Thirty-seven species of mammals have been identified at Indiana Dunes National Park. Four other species are thought to inhabit the park, but have not been documented: the northern long-eared myotis (Myotis septentrionalis), the Indiana bat (Myotis sodalis), the hoary bat (Lasiurus cinereus), and the southern bog lemming (Synaptomys cooperi)
Common mammals seen by visitors and residents include the eastern cottontail, the eastern fox squirrel, the white-footed mouse, the white-tailed deer, and the meadow vole. Extirpated mammals include the common porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum), the Eastern wolf (Canis lycaon), the red wolf (Canis rufus), the black bear (Ursus americanus), the fisher (Pekania pennanti), the cougar (Puma concolor), the Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis), the bobcat (Lynx rufus), the elk (Cervus canadensis), and the American bison (Bison bison). There are two threatened or endangered species in the dunes. The American badger (Taxidea taxus), on the Indiana threatened list is known to inhabit the area. The Indiana bat (Myotis indiana), on the federal endangered list is presumed to inhabit areas of the dunes.Mammals of the Indiana Dunes; John O. Whitaker, Jr., John Gibble, & Eric Kjellmark; Scientific Monograph NPS/NRINDU/NRSM-94/24. United States Department of the Interior, National Park Service, 1994 Recent records, documented photographically, indicate that North American river otter (Lontra canadensis) and bobcat (Lynx rufus) began returning to the area in 2011 and 2018, respectively.
List of mammals documented in the Dunes
Common name Latin Name Locations1Marsupial(Order Didelphimorphia)Virginia opossumDidelphis virginianaMiller Woods, Dune Park,Ecology of Miller Woods, Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore Research Program, Report 90-01; National Park Service, Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore; Porter Indiana; 1990Proceedings of the Indiana Academy of Science, 1921, Mammals of Porter County by Marcus W Lyon, Jr; Wm B. Burford Pub; Indianapolis, Indiana, 1922 and Portage LakefrontEnvironmental Assessment, Portage Lakefront Park, Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore; National Park Service, May 20075InsectivoresOrder Insectivora Masked shrew Sorex cinereus Miller Woods and Portage LakefrontNorthern short-tailed shrewBlarina brevicaudaLeast shrewCryptotis parvaEastern moleScalopus aquaticus Millerwoods, and Portage Lakefront short-tailed shrew Blarina brevicauda interdunal ponds, the pines, and Portage Lakefront5BatsOrder Chiroptera Little brown batMyotis lucifugus Portage Lakefront Eastern red batLasiurus borealis Silver-haired batLasionycteris noctivagansBig brown batEptesicus fuscus Red bat Nycteris borealis1LagomorphsOrder Lagomorpha Eastern cottontailSylvilagus floridanus Millerwoods and Portage Lakefront18RodentsOrder RodentiaEastern chipmunkTamias striatusWoodchuckMarmota monaxThirteen-lined ground squirrelSpermophilus tridecemlineatus Millerwoods and Portage LakefrontEastern gray squirrelSciurus carolinensis Millerwoods and Portage LakefrontEastern fox squirrelSciurus niger Millerwoods and Portage LakefrontAmerican red squirrelTamiasciurus hudsonicus Millerwoods and Portage LakefrontSouthern flying squirrelGlaucomys volansAmerican beaverCastor canadensisWhite-footed mousePeromyscus leucopus Millerwoods and Portage Lakefront Northern deer mousePeromyscus leucopus noveboracenis Prairie deer mousePeromyscus maniculatus bairdii Portage Lakefront Brown ratRattus norvegicus House mouseMus musculus Prairie voleMicrotus ochrogaster Meadow voleMicrotus pennsylvanicus Millerwoods and Portage Lakefront Woodland voleMicrotus pinetorum Portage Lakefront Common muskratOndatra zibethicus Millerwoods and Portage Lakefront Meadow jumping mouseZapus hudsonius9Carnivores Order Carnivora Bobcat Lynx rufus North American river otter Lontra Canadensis Coyote Canis latrans Red fox Vulpes vulpes Dunes Common gray foxUrocyon cinereoargenteus Common raccoonProcyon lotor dunes, Millerwoods, and Portage Lakefront Long-tailed weaselNeogale frenata Portage Lakefront Least weaselMustela nivalis American minkNeogale vison near water, and Portage Lakefront American badgerTaxidea taxus Striped skunkMephitis mephitis Portage Lakefront1ArtiodactylsOrder ArtiodactylaWhite-tailed deerOdocoileus virginianus Millerwoods and Portage Lakefront
Habitats While this article breaks out mammal communities by habitats, one of the problems you'll encounter in the Dunes community is that the habitats are in flux. Razed Residential areas are slowly returning to the habitat of the surrounding area, whether that is a wetland hummock, or a savanna. At Mount Baldy forested areas are becoming open sand. While the process may take years, an area that once hosted a community of plants and animals may change in your lifetime.
Barren ground Barren ground consists of open sand on the beaches and blowouts. Barren grounds are about 4% of the dunes areas and occur mostly along the beaches. Because of the scarcity of plants there are no permanent mammals living in the area. The normal process is for animals to hunt on the beach at night. Some animals will live in the scattered clumps of plants that may remain or return to the blowouts. Evidence of animals in the barren areas is usually done through their tracks. Animals appear to go to the beach to feed and/or drink. In the blowouts, evidence of mammals is found near the clumps of grass (marrain grass and sea rocket).Mammals of the Indiana Dunes; John O. Whitaker, Jr., John Gibble, & Eric Kjellmark; Scientific Monograph NPS/NRINDU/NRSM-94/24. United States Department of the Interior, National Park Service, 1994, page 16
Species found Beaches: Virginia opossum, raccoon, and prairie deer mice and white-tailed deer. Blowouts: masked shrew, prairie vole, and meadow voles.
Prairie About 4.4% of the area of the dunes is prairie. Three-fourths of that is dry prairie, the remainder is wet prairie.Mammals of the Indiana Dunes; John O. Whitaker, Jr., John Gibble, & Eric Kjellmark; Scientific Monograph NPS/NRINDU/NRSM-94/24. United States Department of the Interior, National Park Service, 1994, page 18
Dry prairie Dry prairie primarily is along the front of dunes. It is easily identified by open sand with stands of marram grass and sand reed. The increased plant life over the barren sand provides shelter for small mammals. Little bluestem grass may be mixed in or it may form dense clumps among the dunes. The plots with little bluestem grass often had a greater variety of plant species, especially when away from the lakeshore.
Species found Marram grass, sand reed, little bluesteam dominated prairie: Prairie deer mice, white-footed mice, meadow voles, thirteen-lined ground squirrels, northern short-tailed shrews, and eastern cottontails. The prairie mice are the only small mammal that increase in numbers with less plant cover. Voles thrive only with good plant cover. When short-tailed shrews use dry prairies only where they abut wetter areas.
Marram grass, and sand reed only prairie: Prairie deer mice, white-footed mice, prairie voles, ground squirrels, eastern cottontails, and northern short-tailed shrew.
Little bluestem grass dominant areas Prairie deer mice, white-footed mice, northern short-tailed shrews, thirteen-lined ground squirrels, and eastern cottontail.
Signs foundeastern cottontail, the red fox, white-tailed deer, domestic dog and the long-tailed weasel. Sign have been seen that may be the southern bog lemming, but no animal itself has been found to confirm its presence. The bog lemming stays pretty much in bogs or wet areas. It does have a broad range of habitats around wetland areas. The thirteen-lined ground squirrel stays mostly in mowed areas, i.e., lawns, pastures, and roadsides. There discovery may indicate that they lived in the dry prairie before settlement created artificially maintained (mowed) spaces.
Wet prairie Shrub layer with of willow, aspen, and oak. Some of the major grasses were reed canary grass and blue joint grass. Cattails and rushes were also dominant in some areas. Cover ranged from animals being able to hide in clumps animals able to move about without being seen.
Species found The masked shrew was most prominent. Meadow vole had been seen along the edge of wet areas at Hoosier Prairie. The white-footed mouse and the northern short-tailed shrew also in abundance. Other mammals were prairie deer mice, common raccoons, meadow vole, and meadow jumping mouse. Sign of the eastern mole, the woodchuck, the common raccoon and the white-tailed deer were seen.
Terrestrial shrubland No major terrestrial shrubland exists at the lakeshore. Instead, there is a shrubby area between the grass-covered dunes and the forested dunes. They consist of saplings of oaks, conifers, basswood; other trees soon to populate; and sometimes other species such as grape, cherry, and bearberry.
Lowland terrestrial shrubland This habitat may be willow thickets, red maple thicket or an aspen thicket. Some are former sand mines which are returning as dry prairie, including clumps of little bluestem grass or red osier dogwood.
Species found No species of mammals were dominant or even abundant in this habitat. Mammals found include white-footed mice, northern short-tailed shrews, thirteen-lined ground squirrels, Virginia opossums, common raccoons, woodchuck, red squirrel, and meadow vole. Sign may be seen of eastern cottontail, white-tailed deer, and the eastern mole. The use of this area is transitory as the area habitat is transitory.
Upland terrestrial shrubland Upland terrestrial shrubland are disturbed areas between grassy old field or savanna and wooded habitats.
Species found The meadow voles and shrews reflect the former fields rather than the current shrubs. In the woody vegetation there is a range of animals from small to large including meadow voles, short-tailed shrews, white-footed mice, raccoons, masked shrew. prairie deer mouse, prairie vole, and meadow jumping mouse. Signs of white-tailed deer, eastern cottontail, eastern chipmunk, eastern fox squirrel, domestic dog, and red fox were found.
Savanna The lakeshore includes three types of savanna. Oak savanna constitutes about 3% of the area, coniferous savanna about 0,196, and mixed deciduous savanna about 1.0%.
Oak savanna Oak savannas are grassy areas with a scattering of black oaks. These areas grade black oak forest. It is often difficult to decide between black oak forest and black oak savanna. The oak forest has a canopy of pure black oak. The understory is varied. Common shrubs in the understory include: oak saplings, blackberry, blueberry, rose, and Japanese honeysuckle. Common herbs in the understory include major grasses or sedges. Bracken fern and goldenrod are occasionally significant.
Species found The white-footed mouse was the most abundant mammal found. The prairie deer mice occur in the sparsely vegetated and dry areas. The white-footed mouse is primarily in the woods but lives in a variety of habitats. Savanna is primarily a thinly wooded habitat that tends to favor the white-footed mouse over the prairie deer mouse. The prairie deer mouse prefers areas where the canopy is thinner and when the undergrowth is thin. Additionally, this habitat included: masked shrews, thirteen-lined ground squirrels, eastern chipmunks, southern flying squirrel, and the common raccoon. Seen in the oak savanna were the white-tailed deer; eastern mole, woodchuck, and eastern fox squirrel; eastern cottontail, eastern chipmunk, and red fox; and eastern gray squirrel.
Coniferous savanna Little coniferous savanna occurs in a narrow band between the grassy dunes and the black oak dunes. There is a layer of jack pine and a few black oaks. The shrub layer is very dense, forming fair to excellent cover. Bearberry and little bluestem grass are the dominant plants.
Species found