A Great afternoon staycation at Maine Wildlife Park Part 2

Albino Raccoon

When I left off I was talking about the raccoons here and how they actually had an albino one that used to be owned by my ex-brother in laws, sister in law.
“There were a few different raccoons (Procyon lotor) on display here including a brother and sister pair, one of whom is an albino. I think these are the same pair that used to be owned by a friend of mine….”

Albino (Albinism) animals are a result of the total lack of melanin pigment in the eyes, skin, hair, scales or shells of mammals including humans. This can also be found in fish, birds, reptiles and amphibians. The eyes of an animal with albinism appear red due to the underlying retinal blood vessels showing through where there is not enough pigment to cover them. The most common misconception is that any creature falling victim to this disorder is also sterile. This however is not true as they are in fact fully capable of reproducing just like everything else.

Although we didn’t see any ducks on our trip here, you may have an opportunity to see several different breeds of ducks when you visit. One duck you may see is the Common Goldeneye. Common Goldeneyes like using wood duck boxes. They are well known for their large broods of young. It is not uncommon to see a goldeneye hen with up to 15 ducklings following her through the grassy swamp vegetation. Goldeneyes like ponds, lakes, swamps and shallow rivers. They also like the weedy margins of flowages as long as they are near open woods with large trees. There was a wood duck box onsite here, but it was not being used by any ducks.

Coyote

Another popular animal here is the Eastern Coyote. Eastern Coyotes are a little larger than their cousins out west. The Coyotes in Maine didn’t really start to show up until around 1936 and were found throughout the state by the 1970′s. They are believes to have interbred with wolves from Canada and that is why they are much larger than their western cousins and are often confused for wolves. Coyotes are highly intelligent and adapt well to their surrounding areas. Coyotes are very opportunistic eaters eating just about anything in the spring and summer. They forage for grasses, mice, fawns, woodchucks, grasshoppers, beetles, snakes and wild birds. In the fall they resort more to eating berries, acorns, and apples. Their winter diet may consist of Snowshoe Hare and Deer. They tend to die from distemper as they are very susceptible to it. They also very commonly die from mange, intestinal parasites, starvation and injuries. There is approximate 12-16,000 coyotes throughout the entire state of Maine alone.

Maine Black Bear

Every wildlife park in Maine has to have a Maine Black Bear or two. This one is no exception as there were at least 2 on display here. The Maine Black Bear is much smaller than the Brown Bear which was also on display here. The Female Maine Black Bear doesn’t eat or drink anything during its 5 month winter slumber, but it is still able to produce enough milk to raise thier 12 ounce cubs at birth to around 3-8 pounds by the time they leave the Den. Cubs will continue to nurse for 7-9 months even though they are able to hunt and forage for wild food around 5 months old.

The best way to see bears in the wild is to understand their habits and life cycle. When they emerge from their dens in the Spring, they are usually very hungry. They will eat everything from greening grass, leftover nuts and leaf buds. The summer is when they really try to fill themselves with everything edible they can find to help them survive the winter months. They will eat blueberries, apples, insects, carrion, leftover agricultural crops and beechnuts.

They like to live in remote forests and mixed woodlands, but can also be seen in agricultural areas. Black Bears are very shy and elusive, but with more and more people moving into their habitats, they are bumping into people more and more often. Although Black Bears can be very large, they are not normally aggressive towards people. Food however can be a very powerful attraction for them and so it is important to watch how you leave your garbage, bird feeders and the like to avoid attracting them. If you do happen to encounter one, you want to make sure they have a clear escape route as they tend to be timid and prefer to run away. If they do not have a clear escape route, make one quickly and yell, clap and shout at them and they will leave. Females with cubs tend to a little more aggressive, so I recommend you avoid them as much as possible. Maine has one of the largest Black Bear populations in America with nearly 24,000 believed to be here.

Grey Fox

The Grey fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus) is another animal native to Maine that you will find here. The Grey fox are active primarily at night. The Common Grey Fox is not seen very commonly foraging during the daylight, unless it is rabid. This is the only American canine with true climbing abilities. It occasionally hunts in trees and often takes refuge in them, especially in leaning or thick branched ones. It favors woodlands and spaces among boulders on the slopes of rocky ridges for dens. Although it will dig if neccesary to make a den, sometimes enlarging a woodchuck burrow. It may also den in small caves, rock piles, hollow logs and hollow trees. The Male Grey Fox will help tend to the young but doesn’t den with the family. The kits are weened by 3 months and are able to hunt for themselves by 4 months old. Other than humans, Grey foxes have very few enemies. Humans tend to hunt, trap and run over common Grey Foxes.

Woodchuck

Speaking of woodchucks, they have one here that is so friendly I was able to stand right up over him to take his picture. Wood Chucks (Marmota monax) tend to live in fields, forest edges and open woods all over Maine. They are vegetarians that primarily eat green plants, grasses, clovers and alfalfa. They usually have from 2 to 6 young which are born in April or May. They live in elevated Dens at the end of burrows 4 or 5 feet underground that can be as long as 20 to 30 feet. They almost always have 2 or 3 entrances to their burrows. They also hibernate like bears do from around October to February. I think one of the most intriguing things about Woodchucks is they will whistle very loudly when alarmed. If you approach them slowly enough though, you can get within a couple of feet without alarming them. I would not recommend trying to pet them though as they appear to have very defined teeth and I am sure the ability to use them if neccessary.

Stay tuned next week for part 3 of this continuing story or take your family on a visit to the Park and see some of these great creatures for yourself.

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