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Mammals > Small Mammals of Vermont Some of the smallest mammals in Vermont account for the most numerous numbers of species and of individual creatures in the landscape. We have many names for these small creatures that have evolved to inhabit most regions in the world: mice, rats, shrews, moles, voles, lemmings. Many have no difficulty living in close proximity to human habitation; others are strictly speaking wild. Most of the species that we see in Vermont are native – some exclusively to the New World, some to both the Old and New Worlds, and a few as recent arrivals from the Old World. Importance Collectively, these small mammals perform several important ecological functions: serving as food for many carnivorous animals, dispersing the nuts and seeds of many native trees and plants, and fertilizing and aerating soils through tunneling. For us, they provide a subject of study in how very small creatures live, reproduce and thrive in a landscape that presents many challenges throughout the seasons (not to mention how they have served as a source of inspiration for many cartoon characters and timeless childhood stories). Definition As a group, mammals form the Class Mammalia (in the Phylum Chordata of the Kingdom Animalia). They are warm-blooded animals with backbones that bear live young. They feed the young a rich milk delivered by way of mammary glands and so provide a time of offspring rearing during which the young learn many of the skills needed to survive. Mammals have some type of hair or fur and almost all adult mammals have teeth, the arrangement of which is often the means of distinguishing a species and of determining the age and health of an individual. Two Orders of mammals are the subject of this review: Insectivora (insect-eating mammals) and Rodentia (gnawing mammals). Insectivora The Order Insectivora includes shrews and moles. Shrews and moles are solitary animals that live in burrows or tunnels or just at the soil line. They have a very long, pointed snout that extends way beyond the mouth, tiny beady eyes and velvety fur. The fur is specialized in that it does not lay in a single direction. When the fur is brushed one way or the other by the animal moving in underground tunnels, it does not lose its insulating and protective qualities. They have five toes with claws on both the fore and hind limbs (which distinguishes them from mice which have only four clawed toes on the forelimbs). Shrews (Family Soricidae) are some of the smallest mammals and have a very high metabolism. They are active year-round and eat continuously. They have a continuous set of teeth between the incisors and the molars called the unicuspids. They are fiercely aggressive toward one another and to other creatures, which gives some insight into the usage of the name to describe a human that has a nagging personality. Moles (Family Talpidae) live largely in subterranean burrows and tunnels that they constantly dig with their specially adapted powerful shoulders and huge hand-like front limbs. Moles, like shrews, have long snouts, tiny eyes and ears and velvety fur. Moles have a narrow pelvis that allows the creature to easily turn around in its tunnel. Moles are active year-round. Rodentia The Order Rodentia with 3000 species comprises the largest mammalian group on earth. More than 50% of mammal species are rodents; greater than 50% of individual mammals on earth are rodents. In North America, the Order Rodentia includes: beaver, squirrel, chipmunk, woodchuck, prairie dog, gopher, mouse, vole, muskrat, lemming, rat, jumping mouse, porcupine, nutria. Three families of rodents are included in this review: 1) Cricedae – New World Rats and Mice, including deer mouse, white-footed mouse, meadow vole, southern bog lemming; 2) Muridae – Old World Rats and Mice, including Norway rat and house mouse; and 3) Zapodidae – New and Old World jumping mice, including meadow jumping mouse and woodland jumping mouse. Habitat & Physical Characteristics Rodents live in all imaginable habitats in a region from underground burrows to arboreal cavities and nests to semi-aquatic or nearly fully aquatic environments. They are most known for their very large, sturdy incisor teeth with chisel-like cutting edges. Their teeth grow continuously in order to support a life of gnawing on bark and sturdy nut shells, just two of the many materials needed for shelter and food. There is a gap between the incisor and molariform teeth. Mice are omnivorous and mostly nocturnal. They have large eyes and ears, long tails, long legs, and teeth with well-developed cusps. Voles and lemmings are vegetarians and may be active anytime of the day or night. They have a more stout body with shorter legs and tail, and teeth with flattened crowns with ridges in “loop and triangle patterns” for constant chewing of fibrous grasses. Jumping mice have very long tails and large back feet, are primarily nocturnal, spend a great deal of time in deep hibernation during winter and do not build caches of stored food. There are eleven species of small rodents in Vermont: 3 mice, 3 voles, 1 lemming, 1 rat (Old World), 1 house mouse (Old World), and 2 jumping mice. - Deborah Benjamin.  Recommended Reading
New England Wildlife: Habitat, Natural History, and Distribution, Richard M. DeGraaf, USDA, General Technical Report NE-108, 1986. Wild Mammals of New England, Alfred J. Godin. John Hopkins University Press, 1877. The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Mammals, John O. Whitaker, Jr., Alfred A. Knopf, 1980. University of Michigan site: www.animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu. This page was last updated on February 14, 2007 |
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