List of mammals of Alabama

The U.S. state of Alabama is home to these known indigenous mammal species.[1] Historically, the state's indigenous species included one armadillo species, sixteen bat species, thirteen carnivore species, six insectivore species, one opossum species, four rabbit species, twenty-two rodent species, and three ungulate species.[2][3][4][5][6][7] Four of these native species have become extirpated within the state, including the American bison, cougar, gray wolf, and the elk.[1][8]

There are six known introduced mammal species in the state. These include the black rat, brown rat, fallow deer, wild boar, house mouse, and nutria.[8]

Human predation and habitat destruction has placed several mammal species at risk of extirpation or extinction. The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources lists the conservation status of each species within the state with a rank of lowest, low, moderate, high, and highest concern.[3][5][6][7][8]

Armadillo

Image Scientific name Common name Family Conservation
concern
Dasypus novemcinctusnine-banded armadillo
common long-nosed armadillo
DasypodidaeLow

Bats

Image Scientific name Common name Family Conservation
concern
Corynorhinus rafinesquiiRafinesque's big-eared batVespertilionidaeHighest
Eptesicus fuscusbig brown batVespertilionidaeLowest
Lasionycteris noctivaganssilver-haired batVespertilionidaeModerate
Lasiurus borealiseastern red batVespertilionidaeLowest
Lasiurus cinereushoary batVespertilionidaeModerate
Lasiurus intermediusnorthern yellow batVespertilionidaeHigh
Lasiurus seminolusSeminole batVespertilionidaeLowest
Myotis austroripariussoutheastern myotisVespertilionidaeHigh
Myotis grisescensgray batVespertilionidaeHighest/
U.S. Fish and Wildlife lists as endangered
Myotis leibiieastern small-footed myotisVespertilionidaeModerate
Myotis lucifuguslittle brown batVespertilionidaeHigh
Myotis septentrionalisnorthern long-eared myotisVespertilionidaeHigh
Myotis sodalisIndiana myotisVespertilionidaeHighest/
U.S. Fish and Wildlife lists as endangered
Nycticeius humeralisevening batVespertilionidaeLowest
Perimyotis subflavuseastern pipistrelle
tricolored bat
VespertilionidaeLowest
Tadarida brasiliensisMexican free-tailed bat
Brazilian free-tailed bat
MolossidaeHigh

Carnivores

Image Scientific name Common name Family Conservation
concern
Canis latranscoyoteCanidaeLowest
Canis lupusgrey wolfCanidaeExtirpated
(now exists in Alaska, Canada, portions of the Great Lakes region and northwestern United States).
Canis lupus rufusred wolfCanidaeExtirpated
(U.S. Fish and Wildlife lists as endangered)
Urocyon cinereoargenteusgray foxCanidaeLowest
Vulpes vulpesred foxCanidaeLowest
Ursus americanusAmerican black bearUrsidaeHighest/
Range limited to northeast Alabama and Mobile-Tensaw River Delta.

Designated as state land mammal.
Procyon lotorraccoonProcyonidaeLowest
Lontra canadensisNorth American river otterMustelidaeLow
Mustela frenatalong-tailed weaselMustelidaeHigh
Neovison visonAmerican minkMustelidaeLow
Mephitis mephitisstriped skunkMephitidaeLow
Spilogale putoriuseastern spotted skunkMephitidaeHigh
Lynx rufusbobcatFelidaeLowest
Puma concolorcougar
mountain lion
panther
puma
FelidaeExtirpated (now exists in the western United States, southern Florida, and western Canada).

Eulipotyphlans

Image Scientific name Common name Family Conservation
concern
Blarina brevicaudanorthern short-tailed shrewSoricidaeModerate
Blarina carolinensissouthern short-tailed shrewSoricidaeModerate
Cryptotis parvaNorth American least shrewSoricidaeModerate
Sorex hoyiAmerican pygmy shrewSoricidaeHigh
Sorex longirostrissoutheastern shrewSoricidaeModerate
Scalopus aquaticuseastern moleTalpidaeLow

Opossum

Image Scientific name Common name Family Conservation
concern
Didelphis virginianaVirginia opossum
North American opossum
DidelphidaeLow

Rabbits

Image Scientific name Common name Family Conservation
concern
Sylvilagus aquaticusswamp rabbitLeporidaeLow
Sylvilagus floridanuseastern cottontailLeporidaeLowest
Sylvilagus obscurusAppalachian cottontailLeporidaeHigh
Sylvilagus palustrismarsh rabbitLeporidaeHigh

Rodents

Image Scientific name Common name Family Conservation
concern
Castor canadensisNorth American beaverCastoridaeLowest
Glaucomys volanssouthern flying squirrelSciuridaeLowest
Marmota monaxwoodchuck
groundhog
SciuridaeLowest
Sciurus carolinensiseastern gray squirrelSciuridaeLowest
Sciurus nigerfox squirrel
eastern fox squirrel
Bryant's fox squirrel
SciuridaeLow
Tamias striatuseastern chipmunkSciuridaeLowest
Geomys pinetissoutheastern pocket gopherGeomyidaeHigh
Microtus ochrogasterprairie voleCricetidaeModerate
Microtus pinetorumpine vole
woodland vole
CricetidaeLow
Neotoma cinereaeastern woodrat
Florida woodrat
CricetidaeModerate
Neotoma magisterAllegheny woodratCricetidaeHigh
Ochrotomys nuttalligolden mouseCricetidaeLowest
Ondatra zibethicusmuskratCricetidaeLowest
Oryzomys palustrismarsh rice ratCricetidaeLowest
Peromyscus gossypinuscotton mouseCricetidaeLowest
Peromyscus leucopuswhite-footed mouseCricetidaeLowest
Peromyscus polionotusoldfield mouse
beach mouse
CricetidaeModerate
Peromyscus polionotus ammobatesAlabama beach mouseCricetidaeHighest/
U.S. Fish and Wildlife lists as endangered.

Range limited to Fort Morgan Peninsula and Ono Island in Baldwin County.
Peromyscus polionotus trissyllepsisPerdido Key beach mouseCricetidaeHighest/
U.S. Fish and Wildlife lists as endangered.

Range limited to the barrier island of Perdido Key in Baldwin County, Alabama and Escambia County, Florida.
Reithrodontomys humuliseastern harvest mouseCricetidaeModerate
Sigmodon hispidushispid cotton ratCricetidaeLowest
Mus musculushouse mouseMuridaeIntroduced/
Considered a pest species
Rattus rattusblack ratMuridaeIntroduced/
Considered a pest species
Rattus norvegicusNorway rat
brown rat
MuridaeIntroduced/
Considered a pest species
Zapus hudsoniusmeadow jumping mouseDipodidaeHigh
Myocaster coypusnutria
coypu
river rat
MyocastoridaeIntroduced/
Considered a pest species

Cetaceans

Image Scientific name Common name Family Conservation
concern
Eubalaena glacialisNorth Atlantic right whaleBalaenidaeEndangered
Balaenoptera acutorostratacommon minke whaleBalaenopteridaeLeast concern
Balaenoptera borealissei whaleBalaenopteridaeEndangered
Balaenoptera brydeiBryde's whaleBalaenopteridaeData deficient
Balaenoptera musculusblue whaleBalaenopteridaeEndangered
Balaenoptera physalusfin whaleBalaenopteridaeEndangered
Megaptera novaeangliaehumpback whaleBalaenopteridaeLeast concern
Physeter macrocephalussperm whalePhyseteridaeVulnerable
Kogia brevicepspygmy sperm whaleKogiidaeData deficient
Kogia simadwarf sperm whaleKogiidaeData deficient
Mesoplodon bidensSowerby's beaked whaleZiphiidaeData deficient
Mesoplodon densirostrisBlainville's beaked whaleZiphiidaeData deficient
Mesoplodon europaeusGervais' beaked whaleZiphiidaeData deficient
Peponocephala electramelon-headed whaleZiphiidaeData deficient
Ziphius cavirostrisCuvier's beaked whaleZiphiidaeLeast concern
Feresa attenuatapygmy killer WhaleDelphinidaeData deficient
Globicephala macrorhynchusshort-finned pilot whaleDelphinidaeData deficient
Grampus griseusRisso's dolphinDelphinidaeLeast concern
Lagenodelphis hoseiFraser's dolphinDelphinidaeLeast concern
Orcinus orcakiller whaleDelphinidaeData deficient
Pseudorca crassidensfalse killer WhaleDelphinidaeData deficient
Stenella frontalisAtlantic spotted dolphinDelphinidaeData deficient
Stenella coeruleoalbastriped dolphinDelphinidaeData deficient
Stenella attenuatapantropical spotted dolphinDelphinidaeData deficient
Stenella longirostrisspinner dolphinDelphinidaeData deficient
Stenella clymeneClymene dolphinDelphinidaeData deficient
Steno bredanensisrough-toothed dolphinDelphinidaeLeast concern
Tursiops truncatuscommon bottlenose dolphinDelphinidaeLeast concern

Ungulates

Image Scientific name Common name Family Conservation
concern
Cervus canadensiselkCervidaeExtirpated
Dama damafallow deerCervidaeIntroduced
Odocoileus virginianuswhite-tailed deer
Virginia deer
CervidaeLowest
Sus scrofawild boarSuidaeIntroduced; a significant threat to the ecosystem, they compete heavily with native wildlife and destroy natural plant communities
Bison bisonAmerican bison
American buffalo
BovidaeExtirpated (note: domestic herds exist on farms.[9][10][11])

References

  1. Mirarchi, Ralph E. (2004). Alabama Wildlife: Volume One. Tuscaloosa, Alabama: University of Alabama Press. pp. 185–202. ISBN 978-0-81735-1304.
  2. Alden, Peter (1999). National Audubon Society Field Guide to the Southeastern States. New York, New York: Alfred A. Knopf. pp. 350–375. ISBN -0-679-44683-4.
  3. "Bats". Outdoor Alabama. Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. Retrieved October 14, 2012.
  4. "Carnivores". Outdoor Alabama. Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. Archived from the original on October 22, 2012. Retrieved October 14, 2012.
  5. "Insectivores". Outdoor Alabama. Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. Retrieved October 14, 2012.
  6. "Rabbits". Outdoor Alabama. Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. Archived from the original on September 14, 2012. Retrieved October 14, 2012.
  7. "Rodents". Outdoor Alabama. Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. Archived from the original on October 22, 2012. Retrieved October 14, 2012.
  8. "Mammals". Outdoor Alabama. Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. Archived from the original on September 27, 2012. Retrieved October 14, 2012.
  9. "On a farm in south Alabama, the buffalo roam in herds". Gadsden Times. April 2, 2000.
  10. "Former aerospace manager raising bison". The Tuscaloosa News. December 28, 1996.
  11. "Wiregrass Buffalo". WTVY 4. February 23, 2007. Retrieved October 15, 2012.
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