ACE Basin Characterization Study: Species Gallery
The ACE Basin contains six distinct ecosystem habitat types that range from subtidal areas and vast wetlands to uplands. These habitats are characterized by more than 1500 different plant and animal species that interact with the physical environment to create the ACE Basin ecosystem.
Mammals
- Bobcat
- Bottlenosed Dolphin
- Eastern Cottontail Rabbit
- Eastern Gray Squirrel
- Eastern Woodrat
- Gray Fox
- Marsh Rabbit
- Norway Rat
- Raccoon
- Rafinesque's Big-eared Bat
- River Otter
- White-tailed Deer
Forty-seven species of mammals, in nine orders, are estimated to occur in the ACE Basin study, representing nine orders: bats, rabbits, rodents, marsupials, insectivores, carnivores, manatees, dolphins, and hooved mammals. A number of mammalian species (e.g., dolphins, whales, and manatees) have adapted to an exclusively aquatic life. Several species of dolphins and whales can be found in waters offshore of the ACE Basin study area. Similar to bird species, mammals typically utilize several habitat types during their lifetime. Thus, loss of habitat diversity is probably the most significant threat to mammals.
To preserve the mammalian fauna in the ACE Basin study area, managers must continue to protect large tracts of undisturbed land that include an interspersion of many different habitat types such as wetlands, meadows, and forests.