A Surprising Number of Animals and Their Babies Appear to be Sharing This Den! May 23, 2022

I would like to say it was forethought that caused us to create a wonderful habitat for mammals near our driveway. Actually though, it was more happenstance. We used an area alongside of our driveway to dispose of a huge pile of broken concrete and dirt. The local animals have taken advantage of the structure to create quite an elaborate warren. There are at least three entrances, which appear to be connected underground. We were curious what might be creating the well-traveled paths outside of the entrances, so we set up a trailcam to see what shows up when we are not around. The results surprised us. We start off with a family of Red Foxes. I guess Red Foxes don't necessarily sleep in their dens every night. They just use them for having kits and for protection from the elements. Then we see that the same hole is also used by a Woodchuck (or Groundhog), a Chipmunk, a family of Raccoons, and a mother Possum and her baby. While it obviously doesn't use the den, a White-tailed Deer walked by using the well worn paths. Do all of these animals coexist within the den at the same time, or do they share their time? Are there enough burrows below the surface that they can easily share the space without stepping on each other's toes? Or, are some of these animals just temporary visitors? I had about 150 separate videos over this time, and all of the visitors (except the White-tailed Deer) showed up multiple times, so I'm thinking that they are sharing this space. Please share in the comments if you know more about animals sharing a space like this.

Oak Haven is a 60-acre private woodland in Southwestern Ohio near Cincinnati. Jim and Julie Varick both have degrees in Botany and over thirty years of experience in managing natural areas. They enjoy sharing their enthusiasm for the natural world and would like to build relationships with like-minded people to share knowledge and resources.