List of mammals in the United States

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is a list of the mammal species recorded in the United States. There are 424 mammal species in the United States, of which 3 are critically endangered, 15 are endangered, 23 are vulnerable, and 2 are near-threatened. 3 of the species listed for the United States are extinct and 1 can no longer be found in the wild.[1]

The following tags are used to highlight each species' conservation status as assessed by the IUCN:

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.

Some species were assessed using an earlier set of criteria. Species assessed using this system have the following instead of Near Threatened and Least Concern categories:

LR/cd Lower Risk/conservation dependent Species which were the focus of conservation programmes and may have moved into a higher risk category if that programme was discontinued.
LR/nt Lower Risk/near threatened Species which are close to being classified as Vulnerable but are not the subject of conservation programmes.
LR/lc Lower Risk/least concern Species for which there are no identifiable risks.

Contents

[edit] Subclass: Theria

[edit] Infraclass: Eutheria

[edit] Order: Sirenia (manatees and dugongs)

Steller's Sea Cow
Steller's Sea Cow

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

[edit] Order: Cingulata (armadillos)

Nine-banded Armadillo
Nine-banded Armadillo

The armadillos are small mammals with a bony armored shell. There are around 20 extant species.They are native to the Americas. There are around 20 extant species.

[edit] Order: Rodentia (rodents)

Fox Squirrel
Fox Squirrel
American Red Squirrel
American Red Squirrel
Southern flying squirrel
Southern flying squirrel
White-tailed Antelope Squirrel
White-tailed Antelope Squirrel
Black-tailed Prairie Dog
Black-tailed Prairie Dog
Yellow-bellied Marmot
Yellow-bellied Marmot
Round-tailed Ground Squirrel
Round-tailed Ground Squirrel
Richardson's Ground Squirrel
Richardson's Ground Squirrel
Eastern Chipmunk
Eastern Chipmunk
Least Chipmunk
Least Chipmunk
Northern Pocket Gopher
Northern Pocket Gopher
Texas Kangaroo Rat
Texas Kangaroo Rat
Singing Vole
Singing Vole
White-footed Mouse
White-footed Mouse
Hispid Cotton Rat
Hispid Cotton Rat

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 keep short by gnawing. Most rodents are small though the capybara can weigh up to 45 kg (100 lb).

[edit] Order: Lagomorpha (lagomorphs)

American Pika
American Pika
Desert Cottontail
Desert Cottontail
Mountain Hare
Mountain 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 twentieth 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.

[edit] Order: Soricomorpha (shrews, moles, and soledons)

Marsh Shrew
Marsh Shrew
Smoky Shrew
Smoky Shrew
American Water Shrew
American Water Shrew

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

[edit] Order: Chiroptera (bats)

Western mastiff bat
Western mastiff bat
Mexican Free-tailed Bat
Mexican Free-tailed Bat

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

[edit] Order: Cetacea (whales)

Bowhead whale
Bowhead whale
Fin Whale
Fin Whale
Pygmy Sperm Whale
Pygmy Sperm Whale
Striped Dolphin
Striped Dolphin
White-beaked Dolphin
White-beaked Dolphin

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.

[edit] Order: Carnivora (carnivores)

Margay
Margay
Bobcat
Bobcat
Jaguarundi
Jaguarundi
Jaguar
Jaguar
Gray Fox
Gray Fox
Red Wolf
Red Wolf
Brown Bear
Brown Bear
Black-footed Ferret
Black-footed Ferret
American Marten
American Marten
Sea Otter
Sea Otter
Caribbean Monk Seal
Caribbean Monk Seal
Eastern Spotted Skunk
Eastern Spotted Skunk
Striped Skunk
Striped Skunk
Western Hog-nosed Skunk
Western Hog-nosed Skunk

The carnivores include over 260 species, the majority of which eat meat as their primary dietary item. Carnivores have a characteristic skull shape and dentition.

[edit] Order: Artiodactyla (even-toed ungulates)

Mule deer
Mule deer
Bighorn Sheep
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.

[edit] Infraclass: Metatheria

[edit] Order: Didelphimorphia (common opossumsa)

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.

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ This list is derived from the IUCN Red List which lists species of mammals and includes those mammals that have recently been classified as extinct (since 1500 AD). The taxonomy and naming of the individual species is based on those used in existing Wikipedia articles as of 21 May 2007 and supplemented by the common names and taxonomy from the IUCN, Smithsonian Institute, or University of Michigan where no Wikipedia article was available.

[edit] References

[edit] See also