Mammals of West River Memorial Park

A survey of the mammalian community of West River Memorial Park in New Haven, Connecticut identified 21 species of mammals representing seven taxonomic orders and 13 families. This community of mammals is dominated by resilient-generalist species commonly found in urban environments and/or associated with tidal salt marshes. The whitefooted mouse (Peromyscus leucopus) was the most abundant small mammal captured. Rodents represented the greatest number of mammalian species (seven). The high species richness (diversity and relative abundance) of mammals in the park is believed linked to the area’s vegetatively diverse patches of closely spaced habitat types. Deciduous woodland habitat, in particular, provides essential life requisites for many species of mammals. The effects of salt marsh restoration and urban development on mammal diversity and abundance are discussed. Mammals would be poor biological indicators of successful salt marsh restoration because of their generalist behavioral characteristics and high adaptability to a wide range of habitats. No mammals listed by the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection as endangered, threatened, or of special concern will be adversely impacted by the planned restoration of the salt marsh. The number and diversity of mammals within a given community can be influenced by many ecological factors, including interand intra-species competition, availability of suitable habitat, abiotic factors such as weather and atmospheric deposition, diseases and parasites, and human activities (Webster et al. 1985). Of these, suitable habitat probably is the most important factor regulating the distribution and abundance of terrestrial mammals within their geographic ranges (Vaughan 1972). Land-use patterns and disturbance regimes also can have profound effects on the abundance, distribution, and diversity of terrestrial vertebrates (Wilson 1988). Nearly all wetlands in the conterminous United States have been severely impacted by human activities (Frederickson and Laubhan 1996). Despite a history of human disturbances (Casagrande, pp. 13-40, this volume), West River Memorial Park, located within metropolitan New Haven, Connecticut, continues to support a diverse mammalian community with an interesting mixture of taxa. Some species are typically associated with urban environments while others, perceived by most people as residents of dense forest ecosystems, have become acclimated to civilization. Other species that usually inhabit either coastal wetlands or are common to fragmented woodlands also were found in the park.