Mammal Life List

Marsupialia (Marsupials)

Marsupials: These mammals give birth to relatively undeveloped young, which then complete their development in a pouch. Examples include kangaroos, koalas, and opossums.

Great TinamouTinamus major

Central American Wooly OpossumCaluromys derbianus

I first saw these incredible marsupials on Isla Bastimentos, Panama.

Common OpossumDidelphis marsupialis

Water OpposumChironectes minimus

Xenarthra (Xenarthrans)

Xenarthrans: Characterized by unique skeletal features, including extra joints in their backbone. Includes anteaters, sloths, and armadillos.

Northern TamanduaTamandua mexicana

Brown-throated slothBradypus variegatus

Hoffmann's two-toed slothCholoepus hoffmanni

Primates (Primates)

Primates: Includes humans, apes, monkeys, and prosimians.

Barbary MacaqueMacaca sylvanus

Black HowlerAlouatta caraya

Black-mantled TamarinLeontocebus nigricollis

Central American squirrel monkeySaimiri oerstedii

Tufted CapuchinSapajus apella

Cotton-top TamarinSaguinus oedipus

I wrote about Cotton-tops in detail in my notes on the Caribbean lowlands of Colombia.

Geoffroy's spider monkeyAteles geoffroyi

Humboldt's squirrel monkeySaimiri cassiquiarensis

Red-bellied titi monkeyPlecturocebus moloch

Mantled HowlerAlouatta palliata

Panamanian Night MonkeyAotus zonalis

Purús Red HowlerAlouatta puruensis

Spix's night monkeyAotus vociferans

Central American White-faced CapuchinCebus imitator

Photographed in Soberania National Park.

Rodentia (Rodents)

Rodents: Largest order of mammals, including mice, rats, squirrels, beavers, and many others.

Arctic Ground SquirrelUrocitellus parryii

Black AgoutiDasyprocta fuliginosa

Black-tailed Prairie DogCynomys ludovicianus

CapybaraHydrochoerus hydrochaeris

Central American AgoutiDasyprocta punctata

Desert Kangaroo RatDipodomys deserti

North American BeaverCastor canadensis

California Ground SquirrelOtospermophilus beecheyi

Douglas SquirrelTamiasciurus douglasii

Santander Dwarf SquirrelMicrosciurus santanderensis

Eastern Fox SquirrelSciurus niger

Eastern Gray SquirrelSciurus carolinensis

Eastern Red SquirrelTamiasciurus hudsonicus

Golden-mantled Ground SquirrelCallospermophilus lateralis

Harris' Antelope SquirrelAmmospermophilus harrisii

Hopi ChipmunkNeotamias rufus

Least ChipmunkNeotamias minimus

Nutria or coypuMyocastor coypus

American Red SquirrelTamiasciurus hudsonicus

Red-rumped agoutiDasyprocta leporina

Red-tailed SquirrelSciurus granatensis

Rock SquirrelOtospermophilus variegatus

Round-tailed Ground SquirrelXerospermophilus tereticaudus

Variegated SquirrelSciurus variegatoides

Thirteen-Lined Ground SquirrelIctidomys tridecemlineatus

Townsend's ChipmunkNeotamias townsendii

White-tailed Antelope SquirrelAmmospermophilus leucurus

Yellow-bellied MarmotMarmota flaviventris

Lagomorpha (Lagomorphs)

Lagomorphs: Includes rabbits, hares, and pikas.

American PikaOchotona princeps

Black-tailed JackrabbitLepus californicus

Desert CottontailSylvilagus audubonii

Marsh RabbitSylvilagus palustris

Common TapetiSylvilagus brasiliensis

Western Brush RabbitSylvilagus bachmani

Eulipotyphla (Insectivores)

Insectivores: Includes shrews, moles, and hedgehogs.

Townsend's MoleScapanus townsendii

Eastern MoleScapanus aquaticus

Chiroptera (Bats)

Bats: Only mammals capable of sustained flight.

Lesser Bulldog BatNoctilio albiventris

Lesser Sac-winged BatSaccopteryx leptura

Lesser long-tongued batChoeroniscus minor

Little Brown BatMyotis lucifugus

Orange Nectar BatLonchophylla robusta

Photographed near El Valle de Anton, Panama.

Tent-making BatUroderma bilobatum

Western Small-footed BatMyotis ciliolabrum

Western PipistrelleParastrellus hesperus

Greater Sac-winged BatSaccopteryx bilineata

Carnivora (Carnivorans)

Carnivorans: Includes cats, dogs, bears, weasels, and seals.

American Black BearUrsus americanus

CoyoteCanis latrans

CougarPuma concolor

European MinkMustela lutreola

Gray FoxUrocyon cinereoargenteus

KinkajouPotos flavus

Kit FoxVulpes macrotis

American MinkNeogale vison

Northern RaccoonProcyon lotor

Red FoxVulpes vulpes

North American River OtterLontra canadensis

Sea OtterEnhydra lutris

Small Indian MongooseUrva auropunctata

Striped Hog-Nosed SkunkConepatus semistriatus

TayraEira barbara

Western-Spotted SkunkSpilogale gracilis

White-nosed CoatimundiNasua narica

Perissodactyla (Odd-toed Ungulates)

Odd-toed ungulates: Includes horses, zebras, rhinoceroses, and tapirs.

ElkCervus canadensis

MooseAlces alces

Mule DeerOdocoileus hemionus

White-tailed DeerOdocoileus virginianus

Water DeerHydropotes inermis

I was pretty taken aback when I saw this vampire deer staring back at me. I saw this Water Deer on Ganghwa Island. These Water deer have fangs—elongated upper canine teeth—because, unlike most deer that use antlers to compete, male water deer use their tusk-like fangs to fight rivals during mating season. They have no antlers, so their fangs evolved as weapons to establish dominance and secure mates.

Artiodactyla (Even-toed Ungulates)

Even-toed ungulates: Includes pigs, deer, cattle, giraffes, and hippopotamuses.

Bighorn SheepOvis canadensis

American BisonBison bison

CaribouRangifer tarandus

Collared PeccaryDicotyles tajacu

MuskoxOvibos moschatus

I wrote about my encounter with a male muskox in Midnight Road to Beringia.

PronghornAntilocapra americana

Photographed while on the Loneliest Road in Nevada.

White-lipped PeccaryTayassu pecari

Cetacea (Cetaceans)

Cetaceans: Includes whales, dolphins, and porpoises.

Blue WhaleBalaenoptera musculus

Common Bottlenose DolphinTursiops truncatus

Dall's PorpoisePhocoenoides dalli

Humpback WhaleMegaptera novaeangliae

Long-beaked Common DolphinDelphinus delphis

Fin WhaleBalaenoptera physalus

Gray WhaleEschrichtius robustus

Harbour PorpoisePhocoena phocoena

Pacific White-sided DolphinLagenorhynchus obliquidens

Sei WhaleBalaenoptera borealis

Spinner DolphinStenella longirostris

Pinnipedia (Pinnipeds)

Pinnipeds: Includes seals, sea lions, and walruses.

California Sea LionZalophus californianus

Northern Elephant SealMirounga angustirostris

Harbor SealPhoca vitulina

Hawaiian Monk SealNeomonachus schauinslandi

Northern Fur SealCallorhinus ursinus

Spotted SealPhoca largha

Stellar Sea LionEumetopias jubatus