Mammals

Over 30 species of mammals live in Little River Canyon National Preserve, and chances are most visitors will at least see some of the more common mammals, such as Eastern Gray Squirrels or White-Tailed Deer. Some visitors may even be lucky enough to spot a Bobcat or Black Bear in the woods, or River Otters swimming in the pool below Little River Falls.

Many more mammals begin to make their appearance as the sun goes down. Fox (Gray and Red), Opossum, Skunks (Spotted, Striped, and Eastern Spotted), Raccoon, and Armadillo love the night life, as do the six species of bats at Little River Canyon.

Smaller mammals, such as Shrews, Moles, Voles, Mice, and Rats, all make up the often overlooked critters in the park, as they spend much of their lives underground or hidden under the leaves on the forest floor.

Just as the number and distribution of mammals varies somewhat from year to year, the number of species present in the park can change over time. Armadillo are relative new-comers to the area, as are Black Bears, which have been making a strong return to northeastern Alabama.

Learn more about some of the mammals of the park in the informative articles below!

 

You can view, save, or print the Mammal Checklist below by selecting Mammals from the Select a Species Category drop down list below.

 

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Species Attribute Definitions

Definitions

Occurrence

Occurrence values are defined below. One or more Occurrence Tags may be associated with each Occurrence value.

Present: Species occurs in park; current, reliable evidence available.

Probably Present: High confidence species occurs in park but current, verified evidence needed.

Unconfirmed: Species is attributed to park but evidence is weak or absent.

Not In Park: Species is not known to occur in park.

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Occurrence Tags

Adjacent: Species is known to occur in areas near to or contiguous with park boundaries.

False Report: Species was reported to occur within the park, but current evidence indicates the report was based on misidentification, a taxonomic concept no longer accepted, or other similar problem of error or interpretation.

Historical: Species' historical occurrence in park is documented. Assigned based on judgment as opposed to determination based on age of the most recent evidence.

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Abundance

Abundant:

• Animals: May be seen daily, in suitable habitat and season, and counted in relatively large numbers.
• Plants: Large number of individuals; wide ecological amplitude or occurring in habitats covering a large portion of the park.

Common:

• Animals: May be seen daily, in suitable habitat and season, but not in large numbers.
• Plants: Large numbers of individuals predictably occurring in commonly encountered habitats but not those covering a large portion of the park.

Uncommon:

• Animals: Likely to be seen monthly in appropriate habitat and season. May be locally common.
• Plants: Few to moderate numbers of individuals; occurring either sporadically in commonly encountered habitats or in uncommon habitats.

Rare:

• Animals: Present, but usually seen only a few times each year.
• Plants: Few individuals, usually restricted to small areas of rare habitat.

Occasional:

• Animals: Occurs in the park at least once every few years, varying in numbers, but not necessarily every year.
• Plants: Abundance variable from year to year (e.g., desert plants).

Unknown: Abundance unknown

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Nativeness

Native: Species naturally occurs in park or region.

Non-native: Species occurs on park lands as a result of deliberate or accidental human activities.

Unknown: Nativeness status is unknown or ambiguous.

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List Differences

The Checklist contains only those species that are designated as "present" or "probably present" in the park.

The Full List includes all the checklist species in addition to species that are unconfirmed, historically detected, or incorrectly reported as being found in the park. The full list also contains species that are "in review" because their status in the park hasn't been fully determined. Additional details about the status of each species is included in the full list.

The checklist will almost always contain fewer species than the full list.

Select a Park:

Little River Canyon National Preserve

Select a Species Category (optional):

All Amphibians Birds Fish Mammals Reptiles Vascular Plants

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Species attribute definitions

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Visit NPSpecies for more comprehensive information and advanced search capability. Have a suggestion or comment on this list? Let us know.

 

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  The Armored Little One

  Nine-banded Armadillo

  Article by Volunteer Deb Sanden.

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  Making a Strong Return to Alabama

  Black Bears

  Article by Auburn University grad student Hannah Lepper.