List of mammals of Svalbard and Jan Mayen

This is a list of mammal species recorded in Svalbard and Jan Mayen. There are seventeen mammal species in Svalbard and Jan Mayen, of which three are endangered and three are vulnerable.^[1]

Polar bear

The following tags are used to highlight each species' conservation status as assessed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature:

EX	Extinct	No reasonable doubt that the last individual has died.
EW	Extinct in the wild	Known only to survive in captivity or as a naturalized populations well outside its previous range.
CR	Critically endangered	The species is in imminent risk of extinction in the wild.
EN	Endangered	The species is facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild.
VU	Vulnerable	The species is facing a high risk of extinction in the wild.
NT	Near threatened	The species does not meet any of the criteria that would categorise it as risking extinction but it is likely to do so in the future.
LC	Least concern	There are no current identifiable risks to the species.
DD	Data deficient	There is inadequate information to make an assessment of the risks to this species.

Order: Rodentia (rodents)

Southern vole

Rodents make up the largest order of mammals, with over 40 percent of mammalian species. They have two incisors in the upper and lower jaw which grow continually and must be kept short by gnawing.

• Suborder: Sciurognathi
  • • Family: Cricetidae
      • Subfamily: Arvicolinae
        • Genus: Microtus
          • Southern vole, Microtus levis LC introduced

Order: Lagomorpha (rabbits, hares and pikas)

Mountain hare in winter pelage

The lagomorphs comprise two families, Leporidae (hares and rabbits), and Ochotonidae (pikas). Though they can resemble rodents, and were classified as a superfamily in that order until the early 20th century, they have since been considered a separate order. They differ from rodents in a number of physical characteristics, such as having four incisors in the upper jaw rather than two.

• Family: Leporidae (rabbits, hares)
  • Genus: Lepus
    • Mountain hare, L. timidus LC introduced

Order: Cetacea (whales)

North Atlantic right whale and calf

Blue whale

The order Cetacea includes whales, dolphins and porpoises. They are the mammals most fully adapted to aquatic life with a spindle-shaped nearly hairless body, protected by a thick layer of blubber, and forelimbs and tail modified to provide propulsion underwater.

• Suborder: Mysticeti
  • Family: Balaenidae (right whales)
    • Genus: Balaena
      • Bowhead whale, Balaena mysticetus EN
    • Genus: Eubalaena
      • North Atlantic right whale, Eubalaena glacialis CR
  • Family: Balaenopteridae (rorquals)
    • Subfamily: Balaenopterinae
      • Genus: Balaenoptera
        • Minke whale, Balaenoptera acutorostrata LC
        • Blue whale, Balaenoptera musculus EN
        • Fin whale, Balaenoptera physalus EN
    • Subfamily: Megapterinae
      • Genus: Megaptera
        • Humpback whale, Megaptera novaeangliae LC
• Suborder: Odontoceti
  • Superfamily: Delphinoidea
    • Family: Delphinidae (marine dolphins)
      • Genus: Lagenorhynchus
        • White-beaked dolphin, Lagenorhynchus albirostris LC
      • Genus: Leucopleurus
        • Atlantic white-sided dolphin, Leucopleurus acutus LC
      • Genus: Orcinus
        • Killer whale, Orcinus orca DD
    • Family: Monodontidae (narwhal and beluga)
      • Genus: Monodon
        • Narwhal, Monodon monoceros LC
      • Genus: Delphinapterus
        • Beluga, Delphinapterus leucas LC
    • Family: Ziphiidae (beaked whales)
      • Subfamily: Hyperoodontinae
        • Genus: Hyperoodon
          • Northern bottlenose whale, Hyperoodon ampullatus DD

Order: Carnivora (carnivorans)

Arctic fox

Walrus

There are over 260 species of carnivorans, the majority of which feed primarily on meat. They have a characteristic skull shape and dentition.

• Suborder: Caniformia
  • Family: Canidae (dogs, foxes)
    • Genus: Vulpes
      • Arctic fox, Vulpes lagopus LC
  • Family: Ursidae (bears)
    • Genus: Ursus
      • Polar bear, Ursus maritimus VU
  • Family: Odobenidae
    • Genus: Odobenus
      • Walrus, Odobenus rosmarus VU
  • Family: Phocidae (earless seals)
    • Genus: Cystophora
      • Hooded seal, Cystophora cristata VU
    • Genus: Erignathus
      • Bearded seal, Erignathus barbatus LC
    • Genus: Pagophilus
      • Harp seal, Pagophilus groenlandicus LC
    • Genus: Phoca
      • Harbor seal, Phoca vitulina LC
    • Genus: Pusa
      • Ringed seal, Pusa hispida LC

Order: Artiodactyla (even-toed ungulates)

A Svalbard reindeer, an endemic subspecies characterized for its smaller size and shorter legs.

The even-toed ungulates are ungulates whose weight is borne about equally by the third and fourth toes, rather than mostly or entirely by the third as in perissodactyls. There are about 220 artiodactyl species, including many that are of great economic importance to humans.

• Family: Bovidae (cattle, antelope, sheep, goats)
  • Subfamily: Caprinae
    • Genus: Ovibos
      • Muskox, O. moschatus LC introduced, extirpated
• Family: Cervidae (deer)
  • Subfamily: Capreolinae
    • Genus: Rangifer
      • Reindeer, R. tarandus VU
        • Svalbard reindeer, R. t. platyrhynchus

See also

• List of chordate orders
• Lists of mammals by region
• List of prehistoric mammals
• Mammal classification
• List of mammals described in the 2000s