Good Public Relations for Some Misunderstood Species

People love seeing an eagle in flight. People pay to go on whale watches. Birdwatchers are all over our state and the world. But some species don't get the same love and attention as those.

I first learned about woodrats when I volunteered for a project in the Palisades of northern New Jersey. Except for a few Disney rats, most people avoid and dislike rats. You certainly don't want them near or in your home or outside your favorite restaurant. But the Allegheny woodrat won't be in those places. 

Their habitat is rocky areas associated with mountain ridges such as cliffs, caves, talus slopes and crevasses. In New Jersey, Allegheny woodrats occur in sloping fields of rock near the bases of cliffs. The Palisades is the site of New Jersey’s last remaining woodrat population.

The ALLEGHENY WOODRAT (Neotoma magister) is a mammal and its conservation status in New Jersey is endangered.

Bats of all types are the stuff of too many horror movies and legends. (Thank goodness that Batman is a good guy!) You might know that they serve an important role in the ecosystem. They are particularly important in controlling the notorious New Jersey mosquito population.

One bat species that may not be familiar is the TRICOLORED BAT (Perimyotis subflavus) a mammal that is endangered in NJ. 

Formerly called the eastern pipistrelle, this small bat is about 2 inches in body length. Their fur is yellowish-brown, with a namesake tri-coloration that comes from the individual hairs on the bat's back, which are dark at the base and tip and yellowish-brown in the middle.

They are not interested in people at all. Their diet and interest is a wide variety of insect prey. These include moths emerging from corn crops, other flying insects, and beetles. Tricolored bats are a free source of pest control services that benefit both the natural ecosystem and the human economy.

These infographics are from the CWFNJ Instagram page. Follow them!