Mammals

Gray-brown coyote stands in a field of dry, brown grasses.
Coyotes are more often heard than seen in Cuyahoga Valley.

Courtesy MPSSC

The expansive green space of Cuyahoga Valley National Park provides a refuge for many types of mammals. Forty-one mammal species have been documented in the park.

Coyotes and Foxes

Coyotes returned naturally to the valley in the 1980s after a long absence. They are now the dominant predator in several park ecosystems. The abundance of forest edge habitat along open meadows and fields provides coyotes with plenty of food. Here they find fruits, nuts, small mammals, and other food sources. Coyotes are present in all 88 counties in Ohio. No one is sure how many coyotes live in the Cuyahoga Valley, but recent surveys estimate 100 to 150.

Red and gray foxes take advantage of the same food sources as coyotes, though gray foxes are considered rare in the park. When identifying foxes, remember to look at the tail. Red foxes are taller and lankier with dark legs and a white tip at the end of the tail. Gray foxes are lower to the ground and have a black line running down the top of the tail ending in a black tip. Coyotes also have a black-tipped tail. Red foxes thrive on the edge of suburbia, often taking advantage of human-modified landscapes. They appear to avoid confrontation with coyotes and will often use old groundhog dens to raise their young, known as kits. Gray foxes have semi-retractable claws and can use them to climb trees. This animal's numbers have been declining in the state over the last decade. Its presence has not been confirmed in the national park since 2006, though several people have reported sightings.

 
Chipmunk with brown and beige stripes on its back stands on a log.
A chipmunk is a small, squirrel-like rodent.

© Neil Evans

Small Mammals

Small mammals make up the majority of the mammal population in Cuyahoga Valley. These animals can be found through out the park's forests, fields, and wetlands. They include mice, moles, voles, shrews, chipmunks, and squirrels. If you hear rustling leaves while hiking through the woods, one of these small critters is usually the culprit. A small mammal inventory showed that white-footed mice and short-tailed shrews are two of the most abundant animals in the park.

Bats

Nine species of bats have been found in the park, three of which were first identified in a 2002 bat survey. The Indiana Bat, a federally endangered species, found in the 2002 survey was not identified in the 2022 survey.

Biologists from Summit Metro Parks were the first in the region to detect a bat-killing fungus that causes white-nose syndrome (WNS), at the Liberty Park Reservation in Twinsburg in 2012. This fungal disease has killed millions of bats in the northeastern and eastern United States, including bats that live in the national park. Learn more about the bat population and WNS.

Deer and Other Mammals

Along roadsides, white-tailed deer and woodchucks graze on grasses and forbs in open fields. At night, you may catch a glimpse of raccoons or opossums scurrying across the road, in a hurry to find food or shelter before the day begins.

 
Shiny brown mink sits in a hollow log near water.
Mink have luxurious fur.

NPS Collection

Many of the park's wetlands are filled with beaver and muskrat activity. Where a tree once stood, there may be nothing left but a stump and woodchips, signs of the beaver's need for food, shelter, or a dam. Mink, in search of fish, snakes, or other foods, often visit wetlands or streams are occasionally seen. River otter sightings usually occur in the very early morning when there is minimal human disturbance. In general, these mammals are also very active at dusk and throughout the night feeding on fish and at times, other aquatic animals.

Use the search tool below to see which creatures call the Cuyahoga Valley home.

 

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Last updated: May 2, 2024

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