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| Whitetail Buck |
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| Whitetail Does in flight. |
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The Pennsylvania whitetail deer is the center of mammal population at Whitetail Wetlands, thus, the name. We see them every season, mating in the fall, doting over new fawns in the late spring, winter foraging, and at their peak in the summer. The beautiful shy creatures were part of the inspiration for creating a sanctuary.
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Other mammals that live here include coyotes, red foxes, squirrels, rabbits, groundhogs, muskrats, mink, skunks, moles, voles, the list seems endless. But each has it's importance in nature's balance, some as predator, some as prey. Nature does a great job in keeping this balance. Coyotes prey on young deer, foxes prey on young waterfowl, mink prey on muskrats. Rabbits join the food chain as prey for larger owls and hawks.
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| This muscrat and his brothers and sisters have beautiful auburn coats but they are not always welcome to the wetlands. They dig holes in the dikes and undermine a lot of hard work. |
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| Grey Squirrel |
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Even the ducks and geese that come to nest at the wetlands need some predators as population control. Otherwise, there would be a population explosion because geese can raise families of 10 to 13, and wood ducks as many as eight. Food would become over foraged and disease would become probable. Thus, the mammal population here is vital to a healthy environment.
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