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Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge
Mammals
[image: photograph of a Red Fox]
[image: A drawing of a goose in flight. This goose, designed by J.N. "Ding" Darling, has become the symbol of the National Refuge System]
Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge is in north-central New Jersey in Morris County. The refuge contains approximately 7,600 acres of hardwood swamp, upland timber, brush, marsh and ponds, and poorly drained pasture. In 1968, the eastern half of the refuge was designated as a Wilderness Area-to be left forever wild.
Although established primarily to preserve habitat for migratory birds, there is an abundance of other wildlife, including many mammals. Toward evening visitors are likely to see whitetail deer feeding in the fields. Raccoon are common but rarely seen during daylight hours. Muskrats may be seen in wet areas at dawn and dusk-especially during the spring.
[image: drawing of a fawn]
[image: drawing of an Opossum in a tree]
The following list was prepared in cooperation with the Biology Department at Fairleigh Dickinson University. Scientific names generally follow Hall, The Mammals of North America, Second Edition. Common names and order of listing are given in Burt and Grossenheider, A Field Guide to the Mammals.
| ______ | Opossum (Didelphis virginiana) |
| Common along streams and marshes near woodland areas. | |
| ______ | Masked Shrew (Sorex cinerus) |
| Found in poorly drained fields. | |
| ______ | Smoky Shrew (Sorex fumeus) |
| Inhabits most fields and most wooded areas. | |
| ______ | Short-Tailed Shrew (Marina brevicauda) |
| Common in wooded and swampy areas. | |
| ______ | Starnose Mole (Condylura cristata) |
| Abundant in vicinity of swamps and brooks. | |
| ______ | Little Brown Myotis Bat (Myotis lucifugus) |
| Commonly observed feeding on insects at dusk during the summer. |
[image: drawing of a Raccoon]
| ______ | Red Bat (Lasiurus borealis) |
| This solitary creature is occasionally seen during the day flying along wooded streams. | |
| ______ | Black Bear (Urns americanus) |
| Rarely observed on the refuge. | |
| ______ | Raccoon (Procyon lotor) |
| Very numerous over the entire refuge. | |
| ______ | Longtail Weasel (Mustela frenata) |
| A common but infrequently seen inhabitant of upland areas. | |
| ______ | Mink (Mustela vison) |
| Fairly common in wet areas but rarely seen. | |
| ______ | River Otter (Lutra canadensis) |
| Extirpated in the Great Swamp until it reappeared in the 1970's. Now present in moderate numbers and reproducing. | |
| ______ | Striped Skunk (Mephitis mephitis) |
| Common but seldom seen. | |
| ______ | Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes) |
| Common throughout the refuge. |
[image: drawing of a Gray Squirrel]
| ______ | Gray Fox (Urocyoo cineceoaiyentdelis) |
| Found in brushy woodlands. Not common. | |
| ______ | Woodchuck (Marmota monax) |
| Occasionally seen near their burrows in dry upland fields and woodlands. | |
| ______ | Eastern Chipmunk (Taomias striatus) |
| Commonly found in upland woods. | |
| ______ | Gray Squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) |
| Very common in upland hard-woods. When hollow trees are in short supply, look for their round, leaf nests constructed high in the tops of trees. | |
| ______ | Red Squirrel (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus) |
| May be seen in evergreen trees or surrounding hardwoods. | |
| ______ | Southern Flying Squirrel (Glaucomys volan) |
| Fairly common; but seldom seen during the day. |
[image: drawing of a Grey Wolf]
[image: drawing of a Beaver]
| _______ | Beaver (Castor Canadensis) |
| Uncommon, but may be observed in or near the refuge's brooks. | |
| _______ | White-footed Mouse (Peromyscus leucopus) |
| Abundant in woodland areas. | |
| _______ | Southern Red-backed Vole (Clethrioinomys gapped) |
| A ground-dwelling vole of damp and cool forests. | |
| _______ | Meadow Vole (Microtus pennsylvanicus) |
| Common in fields and grassy areas. | |
| _______ | Woodland Vole (Microtus pineotorum) |
| Primarily found in deciduous woodlands. | |
| _______ | Muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus) |
| Populations are cyclic. Look for their mound-shaped houses in swamps and marshes. | |
| _______ | House Mouse (Mus musculus) |
| Present in fields and buildings. | |
| _______ | Meadow Jumping Mouse (Zapus hudsonius) |
| Occasionally seen in fields. May be mistaken for frogs when seen jumping through the grass. | |
| _______ | Woodland Jumping Mouse (Napaeozapus insignis) |
| Found in wet and heavily wooded areas. |
[image: drawing of a Field Mouse]
| _______ | Eastern Cottontail (Sylvilagus florid aims) |
| Found in brushy upland areas. | |
| _______ | Whitetail Deer (Odocoileus virginianus) |
| Common throughout the refuge. Viewing opportunities best in early morning and early evening. | |
| _______ | Coyote (Canis latrants) |
| Coyotes were first observed on the refuge in the early 1990's. They are rarely observed, but sometimes in the evening a series of high-pitched yaps may be heard. | |
| _______ | Human Being (Homo sapiens) |
| Like other mammals humans require clean air to breathe, pure water to drink, unpoisoned food, and open space in which to roam. |
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Great Swamp is one of more than 544 refuges in the National Wildlife Refuge System administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The National Wildlife Refuge System is a network of lands and waters managed specifically for the protection of wildlife and wildlife habitat and represent the most comprehensive wildlife management program in the world. Units of the system stretch across the United States from northern Alaska to the Florida Keys and include small islands in the Caribbean and South Pacific. The character of the refuges is as diverse as the nation itself.
The Service also manages National Fish Hatcheries, and provides Federal leadership in habitat protection, fish and wildlife research, technical assistance and the conservation and protection of migratory birds, certain marine mammals and threatened and endangered species.
Refuge Manager
Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge
241 Pleasant Plains Road
Basking Ridge, New Jersey 07920
973/425 1222
Federal Relay Service for the deaf and hard-of-hearing 1 800/877 8339
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
1 800/344 WILD
http://www.fws.gov
August 2004
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