Mammals of the Adirondack Park
List of Adirondack Mammals
| Species | Family | Habitat & Distribution within the Adirondack Park |
Order - Didelphimorphia (American marsupials) |
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| Virginia Opossum Didelphis virginiana | Didelphidae | Farmlands, residential areas wooded lowlands near water. Southern Adirondacks and Park periphery |
Order - Soricomorpha (Shrews) |
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| Long-tailed Shrew (Sorex dispar) | Soricidae (Shrews) | Cool, moist sites with a deep layer of moss-covered rocks or boulders. Most records are for the central Adirondacks from 700-5300 feet in elevation. |
| Masked Shrew (Sorex cinereus) | Soricidae (Shrews) | All terrestrial habitats, from lowest to highest elevations in the Adirondack Park. Most abundant in cool, moist places within mixed forests, bogs, and swamp edges. |
| Pygmy Shrew (Sorex hoyi) | Soricidae (Shrews) | Northern hardwood, mixed wood, and coniferous forests, marshes, bogs, and disturbed areas throughout the Park |
| Smoky Shrew (Sorex fumeus) | Soricidae (Shrews) | Northern hardwood, mixed wood, and coniferous forests, marshes, bogs, swamps, and grassy fields over 4300 feet |
| Water Shrew (Sorex palustris) | Soricidae (Shrews) | Bogs, edges of lakes and ponds, marshes, rivers, and streams from 580 to 3900 feet in elevation. |
| Short-tailed Shrew (Blarina brevicauda) | Soricidae (Shrews) | Northern hardwood and mixed forests to an elevation of 4300 feet. |
| Hairy-tailed Mole (Parascalops breweri) | Talpidae (Moles) | Requires dry to moist sandy loans up to 3000 feet. |
| Star-nosed Mole (Condylura | Talpidae (Moles) | Prefers damp to saturated soils in grassy meadows, wetlands, northern hardwood, coniferous, and mixed forests to elevations of 1880 feet. |
Order - Lagomorpha (Hares, rabbits and pikas) |
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| Eastern Cottontail (Sylvilagus floridanus) | Leporidae (Hares and rabbits) | Northern hardwood forests, meadows, brush field, wetland edges, and residential areas at elevations below 1000 feet in the southern, eastern, and northern lowland areas of the Park. |
| Snowshoe Hare (Lepus americanus) | Leporidae (Hares and rabbits) | Conifer swamps, lowland conifer, and mountain conifer forests at all elevations. |
Order - Chiroptera (Bats) |
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| Big Brown Bat (Eptesicus fuscus) | Vespertilionidae (Vesper bats) | Hollow trees, caves, mines, and the attics, walls, and basements of buildings. |
| Eastern Pipistrelle or Tri-colored Bat (Perimyotis subflavus) | Vespertilionidae (Vesper bats) | Caves, mines, rock crevices, buildings, tree cavities. |
| Silver-haired Bat (Lasionycteris noctivagans) | Vespertilionidae (Vesper bats) | Coniferous and mixed wood forests near water. Uncommon to rare. |
| Red Bat (Lasiurus borealis) | Vespertilionidae (Vesper bats) | Summer resident, uncommon. |
| Hoary Bat (Lasiurus cinereus) | Vespertilionidae (Vesper bats) | Summer resident, uncommon. |
| Eastern Small- footed Bat (Myotis leibii) | Vespertilionidae (Vesper bats) | Mines and caves, rocky, forested areas near coniferous forests. |
| Indiana Bat (Myotis sodalis) | Vespertilionidae (Vesper bats) | Mines and caves. Present in one site in Essex County. |
| Little Brown Bat (Myotis lucifugus) | Vespertilionidae (Vesper bats) | Mines and caves in winter; building and hollow trees in summer, at elevations to 2155 feet. Widespread and common. |
| Northern Long-eared Myotis (Myotis septentrionalis) | Vespertilionidae (Vesper bats) | Summer resident, uncommon. |
Order - Carnivora (Carnivores) |
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| Eastern Coyote (Canis latrans) | Canidae (Dogs) | Wide range of forest and field habitats. Probably more abundant at lower elevations. |
| Gray Fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus) | Canidae (Dogs) | Most closely associated with deciduous forests, but are also found in mixed and coniferous forests. Probably most abundant in the southern Adirondacks and the Champlain and St. Lawrence Valleys. |
| Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes) | Canidae (Dogs) | All terrestrial habitat within the Park, but prefers meadows, agricultural sites, forest openings, brushy fields, and forest edges. |
| Bobcat (Lynx rufus) | Felidae (Cats) | Prefers shrubby fields, wooded farmland, conifer swamps, lowland conifer, mixed, and hardwood forests. Most common at low to mid- elevations. |
| Striped Skunk (Mephitis mephitis) | Mephitidae (Skunks) | Prefers agricultural sites, wooded farmlands, forests clearings, and areas around human habitations. Most abundant in the southern and eastern Adirondacks. |
| Ermine (Mustela erminea) | Mustelidae (Mustelids) | All terrestrial habitats throughout the Adirondack Park. |
| Fisher (Pekania pennanti) | Mustelidae (Mustelids) | Prefers mature coniferous and mixed wood forests throughout the Park. |
| Long-tailed Weasel (Mustela frenata) | Mustelidae (Mustelids) | All terrestrial habitats. Most abundant at elevations below 2000 feet. |
| American Marten (Martes americana) | Mustelidae (Mustelids) | Most abundant in old-growth forests in the High Peaks. Least common in southeastern areas of the Park. |
| American Mink (Mustela vison) | Mustelidae (Mustelids) | Common along lakes, rivers, and large streams throughout the Park. |
| North American River Otter (Lontra canadensis) | Mustelidae (Mustelids) | Common residents of lakes, marshes, beaver ponds, rivers, and streams to elevations of 2235 feet. |
| Raccoon (Procyon lotor) | Procyonidae (Raccoons) | Prefers areas near water. Often seen in towns and villages. |
| Black Bear (Ursus americanus) | Ursidae (Bears) | Found throughout the Park in all terrestrial communities, but prefers dense, secluded forests. |
Order - Rodentia (Rodents) |
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| American Beaver (Castor canadensis) | Castoridae (Beavers) | Abundant throughout the Park in waterways near northern hardwood and mixed wood forests. |
| Muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus) | Cricetidae (New World rats, mice, voles) | Common in marshes, beaver ponds, streams, rivers, and lakes to elevations of 1720 feet. |
| Rock Vole (Microtus chrotorrhinus) | Cricetidae (New World rats, mice, voles) | Talus slopes and rocky outcrops nearly waters, mosses, and ferns. Uncommon. |
| Meadow Vole (Microtus pennsylvanicus) | Cricetidae (New World rats, mice, voles) | Prefers meadows and grassy forest openings containing grasses, sedges, and shrubs |
| Woodland Vole (Microtus pinetorum) | Cricetidae (New World rats, mice, voles) | Small and widely scattered populations in northern hardwoods and mixed wood forests. |
| Southern Red-backed Vole (Myodes gapperi) | Cricetidae (New World rats, mice, voles) | All terrestrial habits. Prefers moist mixed wood forests. |
| Southern Bog Lemming (Synaptomys cooperi) | Cricetidae (New World rats, mice, voles) | Grassy openings and edges in deciduous and mixed wood forests. |
| White-footed mouse (Peromyscus leucopus) | Cricetidae (New World rats, mice, voles) | Prefers brushy, grassy fields, but also found in coniferous and mixed wood forests, bogs, and swamp edges up to elevations of 4867 feet. Most abundant in the lowlands along the Park periphery. |
| Deer Mouse (Peromyscus maniculatus) | Cricetidae (New World rats, mice, voles) | Widespread in all terrestrial habitats at all elevations, with highest populations in mixed wood and mature hardwood forests. |
| North American Porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum) | Erethizontidae (New World Porcupines) | Common and widespread at elevations up to 4000 feet. Prefers mixed wood forests. |
| Eastern Chipmunk (Tamias striatus) | Sciuridae (Squirrels) | Northern hardwood and mixed wood forests up to elevations of 4000 feet. Most abundant in mature hardwood forests. |
| Gray Squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) | Sciuridae (Squirrels) | Old growth northern hardwood forest and mixed wood forests at elevations up to 3000 feet. More abundant in the eastern and southeastern parts of the Park and in the Champlain Valley. |
| Red Squirrel (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus) | Sciuridae (Squirrels) | Prefers conifer and mixed wood forests at all elevations. |
| Northern Flying Squirrel (Glaucomys sabrinus) | Sciuridae (Squirrels) | Prefers conifer and mixed wood forests. Replaces the Southern Flying Squirrel at higher elevations. |
| Southern Flying Squirrel (Glaucomys volans) | Sciuridae (Squirrels) | Prefers deciduous and mixed wood forests at elevations less than 1000 feet and along the Park periphery. |
| Woodchuck (Marmota monax) | Sciuridae (Squirrels) | Pastures, fields, meadows, clearings, and roadway edges throughout the Park. Most abundant along the Park periphery. |
| Meadow Jumping Mouse (Zapus hudsonius) | Zapodidae (Jumping mice) | Grassy shrubby sites and wetland edges. Most abundant at lower elevations. |
| Woodland Jumping Mouse (Napaeozapus insignis | Zapodidae (Jumping mice) | Northern hardwood, mixed wood, and coniferous forests at elevations to 3900 feet. |
Order - Artiodactyla (Even-toed ungulates) |
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| Moose (Alces alces) | Cervidae (Deer) | Coniferous forests, swamps, and aspen and willow thickets near lakes and wetlands. |
| White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) | Cervidae (Deer) | Habitat generalist. Prefer openings of deciduous, mixed wood, and early successional forests in warm-weather months, mature conifer stands in winter. |
Adirondack Mammals
References
United States Department of Agriculture. Fire Effects Information System (FEIS). Species Reviews. Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory. Retrieved 20 January 2019.
State University of New York. College of Environmental Science and Forestry. Adirondack Mammals. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
American Society of Mammalogists. Mammalian Species. Retrieved 24 April 2019.
Integrated Taxonomic Information System On-line Database. Retrieved 24 April 2019.
George A. Feldhamer, Bruce C. Thompson, and Joseph A. Chapman (Eds). Wild Mammals of North America: Biology, Management, and Conservation. Second Edition (The Johns Hopkins University Press, 2003).
John O. Whitaker, Jr. and William J. Hamilton, Jr. Mammals of the Eastern United States. Third Edition (Cornell University Press, 1998). Retrieved 10 December 2020.
D. Andrew Saunders. Adirondack Mammals (Adirondack Wildlife Program. State University of New York. College of Environmental Science and Forestry, 1988).
William K. Chapman. Mammals of the Adirondacks. A Field Guide (North Country Books, 1991).
James M. Ryan. Adirondack Wildlife. A Field Guide (University of New Hampshire Press, 2008).
Richard M. DeGraaf and Mariko Yamasaki. New England Wildlife: Habitat, Natural History, and Distribution (University Press of New England, 2001). Retrieved 15 February 2019.
Richard M. DeGraaf, Gretchin M. Witman, and Deborah D. Rudis. Forest habitat for Mammals of the Northeast (US Department of Agriculture. Forest Service, 1981). Retrieved 7 March 2020.
Allen Kurta. Mammals of the Great Lakes Region. Revised Edition. (University of Michigan, 1995). Retrieved 16 November 2020.
Rollin H. Baker. Michigan Mammals (Michigan State University Press, 1983). Retrieved 27 November 2020.
Clinton Hart Merriam. The Mammals of the Adirondack Region, Northeastern New York (Self-published, 1884), pp. 209-218. Retrieved 2 March 2017.