The VAL’s Small Mammal Atlas is a convergence of previous efforts to document the population of these 27 species.The creation of the a Small Mammal Atlas was the capstone project of Middlebury College Environmental Studies seniors Jack Cornish, Emma Hills and Emma Ramirez-Richer. The project earned them credit for Dr. Alexis Mychajliw’s ENVS 401/700 Community Engaged Practicum during the 2021-2022 academic year. Their tasks included creating and writing these small mammal species accounts and digitizing inaccessible Vermont small mammal data into the standardized Darwin Core format to have it appear on the Atlas. They supplemented their work with research into the importance and nuances of establishing baselines for species during climate change, and the important role that community science is able to play in establishing these measures. Learn more about the team.
Conservation Status
Small mammals account for much of our mammal diversity, but there is much more we need to learn. Perhaps surprisingly, 22 of the 35 small mammal species are considered of Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN) in the 2015 Vermont Wildlife Conservation Action Plan. For many of these, we lack enough information about their distribution and population trends.
Species of Greatest Conservation Need in Vermont. Bold indicates a regional SGCN.
There are five bat species listed as Threatened and Endangered in Vermont: Eastern Small-footed Bat – Threatened and Little Brown Bat, Northern Long-eared Bat, Indiana Bat, Tricolored Bat are Endangered. Two bats are Federally Listed (Northern Long-eared Bat – Threatened, Indiana Bat – Endangered).
Small Mammal Species Accounts
| Common Name | Scientific Name | State Status | SGCN |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern Gray Squirrel | Sciurus carolinensis | S5 (Secure) | |
| Eastern Chipmunk | Tamias striatus | S5 (Secure) | |
| American Red Squirrel | Tamiasciurus hudsonicus | S5 (Secure) | |
| Northern Flying Squirrel | Glaucomys sabrinus | S4 (Apparently Secure) | Medium Priority |
| Southern Flying Squirrel | Glaucomys volans | S5 (Secure) | Medium Priority |
| Meadow Jumping Mouse | Zapus hudsonius | S5 (Secure) | |
| Woodland Jumping Mouse | Napaeozapus insignis | S5 (Secure) | |
| White-footed Deermouse | Peromyscus leucopus | S5 (Secure) | |
| North American Deermouse | Peromyscus maniculatus | S5 (Secure) | |
| Southern Red-backed Vole | Myodes gapperi | S5 (Secure) | |
| Rock Vole | Microtus chrotorrhinus | S2 (Imperiled) | High Priority |
| Eastern Meadow Vole | Microtus pennsylvanicus | S5 (Secure) | |
| Woodland Vole | Microtus pinetorum | S3 (Vulnerable) | High Priority |
| Northern Bog Lemming | Synaptomys borealis | SU (Unrankable, Lack of Information) | High Priority |
| Southern Bog Lemming | Synaptomys cooperi | S2 (Imperiled) | Medium Priority |
| Norway Rat | Rattus norvegicus | SNA (Non-Native) | |
| House Mouse | Mus musculus | SNA (Non-Native) | |
| Masked Shrew | Sorex cinereus | S5 (Secure) | Medium Priority |
| Long-tailed Shrew | Sorex dispar | S2 (Imperiled) | High Priority |
| Smoky Shrew | Sorex fumeus | S4 (Apparently Secure) | Medium Priority |
| American Pygmy Shrew | Sorex hoyi | S2 (Imperiled) | High Priority |
| American Water Shrew | Sorex palustris | S3 (Vulnerable) | High Priority |
| Northern Short-tailed Shrew | Blarina brevicauda | S5 (Secure) | |
| Hairy-tailed Mole | Parascalops breweri | S4 (Apparently Secure) | Medium Priority |
| Star-nosed Mole | Condylura cristata | S5 (Secure) | |
| Long-tailed Weasel | Mustela frenata | S3S4 | Medium Priority |
| Ermine | Mustela erminea | S5 (Secure) |
General References for Species Profiles
Integrated Taxonomic Information System
NatureServe Explorer: State and Global conservation ranks
2015 Vermont Wildlife Action Plan: Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN)
