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| Terrestrial or land species of animals tend to be those found in the boreal spruce/fir and northern hardwood forests. Aquatic species are found in a wide range of living conditions, from acid bog to marsh, tiny brook to river, and small woodland pond to large take habitats. An animal is an herbivore (it eats plants), a carnivore (it eats meat), or an omnivore (it commonly eats both). Insect larvae, for example, eat leaves, grosbeaks eat seeds, and deer browse the buds of trees. Spiders, reptiles, amphibians, fishes, and many birds and mammals, however, eat meat. Omnivores include, for example, the raven and black bear. The best time to see certain species of animals depends on their behavioral patterns. Some animals are diurnal; that is, they are more active during the daytime. Others are nocturnal and move about at night. During the winter season some remain active or spend prolonged periods in dens while others migrate. The animals you will commonly find in the waterway are listed below along with information on where and when to look for them. Unless otherwise noted, all of these animals are active year-round. |
MammalsBeaver: streams, lake shores; mainly nocturnal.Black bear. forests, swamps; nocturnal; winters in den. Bobcat: throughout area; nocturnal. Deer mouse: coniferous forests; nocturnal. Eastern chipmunk: deciduous forests; diurnal; winters in burrow. Eastern coyote: throughout area; mainly nocturnal. Ermine: woodlands along water; mainly nocturnal. Fisher: mixed forests; diurnal and nocturnal.  White-tailed deer, Round Pond, Allagash River Gray squirrel: hardwood and mixed forests; diurnal. Little brown myotis (bat): throughout area; nocturnal; hibernates. Long-tailed weasel: open forests; mainly nocturnal. Lynx: coniferous forests; mainly nocturnal. Marten: coniferous forests; diurnal and nocturnal. Masked shrew: damp forests; diurnal and nocturnal. Meadow vole: wetlands, woods; diurnal and nocturnal. Mink: aquatic areas; mainly nocturnal. Moose: woods, aquatic areas; more active at dawn and dusk. Muskrat: aquatic areas; mainly nocturnal. Northern flying squirrel: mixed forests; nocturnal. Porcupine: mixed forests; mainly nocturnal. Raccoon: open woodlands near water; mainly nocturnal; stays in den during cold weather. Red-backed vole: cool, damp forests; diurnal and nocturnal. Red fox: throughout area; mainly nocturnal. Red squirrel: coniferous forests; diurnal. River otter: aquatic areas; mainly nocturnal. Short-tailed shrew: forests, along streams; diurnal and nocturnal. Snowshoe hare: forests; mainly nocturnal. Star-nosed mole: mucky soils; diurnal and nocturnal. Striped skunk: throughout area; mainly nocturnal; winters in den. White-tailed deer: forests, edges, shores; tends to be nocturnal. Woodchuck: edges of woods; diurnal; hibernates. |
Birds |
| The Atlas of Breeding Birds in Maine, 1978-1983 (Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife) lists over 120 birds in the waterway area in the following categories: confirmed breeding, probably breeding, or possibly breeding. Over three-quarters of these birds are listed as confirmed breeding. These are the ones you will most likely see during a summer visit to the waterway, and they are listed below. To assist you in looking for these birds, the habitats with which they are most commonly associated are identified using the following key: SF (spruce-fir forest), NH (northern hardwood forest), BW (bog-wetland), S (swamp forest), NR (northern riverine forest), MS (marsh-shoreline habitat), A (aquatic-lakes, ponds, streams). In addition, an asterisk (*) is used to identify those birds that are year- round. |
| Common loon: MS. A American bittern: BW, MS, A Great blue heron: MS, A Canada goose: MS, A Wood duck: S, NR, MS, A American black duck: MS, A Ring-necked duck: A Common goldeneye: MS, A Hooded merganser: MS, A Common merganser: MS, A Red-breasted merganser: MS, A Osprey: A Bald eagle: SF, A *Northern goshawk: SF Broad-winged hawk: SF *Spruce grouse: SF *Ruffed grouse: SF Killdeer: MS Spotted sandpiper: NR, MS Common snipe: MS Bonaparte's gull: A Herring gull: A Common tern: A Ruby-throated hummingbird: SF Belted kingfisher: NR, MS, A Yellow-bellied sapsucker: SF, NH *Downy woodpecker: SF, MS *Hairy woodpecker: SF *Northern three-toed woodpecker: SF *Black-backed woodpecker: SF Northern flicker: SF *Pileated woodpecker: SF Eastern kingbird: MS Tree swallow: BW, MS Bank swallow: NR *Gray jay: SF *Blue jay: SF American crow: SF *Common raven: SF *Black-capped chickadee: SF, NH *Barred owl: SF, NH, S, NR *Great horned owl: SF, NH, BW, S, NR *Northern saw-whet owl: SF, NH, S |
*Red-breasted nuthatch: SF *Brown creeper: SF, NH Winter wren: SF Golden-crowned kinglet: SF, NH Ruby-crowned kinglet: SF Veery: NH Hermit thrush: SF, NH Wood thrush: NH Swainson's thrush: SF American robin: SF, NH Cedar waxwing: SF, NH Solitary vireo: SF, NH Red-eyed vireo: SF Tennessee warbler: SF Nashville warbler: BW Northern parula: NH Yellow warbler: S, NR, MS Chestnut-sided warbler: SF Magnolia warbler: SF Cape May warbler: SF Black-throated blue warbler: SF,NH Black-throated green warbler: SF Yellow-rumped warbler: SF, MS Blackburnian warbler: SF Bay-breasted warbler: SF American redstart: SF, NH Ovenbird: SF Northern waterthrush: BW, MS Mourning warbler: SF, NH Common yellowthroat: BW Canada warbler: SF, NH Rose-breasted grosbeak: SF *Evening grosbeak: SF Savannah sparrow: MS Lincoln's sparrow: BW Swamp sparrow: BW, MS White-throated sparrow: SF, NH *Dark-eyed junco: SF, NH Red-winged blackbird: MS Rusty blackbird: BW *Purple finch: SF, NH *White-winged crossbill: SF *Red crossbill: SF |
Reptiles and Amphibians |
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| The book, The Amphibians and Reptiles of Maine (Maine Agricultural Experiment Station Bulletin 838), provides information about the species of these creatures that may live in the waterway. Reptiles and amphibians are ectothermic, meaning that they cannot produce enough body heat to maintain constant high temperature levels. Due to the cold northern winters, relatively few are known to survive here. Cold temperatures slow chemical reactions and, if low enough, create ice that destroys cells. Three reptiles are known to inhabit the region. Wood turtle: woodland streams. This turtle has been seen in Allagash Stream above Allagash Lake as well as in Allagash River. Garter snake: damp woodlands, lake shores, and other moist habitats. Two forms are present: the eastern garter snake and the maritime garter snake. Northern ringneck snake: moist wooded areas with rocks, logs, and other cover. It is rare in northern Maine. Fourteen amphibians are known to inhabit a variety of aquatic and moist habitats in the waterway. |
Toads and Frogs |
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| American toad: varied habitats. Bullfrog: ponds and slow-moving waters. Green frog: ponds, streams, shores. Mink frog: ponds, streams, wet shores. Northern leopard frog: ponds, grassy areas, and damp woodlands. Northern spring peeper: varied woodlands near wetlands and ponds. Pickerel frog: varied wet areas. Wood frog: damp, shady woodlands. |
Salamanders | ||
| Blue-spotted salamander: wooded areas. Northern dusky salamander: brooks, small streams, and springs. Northern two-lined salamander: edges of brooks and streams. Redback salamander: coniferous and deciduous woods. Red-spotted newt (adults): ponds and slow streams. Spotted salamander: deciduous woods. |
Fish
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| Fish in the Allagash Waterway are adapted to a cold water environment. The lakes are deep and tend to retain cold temperatures and oxygen in their bottom layers during the warm months of summer. The river and its tributary streams are swift flowing and well oxygenated, and their beds provide varied habitat conditions. Native fish include the following: Brook trout: favors spring-fed ponds, beaver flowages, cold-water lakes, and cool, oxygen-laden waters of rivers, streams, and brooks. Lake trout: prefers cold, deep lakes with highly oxygenated conditions. Lake whitefish: favors cold, deep lakes where it most often feeds on the bottom. Round whitefish: found in cold, deep lakes, often in shallow waters. Burbot (cusk): prefers cold, deep takes where it mainly feeds on the bottom. White sucker: found in lakes, ponds, and streams in shallow waters at the bottom. Longnose sucker: prefers cold, deep waters of lakes and ponds. |
Invertebrates | ||
| Although most of the animals listed in this guide are vertebrates (with skeletons inside of their bodies), the greatest number of animal species in the waterway, perhaps ninety per cent or more, are invertebrates -- animals without backbones. This group contains a wide collection of animals displaying an amazing variety of forms. Included are mollusks (snails, clams, mussels), insects, spiders, slugs, and worms. It is easy to overlook these creatures and miss the opportunity to appreciate their beauty, unique forms, and interesting behavior. We tend to focus on the large mammals and birds, which more easily attract our attention. But if you occasionally think small and look at the world close at hand, especially at the water's edge, you will find another intriguing array of life forms. On the bottoms of shallow waters along the shores of lakes and streams, you might find freshwater mussels, resembling clams. Often their trails are visible in the bottom sediments where they move by use of a muscular foot. Occasionally, you might discover scattered piles of their empty shells where otter and other animals have feasted on them. Caddisfly larvae, encased in cylinders made up of cemented grains of sand, leaves, and twigs, also live on the bottoms of streams and ponds. In quiet waters, look for long-legged, thin-bodied water-striders, circle-swimming whirligig beetles, upside-down backswimmers, and paddling waterboatmen.  Great spangled fritillary on a swamp milkweed Flying above the water's surface, you may see newly hatched three-tailed mayflies, distinguished from the two-tailed stoneflies that hatch from larvae in fast streams. Slender-bodied dragonflies and needle-bodied damselflies also dart over the water, hunting for mosquitoes and other insects. Many species of butterflies and moths also abound in the waterway. Swallowtail butterflies can be seen at times congregating or "puddling" on the shores around moist areas. |
