From the common to the rare or backyards to mountaintops, we need your help in recording mammal observations in Vermont. When you find a mammal or sign of a 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.
- Photograph them from a few different angles if possible: top, side, front. And if they are not alive, consider adding a ruler for scale.
- Scat and tracks left behind by a mammal can often be identified to species. Make sure you take several images and if possible, add something to a photo 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 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:
