(personal communication from L. Alexander, Forestry Department, University of 

 New Hampshire, Durham, NH.; February, 1979). Squirrels digging under oaks and 

 hickories expose mineral soil that is required for germination of white pine 

 seeds . 



Insectivorous or carnivorous mammals consume a wide variety of animal tissue, 

 including insects and other invertebrates, fish, reptiles and amphibians, 

 birds, and other mammals (figure 17-3). Mammals in turn are preyed upon by 

 fish (e.g., bass), reptiles (snakes and turtles), and birds (hawks and owls). 



Just as there are habitat generalists and specialists among mammals there are 

 also diet generalists and specialists. Some generalists are the coyote, fox, 

 raccoon, black bear, and opossum. Specialists include the bobcat, water 

 shrew, and most bats. Diet specialists are more susceptible to disruptions in 

 their food supply, both natural and human- induced, because they are not 

 capable of changing to other food sources if their preferred food is not 

 available. Diet specialists are also vulnerable to the effects of pollution 

 and pesticides, because if their food becomes contaminated they may acquire 

 large concentrations through repeated small doses. 



Beavers have a unique role in their communities. Beaver dams create habitat 

 for many other species of mammals, as well as fish, reptiles, amphibians, 

 invertebrates, and birds. Beaver flowages are particularly important for 

 moose (Dunn et al. 1975) and are used by deer (Banasiak and Hugie 1975), bear 

 (Hugie and Banasiak 1975), and aquatic mammals (e.g., muskrat, mink, otter, 

 etc.) . 



FACTORS OF ABUNDANCE 



The distribution and abundance of mammals on a regional basis is affected most 

 by the amount and quality of their preferred habitats. There are no data on 

 habitat availability within the six characterization regions but information 

 does exist for the three Wildlife Management Units that encompass the coastal 

 zone. A summary of the major habitat types is presented in table 17-2, while 

 a more detailed description can be found in appendix tables 1 to 9 . Overall, 

 75% of the total area of Wildlife Management Units 6, 7, and 8 is covered with 

 forest habitat, ranging from 69% in Unit 8 to 82% in Unit 6. While this is 

 less than the overall State total of 90% (Ferguson and Kingsley 1972), there 

 unquestionably is an abundance of forest habitat. The combined amount of 

 urban and rural land constitutes 16% of the total area, ranging from 8% in 

 Unit 6 to 22% in Unit 8. Since the majority of developed land is along the 

 immediate coast, the proportion within the characterization area is much 

 higher. Open fresh water (lakes and ponds) constitutes 5% of the area, and 

 wetlands (both fresh and saltwater) occupy only 3% to U%. 



The importance of a habitat type to mammals usually should not be judged on 

 the basis of acreage alone. As was pointed out earlier, wetland habitats 

 support some of the most diverse mammal communities and yet constitute only a 

 small portion of the total characterization area. Habitats such as these that 

 are in short supply are often critical for the survival of some species. 



In order to show how these habitat figures relate to animal abundance, table 

 17-4 summarizes the available habitat, species densities (animals per unit of 

 habitat), and total populations for a number of game and furbearing species in 



17-15 



10-80 



