Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge
Wildlife ~ Mammals

Thirty-one mammal species are known to live on Chincoteague NWR or in waters surrounding the refuge. These animals can delight the patient visitor who simply is willing to sit and watch. 


Deer: 

White-tailed deer are the largest native land mammals on the refuge. Abundant in wooded areas and upland meadows, they are also attracted to sites where dead trees have been cleared and tender regenerating forest vegetation is plentiful. 
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Sika: 

An exotic animal roams the refuge and can often be seen along the Beach Road by visitors. Sika, an oriental elk, has flourished on Assateague Island since the l920's when a few pair were released on the north end of the island. Sika are much smaller (average adult weight 75 lbs) than white-tailed deer, and are characterized by their rich brown, often spotted coats. Like the white-tailed deer, sika are abundant in the refuge's woodlands and meadows and are especially attracted to new, early successional vegetation. They also frequent the marsh edges and are commonly seen from the Wildlife Loop. They are also destructive to the habitat and compete with the native white-tailes for food; a limited public hunting program is provided to keep their population in check. 
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Ponies: 

The "Chincoteague Ponies" are descendants of colonial horses brought to Assateague Island in the l7th century by Eastern Shore planters when crop damage caused by free roaming animals led colonial legislatures to enact laws requiring fencing and taxes on livestock. The modern-day descendants of those domestic horses are wild and have adapted to their environment. Prior to the refuge's establishment, the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company purchased the ponies and continues ownership to this day. 

A fence along the Virginia/Maryland State line (the northern refuge boundary) separates the island's ponies into two herds. The Maryland herd is owned by the National Park Service. The Virginia herd is owned by the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company and is grazed in two designated compartments on the refuge. 

Following tradition, the Fire Company rounds up the entire herd (approximately 150 ponies) for the Annual Pony Penning and Auction held on the last Wednesday and Thursday of July; some foals and yearlings are sold at auction to benefit the town's ambulance and fire services. 
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Other Land Mammals: 

Red fox are fairly common in brushy areas throughout the refuge. They prey on nesting waterfowl, terns, shorebirds, and other ground-nesting animals. Within the piping plover nesting areas, fox predation can be a primary cause of low bird nesting success. Raccoons are another common predator of nesting waterfowl and shorebirds. 

Muskrats and river otters live in the refuge impoundments and surrounding salt marshes. Other small mammals found in various locations throughout the island include Virginia opossums, Eastern cottontails, Eastern gray squirrels, meadow voles, least shrews, and several species of mice, rats, and bats. 
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Marine Mammals: 

Marine mammals are often sighted in waters around the refuge, and occasionally wash onto shore. Species include: harbor seals; grampus; common blackfish; humpback, fin-backed, sperm, and pygmy sperm whales; spotted and Atlantic bottle-nosed porpoises; and common dolphins. 
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Photos by: Irene Hinki Sacilotto (IHS), Michael Colopy (MC),
 Robert Wilson (REW), and USFWS.

Website designed and donated by Kathryn Schroer