About the Mammals of Pennsylvania

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Question: What kind of food does [selected mammal] eat?

Answer: Some mammals have very specific diets, while others eat different kinds of food depending on availability and season. This listing attempts to provide general information. For more specific information, check the listing for the mammal in question or consult the additional readings. Choose from the food preference selections shown below in order to discover which mammals share a similar diet:

If you wish, you can find more information about a highlighted mammal by clicking on the name. However, if you wish to return to this menu after reading about the selected mammal, please use the “Back” key at the top of your browser.


Insect eaters (insectivores)

Big brown bat Eptesicus fuscus
Silver-haired bat Lasionycteris noctivagans
Red bat Lasiurus borealis
Hoary bat Lasiurus cinereus
Small-footed bat Myotis leibii
Northern long-eared bat Myotis septentrionalis
Little brown bat Myotis lucifugus
Indiana bat Myotis sodalis
Evening bat Nycticeius humeralis
Eastern pipistrelle Pipistrellus subflavus

Insects and other invertebrates (insectivores)

Short-tailed shrew Blarina brevicauda
Least shrew Cryptotis parva
Masked shrew Sorex cinereus
Long-tailed or Rock shrew Sorex dispar
Smoky shrew Sorex fumeus
Pygmy shrew Sorex hoyi
Water shrew Sorex palustris
Eastern mole Scalopus aquaticus
Hairy-tailed mole Parascalops breweri
Star-nosed mole Condylura cristata

Plant eaters (herbivores)

Snowshoe hare Lepus americanus
Eastern cottontail Sylvilagus floridanus
Appalachian cottontail Sylvilagus obscurus
Woodchuck or Groundhog Marmota monax
Gray squirrel Sciurus carolinensis
Fox squirrel Sciurus niger
Eastern chipmunk Tamias striatus
Red squirrel Tamiasciurus hudsonicus
Northern flying squirrel Glaucomys sabrinus
Southern flying squirrel Glaucomys volans
Beaver Castor canadensis
Woodrat or Pack rat Neotoma floridana
White-footed mouse Peromyscus leucopus
Deer mouse Peromyscus maniculatus
Red-backed vole Clethrionomys gapperi
Yellow-nosed vole Microtus chrotorrhinus
Meadow vole Microtus pennsylvanicus
Pine vole Microtus pinetorum
Muskrat Ondatra zibethicus
Bog lemming Synaptomys cooperi
Meadow jumping mouse Zapus hudsonius
Porcupine Erethizon dorsatum
Elk Cervus elaphus
White-tailed deer Odocoileus virginianus

Fish eaters (piscivores)

Hooded seal Cystophora cristata

Meat eaters (carnivores)

Coyote Canis latrans
Wolf Canis lupus
Gray fox Urocyon cinereoargenteus
Red fox Vulpes vulpes
Pine marten Martes americana
Fisher Martes pennanti
Ermine or Short-tailed weasel Mustela erminea
Long-tailed weasel Mustela frenata
Least weasel Mustela nivalis
Mink Mustela vison
Badger Taxidea taxus
Spotted skunk Spilogale putorius
River otter Lutra canadensis
Mountain lion Felis concolor
Lynx Lynx canadensis
Bobcat Lynx rufus

Mixture of plant and meat eaters (omnivores)

Opossum Didelphis virginiana
Thirteen-lined ground squirrel Spermophilus tridecemlineatus
House mouse Mus musculus
Norway rat Rattus norvegicus
Black rat Rattus rattus
Woodland jumping mouse Napaeozapus insignis
Raccoon Procyon lotor
Black bear Ursus americanus
Striped skunk Mephitis mephitis



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