Mammals of Ohio

John D. Harder is associate professor emeritus in evolution, ecology, and organismal biology at The Ohio State University, where he taught upper-division courses in mammalogy and conservation biology. His research on the reproductive biology and ecology of mammals has focused on marsupials and involved field studies in Ohio, Venezuela, and Amazonian Peru.Guy N. Cameron is professor emeritus and former head of biological sciences at the University of Cincinnati, where he taught courses in ecology, population biology, and ecological techniques. He is the former president of the American Society of Mammalogists and the Texas Mammal Society. His research focuses on rodents in the US and Mexico, but he also studies invasive plants, the impact of tornados on forests, and nutritional ecology.

• viiCONTENTSForeword xiPreface xiiiAcknowledgments xvINTRODUCTION 11 NATURAL HISTORY OF MAMMALS IN OHIO 132 INTRODUCTION TO THE ORDER DIDELPHIMORPHIA 27Family Didelphidae: New World Opossums 27Virginia Opossum (Didelphis virginiana) 283 INTRODUCTION TO THE ORDER LAGOMORPHA 37Family Leporidae: Rabbits and Hares 38Eastern Cottontail (Sylvilagus floridanus) 384 INTRODUCTION TO THE ORDER RODENTIA 47Family Castoridae: Beavers 48American Beaver (Castor canadensis) 48Family Cricetidae: New World Rats and Mice 56Prairie Vole (Microtus ochrogaster) 58Meadow Vole (Microtus pennsylvanicus) 65Woodland Vole or Pine Vole (Microtus pinetorum) 71Allegheny Woodrat (Neotoma magister) 77Muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus) 85White-footed Mouse (Peromyscus leucopus) 92Deer Mouse (Peromyscus maniculatus) 98Eastern Harvest Mouse (Reithrodontomys humulis) 104Southern Bog Lemming (Synaptomys cooperi) 108Family Muridae: Old World Rats and Mice 112House Mouse (Mus musculus) 112Brown Rat or Norway Rat (Rattus norvegicus) 118Family Sciuridae: Squirrels 124Southern Flying Squirrel (Glaucomys volans) 125Thirteen-lined Ground Squirrel (Ictidomys tridecemlineatus) 132Woodchuck (Marmota monax) 138Eastern Gray Squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) 144Eastern Fox Squirrel (Sciurus niger) 150Eastern Chipmunk (Tamias striatus) 156Red Squirrel (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus) 162Family Zapodidae: Jumping Mice 168Woodland Jumping Mouse (Napaeozapus insignis) 169Meadow Jumping Mouse (Zapus hudsonius) 1755 INTRODUCTION TO THE ORDER EULIPOTYPHLA 181Family Soricidae: Shrews 181Northern Short-tailedShrew (Blarina brevicauda) 183Least Shrew (Cryptotis parva) 189Cinereus Shrew (Sorex cinereus) 194Smoky Shrew (Sorex fumeus) 199Pygmy Shrew (Sorex hoyi) 204Family Talpidae: Moles 208Star-nosedMole (Condylura cristata) 209Hairy-tailed Mole (Parascalops breweri) 215Eastern Mole (Scalopus aquaticus) 2206 INTRODUCTION TO THE ORDER CARNIVORA 229Family Canidae: Dogs and Relatives 231Coyote (Canis latrans) 232Gray Fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus) 240Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes) 245Family Felidae: Cats 253Bobcat (Lynx rufus) 254Family Mephitidae: Skunks 259Striped Skunk (Mephitis mephitis) 259Family Mustelidae: Weasels, Mink, Badgers, and Otters 266North American River Otter (Lontra canadensis) 267Ermine or Short-tailedWeasel (Mustela erminea) 274Long-tailed Weasel (Mustela frenata) 281Least Weasel (Mustela nivalis) 288American Mink (Neovison vison) 294American Badger (Taxidea taxus) 300Family Procyonidae: Raccoons and Relatives 307Northern Raccoon (Procyon lotor) 308Family Ursidae: Bears 316American Black Bear (Ursus americanus) 3167 INTRODUCTION TO THE ORDER CETARTIODACTYLA 325Family Cervidae: Deer 326White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus) 3268 INTRODUCTION TO THE ORDER CHIROPTERA 335Family Vespertilionidae: Evening Bats 336Big Brown Bat (Eptesicus fuscus) 340Eastern Red Bat (Lasiurus borealis) 346Hoary Bat (Lasiurus cinereus) 352Silver-haired Bat (Lasionycteris noctivagans) 359Eastern Small-footed Myotis (Myotis leibii) 364Little Brown Bat (Myotis lucifugus) 369Northern Long-eared Bat (Myotis septentrionalis) 375Indiana Bat (Myotis sodalis) 380Evening Bat (Nycticeius humeralis) 387Tri-colored Bat (Perimyotis subflavus) 3939 OTHER OHIO MAMMALS: EXTIRPATED,OCCASIONAL OCCURRENCE, AND PREHISTORIC 401Appendix A: Dental Formulas of Ohio Mammals 415Appendix B: Equivalent Metric and Imperial Units of Measure 417Appendix C: Common and Scientific Names of Plantsand Animals 419Appendix D: Glossary 423Index

“I highly recommend Mammals of Ohio. Anyone with an interest in mammals beyond Homo sapiens should enjoy this book. It’s a great way to learn the rest of the story about mammals such as chipmunks, opossums and squirrels that share your yard. It will also open eyes to species that most people probably don’t know about, such as least weasel, star-nosed mole and 13-lined ground squirrel.” - Jim McCormac (Columbus Dispatch, April 17, 2022) “Clear, well written, and comprehensive … this book is a major contribution to the education of students and the public and an outstanding resource for educators and researchers. The strong conservation focus and extensive literature review … are critically important contributions to the environmental issues affecting the state’s mammals.” - Robert M. Timm, Natural History Museum, University of Kansas, and past president, American Society of Mammalogists “Mammals of Ohio provides an updated and very readable overview of this fauna. Harder and Cameron provide keys to identify otherwise difficult species and summarize the distribution and natural history of all species, with information on distribution, habitat preferences, diet, reproduction, behavior, causes of mortality, and conservation status, with ample citation to relevant literature. This impressive effort will be obligatory reading for mammalogists and wildlife biologists, but is accessible to laypersons and natural historians as well.” - Douglas A. Kelt, coauthor of A Manual of the Mammalia: An Homage to Lawlor's "Handbook to the Orders and Families of Living Mammals" “Drs. Harder and Cameron are well suited to provide concise, informative accounts of the morphology and dental characteristics, current distribution, aspects of ecology, physiology and life history, and conservation issues of the fifty-five extant mammalian species currently known to occur in Ohio. Like other superb Mammals of books for various states, this indispensable, authoritative volume belongs on the bookshelves or in the backpacks of wildlife professionals, mammalogists, students, academics, and amateur naturalists alike.” - George A. Feldhamer, coauthor of Mammalogy: Adaptation, Diversity, Ecology “Enhanced with the pen-and-ink artwork of Suellen Jacob and maps by Anthony Mosinski, Mammals of Ohio is the impressive work of Professors and Ohio wildlife experts John D. Harder and Guy N. Cameron. Exceptionally well written, illustrated, organized and presented, Mammals of Ohio was created with the cooperation of the Ohio Division of Wildlife and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. A sterling study of meticulous scholarship, Mammals of Ohio could well serve as a template for similar studies in other states and is unreservedly recommended for Ohio’s community, college, and university library Wildlife Studies collections and supplemental studies curriculums.” (Midwest Book Review) Exceptionally informative and comprehensive. (Ohio Natural Areas & Preserves News)