List of mammals of Belize

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This is a list of the mammal species recorded in Belize. There are 124 mammal species in Belize, of which 0 are critically endangered, 2 are endangered, 3 are vulnerable, and 3 are near-threatened.[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)

West Indian Manatee
West Indian Manatee

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: Pilosa (anteaters, sloths and tamanduas)

Silky Anteater
Silky Anteater

The order Pilosa is extant only in the Americas and includes the anteaters, sloths, and tamanduas.

[edit] Order: Primates

Geoffroy's Spider Monkey
Geoffroy's Spider Monkey

The order Primates contains all the species commonly related to the lemurs, monkeys, and apes, with the latter category including humans. It is divided informally into three main groupings: prosimians, monkeys of the New World, and monkeys and apes of the Old World.

[edit] Order: Rodentia (rodents)

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

[edit] Order: Lagomorpha (lagomorphs)

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)

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

[edit] Order: Chiroptera (bats)

Mexican Free-tailed Bat
Mexican Free-tailed Bat
Tomes's Sword-nosed Bat
Tomes's Sword-nosed 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)

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)

Ocelot
Ocelot
Jaguarundi
Jaguarundi
Gray Fox
Gray Fox
Long-tailed Weasel
Long-tailed Weasel
Tayra
Tayra
Eastern Spotted Skunk
Eastern Spotted 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: Perissodactyla (odd-toed ungulates)

Baird's Tapir
Baird's Tapir

The odd-toed ungulates are browsing and grazing mammals. They are usually large to very large, and have relatively simple stomachs and a large middle toe.

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

Red Brocket
Red Brocket

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)

Water Opossum
Water Opossum

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