern, or Lowland Cottontail, or Rabbit, by Rhoads in 1903.
    
    
    
    
    Eastern Cottontail
    (photo by Doris Potter)
    
    
18. Appalachian Cottontail ______  NC
    Sylvilagus obscurus
    
    Called the Alleghenian Cottontail, or Rabbit by Rhoads in 1903, with the now historic scientific name Lepus floridanus transitionalis.   
    
    
19. New England Cottontail  ______
    Sylvilagus transitionalis
    
    
20. Marsh Rabbit  (*)  ______  NC 
    Sylvilagus palistris
    
    
21. Snowshoe Hare  ______
    Lepus americanus
    
    Referred to as the Alleghenian Varying Hare, or "White Rabbit", Lepus amerianus virgininianus, by Rhoads in 1903.
    
    
22. Arctic Hare  ______  NF
    Lepus arcticus
    
    
23. Cape Hare (i)  ______  
    Lepus capensis
    
    
    Porcupine
    
    
24. North American Porcupine  (ph)  ______
    Erethizon dorsatum  
    
    Called the Canada Porcupine, or "Hedgehog", by Rhoads in 1903. The species was described by Linnaeus in 1758.
    
    
    
    
    North American Porcupine
    (photo by Doris Potter)
    
    
    Some Aquatic Mammals
    
    
25. Nutria (i) (ph)  (*)  ______  NC  
    Myocastor coypus
    
    
    
    
    A Nutria photographed during a FONT tour
    (photo by Marie Gardner)
    
    
26. American Beaver  (ph)  ______  NC
    Castor canadensis
    
    Called the Northeastern, or Canada, Beaver by Rhoads in 1903, when also noted was the Southeastern Beaver, Castor canadensis carolinensis.  
    
    
    
    
    American Beaver
    (photo by Doris Potter) 
    
    
27. Muskrat  (ph) (*)  ______  NC
    Ondatra zibethicus
    
    Referred to by Rhoads in 1903  as the Southeastern Muskrat, with the scientific name Fiber zibethicus. The species was described by Linnaeus in 1766.
    
    
    
    
    Muskrat
    (photo by Doris Potter)
    
    
28. Round-tailed Muskrat  ______  FL
    Neofiber alleni
    
    
    Woodchuck & Squirrels
    
    
29. Woodchuck  (ph) (*)  ______  NC
    Marmota monax
    
    Called the Groundhog by Rhoads in 1903, when he also noted both the Southeastern Woodchuck, then Arctomys monax, and the Northeastern Woodchuck, then Arctomys monax canadensis.
    The species was described by Linnaeus in 1758. 
    
    
    
    
    Above: A young Woodchuck; Below: 2 of them. 
    (photos by Doris Potter)
    
    
    
    
    
    
30. Eastern Gray Squirrel  (ph) (*)  ______  NC 
    Sciurus carolinensis
    
    Called the Carolina Gray Squirrel by Rhoads in 1903, when also noted was the Northern Gray, or Black, Squirrel, Sciurus carolinensis leucotis.
    
    
    
    
    Eastern Gray Squirrel
    (photo by Doris Potter)
    
    
31. Eastern Fox Squirrel  (ph) (*)  ______  NC
    Sciurus niger
    
    
    
    
    An Eastern Fox Squirrel photographed during the FONT North Carolina Tour in May 2009 
    (photo courtesy of Cindy & Ron Becker))
    
    
32. Red Squirrel ______  NC
    Tamiasciurus hudsonicus
    
    Called the Canadian Chickaree, or Pine Squirrel, by Rhoads in 1903, when also noted was the Southeastern Chickaree, or Red Squirrel, as Sciurus hudsonicus loquax.
    
    
33. Southern Flying Squirrel  ______  NC 
    Glaucomys volans
    
    Called the Virginia Flying Squirrel by Rhoads in 1903. The species was described by Linnaeus in 1758.
    
    
34. Northern Flying Squirrel  ______
    Glaucomys sabrinus
    
    
35. Eastern Chipmunk  (ph) (*)  ______  NC
    Tamias striatus
    
    This species was described by Linnaeus in 1758.
    
    
    
    
    Eastern Chipmunk
    (photo by Doris Potter)
    
    
    Rats, Mice, and the like
    
    
36. Southeastern Pocket Gopher  ______  FL(north)
    Geomys pinetis
    
    
37. Eastern Woodrat ______  NC
    Neotoma floridana
    
    
38. Allegheny Woodrat  ______
    Neotoma magister
    
    Called the Allegheny Cave Rat by Rhoads in 1903, with the scientific name Neotoma pennsylvanica.
    
    
39. Marsh Rice Rat ______  NC
    Oryzomys palustris
    
    Called the Northern Rice Rat, or Marsh Rat, by Rhoads in 1903,
    
    
40. Hispid Cotton Rat  (*)  ______  NC
    Sigmodon hispidus
    
    
41. Woodland Jumping Mouse ______  NC
    Napaeozapus insignis 
    
    Called the Miller's Woodland Jumping Mouse by Rhoads in 1903.
    
    
42. Meadow Jumping Mouse ______  NC
    Zapus hudsonius 
    
    Also called the Hudson Bay Zapus by Rhoads in 1903, with the lowland race being Barton's Zapus, Zapus hudsonius americanus.  
    
    
43. Eastern Harvest Mouse ______  NC
    Reithrodontomys humulis
    
    
44. White-footed Deermouse ______  NC
    Peromyscus leucopus
    
    Called the Rafinesque's Deer Mouse by Rhoads in 1903. The subspecies Peromyscus leucopus noveboracensis was then called the Fischer's Deer Mouse.
    
    
45. North American Deermouse ______  NC
    Peromyscus maniculatus
    
    
46. Cotton Deermouse ______  NC
    Peromyscus gossypinus 
    
    
47. Oldfield Deermouse  ______
    Peromyscus polionotus
    
    
48. Florida Deermouse  ______  FL
    Podimys floriddanus
    
    
49. Golden Mouse ______  NC
    Ochrotomys nuttalli
    
    
50. Southern Red-backed Vole  ______
    Clethrionomys gapperi
    
    Called the Gapper's Wood Vole, or Red-back Mouse, by Rhoads in 1903, with then the scientific name Evotomys gapperi. 
    The subspecies Evotomys gapperi rhoadsi, the New Jersey Wood Vole, or Red-back Mouse, was named after Samuel Rhoads.  
    
    
51. Meadow Vole  (ph)  ______  NC
    Microtus pennsylvanicus
    
    Called the Pennsylvania Meadow Vole, or Common Meadow Vole, by Rhoads in 1903. 
    
    
    
    
    Meadow Vole
    (photo by Doris Potter)
    
    
52. Woodland Vole ______  NC
    Microtus pinetorum
    
    Called the Northern Pine-woods Vole, or Mole Mouse, by Rhoads in 1903.
    
    
53. Rock Vole  ______
    Microtus chrotorrhinus
    
    
54. Southern Bog Lemming  ______
    Synaptomys cooperi
    
    Called the Cooper's Lemming by Rhoads in 1903, when also the subspecies Synaptomys cooperi stonei, the Stone's Lemming, was noted.
    
    The "Stone's Lemming" was described in 1893, with the type locality being May's Landing, in Atlantic County, New Jersey. Synaptomys cooperi stonei is restricted to higher elevations in the southern portion of the species' range.
    
    Throughout its range, the Southern Bog Lemming has populations that are localized and may change with time.
    
    The subspecies in the Dismal Swamp of Virginia/North Carolina, Synaptomys cooperi helaletes, was recently re-discovered after a hiatus of 83 years. (1981)    
    
    
55. Northern Bog Lemming  ______
    Synaptomys borealis
    
    
    Bats
    
    
56. Mexican Free-tailed Bat  (ph)  ______  NC
    Tadarida brasiliensis
    
    
57. Seminole Bat  (*)  ______  NC
    Lasiurus seminolus
    
    
58. Eastern Red Bat  (*)  ______  NC
    Lasiurus borealis
    
    Called the Northern Red Bat, or Tree Bat, by Rhoads in 1903.
    
    
    
    
    An Eastern Red Bat, in a tree, during the day
    (photo by Alan Brady)
    
    
59. Hoary Bat ______  NC
    Lasiurus cinereus
    
    
60. Silver-haired Bat  (ph) (*)  ______  NC
    Lasionycterius noctivagans
    
    Called the Silvery Black Bat by Rhoads on 1903.
    
    
    
    
    A Silver-haired Bat photographed during a FONT pelagic trip,
    on a boat at sea, offshore from New Jersey
    
    
61. Rafinesque's Big-eared Bat ______  NC
    Corynorhinus rafinesquii
    
    
62. Northern Myotis ______  NC
    Myotis septentrionalis 
    
    
63. Little Brown Myotis  (*)  ______  NC
    Myotis lucifugus 
    
    Called the LeContes' Little Brown Bat by Rhoads in 1903. 
    
    White-nose Syndrome has recently been a deadly disease in North America bats, especially the Little Brown Myotis. The disease has been spreading rapidly since its discovery in 2006 in New York State.
    Thus far, bat declines in the northeastern US have exceeded 80 per cent.
    
    Scientists with the U.S. Geological Survey and partner institutions have identified the cause of White-nose Syndrome as a fungus appropriately known as Geomyces destructans.
    The research has further demonstrated that the fungus can be spread through contact between individual bats during hibernation.        
    
    
64. Gray Myotis ______  NC
    Myotis grisescens
    
    
65. Eastern Small-footed Myotis  ______
    Myotis leibii
    
    
66. Southeastern Myotis ______  NC
    Myotis austroriparius
    
    
67. Indiana Myotis ______  NC
    Myotis sodalis
    
    
68. Eastern Pipistrelle  (*)  ______  NC 
    Pipistrellus subflavus
    
    Called the Pigmy Bat by Rhoads in 1903.
    
    
69. Big Brown Bat ______  NC
    Eptesicus fuscus
    
    Called the Northeastern Large Brown Bat, or the House Bat, by Rhoads in 1903.
    
    
70. Evening Bat ______  NC
    Nycticeius humeralis
    
    Called the Rafinesque's Little Brown Bat by Rhoads in 1903. 
    
    
    Cats
    
    
71. Bobcat  (ph) (*)  ______  NC
    Lynx rufus
    
    Called the Eastern Bay Lynx, or Wild Cat, by Rhoads in 1903.
    
    
    
    
    A Bobcat photographed during a FONT tour
    (photo by Marie Gardner)
    
    
72. Canadian Lynx  ______
    Lynx canadensis
    
    
73. Puma  (ph)  ______
    Puma concolor
    
    Called the Alleghenian Cougar, or Panther, by Rhoads in 1903, when noting that the type locality of this species was in "Pennsylvania". Rhoads also noted the scientific name as Felis couguar.   
    
    A Puma, that was first noted in Greenwich, Connecticut on June 20, 2011, was later roadkilled on July 20, 2011 in Milford, Connecticut.
    That animal went to Connecticut on its own from the Black Hills of South Dakota. In June 2010, it was in Minnesota and Wisconsin. To get to Connecticut. it traveled 1,500 miles. 
    
    
    Dogs
    
    
74. Red Fox  (ph) (*)  ______  NC 
    Vulpes vulpes
    
    
    
    
    Red Fox
    (photo by Howard Eskin)
    
    
75. Gray Fox ______  NC
    Urocyon cinereoargenteus
    
    
76. Coyote  (ph)  ______   NC
    Canis latrans
    
    
77. Eastern Wolf  ______
    Canis lycaon
    
    Called the Appalachian Gray Wolf by Rhoads in 1903.
    
    The Eastern Wolf is now said to be a distinct species, although it has also been said to be a subspecies of the Gray Wolf or the Red Wolf. Science has shown that it is closely related to them, but that is not the same species as either of them.
    
    The Eastern Wolf is a small to medium sized wolf with a light brown or reddish coat. They also have some longer hairs in their coat that are usually black. As Eastern Wolves gets older, they develop more of those long black hairs. 
    
    Eastern Wolves are often mistaken for Coyotes due to their coloring and build.
    
    Well known are the Eastern Wolves in the area of the Algonquin Provincial Park in Ontario, Canada. They have a large home range. It is believed that packs of Eastern Wolves follow the movements of White-tailed Deer, as a way to have plenty to eat, especially in the winter months.
    
    Eastern Wolves are said to be very dependent upon the social aspects of their pack. They are quite loyal to each other and will do all they can to keep other packs of wolves out of their territory. That is why they are often heard howling, so as to publicize and protect their territories.  
    
    Eastern Wolves are most active at night but they can also be seen out during the day.
    
    The Eastern Wolf has a diverse diet. Sometimes animals hunt on their own, but most of the time they hunt with their pack. Some of their prey when they hunt alone include rodents, beaver, and muskrat. Prey when they hunt in their pack includes deer and moose. In some instances, they have even been able to successfully kill a Black Bear.
    
    The alpha and beta animals mate in February, with the young born about two months later.
    
    The Eastern Wolf has been known to mate with different types of Coyotes in their areas. That can definitely affect the overall genetics of the species (see below the results of a recent study). 
    It is interesting behavior because otherwise wolves have often been known to aggressively run off Coyotes, and in the case of the Gray Wolf in the west, even kill them.            
    
    In a recent genetic study, published in May 2011, and adding fuel to a longstanding debate, it was determined that wolves in the eastern United States are hybrids of Gray Wolves and Coyotes, while Coyotes in that region are actually wolf-coyote-dog hybrids. 
    There were 16 researchers involved in the study from around the globe. It was said to be the most detailed genetic study of any wild vertebrate species to date.
    
    The study is not likely to have any impact on the management of the endangered Red Wolf in North Carolina and the Eastern Wolf in Ontario, but it offers some fresh insight into their genetic make-up and concludes that those wolves are hybrids that developed over the last few hundred years.
    
    On the other hand, some scientists have argued that the Red Wolf, Canis rufus, and the Eastern Wolf, Canis lycaon, evolved from an ancient wolf species distinct from the larger Gray Wolf, Canis lupus, of western North America.
    
    The recent study, referred to above, showed a gradient of hybridization in wolves, as follows:
    
    In western North America, wolves were pure wolf.
    In the western Great Lakes region, they averaged 85 percent wolf and 15 percent Coyote.
    Wolves in Algonquin Park in eastern Ontario averaged 58 percent wolf.
    The Red Wolf in North Carolina, which as been the subject of extensive preservation and restoration efforts, was found to be 24 percent wolf and 75 percent coyote.
    
    Coyotes, in the northeastern US, which only colonized in the region in the past 60 years, were found to be 82 percent coyote, 9 percent dog, and 9 percent wolf.
    
    In a study, last year, museum specimens and genetic samples were used to show that Coyotes migrating eastward bred with wolves to evolve into a larger form that has become the top predator in the Northeast US, filling a niche left when native eastern wolves were hunted out of existence. This hybridization allowed Coyotes to evolve from the smaller mouse-eater of western grasslands to a larger deer-hunter in eastern forest.
    
    Still a question is how it is that Gray Wolves don't typically breed with Coyotes, but kill them. In the West, wolves don't hybridize with Coyotes, even in the circumstance when single wolves looking for mates have dispersed into the middle of "Coyote country".
    
    
78. Red Wolf (i) (*)  ______  NC
    Canis rufus
    
    Some say that the Red Wolf is a "historical hybrid" between the Gray Wolf, Canis lupus, and the Coyote, Canis latrans. It 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. 
    
    
79. Arctic Fox  ______
    Alopex lagopus
    
    
    Bears
    
    
80. American Black Bear  (*)   ______  NC 
    Urus americanus
    
    Called the East American Black Bear by Rhoads in 1903.  
    
    Black Bears were seen during nearly all land-birding excursions during FONT tours 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.
    
    
81. Polar Bear  ______
    Ursus maritimus
    
    
    Raccoon and Mustelids
    
    
82. Northern Raccoon  (ph) (*)  ______  NC
    Procyon lotor
    
    The Northern Raccoon, or "Coon" as it was also called by Rhoads in 1903, was described by Linnaeus in 1758. 
    
    
    
    
    Northern Raccoon
    (photo by Doris Potter)
    
    
83. Northern River Otter  (*) ______  NC
    Lontra canadensis
    
    
84. American Mink  (ph) (*)  ______  NC
    Mustela vison
    
    In 1903, Rhoads gave the scientific name of the American Mink as Putorius vison, with the nominate subspecies being the Northeastern Mink, and Putorius vison lutreocephalus being the Southeastern Mink.  
    
    
    
    
    American Mink
    (photo by Howard Eskin)
    
    
85. American Marten  ______
    Martes americana
    
    Also called the American Sable by Rhoads in 1903. 
    
    
86. Fisher  ______
    Martes pennanti
    
    Also called the Pennant's Marten, or the Pekan, by Rhoads in 1903.
    
    
87. Wolverine  ______  (now extirpated in the northeastern US) 
    Gula gula 
    
    Also called the Glutton, or Carcajou, by Rhoads in 1903. The species was described by Linnaeus in 1766, when it was said by him to be in the genus Ursus, that of the bears.
    
    Rhoads (in 1903) stated that the Wolverine was the rarest animal in Pennsylvania in the early 1800s, when it was only found in the most boreal localities in that state as a straggler.
    
    The type locality was by Hudson Bay in Canada. Today, in eastern North America, the species is only found in northern Canada. It has generally been in the Hudsonian and Canadian Zones, but historically it been found as far south as Pennsylvania and Colorado.  
    
    
88. Ermine  ______  (in Europe, also called the Stoat; the species is widespread throughout the Northern Hemisphere)
    Mustela erminea
    
    Called the Short-tailed Weasel, or the Bonaparte's Weasel, by Rhoads in 1903, with the scientific name Putorius cicognani.
    When describing it (in North America), in 1838, by Charles Lucien Jules Laurent Bonaparte (the nephew of Napoleon Bonaparte) gave it the scientific name Mustela cicognani. Charles Bonaparte (minus his other 3 names) lived in New Jersey, near Philadelphia (the location of the Academy of Natural Sciences).    
    
    
89. Least Weasel ______  NC
    Mustela nivalis
    
    Called the Alleghenian Least Weasel by Rhoads in 1903, when he noted that the species was described in Washington County, Pennsylvania in 1900, and was given the scientific name Putorius allegheniensis.     
    
    
90. Long-tailed Weasel ______  NC
    Mustela frenata
    
    Also called the New York Weasel, or the Common Weasel, by Rhoads in 1903, with the scientific name Putorius noveboracensis.  
    
    
91. Eastern Spotted Skunk ______  NC
    Spilogale putorius
    
    
92. Striped Skunk ______  NC
    Mephitis mephitis
    
    Called the Southeastern Skunk by Rhoads in 1903, referring to Mephitis mephitis putida.
    
    
    
    
    Striped Skunk
    (photo by Howard Eskin)
    
    
    Seals  
    
    
93. Harbor Seal  (ph)  ______
    Phoca vitulina
    
    Also referred to as the "Sea Dog" by Rhoads in 1903. The species was described by Linnaeus in 1758. 
    
    
    
    
    Harbor Seal
    (photo by Howard Eskin)
    
    
94. Harp Seal  ______
    Phoca greenlandica
    
    
95. Hooded Seal  ______
    Cystophora cristata
    
    Also called Bladdernose by Rhoads in 1903.  
    
    
96. Gray Seal  ______
    Halichoerus grypus
    
    
97. Caribbean Monk Seal  ______  (now extinct, formerly occurred in Florida)
    Monachus tropicalis
    
    
    Deer
    
    
98. White-tailed Deer  (ph) (*)  ______  NC  NJ   
    Odocoileus virginianus
    
    Called the Virginia Deer by Rhoads in 1903, when it was Odocoileus americanus.
    
    
    
    
    
    
    White-tailed Deer
    (photo by Howard Eskin)
    
    
99. Moose  (ph)  ______
    Alces alces
    
    
    
    
    A Moose photographed during a FONT tour
    
    
100. Elk  (ph)  ______  (reintroduced in Pennsylvania)
     Cervus elaphus
     
     Called the Eastern Wapiti, or Elk, by Rhoads in 1903, when it was Cervus canadensis.
     
     Elk were once numerous in Pennsylvania up to the beginning of the 19th Century in the entire Alleghenian mountain system east of the Allegheny River. They were rare in the state in the Blue Ridge and Cumberland Ranges, and they were once common on the Pocono Plateau. By the end the 19th Century, they were extirpated in Pennsylvania, primarily due to over-hunting.
     
     Elk occur in northwestern Pennsylvania now. They are descendents of Rocky Mountain animals that the Pennsylvania Game Commission brought in between 1913 and 1926.
     The current-day range of the Elk in Pennsylvania is believed to extend into parts of Elk, Cameron, McKean, Potter, Clinton, Centre, and Clearfield Counties, with the central point of the herd being in Elk County (appropriately), and specifically near Benezette.
     The population now in Pennsylvania probably numbers slightly more than 500.
     
     
     
     
     Elk
     (photo by Doris Potter)
     
     
101. Sika Deer (i) (ph)  ______
     Cervus nippon
     
     
102. Caribou  (ph)  ______
     Rangifer tarandus
     
     
     Bison
     
     
103. American Bison  ______  (now extinct in eastern North America) 
     Bison bison 
     
     Called the Buffalo, or American Bison, by Rhoads in 1903. The species was described by Linnaeus in 1758. 
     
     In the 1903 book by Rhoads:
     
     "The American Bison was once normally found in Pennsylvania in the valleys and mountain glades of the Ohio, Monongahela, and Allegheny Rivers, whence it passed sparingly eastward across the Allegheny passes into the tributary valleys of the Susquehanna, thence reaching the Delaware Valley as only a straggler."
     
     In 1903, there were the words "whence" and "thence".
     
     
     Manatee
     
     
104. West Indian Manatee  (ph)  ______  FL
     Trichechus manatus
     
     The West Indian Manatee in eastern North America is normally in Florida.
     
     Occasionally, it is found further north, as when one was in Calvert County, Maryland on July 15, 2011 at the St. Leonard Marina.   
     
     
     
     
     A West Indian Manatee photographed during a FONT tour
     (photo by Marie Gardner) 

Marine Mammals:


       Whales, Dolphins, and Porpoise 

1. Gray Whale  ______  (now extinct in the Atlantic Ocean)
   Eschrichtius robustus
   
   The Gray Whales that formerly occurred in the North Atlantic Ocean were hunted to extinction by the 17th or 18th Century.
   
   
2. North Atlantic Right Whale (p) (ph) (*)  ______  NJ
   Balaena (or Enbalaena) glacialis   
   
   Called the Black Right Whale by Rhoads in 1903. 
   
   In the 1903 book by Rhoads, this account was written in 1865:
   
   "The Right Whale was formerly abundant about the mouth of the Delaware River. A letter of William Penn dated 1683 states that 11 were taken that year about the Capes (May & Henlopen)."
    
   The type specimen of Cope's Balaena cisarctica, now considered a synonym of Balaena glacialis, was taken in 1862 in the Delaware River opposite Philadelphia. The skeleton was mounted in the museum of the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia.   
   
   The North Atlantic Right Whale is today a rare creature, but the following was already written in 1903:
   "Once abundant in the North Atlantic. Recently, nearing extinction."
   Fortunately, the whale, though rare, still survives.   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   Two photos of the rare & endangered North Atlantic Right Whale
   
   
3. Great Sperm Whale (p) (ph) (*)  ______  NC  
   Physeter catodon
   
   Called the Sperm Whale or Cachalot by Rhoads in 1903. The species was described by Linnaeus in 1758. 
   
   Great Sperm Whales were seen during FONT North Carolina pelagic trips 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
   
   
4. Dwarf Sperm Whale  (ph)  ______
   Kogia simus
   
   
   
   
   A Dwarf Sperm Whale photographed during a FONT tour in the Caribbean.
   
   
5. Pygmy Sperm Whale  (ph)  ______
   Kogia breviceps
   
   Called Pigmy Sperm Whale by Rhoads in 1903.
   
   
   
   
   Pygmy Sperm Whale
   (photo courtesy of Alan Brady)
   
   
6. Humpback Whale  (p) (ph) (*)  ______
   Megaptera novacangliae
   
   Called the New England Humpback Whale by Rhoads in 1903. 
   
   The following, about the Humpback Whale, is from the book by Rhoads that same year:
   
   ""Owing to the poor quality of this whale, it is avoided by whalers. It is distinguished from the Rorqual (the Fin Whale) by the great length and size of its fins.
   The hump-like form of the dorsal fin gives it the common name.
   They are extremely variable in color, with black, white, and gray being variously combined. 
   The Megapteras (Humpbacks) are the only baleen whales that "breach" or leap clear of the water. They are very playful, striking each other resounding whacks with their immense flippers and thrashing about in and out of the water so as to be heard miles away in favorable weather. 
   They have been known to spout twenty feet high in calm weather. 
   The young number one to two. 
   They feed on crustaceans and fish."   
   
   
   
   
   A Humpback Whale breaching
   
   
   
   
   A Humpback Whale by the boat, during a FONT tour
   
   
   
   
   2 Humpback Whales, with their humped backs
   
   
   
   
   Above & below: Tails of Humpback Whales 
   (photographs by Armas Hill)
   
   
   
   
   
   
7. Blue Whale  (ph)  ______
   Balaenoptera musculus
   
   Called the Great Blue Whale by Rhoads in 1903. The species was described by Linnaeus in 1758. 
   
   
   
   
   Blue Whale
   (photo by Armas Hill) 
   
   
8. Fin Whale  (p) (ph) (*)  ______  NC  NJ
   Balaenoptera physalus
   
   Called the Great Finback by Rhoads in 1903. This species was described by Linnaeus in 1758.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   Two photos of Fin Whales during a FONT pelagic trips off the coast of eastern North America 
   
   
9. Northern Minke Whale (p) (ph) (*) ______  NC  NJ   
   Balaenoptera acutorostrata
   
   Called Little Piked Whale by Rhoads in 1903.
   
   
   
   
   A Northern Minke Whale photographed during a FONT pelagic trip 
   
   
10. Bryde's Whale  ______
    Balaenoptera edeni
    
    
11. Sei Whale  ______
    Balaenoptera borealis
    
    
12. Cuvier's Beaked Whale (p) (ph) (*)  ______  NC 
    Ziphius cavirostris 

    Cumulatively, during 3 August 1998 FONT North Carolina pelagic trips, 9 Cuvier's Beaked Whales were seen.

    During FONT North Carolina pelagic trips in May 1999, 3 species of beaked whales were seen: Cuvier's, Blainville's, and True's.
    
    
    
    
    Cuvier's Beaked Whale
    

13. Blainville's Beaked Whale (p) (*)  ______  NC  
    Mesoplodon densirostris
    
    
14. True's Beaked Whale (p) (*)  ______  NC   
    Mesoplodon mirus mesoplodon 
    
    
15. Sowerby's Beaked Whale  ______
    Mesoplodon bidens
    
    
16. Gervais' Beaked Whale  ______
    Mesoplodon europaeus 
    
    
17. Northern Bottlenose Whale  ______
    Hyperoodon ampullatus
    
    
18. False Killer Whale (p) (*)  ______  NC   
    Pseudorca crassidens
    
    6 False Killer Whales were seen at sea during a FONT North Carolina pelagic trip in June 1996.
    
    
19. Pygmy Killer Whale  ______
    Feresa attenuata
    
    
20. Killer Whale (or Orca)  (ph)  ______
    Orcinus orca
    
    Called the White-bellied Killer by Rhoads in 1903. The species was described by Linnaeus in 1758.
    
    
21. Melon-headed Whale  ______
    Peponocephala electra 
    
    
22. Gray Grampus (or Risso's Dolphin) (p) (ph) (*)  ______  NC  NJ   
    Grampus griseus
    
    Called the Grampus, or Cow Fish, by Rhoads in 1903. 
    
    
    
    
    Gray Grampus (or Risso's Dolphin)
    
    
23. Beluga  (*)  ______  NJ
    Delphinapterus leucas  
    
    A single Beluga was in the Delaware River (between Pennsylvania & New Jersey) in April 2005. It traveled as far north in the river as the fall line at Trenton.
    
    The Beluga, named "Helis" by NOAA (the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration), was from the Saint Lawrence River Beluga population in eastern Canada, He spent the week of April 11 in the river between Trenton and Philadelphia, before heading south. He was seen in the middle of the Delaware Bay on April 18.
    
    "Helis" was said to be an old Beluga, somewhere around 27 to 30 years of age.     
    
    
24. (Short-beaked) Common Dolphin  (p) (ph) (*)  ______  NC  NJ
    Delphinus delphis
    
    This species was described by Linnaeus in 1758.
    
    
    
    
    A Common Dolphin during a FONT pelagic trip
    (photo by Andy Smith)
    
    
25. Common Bottlenose Dolphin (p) (ph) (*)  ______  NC  NJ  
    Tursiops truncatus
    
    
    
    
    A Common Bottlenose Dolphin during a FONT pelagic trip
    
    
26. Atlantic Spotted Dolphin (p) (*)  ______  NC   
    Stenella frontalis
    
    
27. Pantropical Spotted Dolphin  ______
    Stenella attenuata
    
    
28. Spinner Dolphin  ______
    Stenella longirostris
    
    
29. Clymene (or Short-snouted Spinner) Dolphin (p) (ph) (*)   ______  NC 
    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.  
    
    
    
    
    Clymene Dolphins during a FONT pelagic trip offshore from the coast of North Carolina 
    

30. Striped Dolphin  ______
    Stenella coeruleoalba
    
    
31. Rough-toothed Dolphin  ______
    Steno bredanensis
    
    
32. Atlantic White-sided Dolphin  (*)  ______  NJ
    Lagenorhynchus acutus
    
    
33. White-beaked Dolphin  ______
    Lagenorhynchus albirostris 
    
    
34. Short-finned Pilot Whale (p) (*) ______  NC  NJ 
    Globicephala macrorhynchus
    
    Called the Southern Blackfish by Rhoads in 1903, when it was Globicephala brachyptera. 
    
    
    
    
    Short-finned Pilot Whales during a FONT pelagic trip
    
    
    
35. Long-finned Pilot Whale  (p) (ph) (*)  ______  NJ
    Globicephala melas
    
    Called the Northern Blackfish by Rhoads in 1903. 
    
    
    
    
    A Long-finned Pilot Whale during a FONT pelagic trip
    
    
36. Harbor Porpoise  ______
    Phocoena phocoena 
    
    Called the Harbor Porpoise, or Herring Hog, by Rhoads in 1903. The species was described by Linnaeus in 1758.
    

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 (including seahorses) (p) ______ 

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