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List of mammals of the United States

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About 490 species of mammals are recorded in the United States. Unincorporated territories such as Puerto Rico, Guam or Northern Mariana Islands are not covered. Mammals introduced and extinct in the Holocene except Pleistocene/Holocene boundary are included.

According to the IUCN Red List 3 of these species are critically endangered, 20 endangered, 15 vulnerable, 20 near threatened and 4 extinct.[1]

Some species are identified as indicated below:

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

EXExtinctNo reasonable doubt that the last individual has died.
EWExtinct in the wildKnown only to survive in captivity or as a naturalized population 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 categorize 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.

(v. 2013.2, the data is current as of March 5, 2014[1])

and the Endangered Species Act:

EEndangered
TThreatened
XN, XEExperimental nonessential or essential population
E(S/A), T(S/A)Endangered or threatened due to similarity of appearance

(the data is current as of March 28, 2014[2])

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Subclass: Theria

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Infraclass: Metatheria

Order: Didelphimorphia (common opossums)

Didelphimorphia is the order of common opossums of the Western Hemisphere. Opossums probably diverged from the basic South American marsupials in the late Cretaceous or early Paleocene. They are small to medium-sized marsupials, about the size of a large house cat, with a long snout and prehensile tail.

More information Common name, Scientific name ...

Infraclass: Eutheria

Order: Cingulata (armadillos)

The armadillos are small mammals with a bony armored shell. They are native to the Americas. There are around 20 extant species. Only the nine-banded armadillo is found in the United States.

More information Common name, Scientific name ...

Order: Rodentia (rodents)

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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More information Common name, Scientific name ...
More information Common name, Scientific name ...

Order: Lagomorpha (lagomorphs)

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American pika
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Pygmy rabbit
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Desert cottontail
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Snowshoe hare

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.

Order: Eulipotyphla (shrews, hedgehogs, moles, and solenodons)

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Marsh shrew
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Smoky shrew
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American water shrew

Eulipotyphlans are insectivorous mammals. Shrews and solenodons closely resemble mice, hedgehogs carry spines, while moles are stout-bodied burrowers.

Order: Chiroptera (bats)

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Eastern small-footed bat
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Townsend's big-eared bat
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Western mastiff bat
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Pocketed free-tailed bat
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Mexican free-tailed bats
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Ghost-faced bat
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California leaf-nosed 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.

Order: Carnivora (carnivorans)

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Coyote
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Gray fox
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American black bear
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Grizzly bear
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Ring-tailed cat
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Raccoon
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Stoat
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American badger
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California sea lion
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Walrus
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Hawaiian monk seal
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Striped skunk

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

Order: Artiodactyla (even-toed ungulates)

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Rocky Mountain elk
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White-tailed deer
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Pronghorn
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Plains bison
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Bighorn sheep

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.

Order: Sirenia (manatees and dugongs)

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West Indian manatee

Sirenia is an order of fully aquatic, herbivorous mammals that inhabit rivers, estuaries, coastal marine waters, swamps, and marine wetlands.

Order: Cetacea (whales)

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Bowhead whale
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North Atlantic right whale
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Fin whale
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Humpback whale
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Gray whale
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Pygmy sperm whale
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Dall's porpoise
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Sperm whale
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Common bottlenose dolphin
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Striped dolphin
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White-beaked dolphin
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Killer 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.

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Introduced species

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See also

Notes

  1. [n 1]

    Kays & Wilson 2002,[3] North American Mammals NMNH SI,[4] Mammal Species of the World (MSW3),[5] IUCN Red List.[6]
  2. [n 2]

    Burt & Grossenheider 1976 (Peterson Field Guide),[7] Kays & Wilson 2002,[3] North American Mammals NMNH SI,[4] Mammal Species of the World (MSW3),[5] IUCN Red List.[6]
  3. [n 3]
    Mexican fox squirrel, Sciurus nayaritensis: Kays & Wilson 2002,[3] North American Mammals NMNH SI,[4] Mammal Species of the World (MSW3),[5] IUCN Red List.[6]
    Burt & Grossenheider 1976 (Peterson Field Guide)[7] - only as Apache fox squirrel S. apache.
  4. [n 4]
    Not recognized as a separate species in the Mammal Diversity Database v. 1.10.[8]
  5. [n 5]
    Kays & Wilson 2002,[3] North American Mammals NMNH SI,[4] Mammal Species of the World (MSW3),[5] IUCN Red List.[6]
    Burt & Grossenheider 1976 (Peterson Field Guide)[7] - described as the nominative species and 1 or 2 additional distinct species.
  6. [n 6]
    Mammal Species of the World (MSW3)[5] and IUCN Red List,[6] also probably North American Mammals NMNH SI[4] - Dipodomys elephantinus merged with D. venustus as D. venustus elephantinus.
  7. [n 7]
    Burt & Grossenheider 1976 (Peterson Field Guide),[7] Kays & Wilson 2002.[3]
  8. [n 8]
    North American Mammals NMNH SI,[4] Mammal Species of the World (MSW3),[5] IUCN Red List.[6]
  9. [n 9]
    Northern collared lemming, Dicrostonyx groenlandicus: Kays & Wilson 2002,[3] North American Mammals NMNH SI,[4] Mammal Species of the World (MSW3)[5] IUCN Red List.[6]
    Burt & Grossenheider 1976 (Peterson Field Guide),[7] - described separately as the nominative species but merged with D. exsul.
  10. [N 10]
    Nelson's collared lemming, Dicrostonyx nelsoni: Mammal Species of the World (MSW3),[5] IUCN Red List.[6]
    Burt & Grossenheider 1976 (Peterson Field Guide),[7] - mentioned only in the description of D. groenlandicus as possible split (D. exsul).
  11. [N 11]
    Mammal Species of the World (MSW3),[5] IUCN Red List.[6]
  12. [N 12]
    Mexican vole, Microtus mexicanus:
    Burt & Grossenheider 1976 (Peterson Field Guide),[7] Mammal Species of the World (MSW3),[5] IUCN Red List[6] - M. mexicanus.
    Kays & Wilson 2002[3] - only M. mogollonensis.
    North American Mammals NMNH SI[4] - M. mexicanus listed, but only M. mexicanus mogollensis (Arizona and New Mexico) described in "Mexican Vole (Microtus mexicanus)" chapter.
    IUCN Red List[6] - M. mexicanus sometimes split in two species: M. mexicanus and M. mogollonensis.[12][13]
    12 subspecies are recognized, 4 occur in the USA (1991[14]), Hualapai Mexican vole M. m. hualpaiensis is listed as endangered (E) under the Endangered Species Act.[2][14]
  13. [N 13]
    Baker et al. 2003,[15] Kays & Wilson 2002,[3] North American Mammals NMNH SI,[4] IUCN Red List.[6]
  14. [N 14]
    Burt & Grossenheider 1976 (Peterson Field Guide)[7] - mentioned only in the description of another species as possible split.
  15. [N 15]
    North American Mammals NMNH SI,[4] IUCN Red List.[6]
  16. [N 16]
    Northern rock mouse, Peromyscus nasutus: Burt & Grossenheider 1976 (Peterson Field Guide)[7] - mentioned only in the description of Zacatecan deer mouse, Peromyscus difficilis, that P. difficilis was formerly known as P. nasuts, so range is not clear because these species are merged here.
  17. [N 17]
    Burt & Grossenheider 1976 (Peterson Field Guide)[7] - described separately as the nominative species but probably merged with another species.
  18. [N 18]
    Long-tailed Shrew Sorex dispar: IUCN Red List.[6]

    Burt & Grossenheider 1976 (Peterson Field Guide),[7] Kays & Wilson 2002,[3] Mammal Species of the World (MSW3),[5] North American Mammals NMNH SI[4] - as 2 distinct species: longtail/long-tailed shrew S. dispar and Gaspé shrew S. gaspensis.
  19. [N 19]
    Gaspé shrew Sorex gaspensis: Burt & Grossenheider 1976 (Peterson Field Guide),[7] Kays & Wilson 2002,[3] Mammal Species of the World (MSW3),[5] North American Mammals NMNH SI[4]
  20. [N 20]
    Southwestern myotis, Myotis auriculus: Burt & Grossenheider 1976 (Peterson Field Guide)[7] - mentioned only in the description of long-eared myotis, M. evotis, as possible split, occurring in southern N. Mexico.
  21. [N 21]
    Burt & Grossenheider 1976 (Peterson Field Guide),[7] North American Mammals NMNH SI,[4] Mammal Species of the World (MSW3),[5] IUCN Red List.[6]
  22. [N 22]
    Burt & Grossenheider 1976 (Peterson Field Guide),[7] Kays & Wilson 2002,[3] North American Mammals NMNH SI,[4] IUCN Red List.[6]
  23. [N 23]
    Baker et al. 2003,[15] Burt & Grossenheider 1976 (Peterson Field Guide),[7] Kays & Wilson 2002,[3] North American Mammals NMNH SI,[4] IUCN Red List.[6]
  24. [N 24]
    Velvety Free-tailed Bat: North American Mammals NMNH SI,[4] Mammal Species of the World (MSW3),[5] IUCN Red List.[6]
    Kays & Wilson 2002[3] - it is believed that colonies found in buildings in the Florida Keys were members of Molossidae.
  25. [N 25]
    Lesser long-nosed bat, Leptonycteris yerbabuenae: Kays & Wilson 2002,[3] North American Mammals NMNH SI,[4] Mammal Species of the World (MSW3),[5] IUCN Red List.[6]
    Burt & Grossenheider 1976 (Peterson Field Guide)[7] - mentioned only in the description of L. nivalis under the junior synonym[19] L. sanborni as possible split, so range is not clear here.
  26. [N 26]
    Margay: Burt & Grossenheider 1976 (Peterson Field Guide),[7] Mammal Species of the World (MSW3).[5]
    Kays & Wilson 2002:[3] last record in Texas from 1852.[3]
  27. [N 27]
    https://redwolves.com/newsite/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/rw_biology_status.pdf />
  28. [N 28]
    Burt & Grossenheider 1976 (Peterson Field Guide),[7] Kays & Wilson 2002,[3] North American Mammals NMNH SI,[4] Mammal Species of the World (MSW3).[5]
  29. [N 29]
    Red fox, Vulpes vulpes: Burt & Grossenheider 1976 (Peterson Field Guide)[7] - as North American V. fulva distinct from the Old World species V. vulpes.
  30. [N 30]
    Brown bear, Ursus arctos: Kays & Wilson 2002,[3] North American Mammals NMNH SI,[4] Mammal Species of the World (MSW3),[5] IUCN Red List.[6]
    Burt & Grossenheider 1976 (Peterson Field Guide)[7] - as 2 distinct species: grizzly bear, U. horribilis and Kodiak bear, U. middendorffi, also distinct from the "worldwide" species U. arctos.
  31. [N 31]
    Wolverine, Gulo gulo: Burt & Grossenheider 1976 (Peterson Field Guide)[7] - as North American G. luscus distinct from the Old World species G. gulo.
  32. [N 32]
    Least weasel, Mustela nivalis: Burt & Grossenheider 1976 (Peterson Field Guide)[7] - as North American M. rixosa distinct from the Old World species M. nivalis.
  33. [N 33]
    Guadalupe fur seal, Arctocephalus townsendi: Burt & Grossenheider 1976 (Peterson Field Guide)[7] - as Guadalupe fur seal A. philippi, formerly A. townsendi.
  34. [N 34]
    American hog-nosed skunk, Conepatus leuconotus: Burt & Grossenheider 1976 (Peterson Field Guide),[7] North American Mammals NMNH SI,[4] Mammal Species of the World (MSW3),[5] IUCN Red List.[6]
    Kays & Wilson 2002[3] - as 2 distinct species: eastern hog-nosed skunk C. leuconotus and western hog-nosed skunk C. mesoleucus.
  35. [N 35]
    Burt & Grossenheider 1976 (Peterson Field Guide),[7] Kays & Wilson 2002,[3] Mammal Species of the World (MSW3),[5] IUCN Red List.[6]
  36. [N 36]
    Burt & Grossenheider 1976 (Peterson Field Guide),[7] Mammal Species of the World (MSW3),[5] IUCN Red List.[6]
  37. [N 37]
    Caribou, Rangifer tarandus: Kays & Wilson 2002,[3] North American Mammals NMNH SI,[4] Mammal Species of the World (MSW3),[5] IUCN Red List.[6]
    Burt & Grossenheider 1976 (Peterson Field Guide)[7] - as 3 distinct species: woodland caribou, R. caribou, barren-ground caribou, R. arcticus and Greenland caribou R. tarandus.
  38. [N 38]
    Burt & Grossenheider 1976 (Peterson Field Guide)[7] - only general range description.
  39. [N 39]
    Kays & Wilson 2002,[3] IUCN Red List.[6]
  40. [N 40]
    pygmy beaked whale: Kays & Wilson 2002:[3] one record in North America, Division of Mammals Collections NMNH SI:[23] two strandings in California (2001 and 2012).
  41. [N 41]
    Burt & Grossenheider 1976 (Peterson Field Guide),[7] Kays & Wilson 2002,[3] IUCN Red List.[6]
  42. [N 42]
    House Mouse: Burt & Grossenheider 1976 (Peterson Field Guide),[7] Kays & Wilson 2002,[3] IUCN Red List.[6]
    Mammal Species of the World (MSW3)[5] - only general range description.
  43. [N 43]
    Polynesian rat[24][25]
  44. [N 44]
    European Rabbit: & Wilson 2002[3] - range not clear (islands on Pacific Coast).
    Introduced to Hawaiian islands.[26]
  45. [N 45]
    Sus scrofa: Burt & Grossenheider 1976 (Peterson Field Guide)[7] - Wild Boar (Swine), Kays & Wilson 2002[3] - Wild Boar, Mammal Species of the World (MSW3)[5] - Wild boar - feral populations, IUCN Red List[6] - Wild boar - introduced (USA), Baker et al. 2003[15] (North America north of Mexico) - feral pig or wild boar.
  46. [N 46]
    Kays & Wilson 2002,[3] Mammal Species of the World (MSW3),[5] IUCN Red List.[6]
  47. [N 47]
    Chital - free-ranging.[28]
  48. [N 48]
    Red deer, elaphus division (not canadensis division) - introduced i.e. to USA.[5]
  49. [N 49]
    Sambar - free ranging.[30]
  50. [N 50]
    Nilgai - semi-free-ranging[28]/free-ranging.[30]
  51. [N 51]
    Gemsbok - free ranging.[31][32]
  52. [N 52]
    Barbary Sheep - free ranging.[30][28]
  53. [N 53]
    Bezoar ibex - free-ranging: Florida Mountains near Deming New Mexico.[32]
  54. [N 54]
    Blackbuck - free ranging.[30][28][32][35]
  • Species listed in Mammal Species of the World, 3rd edition (MSW3) as occurring in the USA, but omitted in this article: Pteronotus pristinus - possibly Florida.
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