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White-tailed Deer New York’s most popular game mammal and a favorite of wildlife watchers, the white-tailed deer gets its name from the bright white underside of its tail, which it raises as it bounds off. Large animals, adults measure 3-31/2 feet tall at the shoulder. Bucks may weigh as much as 300 pounds, but most average about half of that. Male white-tailed deer have antlers which are annually shed; females rarely have antlers. Eats leaves, twigs, vines, herbs, grasses, fruits, acorns, farm crops, garden produce and lawn shrubbery. Females usually have 1-2 fawns per year in the spring. Young are reddish with white spots. In certain areas of New York, this deer can be a farm nuisance and a highway hazard. |
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Coyote Uncommon 40 years ago in New York, the coyote is now found almost everywhere in the state except on Long Island. These dog-like animals are highly variable in color, from strawberry blond to nearly all black, with some looking quite wolf like. Coyotes in suburbia are not unusual, but farmland and woods are more likely habitats. About 20-50 pounds in weight and 4 feet long, the coyote is capable of killing deer or smaller domestic animals, but they usually eat rabbits, rodents, carrion, fruit, birds or insects. Coyotes may den in a ground burrow where a litter of 5-10 pups is born each spring. |
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Bobcat Similar in appearance to a very large house cat, the bobcat is found in much of New York State, except on Long Island and parts of central and western New York. The bobcat prefers forests, small wooded swamps and rocky outcrops. Bobcats have black spotted tails with a white tip, and short ear tassels. Adult males average 28 pounds in weight and measure up to 22 inches tall at the shoulder. They eat a variety of animals from mice to deer, blue jays to wild turkeys. During winter, bobcats prefer to keep out of deep snows and often travel along rock ledges and on fallen trees and logs. Females give birth to 2-3 kittens each spring. |
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Opossum While 50 years ago this southern animal was seldom found this far north, the opossum is now common throughout most of New York State. Adults grow to be 2-21/2 feet long and 3-10 pounds in weight. The long, bare, prehensile tail is used for climbing, but causes many people to mistake this animal for a large, gray rat. Opossums eat a wide variety of fruits, berries, insects and garbage. Females produce one litter of about 9 young per year. Female opossums are the only mammal in North America that carry their young in a pouch. |
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Skunk Well Known by its distinctive black and white fur, and for the pungent odor it releases when threatened, the skunk is a member of the weasel family. Adults average 2 1/2 feet long and 10 pounds in weight. Semi-nocturnal animals, skunks feed mostly at night on insects and small rodents, often along roadsides and in suburban yards. Each spring, females produce one litter of 4-8 kits, usually in an underground den. |
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Eastern Cottontail Rabbit The Eastern cottontail rabbit is one of New York’s most common farm and woodland-edge mammals. A popular game species and prey for many predators, its numbers vary considerably around the state. Adults weigh 2 1/2-3 pounds. They eat tender green vegetation, garden produce, bark and buds of trees, vines and shrubs. They nest in grassy fields, under bushes, briars, on lawns or in flower beds. Highly prolific, females produce two to three or more litters of 4-8 young per year. |
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Black Bear New York’s only bear species, the black bear occurs in mature forests scattered across the state. It does not occur on Long Island and the Great Lakes Plain. Adults average 2 1/2 to 3 feet tall at the shoulder and weigh 200 pounds, with some individuals reaching more than 600 pounds. Feeds on all manner of plants (fruits, seeds, nuts, berries, grasses) and animal materials (insects, fish, meat, honey). Spends winter in a den. Every other winter, denning females give birth to 1-4 cubs (average 2). Cubs stay with their mother until about 1 1/2 years of age. |
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Beaver The official state mammal of New York State, the beaver is a large aquatic animal that is a seemingly tireless worker, building mud and stick dams and lodges on waters across the state. The state’s largest rodent, adult beaver average 3-3 1/2 feet long and 30-50 pounds. They eat soft, aquatic vegetation and the twigs and bark of trees, especially poplar. When disturbed, they will slap their large, flat tail on the water’s surface. Each year females give birth to one litter of 1-8 kits (average is 3-4). While beaver dams create ponds that provide a home to many birds and animals, such beaver activity can be a nuisance and cause damage such as flooded roads and the loss of valued timber. |
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Monroe County Soil & Water Conservation District - Home |
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Mammals of New York |
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Monroe County Soil & Water Conservation District 1200A Scottsville Road, Suite 160 Rochester, NY 14624
Phone: 585-473-2120 x3 Fax: 585-473-2124 |
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Page updated: July 2007 |
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Providing Today, Protecting Tomorrow |