Animals in the

Great North WoodsCheck them off if you see them!

Please remember that these are wild animals and caution needs to be taken while wildlife watching. Even if an animal looks docile, they will protect themselves and their young if they feel threatened in anyway. Remember to keep a safe distance and to never remove an animal from its natural environment. If you see an animal that you think may need attention, please contact New Hampshire Fish and Game at 603-788-3164.

IMPORTANT!

BeaverCastor Canadensis

Habitat: Lakes - Streams lined with poplars & birchesDescription: Head - Body: 27”- 38”; Tail: 9” - 12”Beavers are characterized by prominent, orangish front teeth and a large, scaly paddle like tail. They are a member of the rodent family and are master dam builders. The bottom foundation of their dams consist of mud mixed with stone, then trees or branch-es are dragged from the banking to form the dam itself - sealing the cracks and crevices with more mud. After the newly formed

‘pond’ collects enough water, then the ‘Lodge’ is built with sticks and mud leaving entryways and a platform inside that is raised above the water level where they spend the majority of the day. Kits are born in the spring and are ready to strike out on their own after two years, often leaving the pond and starting a new pond.

WolfCanis Lupus

Habitat: Open forests, tundraDescription: Head - Body: 40” - 52”; Tail: 13” - 19”Characterized by a visual dog-like appearance, the wolf’s fur is usually gray but varies from silvery white to black. The wolf pack, usually numbering four to seven individuals, is a society of parents, young, and close relatives that follow a rigid hierarchy. The leader, or alpha male, appears to control the pack’s activities and is often the only male to breed; usually he is paired with the

dominant female. Wolves have a wide repertoire of social behavior, communicating by posture, voice and scent. They cooperate in feeding, protecting and training the pups. They are mainly big-game hunters, preying on deer and other large mammals, but will also attack smaller mammals and birds.

Photograph by Joel Sartore, National Geographic

https://web.gsc.edu

PorcupineErethizon Dorsatum

Habitat: Often found living in trees or under buildingDescription: Head - Body: 18”-23”; Tail: 6”-11”Porcupines have short legs and fat bodies with sharp quills head to tail and walk with a slow, swaying waddle. When threatened by a predator, the porcupine turns it’s back, raises it’s quills, and strikes with it’s tail, embedding the quills on contact. They’re equipped with over 30,000 barbed quills which grow back much like hair or fur. They are nocturnal and feed off from buds, twigs and bark,

often killing the trees. They will also destroy the outside of buildings by chewing on the wood. The most seri-ous threat to a porcupine is the fisher cat.

Black BearUrsus Americanus

Habitat: Swamps; mountainsDescription: Head - Body: 4-1/2’ - 5’.; Shoulder height: 2’- 3’Characterized for fur varying from cinnamon to black with a brown snout, no shoulder hump, and occasionally a white spot on their chest.Omnivorous in diet, Black Bears feed on animals ranging in size from insects to large mammals, as well as on plant material, carrion, and garbage. In autumn, these bears gain weight and retreat into dens under fallen trees, in caves, or in other pro-

tected areas. There they sleep for several months, living off stored fat. Black Bears are not true hibernators, their body temperature does not drop drastically and occasionally they wake up and wander away from their dens. Cubs are born about the end of January, while the sows are still in their dens. Bears produce exception-ally small offspring relative to adult size. A Black Bear weighs about half a pound at birth, but a mature sow averages 300 pounds. Males can exceed 600 lbs. or more.

MuskratOndatra Zibethicus

Habitat: Ponds; Lakes; Slow-moving streams; marshesDescription: Head - Body: 9” - 15”; Tail: 7-1/2” - 10-1/2”Muskrats are aquatic by nature and survive on aquatic plants, snails, clams, crayfish and frogs. They are also capable of scav-enging for food on dry land, often traveling hundreds of feet for a meal of green plants. They produce several litters a year with up to 11 young per litter. They build lodges much like a beaver does but their lodges are much smaller and are made from grass and sedges

instead of sticks and mud.

http://hillsteadblog.wordpress.com

http://activerain.com/blogsview/918034/

Photograph by Bates Littlehales, National Geographic

LynxLynx Lynx

Habitat: Northern Forests; SwampsDescription: Head - Body: 30 - 38”; Tail: 4”Lynx are characterized by tufted ears, short, black-tipped tail, fur varied in color but usually grayish tan with scattered spots - furry and ruff. Lynx are a shy, elusive animal and is an agile climber, swims well, and travels with ease among fallen timbers and moss-covered boulders. In winter its broad, well-furred feet act as snow shoes, allowing swift movement in deep snow. Lynx populations

undergo ups and downs that closely follow those of its chief prey animal, the Snowshoe Hare. When hares are abundant, the cats produce larger litters and their population increases. Eventually the hare population crashes, and a decline occurs in the number of Lynx. A similar relationship exists between the owl and rodent population, but the cycle recurs at shorter intervals.

http://www.glassesglasses.org

River OtterLontra Canadensis

Habitat: Rivers; Streams; LakesDescription: Head - Body: 20” - 30”; Tail: 10” - 18-1/2”Characterized by a weasel-like shape, they have dark brown fur often with golden gloss on their head and shoulders.They have a thick and furry tail, tapered towards the tip. Otters are very social animals, they wrestle, play tag, slide down muddy or snowy riv-erbanks and roll about in grasses and reeds. They express them-selves vocally through chirps, whistles, growls and screams. Al-

though male and female stay together for part of the year, the female drives her mate away before giving birth to a litter of two of three young in the early spring. When the young are about 6 months old, the father rejoins them to help teach the young to swim, dive and hunt. Though otters are mainly fish eaters, they also feed on frogs, crayfish and other small animals. They are also known to take a chicken! Their streamlined bodies, webbed toes, and eyes and ears that can be closed underwater make them well adapted to an aquatic life.

http://www.otternet.com/galleries/naotter/

White-Tailed DeerOdocoileus Virginianus

Habitat: Forests; Swamps; Brushy areas near swampsDescription: Head - Body: 4’ - 6 ‘.; Tail: 7 - 11”Characterized by reddish brown fur in the summer or grayish brown in the winter, they have a white underside of the tail which is raised when alarmed. Antlers have a main beam with several prongs.The White-tailed Deer favor the clearing of land and cut-ting of forests for browsing, especially for the young. They are more readily seen in the early morning and at dusk. Females nor-

mally don’t have antlers and the males begin growing them several months after birth, shed them each winter and develop them anew each spring and summer. The age of a deer cannot be told by the size of the antlers or the number of tines, for antler growth is determined by nutrition, not age.

www.mammalz.com

Red FoxVulpes Vulpes

Habitat: Farmlands; Forests with open areasDescription: Habitat: Farmlands - Forests with open areasLength: 20” - 30”; Tail: 14”-16”Red Fox are usually reddish on the back and face with white on their under parts, have a bushy white-tipped tail, black legs and feet.Red Foxes are not always red. Though the fur of this species usually has a reddish cast, some are black with silver guard hairs (silver foxes) and some are red or brown with dark areas on the

under parts extending up along the shoulders and back (cross foxes). Such color variation, caused by genetic differences, can occur even among pups in the same litter.Kits are born in the spring and weaned when one month old. They are more active in the early morning and late afternoon. These notorious chicken thieves are actually quite opportunistic in diet, although they prey mainly on small mammals and birds, they also eat insects, carrion, and fruits.

www.thesilvercoyote.net

Gray FoxUrocyon Cinereoargenteus

Habitat: Open woodlands; ChaparralDescription: Head - Body: 22” - 30”; Tail: 10”-15”Characterized by a coarse coat, salt-and-pepper gray, with orange and white markings, their tail is bushy, black-tipped with a stripe on the top. Foxes belong to the canine family (dog) and canids are noticably deficient in tree-climing abilty, but the Gray Fox is unusual, it climbs trees readily by clasping the trunk with its front legs and pushing itself up with its hind feet. Like other foxes, this

grizzled animal uses ground burrows for escape holes and birthing suites. Gray Foxes den in hollow logs, tree trunks and rock caves.

www.traveltipsandtricks.com

Snowshoe HareLepus Americanus

Habitat: Norther and Alpine forests; Swamps; Brushy areasDescription: Head - Body 15 - 18-1/2”; Tail- 2”Dark brown color, white in winter, large hind feet. Twice a year the Snowshoe Hare changes color (also called the Varying Hare). Beginning in September, the brown summer coat is gradually re-placed by white-tipped hairs, a process lasting up to three months. The reverse process begins in March. The Snowshoe Hare goes through another seasonal change in autumn and develops dense

fur pads on its feet. Their diet also changes with the seasons where in the summer, green plants are their main diet and in the winter they browse on twigs and buds. Like other hares and rabbits, they rest in thick cover during the day.

animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu

MooseAlces Alces

Habitat: Northern forests; often around freshwater.Description: Head - Body: 7-1/2 ‘; Tail: 2-1/2” - 3-1/2” Shoul-der height: 5’- 6-1/2’. They are the largest of the deer family with massive antlers that are flattened and pronged. They have a fleshy dewlap on their throat and the upper lip overhangs the lower. Males may weigh more than a thousand pounds in the falltime. Standing or swimming in lakes and ponds, they feed on many kinds of aquatic plants. Moose are not social animals, they

are solitary or associate in small groups most of the year. In the fall the males become restless and aggressive, engaging in antler-to-antler combat, searching for mates. Calves are born in the spring (often twins) and re-main hidden and inactive for several days. Wolves and bears prey on the calves, as they also do on the old and weak but few predators can successfully challenge a healthy adult. Moose swim well and run easily through the snow. Their formidable weapons are their legs and hooves. The male sheds his antlers in mid-winter and begins to grow them again in the spring.

Photo by Lorna Colquhoun

CoyoteCanis Latrans

Habitat: Prairies; Open Forests; BrushDescription: Head - Body: 32” - 40”; Tail: 12” - 15”Characterized by gray fur on their back with red on their flanks, tawny legs, feet and ears. They run with their tail held between their legs. Coyotes have drastically extended their range and commonly occur in the northeastern states. They adapt well to the presence of man and have moved into areas extensively cleared for farming. They are primarily predators on rodents, rabbits and

other small animals and are frequently dubbed livestock-killers. Occasionally several adults cooperate in hunting large prey such as deer. Coyotes belong to the dog family. They resemble German Shepherds and have been know to mate with domestic dogs.

www.coyotewildmag.com

Woodchuck (Ground Hog)Marmota Monax

Habitat: Open Forests; Forest Edges; Rocky Areas; RoadsidesHead - Body 14 - 20”; Tail 4-1/2 - 6-1/2”Chunky body, short legs and a small bushy tail. Contrary to popular belief, the groundhog (woodchuck) doesn’t emerge from its burrow to look for its shadow. They hibernate through the winter in a burrow that consists of an extensive system of tun-nels, chambers and multiple entrances until late winter. Soon after emerging, mating takes place and the young are born four

weeks later. Their favorite cuisine is clover, alfalfa and other plants.

www.newtonwildlife.pbworks.com