• Armadillo
• Bat
• Beaver
• Chimney Swift
• Chipmunk
• Coyote
• Deer
• Fox
• Flying Squirrel
  
• Gray Squirrel
• Groundhog

ARMADILLO

Characteristics:  Armadillos are primarily insectivores and are crepuscular (most active at dusk and dawn).  They dig in leaf litter and pine straw looking for larva, beetles and almost anything that moves. Adults range from 6 to 13 pounds.

Predators:  The armadillo’s primary predator is man and his car and secondarily the coyote.

Habitat:  Armadillos inhabit all of the southcentral and southeastern United States.  Armadillos den in burrows they dig in the ground.  They may have several burrows that they share with other armadillos or even other species such as rabbits, skunks or opossums.

Reproduction:  Birthing and rearing take place from March through September.  They always give birth to identical quadruplets.

Fight or Flight Zone:  Their fight or flight zone varies based on their perception of your presence.  Usually they will flee at the first realization of a threat at any distance.

Behaviors: 

• They represent no threat to humans.
• They do not limit their activity to only day or night.  Their activity seems to be directly related to temperature because they are typically visible at the warmest time of day in the winter and the coolest time of day in the summer.  With no hair or fur on their bodies, they have a difficult time regulating their body temperature.
• Armadillos tend to excavate gardens and lawns causing homeowners to take extreme measures to eliminate them.  Elimination is virtually impossible and should be attempted as a last resort.
• They are amazing pest controllers.  Armadillos eat all of the insect pests that attack your lawn and garden and tend to do much less harm than good. They love to eat fire ants.

Human Interaction:  Armadillos may be frightened away by merely making your presence known by making noise.

Benefits:  Armadillos provide a natural food source for the coyote.  They are a major controller of insect pests.

Exclusion:  They may be excluded from you yard with a wooden fence that has a wire mesh bottom extending into the ground at least 12 inches.  Wire fences will also work as long as they have a tip out at the top.  If exclusion from your yard is not practical due to size or for some other reason, you may have to deter them from certain areas.  Remove brush cover as a deterrent. Individual fences around gardens and flower beds can be effective.  Prior to planting, you can bury 1” x 2” welded wire 2 to 3 inches below ground and this will deter them from digging.  Poisons have not been shown to be effective with armadillos.  As a last resort, live traps may be used with directional funnel boards extending out from the opening of the trap to direct them toward the trap.

Myth: Armadillos carry leprosy.  False.  Armadillos do not carry the human form of leprosy.  They carry the bacteria that can develop into leprosy.  There has been one account of humans contracting leprosy while handling, eating, and processing the bodies of armadillos.  To this day there has been no definitive conclusion on how they contracted the disease.  Studies indicate that the soil may have been the actual cause of transmission.

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BAT

Characteristics:  Most bats in the United States and Canada are insectivores.  Bats are nocturnal. Bats are the only living flying mammal.  One bat may eat 1000 insects each night.

Habitat:  Bats live in colonies from 10 to thousands.  They establish colonies in tree cracks, caves, under bridges, under roof tiles, in attics, in loose siding and trim and anywhere there is a 3/8 inch gap leading to a hiding place.

Reproduction:  Birthing and rearing run from June through early September. Bats usually give birth to only one pup.

Fight or Flight Zone: A bat’s fight or flight zone is inconsequential because they will do everything in their power to avoid you. Even when flying directly at you in a doorway, they find a way past you.

Behaviors:

Human Interaction: Bats should not be handled by inexperienced individuals. Call a licensed wildlife rehabilitator for advice or assistance before attempting to do anything with a bat.

Benefits: Bats are our most beneficial natural control of mosquitoes and other flying insects. Some of them are important pollinators for a variety of flowers and plants.

Exclusion: Unfortunately, past and even current building practices invite bats into your home. The most common entry points are attic and soffit vents, the gap between the fascia board and the roof decking behind your gutters, the ridge vent on the roof and your chimney. These openings rarely have wire mesh covering them and are an open invitation to bats. Also wooden and shingles have a perfect gap underneath each tile. Any gap 3/8 inch or larger will accommodate bats. Bats can be humanely removed from buildings by experienced professionals without harm to the bats or humans. An experienced wildlife rehabilitator can guide you through doing it safely yourself saving you a great deal of money.

Myth: Bats like to get tangled in long hair. False. Bats will do everything in their power to avoid you. They will fly in our direction and then veer away as they near us. They recognize that we are their predator and avoid us at all cost.

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 BEAVER

Characteristics:  North America’s largest rodent weighing up to 60lbs.  They are primarily nocturnal herbivores and eat tree saplings, aquatic plants, and the cambium layer under tree bark.

Predators:  The beaver has many predators, man having the most impact.  Others include coyotes, wolves, bears, bobcats, hawks and large owls.

Habitat:   Beaver occupy most of North America except for the northern most parts of Canada, Florida, the desert southwest and Mexico.  They build lodges inside of beaver dams but they also dens in the banks of rivers, streams, and lakes.

Reproduction:  Mating season runs from November in the southern range through March in the northern range.  Birthing occurs from April through June.  They have one litter of 3 to 4 kits.  When the mother gives birth, she uses her tail as a kind of birthing table.  The kits may stay with the parents up to two years and then move on to make a new colony.

Fight or Flight Zone:  The fight or flight zone for beaver is dependent on whether they are in the water or on land.  On land they will run as soon as they perceive your presence.  In the water they are a little less afraid but they will submerge quickly.

Behaviors:

• Beaver represent no threat to humans.
• Beavers are primarily nocturnal but are often seen around dusk.
• Beavers slap their tail on the water to warn trespassers.
• Beaver vocalize with a low groaning sound to warn off others.
• Beaver are very beneficial because they create fantastic water filtration systems with their dam building. The dams create wetlands that effectively remove the toxins from our ground water.

Human Interaction:  Beavers are only surpassed by humans in their ability to modify the landscape.  We must learn that when we remove these magnificent animals from a habitat, we become responsible for maintaining the water quality.  After driving the beaver to extinction, Scotland began reintroducing the beaver in 2008.  Much like the fate of the wolf in the United States, we once again learn that humans do not make the wisest choices when it comes to manipulating our planet and the environment.

Benefits:  The beaver is one of our most valuable resources in keeping our natural water sources clean.  They help to maintain our important wetlands that create important habitat for thousands of other species.

Exclusion:  Protecting our trees is a simple matter of wrapping the bottom 4 feet with welded wire.  If you stain the wire prior to installation, it will disappear on the tree.  A beaver pipe through the beaver’s dam will prevent flooding and allow the beaver to build its dam.

Myth: Beavers cause lake drains to back up and flood home sites. False.  Beavers do build dams that can result in flooding however the cause of the flooding is human shortsightedness.  We excavate the landscape and create a lake (the most inviting habitat in the area) for our own enjoyment but we do not imagine that any species other than humans has the right or will have the desire to use it. We do not build these pleasing habitats with any foresight.  If we simply added an inexpensive beaver pipe to the drain system, we would not have this problem. If we did include this in the design, we could enjoy watching the beaver go about his daily chores and entertain us at the same time. 

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CHIMNEY SWIFT

Characteristics:  Chimney Swifts are primarily diurnal insectivores feeding only in flight. They are found in all areas east of the Rocky Mountains from Canada to Central America. Their winter migration takes them to the headwaters of the Amazon from Brazil to Peru.

Predators:  Chimney Swifts have few predators.  Their primary predator is man but some hawks and falcons will take them in flight.

Reproduction:  Chimney Swifts are monogamous and may remain with the same partner for 8 years. Mating and rearing season is from April to May.  They lay an average of 5 eggs and the young fledge in about 30 days.  Both parents care of the young in fact it is common for a number of adults to share the feeding duties for a nursery of young.

Habitat:  Swifts are cavity nesters who have adapted to man’s deforestation of large hollow trees by taking advantage of our chimneys.  Unfortunately man often chooses to limit their nesting sites even further by capping their chimneys.  Fortunately there are many old industrial chimneys that have been abandoned and left for the swift to inhabit.

Fight or Flight Zone:  The Chimney Swifts fight or flight zone usually isn’t tested by humans because we are never in close proximity to them.  If they are roosting or feeding young in a chimney and the flue is opened, the noise will scare them into flight.

Behaviors:

• Chimney Swifts are the acrobats of the air.
  
• They can be seen in flocks of thousands and are some of the most beautiful flyers in the skies.
• They entertain people all of over the world with their approach to their roosting and nesting chimneys.  About one hour before dark they can be seen circling high over the chimney as they form a funnel cloud descending into the chimney by the hundreds.
• They never perch on horizontal surfaces but instead cling to the sides of chimney and well walls. Their small claws can grab the rough surface of something as smooth as a piece of siding on a house.
• Aside from nesting or roosting at night they spend their entire time in flight.

Human Interaction:  Chimney Swifts are most often encountered by homeowners who have homes with aging chimneys.  The new chimneys have metal liners that don’t provide a rough enough surface for the swifts to cling to.  Swifts do not cause a problem for homeowners except for the noises they may hear.  Their nesting and roosting times are not concurrent with the use of fireplaces.  If you merely insulate the flue with a piece of sound insulation that is removable, you can enjoy the antics and behaviors of these magnificent creatures without feeling intruded upon.

Benefits:  Swifts are a major exterminator of insects and should be welcomed into any neighborhood.

Exclusion:  If you feel you must exclude them from your chimney it is a simple matter of installing a cap on the chimney that has ½ inch wire mesh.

Myth:  Chimney Swifts flap only one wing at a time.  False.  In flight it looks like they are only flapping one wing at a time because of their quick erratic flight movements.  In fact they flap both wings just like other birds but because they turn and flip so quickly, it often appears al though they are using only one wing at a time.

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Characteristics: Eastern Chipmunks are diurnal ground dwelling rodents.  They are omnivores that like nuts, seeds, fruit, mushrooms, insects, bird’s eggs, and even small mice.  They grow to be the size of a small hand.

Predators:  Their predators are hawks, owls, fox, coyote, and weasels.

Reproduction:  Chipmunks have two breeding seasons: February thru April and June thru August.  The average litter size is 4 to 5.  Babies leave the den at about 6 weeks of age and disperse not long after weaning.

Habitat:  They inhabit most of the eastern half of North America including Canada.  They prefer sunlit areas so dense forest is not their preference.  They dig shallow burrows that may have several tunnels that are as much as 30 feet long.  They burrow in rock crevices, under sidewalks, and foundations and in dense ground cover.

Fight or Flight Zone:  Their fight or flight zone is determined by their frequency of exposure to humans.  If they are living in an area where there is constant non-threatening interaction with humans, they will be comfortable eating with you standing only a few feet away.  If they are not accustomed to human interaction, they will flee at distances of 30 feet.

Behaviors:

Human Interaction:  Chipmunks can be an irritation to some homeowners who value the appearance of their landscaping.  Chipmunk’s burrows can be annoying because of the holes they dig and when their burrow tunnels collapse.  They do not represent any threat to humans or property except in terms of aesthetics.

Benefits:  Chipmunks help to control some insect species.  They also disperse seeds and contribute to the health of the natural flora.  They are an important prey species for many predators.

Exclusion:  In order to exclude chipmunks from selected areas of your yard you will have to burry a ½ or ¼  inch wire mesh into the ground one foot and then attach it to the bottom of a climb-proof fence at least 2 ½ feet high.  In order to rid them from a burrow they have already dug, you can try mothballs or Naphthalene flakes.

Myth:  Chipmunks do not truly hibernate.  They spend most of the coldest months in their burrows but they do wake up periodically to eat and then go back to sleep.

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COYOTE

Image by Bryan Harry

Characteristics: Coyotes are carnivores that primarily prey on mice, rats, rabbits, birds and occasionally free roaming and feral cats. They also eat fruit, carrion, pet food, and trash when times are tough. They are primarily nocturnal but may often be seen during the day. Coyotes weigh between 15 and 46 pounds. A unique identifier is that their tail is always hanging down.

Predators: In an urban setting the only predator that coyotes have is man.

Habitat: They live as solitary animals, as a mated pair, and occasionally in a pack if food sources are scarce. They den in wooded areas, creek banks, under sheds, in dark crawl spaces under a deck or in secluded culverts.

Reproduction: Birthing and rearing season runs for one year beginning in April or May and the pups do not disperse until near the end of the first year.

Fight or Flight Zone: The urban coyote’s fight or flight (comfort) zone is as little as 20 feet. They will walk by you at that distance without even turning their head. At this distance they know that they can out run you so you pose no threat.

Behaviors:

Human Interaction:

Benefits: They are important predators of many pest species like rats, mice, rabbits, moles, chipmunks, etc. They tend to force pet owners to become better caretakers because the perceived threat of loosing their pet to a coyote forces them to provide secure enclosures rather than allowing their pets to face the dangers of roaming free.

Exclusion: A six foot fence buried 12 inches into the ground with a tip out or a coyote roller or hot wire on top will prevent most coyote entries.

Myth: Rabies is common in coyotes. False. Coyotes can carry rabies however there has not been a confirmed case of coyote rabies in North America since 2005. For more factual information click on these links: The Coyote, The Fox and You or Urban Coyote Study.

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Characteristics: Deer are grazing animals that love rose and vegetable gardens, fruit trees, and farm crops. They are biurnal (active both day and night). Adults weigh from 90 to 220 pounds.

Predators: In an urban setting they have no predators other than humans and dogs and occasionally a coyote will take a fawn or sick or injured adult.

Habitat: They are comfortable in yards, parks, wooded, and grasslands.

Reproduction: Birthing and rearing season runs from March thru September. Fawns are born from March through June depending on the region. They give birth to their young in unexpected places like in the median of interstate highways or the only patch of trees in a pasture or the greenway behind your home.

Fight or Flight Zone: The urban deer’s fight or flight (comfort) zone is generally about 50 feet.

Behaviors:

Human Interaction: When a deer (buck or doe) feels threatened or is protecting their young they will point their ears toward the threat, stomp their front hooves and snort. If this happens, turn and run the other direction. Do not stand your ground because this forces them to make the fight or flight decision and depending on the individual circumstances they may choose either response.

Benefits: Deer antlers are an important source of calcium for many other species. Deer are the number one game animal in America. Deer spread seeds from many types of plants helping to maintain the planets vegetation.

Exclusion: Nothing short of an 8+ foot fence will deter deer. Deer may be discouraged by not providing them with a food source; pick up fallen tree fruit, fence in gardens, spray them with a hose, throw a stick, yell or use a noise maker and wave your arms while running toward them.

Myth: Mother deer often abandon their young. False. Deer do not abandon their healthy young. Mothers tell their fawns to stay curled up in a roadside ditch or field all day long while mom goes to forage for food. They frequently do not return until hours after dark to claim them.

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Characteristics:  Flying squirrels are nocturnal omnivores. They eat insects, nuts, seeds, berries, fruits, birds, tiny mammals, bark, and fungus.  Adults are 7 to 10 inches in body length.

Predators:  The flying squirrels number one predator is the owl but they are also preyed on by snakes and domestic cats.

Habitat:  They nest in tree hollows and cavities and almost always in hardwood stands of maple, beech, hickory, oak, and poplar.  They will on rare occasions nest in attics and bird houses.

Reproduction:  Birthing and rearing occurs from February through November.  This period covers two mating cycles each year.

Fight or Flight Zone:  Their fight or flight zone is unimportant because they are rarely seen by humans. They are very shy and only come out at night.

Behaviors:

• They represent no threat to humans and because they are rodents, they almost never get rabies.
• They are gregarious in the winter and can live in groups from 10 to 30. They are often seen in pairs at other times of year.
• Flying squirrels are not true flyers but more accurately gliders. They have a web of skin between their forearms and their calves along the side of their body. This allows them to glide, turn, and even fly upward through the trees.
• They may be removed from buildings with live traps and released outside the structure. Repair the squirrel’s entrance hole and place their babies in a box with a t-shirt to curl up in and attach it to the structure near the hole the evening they are removed. Be sure they are kept warm with a hot water bottle or warmer. Check for warmth every two hours until morning. If the mother does not move them by morning, call a rehabilitator.

Human Interaction:  Squirrels may be frightened away by simply yelling and making threatening moves toward them.  Do not grab a squirrel with your bare hands.  They can bite completely through your thumb.  They may be removed from a room in your house by simply opening a door to the outside, closing off the rest of the house and leaving them alone for awhile.

Benefits:  Flying squirrels are a primary food source for select species of owls.  The Flying squirrel is a major key to a healthy hardwood forest.

Exclusion:  Squirrels can not be excluded from your property.  They can be excluded from you house with the same methods listed for raccoons.

Myth:  Flying squirrels make good pets.  False.  These animals must have an expansive habitat that allows them to jump and glide for hundreds of feet.  Please never try to make a wild animal your pet.

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Grey Fox, image by Gary M. Stolz 

Red Fox, image by USFWS

Characteristics: They are both omnivores that primarily eat small mammals like mice, chipmunks, voles, moles, rats, rabbits and on very rare occasions they will take a cat. They also eat fruit and insects and when food is scarce they will rummage through your trash. They are primarily nocturnal but may be seen frequently during the day. Red and Grey foxes weigh between 6 and 24 pounds, the grey being smaller.

Habitat: They live as solitary animals except during mating, birthing, and early rearing. They den virtually anywhere that offers cover; under decks and sheds, in hillsides of ivy, in driveway culverts, in tree root hollows. Foxes occupy most urban neighborhoods throughout the country.

Reproduction: Birthing and rearing take place from February through September.

Fight or Flight Zone: The urban fox’s fight or flight zone is generally only about 20 feet.

Behaviors:

Human Interaction: Foxes should be frightened any time that they are seen in areas where they are not welcome. Yell or use a noise maker and wave your arms while running toward them. Throw a stick or rock or spray them with a hose.

Benefits: Foxes are another important predator of pest species in an urban setting. They catch chipmunks, mice, rats, squirrels, snakes, voles, moles, rabbits and all of the other critters that attack your garden.

Exclusion: No fences of any size or legal type will keep foxes out of your yard. A large dog will deter them.

Myth: Foxes hunt in packs. False. Foxes do not hunt in packs. They are solitary except during mating and rearing season when they share duties with their mate. For more factual information on foxes click on the following link: The Coyote, The Fox and You.

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Characteristics:  Gray squirrels are diurnal omnivores.  They eat seeds, nuts, tree bark and leaves, fruit, bugs, and occasionally frogs and hatchling birds.

Predators:  The gray squirrel has many predators, cincluding man, coyote, fox, hawks, owls, cats, and dogs, among others.

Habitat:  They nest in trees, attics and soffits, electrical boxes and some chimneys.  They almost always build more than one nest; a cavity nest in a tree or a building and a leaf nest in a tree.  These two nests are believed to provide them with a choice based on weather and temperature conditions and in case one is damaged or destroyed.

Reproduction:  Birthing and rearing takes place between January and November.  Gray squirrels have two birthing seasons and they span such a long period that the only time when they are not birthing or rearing young is from mid November through mid January.

Fight or Flight Zone:  A squirrels fight or flight zone varies based on their exposure to humans and can range from 20 feet to actually eating from your hand. Please do not feed wildlife.

Behaviors:

• They are no real threat to humans.  They are a member of the rodent family and almost never carry rabies or other diseases that are transmissible to man.
  
• They are basically solitary animals except during mating.  They are diurnal except for the flying squirrel which is nocturnal.
  
• They may be removed from buildings with live traps and released outside the structure.  Repair the squirrel’s entrance hole and place their babies in a box with a t-shirt to curl up in and attach it to the structure near the hole.
  
• Be sure they are kept warm with a hot water bottle or warmer.  If the mother does not move them within 6 to 8 hours, call a rehabilitator.
  
• Teenage squirrels will approach humans as if they need your help.  This is not unusual.  Do not pick them up.  Place them on the nearest tree and run away so that the squirrel mother can teach them the ropes.

Human Interaction:  Squirrels may be frightened away by simply yelling and making threatening moves toward them.  Do not grab a squirrel with your bare hands.  They can bite completely through your thumb.  They may be removed from a room in your house by simply opening a door to the outside, closing off the rest of the house and leaving them alone for awhile.

Benefits:  Squirrels help keep forests healthy by spreading seeds for many species of trees.  They are a major food source for hawks and owls.

Exclusion:  Squirrels can not be excluded from your property.  They can be excluded from your house with the same methods listed for raccoons.

Myth:  Squirrels locate their buried cash of nuts by memory.  False.  Squirrels actually find their hidden cash of nuts by smell.

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Characteristics:  They are diurnal herbivores eating primarily plants, bark, seeds, grasses, and especially gardens and farm crops. Adults weigh between 4.5 and 15 pounds on average.

Predators:  Woodchucks are prayed on by coyotes, foxes, dogs, and man.

Habitat:  They occupy most of Canada and all of the eastern United States except for the southern coast and Florida.  They den in burrows which they dig themselves.  They may dig 4 burrows to one den with one primary entrance and the rest used infrequently.

Reproduction:  Birthing and rearing take place from May through August. They give birth to 2 to 6 young.

Fight or Flight Zone:  Their fight or flight zone is determined by their familiarity with humans. In an urban setting they may not flee until you approach within 20 feet.

Behaviors:

• Woodchucks are one of the few mammals that go into true hibernation. They begin hibernation in late October and begin to arise in February.
• They represent no real threat to humans however; if they are cornered or are forced to defend their young, they can be extremely fierce fighters. Given the chance, they will retreat into their burrow.
• They are diurnal animals foraging from dawn to dusk.
• Woodchucks can represent a real problem for the home gardener. They love virtually every fruit and vegetable that we love to plant and will destroy your garden very quickly if not excluded.

Human Interaction:  Woodchucks will flee to their burrow as soon as they perceive a threat so all you really need to do is move toward them and make any noise and they will run.

Benefits:  Woodchucks are another natural prey of coyotes, foxes, large hawks and owls.

Exclusion:  There are some methods for exclusion but they require you to invest a little time and effort. The most permanent solution is to surround your garden with a 4 foot high fence that is also buried in the ground at least one foot down and one foot outward.  If you use wire for the fence, they may be able to climb it.  If this happens you can attach a tip-out to the top of the fence or install a hot wire 5 inches above ground and 5 inches away from the fence.  None of the sprays or chemical deterrents work for more than a couple of days so don’t bother.

Myth:  If the groundhog sees his shadow on Groundhog Day, there will be six more weeks of winter. False. This is actually a story concocted to explain a basic weather indicator.  Winter skies are usually clearer than spring skies.  If the sky is clear, then the temperature is usually lower than when cloud cover holds the warmth of the sun closer to the earth.  If the groundhog sees his shadow it means that the skies are clear and the temperature is likely to be colder.

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