Animals

Piping Plover

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, is a wonderful assortment of habitat types scattered along the shores of Lake Michigan. Wildlife representative of Michigan in times past can be found during a drive, a hike, a camping trip, or a canoe trip around a small inland lake. Mammals such as white-tailed deer, red fox, porcupine, gray and fox squirrels, bats, and raccoons can be seen almost on a daily basis. Birds abound in the forests, open meadows, beaches, and waterways. North and South Manitou Islands are interesting for the wildlife present or absent. The islands have a wealth of birdlife, but there are no skunks, porcupines or red squirrels. There is only one species of mouse, the woodland deer mouse. Snowshoe hares occur on South Manitou Island but not on North Manitou. An assortment of snakes and turtles can be found throughout the Lakeshore and many campers go to sleep to the sound of frogs singing their evening chorus. Freshwater clams and fish abound in the waters. The sight of a swimming otter or beaver, a spawning salmon, or a hunting bald eagle can make the day for anyone walking along a lake or stream shore.

Mammals
Amphibians
Birds
Fish
Reptiles

 

×

Species Attribute Definitions

Definitions

Occurrence

Occurrence values are defined below. One or more Occurrence Tags may be associated with each Occurrence value.

Present: Species occurs in park; current, reliable evidence available.

Probably Present: High confidence species occurs in park but current, verified evidence needed.

Unconfirmed: Species is attributed to park but evidence is weak or absent.

Not In Park: Species is not known to occur in park.

---

Occurrence Tags

Adjacent: Species is known to occur in areas near to or contiguous with park boundaries.

False Report: Species was reported to occur within the park, but current evidence indicates the report was based on misidentification, a taxonomic concept no longer accepted, or other similar problem of error or interpretation.

Historical: Species' historical occurrence in park is documented. Assigned based on judgment as opposed to determination based on age of the most recent evidence.

---

Abundance

Abundant:

• Animals: May be seen daily, in suitable habitat and season, and counted in relatively large numbers.
• Plants: Large number of individuals; wide ecological amplitude or occurring in habitats covering a large portion of the park.

Common:

• Animals: May be seen daily, in suitable habitat and season, but not in large numbers.
• Plants: Large numbers of individuals predictably occurring in commonly encountered habitats but not those covering a large portion of the park.

Uncommon:

• Animals: Likely to be seen monthly in appropriate habitat and season. May be locally common.
• Plants: Few to moderate numbers of individuals; occurring either sporadically in commonly encountered habitats or in uncommon habitats.

Rare:

• Animals: Present, but usually seen only a few times each year.
• Plants: Few individuals, usually restricted to small areas of rare habitat.

Occasional:

• Animals: Occurs in the park at least once every few years, varying in numbers, but not necessarily every year.
• Plants: Abundance variable from year to year (e.g., desert plants).

Unknown: Abundance unknown

---

Nativeness

Native: Species naturally occurs in park or region.

Non-native: Species occurs on park lands as a result of deliberate or accidental human activities.

Unknown: Nativeness status is unknown or ambiguous.

×

List Differences

The Checklist contains only those species that are designated as "present" or "probably present" in the park.

The Full List includes all the checklist species in addition to species that are unconfirmed, historically detected, or incorrectly reported as being found in the park. The full list also contains species that are "in review" because their status in the park hasn't been fully determined. Additional details about the status of each species is included in the full list.

The checklist will almost always contain fewer species than the full list.

Select a Park:

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

Select a Species Category (optional):

All Amphibians Birds Fish Mammals Reptiles Vascular Plants

Get Checklist Get Full List List Differences

Species attribute definitions

Search results will be displayed here.

Visit NPSpecies for more comprehensive information and advanced search capability. Have a suggestion or comment on this list? Let us know.