Mammals

Humans have impacted the mammals of Winnebago County in many ways. Historically, there were many species of large mammals that no longer exist here today. Changes in land use and habitat destruction have caused the extinction of most of this area’s large mammals.
In the 1800’s when settlers began populating Winnebago County, the land was “filthy” with wild critters. Creeks and roads in our county still bear the names given to them by early settlers. Among them are Otter Creek that travels through Durand and empties into the Sugar River; and Coon Creek which flows into the Pecatonica River. Auburn Street in Rockford was originally named Wolf Grove Road.

In the late 1800’s and 1900’s much of the prairies and forests were converted to cropland. This changed the way of life for many mammals that lived here. Some mammals were hunted and trapped intensively during this period. The black bear, wolf and mountain lion were hunted to extinction in the area. Beaver, river otter, white-tailed deer, elk and buffalo were not sought out to be eliminated but their populations were over harvested. Hard winters, uncontrolled harvesting and reduced habitat in the now cultivated land all contributed to their extirpation or severely reduced number in the county.

Some of these mammals such as deer and river otters have responded to habitat restoration and wildlife protection measures of recent decades and can once again be seen in Winnebago County’s forest preserves and other natural areas.
Today, forty-eight species of mammals can be found in our county, and the nearly 10,000 acres of forest preserves provide critical habitat for many of them.

Bats

Bats are truly unique among mammals because they are the only ones in the world that can fly. They navigate in part by emitting high-frequency sounds and then using their funnel-shaped ears to listen for the echoes those sounds make as they bounce off nearby objects.
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