From the common to the rare or backyards to mountaintops, we need your help in recording small mammal observations in Vermont. When you find a small mammal, snap as many photos as you can from all angles and submit your observations to the Vermont Atlas of Life on iNaturalist! If you have a collection or past records and would like to contribute those to the atlas, please contact us. We'd love to help you publish your data!
Photography
Often a photograph is all you need to submit a valuable record. Here are some tips on how to provide us with the best evidence.
- Close-ups are the better, but sometimes even a distant image will do (example Gray Squirrels).
- Photograph them from a few different angles if possible: top, side, front. And if they are not alive, consider adding a ruler for scale.
- Even a poor photo may be good enough for identification, so don’t worry if you don’t have the perfect image; you can still share it. We may be able to identify it.
Identifying Small Mammals
Even if you don’t know the species, add it to iNaturalist and just identify it as a mammal. There are many of us that will help identify it to species from your photos if possible. Some species can be tricky. But with a bit of practice and patience, you can learn to identify many of Vermont’s species. Our Species Accounts are a great place to start. Here are a few online guides to help you even more:
