Mammals

Beaver

Appearance: Beavers are large, brown-furred rodents with flat, paddle-shaped tails and strong front teeth used for gnawing wood.

Habitat: They live along rivers and wetlands, where they build dams and lodges using branches and mud. Each lodge housing a single-family group will consist of parents, kits and young beavers up to two or three years old.

Diet: Beavers are herbivores, feeding on bark, twigs, leaves and aquatic plants.

Did you know? Beavers can take down up to 200 trees per year to create ponds deep enough not to freeze solid in winter, ensuring safe underwater access to their lodge, food stores and protection from predators.

Bats

Ontario is home to eight species of bats. Seven of these species have been found in Rouge National Urban Park.

Bat species in Rouge National Urban Park

Habitat: The park’s mix of forests, wetlands and open spaces provides ideal roosting and foraging habitats for these nocturnal creatures. In the park, bats typically roost in tree foliage, cavities, rock crevices and even man-made structures. Some species migrate seasonally while others hibernate in caves or sheltered areas during the winter.

Diet: They feed primarily on insects, using echolocation to navigate and hunt in the dark. 

Did you know? The only mammals capable of sustained flight, bats play a vital role in ecosystems by helping control insect populations.

Eastern chipmunk

Appearance: With reddish-brown fur and distinctive dark stripes down its back, the eastern chipmunk is a lively forest dweller.

Habitat: They prefer wooded areas with plenty of shrubs and logs for cover.

Diet: Chipmunks are omnivores, feeding on fruits, nuts, seeds, fungi, insects and even small invertebrates like snails.

Did you know? These chipmunks spend much of their time gathering and storing food in underground burrows to prepare for winter hibernation.

Eastern coyote

Appearance: Eastern coyotes resemble slender dogs with grey-brown fur and bushy tails.

Habitat: Coyotes inhabit a variety of environments including forests and meadows. While present in the park, coyotes are quite shy and generally want to avoid people.

Diet: Their diet is highly adaptable, ranging from small mammals and birds to berries, insects and carrion. 

Did you know? At times, coyotes hunt cooperatively to take down larger prey like deer, showcasing their intelligence and social behaviour.

Eastern grey squirrel

Appearance: Eastern grey squirrels have bushy tails and fur that ranges from grey to jet black, with the black variant being especially common in Ontario, which may offer a survival advantage in colder temperatures by helping them retain heat.

Habitat: They thrive in wooded areas and urban parks where trees provide both food and shelter.

Diet: Their diet includes nuts, seeds, berries, and fungi.

Did you know?  By burying acorns and forgetting some of them, squirrels naturally help forests regenerate and support biodiversity in Rouge National Urban Park.

Groundhog (woodchuck)

Appearance: Groundhogs are stout mammals with brown fur and strong claws for digging.

Habitat: They favour open fields and forest edges, where they can burrow and forage.

Diet: Their diet consists mainly of grasses, fruits and vegetables.

Did you know? Groundhogs, also known as woodchucks, are one of the larger members of the ground squirrel family called marmots. Despite their name, groundhogs are surprisingly agile; they can climb trees and swim, making them versatile residents of the forests and fields in the park.

Long-tailed weasel

Appearance: Slender and agile, the long-tailed weasel has a brown summer coat and a white winter coat that helps them blend into snowy landscapes.

Habitat: The long-tailed weasel lives in wooded and grassy areas.

Diet: They hunts small mammals, birds and insects.

Did you know? Their seasonal camouflage allows them to remain stealthy year-round in Rouge National Urban Park.

Meadow vole

Appearance: Also known as the field mouse, meadow voles are small, brown rodents with short tails and rounded bodies.

Habitat: They make their homes in grassy fields and meadows, where they build intricate tunnel systems beneath the vegetation.

Diet: The meadow vole diet includes grasses, seeds and roots.

Did you know? Meadow vole tunnel networks naturally aerate the soil and help cycle nutrients, which help support healthy plant growth and contribute to the overall vitality of the park’s ecosystems. These tunnels help them forage efficiently and protect them from predators, making them masters of underground living.

Muskrat

Appearance: Muskrats look like small beavers but have distinctly long, narrow tails and weigh only about 1 kg (compared to beavers which can weight in at 16-32 kg).

Habitat: They live in wetlands and build dome-shaped lodges from plants and mud.

Diet: Muskrats feed on aquatic vegetation and occasionally small animals.

Did you know? Unlike beavers, muskrats don’t build dams. Muskrats and beavers live side by side in harmony and their presence in restored wetlands is a strong sign of a thriving aquatic ecosystem in Rouge National Urban Park.

Opossum

Appearance: Opossums are the size of a small cat and have grey fur, white faces and long, hairless tails.

Habitat: Opossums prefer forested areas near water.

Diet: Opossums are nocturnal scavengers, eating insects, fruits and small animals.

Did you know? These mammals play a unique role in limiting the risk of Lyme disease as they consume large numbers of ticks, helping control tick populations naturally.

Porcupine

Appearance: Porcupines are slow-moving rodents covered in about 30,000 sharp quills, which are modified hollowed hairs.

Habitat: Porcupines live in wooded areas and are excellent climbers, often found in trees.

Diet: Their diet includes bark, leaves and twigs.

Did you know? Porcupines can raise and lower their quills using muscles, making them a formidable opponent for predators like coyotes.

Red fox

Appearance: About the size of an adult housecat, the red fox is a member of the canine family with bushy tails and fur that ranges from red to black or brown. 

Habitat: Red foxes inhabit forests, fields and urban edges, often avoiding human contact.

Diet: Their diet is varied, including small mammals, birds, fruits and insects.

Did you know? Red foxes are highly adaptable and are found across North America, Europe, Asia, North Africa and Australia, though they are typically shy and avoid people.

Red squirrel

Appearance: Red squirrels are small, energetic rodents with reddish fur and loud, chattering calls.

Habitat: They live in coniferous forests and are often seen darting through trees.

Diet: Their diet centres on conifer seeds, which they store in hidden caches for winter, and is supplemented with other foods such as mushrooms, berries, insects and bird eggs.

Did you know? These squirrels are known for their feisty nature and territorial behaviour, often defending their food stores aggressively.

White-tailed deer

Appearance: White-tailed deer are herbivores with reddish-brown coats in summer and greyish tones in winter.

Habitat: They roam through forests and meadows of the park. In colder months, they seek shelter in dense cedar groves.

Diet: These deer are herbivores with a varied diet that changes seasonally. They spend a lot of their time foraging for leaves, fruits, grass, acorns and nuts, depending on the time of year.

Did you know? Their white tail, which flashes when alarmed, is a signature trait that helps alert other deer to danger.