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List of mammals of peninsular Spain

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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For mammals in extra-peninsular Spanish territories, see List of mammals of the Balearic Islands; List of mammals of the Canary Islands; and List of mammals of Ceuta, Melilla and the Plazas de Soberanía.
See also: List of mammals of Cantabria

This list shows the IUCN Red List status of 115 mammal species occurring in Spanish territory in the Iberian Peninsula. Seven species are endangered, thirteen are vulnerable, and three are near threatened. If the IUCN Red List status of a species in Spain differs from its global status, the status in Spain is shown next between brackets.[1]

The following tags are used to highlight each species' conservation status as assessed on the respective IUCN Red List:

EXExtinctNo reasonable doubt that the last individual has died.
EWExtinct in the wildKnown only to survive in captivity or as a naturalized populations well outside its previous range.
CRCritically endangeredThe species is in imminent risk of extinction in the wild.
ENEndangeredThe species is facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild.
VUVulnerableThe species is facing a high risk of extinction in the wild.
NTNear threatenedThe 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.
LCLeast concernThere are no current identifiable risks to the species.
DDData deficientThere is inadequate information to make an assessment of the risks to this species.
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Order: Rodentia (rodents)

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Eurasian beavers
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Red squirrel
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Garden dormouse
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Southwestern water vole
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Yellow-necked mouse
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South American coypu, established in Navarre and Catalonia as a result of escapes from fur farms.

Rodents make up the largest order of mammals, with over 40% of mammalian species. They have two incisors in the upper and lower jaw which grow continually and must be kept short by gnawing. Most rodents are small though the capybara can weigh up to 45 kg (99 lb).

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Order: Lagomorpha (lagomorphs)

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European rabbit

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.

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Order: Erinaceomorpha (hedgehogs and gymnures)

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West European hedgehog

The order Erinaceomorpha contains a single family, Erinaceidae, which comprise the hedgehogs and gymnures. The hedgehogs are easily recognised by their spines while gymnures look more like large rats.

Order: Soricomorpha (shrews, moles, and solenodons)

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Iberian shrew
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Pyrenean desman
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European mole

The "shrew-forms" are insectivorous mammals. The shrews and solenodons closely resemble mice while the moles are stout bodied burrowers.

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Order: Chiroptera (bats)

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Alcathoe bat
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European free-tailed bat
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Mediterranean horseshoe bat

The bats' most distinguishing feature is that their forelimbs are developed as wings, making them the only mammals capable of flight. Bat species account for about 20% of all mammals.

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Order: Cetacea (whales)

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Last North Atlantic right whale killed by whalers in Orio, Spain (1901)
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Fin whale watching off Tarifa in strait of Gibraltar
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Common dolphins in Gibraltar Bay
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Small numbers of striped dolphins around Gijón

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.

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Order: Carnivora (carnivorans)

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Iberian lynx
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Common genet
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Iberian wolf
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Cantabrian brown bears in Cabarceno Natural Park

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

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Order: Artiodactyla (even-toed ungulates)

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Spanish red deer in El Pardo.
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European bison in San Cebrián de Mudá.
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Male Iberian ibex
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Pyrenean chamois

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 222 artiodactyl species, including many that are of great economic importance to humans.

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Globally and locally extinct

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Pyrenean ibex

The following species are globally extinct:

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Mediterranean monk seal

The following species are locally extinct in Spain but continue to exist elsewhere:

See also

References

Further reading

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