Mammal Study Notes

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Order of Mammal Families:

Artiodactyla

Carnivora

Rodentia

Lagamorpha

Didelphimorphia

Chiroptera

Rodentia

Insectivora

Artiodactyla:

Elk:

Has darker fur colour on the head, neck, legs and belly

Antlers curves up and back over the shoulders

White Tailed Deer:

The belly and underside of tail is white

Has a white throat patch

Moose:

Has a flap of skin that looks like a bell that dangles from its neck

Antlers extend laterally, appears flattened out and curves backward

Caribou:

Antlers curve back, up and then forward

Carnivora

Cougar:

Has a white chin and chest

Canada Lynx:

Has a short tail with a black tip

Feet are very big

Bobcat:

Has similar appearance to the Lynx but much smaller in size

Striped Skunk:

Has a white stripe on the head that run down the back. When it runs down the back it splits into two white stripes

American Marten:

Has a white rim on the outside of its ears

Fisher:

Fur has a more grizzled appearance compared to the Marten

Short-tailed Weasel (Ermine):

In summer conditions, has a white underside and brown upperside

In winter conditions, has white all over except for the black tail tip

Least Weasel:

Has a short white tail with very few black hairs

Long-tailed Weasel:

Has a black tail tip like the Ermine but the tail length is much longer

Mink:

Is a deep brown colour with white blotches on chin, throat and/or belly

Wolverine:

Has a whitish forehead

American Badger:

White stripe from nose to shoulders

Northern River Otter:

Has a broad, flattened head

Long, thick furred tail

Raccoon:

Black around the eyes and has a white eyebrows

Has a striped bushy tail

Black Bear:

Hind legs are longer than the front legs

Polar Bear:

Has a white coat of fur

Coyote:

Has a pointed nose and slender legs

Gray Wolf:

Fur around the mouth is white

Arctic Fox:

Has short legs, a short muzzle and small rounded ears

Red Fox:

Has a white tip on the tail

Gray Fox:

Has a black tip on the tail

Rodentia

Porcupine:

Has quills

Norway Rat:

Has a long, round tail

The underside is grayish

House Mouse:

Has a pointed nose with abundant whiskers

Deer Mouse:

Has black ears

Has a white underside

Southern Red-backed Vole:

Has a reddish dorsal stripe

Meadow Vole:

Has small rounded ears compared to the Southern Red-backed vole

Muskrat:

Has a long tail that is laterally compressed

Beaver:

Has a large, flattened tail shaped like a paddle

Eastern Chipmunk:

Has a white ring around the eyes

Least Chipmunk:

Has a white stripe above and below the eye

Woodchuck:

Has a big body with powerful legs

Has short rounded ears

Franklin’s Ground Squirrel:

Has a short and not so bushy tail

Red Squirrel:

Has a black side stripe

Eastern Gray Squirrel:

Has a white underside

Can be black or gray

Fox Squirrel:

Has a long reddish tail

Southern and Northern Flying Squirrels:

Has a white underside and brown upperside

Has a black stripe separating the brown and white

Lagamorpha

European Hare:

Has really big ears and back feet

Snowshoe Hare:

In summer condition, has white feet

In winter condition, is all white

Eastern Cottontail:

Has a tail that is brown at the top and white on the bottom

Chiroptera

Little Brown Bat:

Has little black ears

Didelphimorphia

Opossum:

Has black, hairless ears

Insectivora

Star- nosed Mole:

Has a hairless snout with tentacles

Water Shrew:

Has partly webbed feet

Has a long tail

Northern Short-tailed Shrew:

Has a short tail

The Families of the Mammals

The Elk, White-tailed Deer, Moose and Caribou are part of the Cervidae family

The Lynx, Bobcat and Cougar are part of the Felidae family

The Skunk is part of the Mephitidae family

The Weasels, Badger, Wolverine and Otter are part of the Mustelidae family

The Raccoon is part of the Procyonidae family

The Bears are part of the Ursidae family

The Coyote, Wolf and Foxes are part of the Canidae family

The Porcupine is part of the Erethizontidae family

The Rat, Mouses, Voles and Muskrat are part of the Cricetidae family

The Beaver is part of the Castoridae family

The Chipmunks, Squirrels and Woodchuck are part of the Sciuridae family

The Hares and Cottontail are part of the Leporidae family

The Bat is part of the Vespertilionidae family

The Opossum is part of the Didelphidae family

The Mole is part of the Talpidae family

The Shrews are part of the Soricidae family