A gray shape darts across the yard behind the workshop. Then it is gone under the fence.
"Too fast!" says Rocket. "I only saw a fluffy tail."
Raven points at the fence. A tuft of gray fur is caught on a nail.
Nova scans it with a soft cyan light. "Fur means mammal," she says.
"Now look down. What else did it leave?" Rocket finds a tiny track in the dust.
Mammals are animals with fur or hair. Even a few hairs count.
Mammal mothers care for their babies and feed them.
Mammals have warm bodies, even in cold weather. Fur helps hold the warmth in.
Most mammals give birth to live young instead of laying eggs.
You are a mammal. So are dogs, cats, squirrels, deer, mice and bats.
A structure is a body part with a job.
Sharp claws help some mammals dig or climb. Flat hooves help others run on hard ground.
Big ears gather sound. Whiskers feel the way in the dark.
Teeth tell you what a mammal eats. Flat teeth grind plants. Pointed teeth grip and tear.
A bushy tail can help a climber balance. Thick fur keeps a mammal warm in winter.
| Structure | How it helps |
|---|---|
| fur | keeps the body warm |
| claws | dig, climb, hold on |
| big ears | hear danger coming |
| whiskers | feel the way in the dark |
| flat teeth | grind plants |
| pointed teeth | grip and tear food |
Mammals leave many signs. Tracks show toes and sometimes claws.
Tufts of fur get caught on fences and bark. Scat is left along paths.
Chewed nut shells, nibbled bark and stripped cones show where a mammal ate.
Holes in the ground may be burrows. Some mammals dig to make a home.
These are the mammals people record most in your region.
Most of them you will know by their signs long before you see them.
| # | Name | Science name | Seen most |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | White-tailed Deer | Odocoileus virginianus | All year |
| 2 | Eastern Gray Squirrel | Sciurus carolinensis | Mar to May, Sep to Nov |
| 3 | Humpback Whale | Megaptera novaeangliae | Feb, Jun to Sep |
| 4 | Eastern Fox Squirrel | Sciurus niger | Feb to May, Sep |
| 5 | Mule Deer | Odocoileus hemionus | Apr to Nov |
| 6 | Eastern Cottontail | Sylvilagus floridanus | Apr to Aug |
| 7 | Northern Raccoon | Procyon lotor | All year |
| 8 | Coyote | Canis latrans | All year |
| 9 | Bottlenose Dolphin | Tursiops truncatus | Jan to Aug, Oct |
| 10 | Harbor Seal | Phoca vitulina | Apr to Sep |
Whole United States. Names and months come from records people shared on GBIF.org. Your yard may have different neighbors.
| Statement | True or false? |
|---|---|
| All mammals have fur or hair. | ? |
| Most mammals lay eggs. | ? |
| Pointed teeth are for grinding plants. | ? |
| A tuft of fur on a fence is a mammal sign. | ? |
Furry detective work! Tomorrow we look for animals with scales that love the sun.