Virginia’s Land Mammals: Past and Present, With Some Thoughts About Their Possible Future

Abstract

Mammals encountered today in Virginia’s forests and fields include native and nonnative species, feral populations, and free-ranging pets. We examine factors that have influenced Virginia’s terrestrial mammal fauna since the arrival of European colonists in the 1600s and some of the factors that are shaping the fauna today. We look in depth at changes since Handley and Patton’s (1947) first complete monograph on Virginia mammals and augment Linzey’s (1998) book, The Mammals of Virginia. We include current nomenclature, baseline information, and references to comprehensive literature. We discuss some of the current and developing anthropogenic factors that have impacted, or that likely will impact, our native land mammals as well as factors that bode well for many species, especially in areas of conservation of habitat. BACKGROUND Approximately 115 species of mammals live in or frequent Virginia; of these, about 28 are marine mammals (e.g., porpoises, whales, seals, and manatees) that are known from its shores, bays, and tidal rivers (Handley and Patton 1947; Linzey 1998). Including extirpated species, 77 species of native land mammals (those species that occurred here or reached here without purposeful or accidental introduction by humans) have been recorded since Europeans arrived in Virginia (Table 1). The diversity of Virginia’s land mammals reflects a complex history of evolution, adaptation, and migration that has occurred over millions of years on a varied land surface and under changing climatic conditions (Woodward and Hoffman 1991). With elevations ranging from sea level to more than 1,500 m, the east-west orientation of the long axis of the state intersects five physiographic regions (Fig. 1), which results in a wide variety of habitats. As detailed by Handley (1992), most (42 of 74 extant species) Virginia land mammals have boreal (northern) affinities and the rest have austral (southern) affinities (Table 1). As a general rule, boreal species either occur statewide or in the west. By contrast, austral species tend to occur only in the east or south if their distributions are not statewide. As a result of its latitudinal position, Virginia is near the northern edge of the distributions of about a dozen austral species and the southern edge of * Corresponding author -nancy.moncrief@vmnh.virginia.gov Virginia Journal of Science, Vol. 66, No. 3, 2015 http://digitalcommons.odu.edu/vjs/vol66/iss3 172 VIRGINIA JOURNAL OF SCIENCE T A B L E 1 . L an d m am m al s n at iv e to V ir g in ia , i nc lu d in g s p ec ie s p es en t a t t h e ti m e o f E u ro p ea n c o n ta ct a n d th o se th at h av e n at u ra ll y co lo n iz ed V ir g in ia s in ce t ha t ti m e. C o m m o n o r v er n ac u la r n am e (a s su g g es te d b y W il so n a n d R ee d er 2 0 5 ) is i n d ic at ed f o r ea ch sp ec ie s, a lo n g w it h c u rr en t c la ss if ic at io n c u rr en t d is tr ib u io n , d is tr ib u ti o n al a ff in it y ( d is tr ib . a ff in it y , a ft er H an d ey 1 9 9 2 ), h ab it at in V ir g in ia , a n d t h e ci ta ti o n f o r a co m p re h en si v e m o n o g ra p h o r re v ie w o f th e b io lo g y o f th at s p ec ie s. V ir g in ia ’s E as te rn S h o re i s co m p ri se d o f A cc o m ac k an d N o rt h am p to n c o u n ti es , a t t h e so u h er n e n d o f th e D el m ar v a P en in su la . F o r b at s (C h ir o p te ra ), h ab it at d es cr ib es r o o st s it es , w h ic h m ay c h an g e se as o n ll y . T h e fo ll o w in g d en o te s p ec ia l ci rc u m st an ce s th at a re d et ai le d i n te x t: E = ex ti rp at ed ; E R = e x ti rp at ed ( o r n ea rl y s o ), r es to ra ti o n a tt em p ed ; E E = e x ti rp at ed ( o r n ea rl y s o ), r an g e ex p an si o n f ro m n ea rb y s ta te s; A = a u g m en te d t o i n cr ea se p o p u la ti o n a n d o r re st o re r eg io n ll y .