Presence of terrestrial mammals in the natural regions

Order-Species

Priority rank

Numbers of regions

Lowlands

Laurentians

Appa- lachians

Lower North Shore Plateau

Anti- costi Island

Magdalen Islands

Queb.¹

Contin.²

B1

B2

C8

D1

D7

D8

D10

A3

A4

E1

E2

E3

E4

X4

IMA

Marsupials

Virginia opossum

S3

G5

1

X

Insectivores

Masked shrew

S5

G5

13

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

Smoky shrew *

S5

G5

7

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

Arctic shrew

S4

G5

3

X

X

X

Gaspé shrew * †

S3

G3

1

X

American water shrew

S5

G5

13

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

Pigmy shrew *

S5

G5

13

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

Short-tailed shrew

S5

G5

9

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

Hairy-tailed mole

S4

G5

3

X

X

X

Star-nosed mole

S5

G5

13

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

Chiroptera

Little brown bat

S4

G5

15

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

Northern long-eared bat

S4

G4

13

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

Small-footed bat

S3

G3

1

X

Eastern pipistrelle *

S2

G5

3

X

X

X

Silver-haired bat *

S4

G5

6

X

X

X

X

X

X

Red bat *

S4

G5

8

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

Hoary bat *

S4

G5

7

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

Big brown bat

S4

G5

2

X

X

Lagomorpha

Eastern cottontail

S5

G5

3

X

X

X

Snowshoe hare

S5

G5

15

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

Rodents

Eastern chipmunk

S5

G5

11

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

Woodchuck

S5

G5

13

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

Grey squirrel

S5

G5

3

X

X

X

American red squirrel

S5

G5

14

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

Southern flying squirrel * †

S3

G5

2

X

X

Northern flying squirrel

S5

G5

13

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

American beaver

S5

G5

14

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

Deer mouse

S5

G5

15

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

White-footed mouse

S5

G5

3

X

X

X

Gapper's red-backed vole

S5

G5

13

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

Heather vole

S4

G5

7

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

Woodland vole *

S3

G5

1

X

Meadow vole

S5

G5

15

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

Rock vole *

S4

G5

14

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

Muskrat

S5

G5

14

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

Southern bog lemming *

S4

G5

10

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

Northern bog lemming

S4

G4

8

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

Norway rat

S5

G5

15

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

House mouse

S5

G5

14

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

Meadow jumping mouse

S5

G5

13

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

Woodland jumping mouse

S5

G5

13

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

American porcupine

S4

G5

13

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

Fissipedia carnivores

Coyote

S5

G5

5

X

X

X

X

X

Wolf

S5

G4

9

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

Arctic fox

S5

G5

2

X

X

Red fox

S5

G5

15

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

Grey fox †

S3

G5

1

X

Black bear ª

S4

G5

14

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

Polar bear †

S2

G4

4

X

X

X

X

Raccoon

S5

G5

6

X

X

X

X

X

X

American marten

S5

G5

13

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

Fisher

S5

G5

10

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

Ermine

S5

G5

14

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

Least weasel *

S4

G5

9

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

Long-tailed weasel

S5

G5

3

X

X

X

Mink

S5

G5

15

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

Striped skunk

S5

G5

10

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

River otter

S5

G5

14

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

Mountain lion * †

S1

G5TH

4

X

X

X

X

Lynx *

S5

G5

12

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

Bobcat *

S4

G5

5

X

X

X

X

X

Artiodactyla

White-tailed deer

S4

G5

6

X

X

X

X

X

X

Moose

S5

G5

12

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

Woodland caribou ³

S3S4

G5T'

9

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

Total

52

49

49

43

43

41

40

44

47

39

37

35

34

17

9

Species in bold characters have a special conservation status ¹ Quebec priority rank according to CDPNQ (1999) ² North American priority rank according to The Nature Conservancy (1999) ³ Gaspé population has a priority rank of S1 ª Anticosti Island population has a priority rank of S1 * Species likely to be designated as threatened or vulnerable (Beaulieu 1992) † Canada endangered species (CSEMDC 1997)

Seven species occur along the entire length of the St. Lawrence, including the little brown bat, snowshoe hare, deer mouse, meadow vole, Norway rat, red fox and mink. When only the 13 natural regions on the mainland are taken into account (therefore excluding Anticosti Island and the Magdalen Islands), this number increases to 26. Some species are restricted to a single natural region. For example, the Virginia opossum, small-footed bat, woodland vole and grey fox are found only in southwestern Quebec, and the Gaspé shrew is restricted to the Gaspé Peninsula. Other species, while present in more than one natural region, are found only in a particular area, such as the arctic fox and polar bear (North Shore), arctic shrew (Laurentians) and the hairy-tailed mole, eastern cottontail, grey squirrel and southern flying squirrel (St. Lawrence Lowlands).

Listed species of terrestrial mammals

Among the terrestrial mammals of the St. Lawrence, 19 have special conservation status. The mountain lion is the only species to be ranked as high priority in Quebec (S1), while two other species, the polar bear and eastern pipistrelle, were ranked just below (S2). In addition, the Gaspé shrew and small-footed bat have a high North American priority ranking, which means that their populations may be endangered. Since most of the terrestrial mammals frequent southern Quebec, the largest number of listed species (i.e. 15) occur in natural regions in the upstream portion of the St. Lawrence (B1, B2). Five of these, the Virginia opossum, small-footed bat, southern flying squirrel, woodland vole and grey fox, are at the northeastern limit of their North American range in southern Quebec. No listed species were found on the Magdalen Islands, while only one, the rock vole, was found on Anticosti Island. The populations of two species found in the Gaspé also deserve special attention: the Gaspé shrew (the entire Quebec population and more than half of the worldwide population occur in this region) and the woodland caribou (the herds in the Chic Choc mountains are endangered). Although the range of the mountain lion takes in the Laurentians and Appalachians, there are no recent records allowing the presence of the species to be confirmed in these locations. Three of the listed species—the silver-haired, hoary and red bats—migrate in autumn to more southerly locations on the continent.



Benoît Jobin and Jean-Luc DesGranges