Fifty-seven land-mammal species have been recorded in Nova Scotia (Table T11.8.1 lists them all). The mammal fauna of Nova Scotia includes fewer species than are found, for example, in southern Ontario. This is because a number of central-continental species which occupy habitats similar to those in Nova Scotia have not yet penetrated this far north and east. This difference is generally more pronounced in the diversity of small mammals, which are less mobile and are constrained by tighter habitat restrictions than the larger, more mobile mammals.

- moving in from glacial refugia on what is now the continental shelf

- moving in from unglaciated areas on the coastal side of the Appalachians via the Chignecto Isthmus land bridge

- over sea by swimming, rafting on ice, or crossing ice bridges

- by human introduction

Of these four routes, the land bridge was the entry point for the largest number of species.

This Document Includes:

Species
Colonization
Life Zones
Environments
Natural Barriers
Introductions and Extinctions
General Requirements
Population Fluctuations

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Additional Keywords:
Atlantic Upland, Acadian Plain, Alleghanian Life Zone, landbridge, Cape Breton, hunting, Insectivora, Chiroptera, Carnivora, Artiodactyla, Rodentia, Lagomorpha.

Associated Topics:

T4.3 Post-glacial Colonization by Animals
T11.9 Carnivores
T11.10 Ungulates
T11.11 Small Mammals
T11.12 Marine Mammals
T11.16 Land and Freshwater Invertebrates
T11.18 Rare and Endangered Animals
T12.11 Animals and Resources