This page showcases some of our most prevalent smaller mammals found in the Loring-Restoule Ontario area. Mammals are vertebrates (with a backbone) that nurse their young on mothers milk. Only mammals have hair, though some whales which are mammals do not. Mammals are also warm-blooded. Their body temperature remains about the same all the time, even though the temperature of their surroundings may change.
These loud, cantankerous bundles of energy, are often seen racing around the forest floor or running up & down trees, chattering at all who come near. This ill tempered little red head gives loud angry chirps, stomps its feet and twitches its tail..as if scolding those who enter its territory. The red squirrel jealously guards the food it hoards. It stashes food in tree cavities, hollow stumps, under logs and hides food at the base of trees. All these food stores keep the red squirrel active even in the cold of winter. They enjoy conifer cones and may eat more than 100 spruce cones a day. Red squirrel babies are born in late April or Early May, and have been known to turn to eating birds eggs and even baby snowshoe hares to provide them with extra protein. Young squirrels go off on their own by late summer.
The Eastern Chipmunk, looks cute and they behave fairly tame enjoying being hand fed peanuts or seeds from humans. These little animals live independent lives and do not rely on humans for their survival. They live alone and are very secretive over their burrows and cache of food. Chipmunks stock pile large stores of food in their burrows, making it possible for them to remain inside safely and snack during the winter months. Mating begins in late March/early April, and they give birth mid-April to late May with the mother raising their young alone.