Animals

On left, five-lined skink observed during an Inventory and Monitoring survey (photo by J. Mitchell).  On the right, a woodchuck takes a mid-day nap in a tree (NPS photo).

 

The forest and field communities of the park host many species of wildlife typically found in central Virginia. Baseline inventories have found 22 mammal species in the park (Pagels 2005), 13 reptile species and 17 amphibian species (Mitchell 2006), 37 fish species (Atkinson 2005) and 99 bird species (Bradshaw 2007). Understanding wildlife populations in the park is an important goal in promoting biodiversity. To promote diversity of habitats, park management efforts include such measures as invasive plant control, promoting native vegetation, and use of prescribed fire.