Mammals
Cape Breton Highlands National Park
Mammals can be found in all three land regions within Cape Breton Highlands National Park as well as along the coast and in the saltwater next to the park. Most mammals are quite secretive but you're sure to see a red squirrel, snowshoe hare or moose when you visit the park. If you're really lucky you might get to hear the coyotes howling in the night, or see some seals playing in the water off one of the beaches.
Land mammals
The mixture of Acadian, Boreal and Taiga land regions in northern Cape Breton offers a wide variety of habitats to both temperate (preferring warmer conditions) and boreal (preferring colder conditions) land mammals. However, natural barriers such as the Canso Strait and the highlands make it difficult for some land animals to move into Cape Breton. This is why there are only about 40 land mammal species on Cape Breton Island, three quarters of the number found on mainland Nova Scotia.
Red fox, black bear, bobcat, white-tailed deer, woodland jumping mouse, meadow jumping mouse and masked shrew are all typical Acadian forest species found in northern Cape Breton. Snowshoe hare, red squirrel, red-backed vole, Canada lynx, American marten and moose are typical boreal species found here. Although moose are listed as a boreal species, they are numerous within Cape Breton Highlands National Park and make use of all three land regions.
Adventive mammal species in Cape Breton include the raccoon, coyote and bobcat, which have all moved into Cape Breton on their own since the Canso Causeway was built in 1956. White-tailed deer were introduced to the island by humans in the early 1900s. Disjunct mammals in Cape Breton include the rock vole and Gaspé shrew.
Marine mammals
The most commonly seen marine mammals are the pilot whale, minke whale, white-sided dolphin and harbour seal. Pilot whales are especially common along the shore in summer, following schools of squid and mackerel which they eat. White-sided dolphins are common off shore in the summer. Humpback whales may occasionally be seen farther off shore in the summer. The threatened harbour porpoise and the fin whale, a species of special concern in Canada, may also sometimes be seen in the waters surrounding the park; the fin whale is usually following schools of herring.
Harbour seals and grey seals can be seen in summer along the east coast; harbour seals come on to the shore often in winter. Harp seals may occasionally be seen in the summer.
Checklist of land mammals in Cape Breton Highlands National Park
| ORDER | ||
| Family (Common name) | ||
| Species | Scientific name | Status in park |
|---|---|---|
| INSECTIVORA | ||
| Soricidae (Shrews) | ||
| Masked shrew | Sorex cinereus | Abundant |
| American water shrew | Sorex palustris | Rare |
| Long-tailed shrew | Sorex dispar ssp. | Rare |
| Pygmy shrew | Microsorex thompsoni | Rare |
| Short-tailed shrew | Blarina brevicauda | Rare |
| Talpidae (Moles) | ||
| Star-nosed mole | Condylura cristata | Rare |
| CHIROPTERA | ||
| Vespertilionidae (Bats) | ||
| Little brown bat | Myotis lucifugus | Uncommon |
| Northern long-eared bat | Myotis septentrionalis | Rare |
| LAGOMORPHA | ||
| Leporidae (Hares) | ||
| Snowshoe hare | Lepus americana | Uncommon to abundant |
| ARTIODACTYLA | ||
| Cervidae (Deer) | ||
| Caribou | Rangifer tarandus | Extirpated |
| White-tailed deer | Odocoileus virginianus | Uncommon |
| Moose | Alces alces | Abundant |
| RODENTIA | ||
| Castoridae (Beaver) | ||
| American beaver | Castor canadensis | Rare |
| Sciuridae (Squirrels) | ||
| Eastern chipmunk | Tamias striatus | Uncommon |
| Red squirrel | Tamiasciurus hudsonicus | Common |
| Northern flying squirrel | Glaucomys sabrinus | Uncommon |
| Muridae (Rats, mice and voles) | ||
| Deer mouse | Peromyscus maniculatus | Abundant |
| Red-backed vole | Myodes gapperi | Abundant |
| Southern bog lemming | Synaptomys cooperi | Rare |
| Muskrat | Ondatra zibethicus | Rare |
| Meadow vole | Microtus pennsylvanicus | Uncommon |
| Rock vole | Microtus chrotorrhinus | Rare |
| Norway rat | Rattus norvegicus | Rare - introduced |
| House mouse | Mus musculus | Rare - introduced |
| Dipodidae (Jumping mice) | ||
| Meadow jumping mouse | Zapus hudsonicus | Rare |
| Woodland jumping mouse | Napaeozapus insignis | Uncommon |
| CARNIVORA | ||
| Canidae (Dogs) | ||
| Coyote | Canis latrans | Common |
| Timber wolf | Canis lupus | Extirpated |
| Red fox | Vulpes vulpes | Common |
| Ursidae (Bears) | ||
| Black bear | Ursus americanus | Common |
| Procyonidae (Raccoons and pandas) | ||
| Raccoon | Procyon lotor | Uncommon |
| Mustelidae (Weasels) | ||
| American marten | Martes americana | Rare |
| Ermine | Mustela erminea | Uncommon |
| American mink | Mustela vison | Uncommon |
| River otter | Lutra canadensis | Rare |
| Felidae (Cats) | ||
| Canada lynx | Lynx lynx | Uncommon |
| Bobcat | Lynx rufus | Common |
Checklist of marine mammals near Cape Breton Highlands National Park
| ORDER | ||||
| Family (Common name) | ||||
| Species | Scientific name | Status in park | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CETACEA | ||||
| Monodontidae (White whales) | ||||
| Beluga whale | Delphinapterus leucas | Rare | ||
| Delphinidae (Dolphins and porpoises) | ||||
| Atlantic white-sided dolphin | Lagenorhyncus acutus | Common - summer | ||
| Pilot whale | Globicephala melaena | Common - summer and fall | ||
| Harbour porpoise | Phocoena phocoena | Common - spring to fall | ||
| Balaenopteridae (Rorquals) | ||||
| Fin whale | Balaenoptera physalus | Common - March and October | ||
| Sei whale | Balaenoptera borealis | Occasional visitor | ||
| Minke whale | Balaenoptera acutorostrata | Occasional visitor | ||
| Humpback whale | Megaptera novaeangliae | Occasional visitor | ||
| PINNIPEDIA | ||||
| Phocidae (Seals) | ||||
| Grey seal | Halichoerus grypus | Uncommon - late January to February | ||
| Harbour seal | Phoca vitulina | Common | ||
| Harp seal | Phoca groenlandica | Rare - January to April | ||
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