Characteristics
This is a large rodent with a large, blunt head, small eyes, short small ears almost hidden in fur and partially webbed hind feet (broad) to accommodate its semiaquatic existence. They are aptly named for the strong musky odor they can produce. The fore feet are smaller and the tail is long, laterally flattened, scaly, and sparsely haired ventrally. The fur is rich brown above, with coarse guard hairs, paler below. The muskrat's total length is 456-553 mm, and weight is 0.6-1.8 kg. The breeding season is approximately February-October and 2-3 litters of 5-7 young are produced each year. Muskrats build houses of rushes, leaves.sticks and mud. The house usually contains adults and 2-4 young and they build 2 types of structures: 1) elliptical nesting or dwelling houses and 2) circular feeding shelters. Longevity is from 3-4 years. There are many predators, including mink (especially), and raccoon, bald eagles, great horned owls, ferruginous hawks, marsh hawks, foxes, water moccasins and larger turtles.
Distribution
This species is probably present in all or most counties west of the Blue Ridge Mountains. This species likes marshes, ponds, lakes, low-gradient streams, bank burrows or houses.
Foods
Muskrats store food and nest materials. When the pond is frozen in the winter, this species feeds mostly on roots of aquatic plants until they are no longer accessible, then leaves the burrow on top of the ice in search of food. . Cattail is the most preferred but they also eat cordgrass, needlegrass, thatchgrass, eelgrass, and panicgrass, wild calla, spikerush.
Characteristics
This species is slightly smaller than the red fox with an average weight of 8 pounds and a total length of 34-40 inches. The fur is grizzled gray above, white to ashy below, and lighter gray to reddish on the neck and sides. It has a long bushy tail with a median black stripe, and a black tip. The breeding season is from January-April with peaks in February. A litter of 2-7 pups are born from March-May in a whelping den which may have grass, leaves or bark as a nesting material. They are primarily nocturnal animals and are most active at dawn and dusk. They are adept climbers, and use trees to escape enemies. Barks, yaps and yips are the frequent vocalizations. Life span in the wild is 1 1/2 to 3 years.
Distribution
They are found in all areas with appropriate habitat in Virginia. This species prefers upland woods, 'pine' and uses riparian habitats and swamps.
Foods
This is an opportunistic consumer. The diet varies with the season, and relative abundance of foods. Animal matter is most important in the winter and spring. Insects and fruit are important in the summer and fall. Cottontails are an important food and they eat more birds than the red fox.
Characteristics
This is a large squirrel weighing 16-18 ounces and having a total length of 12-21 inches. It has a bushy tail, moderate ears without tufts and a grayish to yellowish brown coat on the upper parts (though no hair is all gray, some tipped with white), white under and on the chin, abdomen, and ventral legs. The fur is longer in the winter. . They are distinguished from red squirrel by their larger size, gray color, white-bordered tail, and from the fox squirrel by their smaller size and white-edged tail. The females have 1 or 2 litters per year, averaging 2-3 young per litter.. The daily movement is mostly within about 200 yards. There is no hibernation but cold, rain, snowstorm and especially high winds cause this species to remain in the den for several days. They have many calls to communicate. The potential longevity in the wild is 6 years.
Distribution
This subspecies of Gray Squirrel is common throughout the southeastern quarter of the state. They are found in extensive forests, but also city parks, and backyards. Large, relatively unbroken forest tracts are used.
Foods
This species is primarily herbivorous but does eat insects, eggs and young birds. On normal days under wild conditions, there are 2 main feeding periods: early morning and late afternoon. They move when the nut supply is exhausted. Each one may bury 1000 nuts per year.
Characteristics
The total length of this species is 316-460 mm, and the weight is 195-485 grams. The color reddish-brown to black on the back, and they have a pale to white belly. The tail is bicolored, and scaly. This species is nocturnal, and a burrower. It is colonial. It is associated with populated areas, and lives in buildings, sewers, fields, streambanks and marshes. It burrows into or under rubble, rocks, and logs. They are wary and suspicious, difficult to catch in live traps. The burrow system has several exits and occasionally up to a dozen will live in one burrow system. This species is exotic. They breed all year round producing several litters of around seven young. Predators include dogs, cats, hawks, owls, mink, weasels, fox, coyotes, skunks and snakes. The life span is approximately 3 years. It is often used as a laboratory animal. They are the cause of great economic loss in agricultural areas and are also vectors for diseases such as bubonic plague, tularemia, murine typhus and many others. Because of their aggressive behavior, they have in many cases displaced the black rat.
Distribution
This species is most common in association with man although in some cases feral populations exist away from human habitation.. They are found wherever food and shelter exist. They are able to build a nest in almost any location.
Foods
This species will eat anything. It eats up to 1/3 of its body weight in food every 24 hours.
Characteristics
This is a large, stout-bodied rodent, grayish-brown, with a long round. Weights are from less than 12 to over 20 pounds. The total length can be up to 31/4 feet in length. The first 3 toes of the hind foot are webbed. This species is sexually mature at 5-6 months, and breed throughout the year. Two to three litters of 2-11 young are born each year. They build burrows, and winter nesting platforms 20-30 inches wide and 6-9 inches above the water. They also build simple nests in vegetation. Burrowing and burrow occupancy may be limited to the coldest part of the winter. This species is nocturnal and is not native to Virginia. They are limited to water, and aquatic vegetation and are spreading throughout the state somewhat at the expense of the muskrat. The life span average in the wild is 4-4 1/2 years (maximum 5 years 11 months).
Distribution
They are found in the eastern 1/4 to 1/3 of the state. This species thrives in fresh or brackish marshes where abundant vegetation is available for food.
Foods
This species is strictly herbivorous, and not too particular in selecting its menu. Food is limited to succulent and soft portions of shoots and tubers, coarse and floating leaves. The roots are the most important part of the diet (except in April-mostly stems). They eat at 'feeding stations' and feed on nearly every kind of aquatic plant available.
Characteristics
This native species is a marsupial about the size of a housecat, but with shorter legs, large naked ears, and a long prehensile tail. It has long white hairs over black-tipped underfur which gives it a grizzled appearance. The face is white with a pink nose and black eyes. On average, this species ways 9-13 pounds. The average length in Virginia is 678 mm not including the 296 mm tail. The female has an abdominal pouch (marsupium) that contains 9-14 teats. The opossum has 50 teeth which is more than any other Virginia mammal. This species usually has 2 litters of 6-13 young per year. It breeds from January up to October and the young are born after a 13 day pregnancy , when they crawl from the birth canal into the pouch. This species is weaned at about 100 to 110 days, when the female begins ceasing maternal care and the young disperse. This is a solitary species, and in the face of a strong threat, catatonia or 'playing possum' often occurs. This species is nocturnal and usually makes a leaf nest in a log, tree or cliff, but may use a woodchuck or skunk burrow
Distribution
This species is found in all Virginia counties. It lives in wooded areas near streams, lakes and in swamps. It uses many types of habitat, from residential to forest, but prefers forests, and open woods with small streams.
Foods
This species is omnivorous, eating seasonally abundant food including fruit, grain, plant parts, and carrion. Sometimes it will eat its young.
Characteristics
The body is stocky, with a broad head, pointed snout, and bushy tail with 5-7 blackish rings and a black tip. The fur is long, coarse, grizzled brown-grayish or blackish. The face has a black mask across the forehead, eyes and cheeks. The adults weigh 10-25 pounds and are about 28 inches in length. The breeding season is from January to March, and the litter size is 2-8 born in a den in April or May with ears and eyes closed. They may be dormant in winter dens, but there is no true hibernation. They are primarily nocturnal, with peak feeding before midnight, but there is much seasonal and individual variation. Longevity in the wild is up to 16 years, although most die by 2-5 years. They may use the burrows of muskrats, red and gray fox, groundhog, skunk and opossum.
Distribution
Raccoons are found throughout Virginia but are especially abundant in the Tidewater section. They are found in forests, parks, and sometimes cities proper. A close proximity to water is very important (swamps, marshes, along water courses). Raccoon are more abundant in upland hardwoods than pine areas.
Foods
For the raccoon fleshy fruits and insects are of the highest importance. The animal foods they take include frogs, turtles, mice, eggs and young birds, crayfish, clams, injured waterfowl, insects and garbage at campsites and in the city. Animal matter is major food source in the spring and summer, with fruits and seeds used in the summer, fall, and winter.
Characteristics
The red fox is the size of a small dog, with a total length of 39-41 inches and a weight of 9-12 pounds. It has prominent, erect ears, a pointed nose, and a long, bushy tail with white tip. The fur is long, soft, with the upper part reddish-yellow, black-tipped on the shoulders. The breeding season is from December to February, with a peak in late January. A litter of 4-7 pups is born in a den in late March or early April. The male may bring food to the den until the female can leave the pups a short time, then they both hunt. They remain with the pups until dispersal. . They are generally nocturnal and non-migratory, and usually use the same area for life. The fox is known as sly because it has many sophisticated tricks for losing predators like backtracking and running on fence poles to confuse or eliminate tracks. Longevity is about 5 years.
Distribution
The red fox is found in all areas of Virginia except for the extreme southeast corner. It prefers diverse habitat, in less populated areas, like farmland.
Foods
Red foxes are omnivorous though most of their diet is made of rabbits and mice. They are also known to eat in smaller amounts, poultry, squirrels muskrats, quail, small nongame birds, insects, nuts and fruits. Poultry loss to this species is largely due to improper husbandry practices. It does not exert real pressure on game bird populations.
Characteristics
This species is smaller than the northern flying squirrel with a total length of 198-255 mm and a weight of 46.5-85 grams. The forelimbs are connected from the wrist to the ankle by a loose fold of haired skin. The tail is densely haired, dorso-ventrally flattened, almost parallel sided with a rounded tip. There is no apparent sexual dimorphism, and the coat has a moderate length, and a dense, silky texture. The color of the underparts are varied but usually drab soft brown. The base of the hair is a deep neutral gray, and the sides of the face are gray. The forefeet are white, gray, or light brown. The hindfeet are brown to gray and the toes are white in the winter. The large prominent eyes are rimmed with black fur. One to two litters of 2-6 young are born each year. Nests in tree cavities are lined with bark, moss, lichens, feathers, and leaves. The nest is typically 4.5-6 meters above the ground. November is the period of peak activity. This species is strongly nocturnal.
Distribution
This subspecies is present throughout Virginia except in the westernmost tip.This species prefers, heavy deciduous timber, near water. The preferred habitat is sufficient forested area for both food and tree cavity nest resources.
Foods
This is the most carnivorous North American sciurid. Nuts are stored in nests, cracks, cavities, forks of trees, and on the ground with maximum nut storage activity in November. There are elliptical openings edged with fine toothmarks on the sides of hickory nuts, and acorns which are a telltale sign of flying squirrel. They are known to consume nuts in the fall and winter, but flowers, fruit, berries, fungi, insects, bird eggs and lichens are eaten during other seasons.
Characteristics
This skunk is the size of a house cat, with small rounded ears, and black eyes. The triangular head tapers to a bulbous nose pad, tail is long and bushy, and the coarse long fur is black with a thin white stripe from the nose to the forehead, and a broad stripe from the crown of the head which may branch at the shoulders, continuing toward the tail. They have highly developed musk glands. The total length is 575-625 mm. The breeding season is from February-March, with a litter of 2-10 young being born in May. The young will follow the mother single file on hunting trips. They are nocturnal and are most active at dawn and dusk. They den alone or communally in the winter. They are usually in other animals burrows, or they dig their own, with several well-hidden entrances and lined chambers. Longevity is 2-3.5 years and they seldom are over 5-6 years in the wild.
Distribution
This subspecies of striped skunk is found only in the eastern half of the state. They prefer bushy fields, and forest borders. They like deciduous forests that are low, second growth and more open areas over dense forests. They are normally found within 2 miles of water.
Foods
They eat honey, birds (mostly ground-nesting) and their eggs, occasionally ducks, and available pheasants. Insects and small mammals are used more in the spring and summer, with more plant matter (fruit) in the fall and winter. Captured prey are consumed immediately except caterpillars, and toads which are rolled on the ground to remove chitinous spines, and skin toxins. They also eat fresh carrion.