This is a list of the mammal species recorded in Canada. There are approximately 200 mammal species in Canada.[1] Its large territorial size consist of fifteen terrestrial and five marine ecozones, ranging from oceanic coasts, to mountains to plains to urban housing, mean that Canada can harbour a great variety of species, including nearly half of the known cetaceans.[2] The largest marine ecozone is the Arctic Archipelago whereas the terrestrial ecozone is the Boreal Shield.[3] The most well represented order is that of the rodents, and the smallest that of the Didelphimorphia (common opossums).
Studies of mammals in Canada hearken back to the 1795 northern explorations of Samuel Hearne, whose account is considered surprisingly accurate. The first seminal work on Canadian mammals, however, was John Richardson's 1829 Fauna Boreali-Americana. Joseph Burr Tyrrell was the first to attempt to produce, in 1888, a comprehensive list of Canadian mammalian species. Ernest Thompson Seton and Charles-Eusèbe Dionne's work were also important. Modern Canadian publications with interest in mammalogy include The Canadian Field-Naturalist, the Canadian Journal of Zoology and the French-language Le Naturaliste Canadien.
Several species of mammal have particular symbolism. The Canadian horse and North American beaver are official symbols of Canada, and several provinces have designated native species as symbols.Conservation status - IUCN Red List of Threatened Species:
| Extinct | No reasonable doubt that the last individual has died. | ||
| Extinct in the wild | Known only to survive in captivity or as a naturalized population well outside its previous range. | ||
| Critically endangered | The species is in imminent risk of extinction in the wild. | ||
| Endangered | The species is facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild. | ||
| Vulnerable | The species is facing a high risk of extinction in the wild. | ||
| 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. | ||
| Least concern | There are no current identifiable risks to the species. | ||
| Data deficient | There is inadequate information to make an assessment of the risks to this species. | ||
| Not evaluated | Not been assessed by the IUCN. |
(v. 2013.2, the data is current as of March 5, 2014[4])
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.
| Common name(French name) | Species[5] (authority) | Preferred habitat | Native range | Status | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Family Vespertilionidae: Vesper bats | |||||
| Pallid bat (Chauve-souris blonde) | Antrozous pallidus (LeConte, 1856) | Dry plains | British Columbia | ||
| Townsend's big-eared bat (Oreillard de Townsend) | Corynorhinus townsendii (Cooper, 1837) | Open woodlands | Southern British Columbia | ||
| Big brown bat
| Eptesicus fuscus (Palisot de Beauvois, 1796) | Varied, including cities | British Columbia to southern Quebec and New Brunswick | ||
| Spotted bat (Oreillard maculé) | Euderma maculatum (J. A. Allen, 1891) | Near waterways | Inner British Columbia | ||
| Silver-haired bat (Chauve-souris argentée) | Lasionycteris noctivagans (La Conte, 1831) | Deciduous forest lakes | All of southern Canada except Gaspesia and northern Maritimes | ||
| Western red bat (Chauve-souris rousse de l'Ouest) | Lasiurus blossevillii[6] (Lesson and Garnot, 1826) | Open spaces and cities | Southwestern British Columbia | ||
| Eastern red bat (Chauve-souris rousse de l'Est) | Lasiurus borealis (Müller, 1776) | Open spaces and cities | Alberta to southern Maritimes | ||
| Hoary bat (Chauve-souris cendré) | Lasiurus cinereus (Palisot de Beauvois, 1796) | Forests | British Columbia to northern Hudson Bay and Maritimes | ||
| California myotis (Chauve-souris de Californie) | Myotis californicus (Audubon & Bachman, 1842) | West Coast forest | West Coast and Okanagan Valley | ||
| Western small-footed myotis (Chauve-souris pygmée de l'Ouest) | Myotis ciliolabrum (Merriam, 1886) | Dry areas | Southern Alberta and Saskatchewan | ||
| Long-eared myotis (Chauve-souris à longues oreilles) | Myotis evotis[7] (H. Allen, 1864) | Varied | Southern British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan | ||
| Keen's myotis (Chauve-souris de Keen) | Myotis keenii (Merriam, 1895) | Forests | West Coast | ||
| Eastern small-footed myotis (Chauve-souris pygmée de l'Est) | Myotis leibii (Audubon & Bachman, 1842) | Montane forest | Southern and south-central Ontario, southwestern Quebec | ||
| Little brown bat (Petite chauve-souris brune) | Myotis lucifugus (La Conte, 1831) | Varied, including cities | Yukon to Atlantic Canada | ||
| Northern long-eared myotis (Vespertilion nordique or Chauve-souris nordique) | Myotis septentrionalis[8] (Trouessart, 1897) | Forests | Central to Eastern Canada | ||
| Fringed myotis (Chauve-souris à queue frangée) | Myotis thysanodes (Miller, 1897) | White pine forest | Southcentral British Columbia | ||
| Long-legged myotis (Chauve-souris à longues pattes) | Myotis volans (H. Allen, 1866) | Varied | British Columbia and Alberta | ||
| Yuma myotis (Chauve-souris de Yuma) | Myotis yumanensis (H. Allen, 1864) | Open areas | West Coast and Okanagan Valley | ||
| Tri-colored bat formerly eastern pipistrelle (Pipistrelle de l'Est) | Pipistrellus subflavus (F. Cuvier, 1832) | Forest, fields and waterways | Southern Ontario, Quebec and Maritimes |
Carnivorans include over 260 species, the majority of which eat meat as their primary dietary item. They have a characteristic skull shape and dentition.
| Common name (French name) | Species (authority) | Preferred habitat | Native range | Status | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Family Felidae: Felines | |||||
| Canada lynx (Lynx du Canada)[9] | Lynx canadensis (Kerr, 1792) | Forests | Most of Canada | ||
| Bobcat (Lynx roux) | Lynx rufus (Schreber, 1777) | Varied | Southern Canada | ||
| Cougar (Puma) | Puma concolor (Linnaeus, 1771) | Mountain, marshes, dense forest | Mountainous regions of Alberta, British Columbia, and the Yukon | ||
| Family Canidae: Canines | |||||
| Coyote (Coyote) | Canis latrans (Say, 1823) | Varied | Rocky Mountains, southern Prairies, southern Ontario, Quebec, and Maritime provinces[10] | ||
| Grey wolf (Loup)[11] | Canis lupus (Linnaeus, 1758) | Varied | All of Canada, except Anticosti and Prince Edward Island. Extirpated in several areas. Population of the Arctic subspecies resides in Northern Canada.[12] | ||
| Eastern wolf (Loup oriental) | Canis lycaon(Schreber, 1775) | Varied | Great Lakes region in southeastern Canada (Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec) | ||
| Red wolf (Loup rouge) | Canis rufus(Audubon & Bachman, 1851) | Varied | Once ranged into Ontario; extirpated.[13] | ||
| Arctic fox (Renard arctique or polaire)[14] | Vulpes lagopus (Linnaeus, 1758) | Tundra | Northern Canada[15] | ||
| Swift fox (Renard véloce) | Vulpes velox (Say, 1823) | Desert and dry prairie | Southern Prairie Provinces | ||
| Red fox (Renard roux) | Vulpes vulpes (Linnaeus, 1758) | Varied | All of Canada except part of the Arctic Islands and West Coast | ||
| Family Ursidae: Bears | |||||
| Black bear (Ours noir) | Ursus americanus (Pallas, 1780) | Varied, mostly forested areas | Most of Canada except Arctic and Prince Edward Island | ||
| Grizzly bear (Ours brun) | Ursus arctos horribilis (Linnaeus, 1758) | Open spaces, mostly alpine and Arctic tundra | Yukon, most of British Columbia except Vancouver Island, Rocky Mountains, mainland Northwest Territory and Nunavut[16] | ||
| Polar bear (Ours blanc or polaire) | Ursus maritimus (Phipps, 1774) | Edge of ice fields | Arctic Sea and coasts | ||
| Family Procyonidae: Raccoons and allies | |||||
| Raccoon (Raton laveur)[17] | Procyon lotor (Linnaeus, 1758) | Riparian forest | Southern Canada except Rockies | ||
| Family Mustelidae: Mustelids | |||||
| Sea otter (Loutre de mer) | Enhydra lutris (Linnaeus, 1758) | Sea and coast | Vancouver and Goose Island coast | ||
| Northern river otter (Loutre de rivière) | Lontra canadensis (Schreber, 1777) | Rivers, lakes and swamps | Most of Canada except part of the Arctic and southern Prairies | ||
| Wolverine (Carcajou) | Gulo gulo (Linnaeus, 1758) | Boreal forest, Arctic tundra | Largely extinct in southern Canada west of the Rockies - found in much of continental Canada and the Arctic islands | ||
| American marten (Martre d'Amérique) | Martes americana (Turton, 1806) | Coniferous and mixed forests | Rockies to Labrador and Newfoundland, except Prairies - extinct in several parts of Eastern Canada | ||
| Pacific marten (Martre du Pacifique) | Martes caurina(Merriam, 1890) | Coniferous and mixed forests | West coast up to Yukon down to British Columbia and the Rockies |
| |
| Beringian ermine (Hermine béringienne) | Mustela erminea (Linnaeus, 1758) | Boreal forest, Arctic tundra | Most of Arctic Canada aside from parts of eastern Nunavut and Baffin Island | ||
| Haida ermine (Hermine Haïda) | Mustela haidarum (Preble, 1898) | Temperate rainforest | Haida Gwaii archipelago | ||
| Black-footed ferret (Putois à pieds noirs) | Mustela nigripes (Audubon and Bachman, 1851) | Prairies and grasslands | Extirpated; once inhabited southern Alberta and southern Saskatchewan | ||
| Least weasel (Belette pygmée)[18] | Mustela nivalis (Linnaeus, 1766) | Varied | Yukon to Labrador, except southern Quebec and Ontario | ||
| American ermine (Hermine américaine) | Mustela richardsonii (Bonaparte, 1838) | Varied | Almost all of Canada south of the Arctic, except part of southern Prairies and Anticosti Island. | ||
| Long-tailed weasel (Belette à longue queue) | Neogale frenata (Lichtenstein, 1831) | Open areas | Southern Rockies to western Ontario, southern Ontario to western Nova Scotia | ||
| Mink (Vison d'Amérique) | Neogale vison (Schreber, 1777) | Wetlands and rivers | Most of Canada, except the Arctic, part of the Prairies and Anticosti Island - introduced to Newfoundland | ||
| Fisher (Pékan) | Pekania pennanti (Erxleben, 1777) | Coniferous and mixed forests near rivers | British Columbia to central Quebec, reintroduced in parts of the Maritimes | ||
| Badger (Blaireau d'Amérique) | Taxidea taxus (Schreber, 1777) | Fields | Southern Prairies, south-central British Columbia and southernmost Ontario | ||
| Family Mephitidae: Skunks | |||||
| Striped skunk (Moufette rayée) | Mephitis mephitis (Schreber, 1776) | Forests, cultivated areas, valleys | Rockies to the Maritimes - introduced in Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia in the 19th century | ||
| Western spotted skunk (Moufette tachetée occidentale) | Spilogale gracilis (Merriam, 1890)[19] | Thickets and bushes | Southwestern British Columbia | ||
| Superfamily Pinnipedia: Pinnipeds | |||||
| Family Otariidae: Eared seals | |||||
| Northern fur seal (Otarie à fourrure)[20] | Callorhinus ursinus (Linnaeus, 1758) | Sea | Off the coast of British Columbia; appreciates rocky outcrops - occasionally reported from the Arctic | ||
| Steller sea lion (Otarie de Steller)[21] | Eumetopias jubatus (Schreber, 1776) | Coast waters | British Columbia; appreciates rocky outcrops | ||
| Walrus (Morse) | Odobenus rosmarus (Linnaeus, 1758) | Arctic shallows | James Bay to Greenland - extinct in the Western Arctic and the Magdalen Islands | ||
| California sea lion (Otarie de Californie) | Zalophus californianus ((Lesson, 1828)) | Coast waters | Near Vancouver Island | ||
| Family Phocidae: Earless seals | |||||
| Hooded seal (Phoque à capuchon) | Cystophora cristata (Erxleben, 1777) | Sea | Atlantic from Gulf of the Saint Lawrence to northern Baffin Island | ||
| Bearded seal (Phoque barbu) | Erignathus barbatus (Erxleben, 1777) | Sea | Arctic Ocean | ||
| Grey seal (Phoque gris) | Halichoerus grypus (Erxleben, 1777) | Sea rocks, and reefs | East Coast | ||
| Northern elephant seal (Éléphant de mer du Nord) | Mirounga angustirostris (Gill, 1866) | Tropical and temperate sea waters | Occasional in British Columbia | ||
| Harp seal (Phoque du Groenland) | Phoca groenlandica (Erxleben, 1777)[22] | Cold waters | Gulf of Saint Lawrence to James Bay and Greenland | ||
| Harbour seal (Phoque commun) | Phoca vitulina (Linnaeus, 1758) | Coast waters and some interior lakes | Most Canadian coasts except the colder part of the Arctic | ||
| Ringed seal (Phoque annelé) | Pusa hispida (Schreber, 1775) | Arctic waters and ice-floes | Arctic Ocean |
See also: List of cetaceans. Cetaceans 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.
| Common name(French name) | Species(authority) | Preferred habitat | Native range | Status | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Family Balaenidae: Right Whales | |||||
| Bowhead whale (Baleine boréale)[23] | Balaena mysticetus (Linnaeus, 1758) | Polar ice shelf in winter, coastal waters in the summer | Arctic Ocean | ||
| North Atlantic right whale (Baleine franche)[24] | Eubalaena glacialis (Linnaeus, 1758) | Temperate coast waters | North Atlantic | ||
| North Pacific right whale (Baleine franche) | Eubalaena japonica (Lacépède, 1818) | North Pacific | |||
| Family Balaenopteridae: Rorquals | |||||
| Northern minke whale (Petit rorqual) | Balaenoptera acutorostrata (Lacépède, 1804) | Temperate or polar seas | Northern Atlantic and Pacific | ||
| Sei whale (Rorqual boréal) | Balaenoptera borealis (Lesson, 1828) | Temperate seas | Atlantic and Pacific oceans | ||
| Blue whale (Rorqual bleu) | Balaenoptera musculus (Linnaeus, 1758) | Temperate and polar waters | Atlantic and Pacific oceans | ||
| Fin whale (Rorqual commun) | Balaenoptera physalus (Linnaeus, 1758) | Pelagic, coastal | Atlantic and Pacific oceans | ||
| Humpback whale (Baleine à bosse) | Megaptera novaeangliae (Borowski, 1781) | Coastal waters, often penetrates estuaries | Atlantic and Pacific oceans | ||
| Family Eschrichtiidae: Grey Whale | |||||
| Grey whale (Baleine grise) | Eschrichtius robustus (Lilljebor, 1861) | Temperate continental shelf waters | Pacific Coast | ||
| Family Monodontidae: Narwhal and Beluga | |||||
| Narwhal (Narval) | Monodon monoceros (Linnaeus, 1758) | Edge of Arctic ice sheet | Eastern Arctic Ocean | ||
| Beluga (Bélouga) | Delphinapterus leucas (Pallas, 1776) | Arctic coast waters - often swim deep up rivers | Eastern and Western Arctic Ocean | ||
| Family Phocoenidae: Porpoises | |||||
| Harbour porpoise (Marsouin commun)[25] | Phocoena phocoena (Linnaeus, 1758) | East and West Coast | |||
| Dall's porpoise (Marsouin de Dall) | Phocoenoides dalli (True, 1885) | Continental shelf | North Pacific | ||
| Family Physeteridae: Sperm Whale | |||||
| Sperm whale (Cachalot) | Physeter macrocephalus (Linnaeus, 1758) | Very deep waters | Pacific and Atlantic Oceans - only migrating males are found in Canadian waters | ||
| Family Ziphidae: Beaked Whales | |||||
| Cuvier's beaked whale (Baleine à bec de Cuvier) | Ziphius cavirostris (G. Cuvier, 1823) | Uncertain | North Pacific and Atlantic | ||
| Baird's beaked whale
| Berardius bairdii (Stejneger, 1883) | Near continental shelf cliffs | North Pacific | ||
| Northern bottlenose whale
| Hyperoodon ampullatus (Forster, 1770) | Subarctic waters | North Atlantic and part of Arctic | ||
| Sowerby's beaked whale (Baleine à bec de Sowerby) | Mesoplodon bidens (Sowerby, 1804) | Deep ocean | Temperate North Atlantic | ||
| Hubbs' beaked whale
| Mesoplodon carlhubbsi[26] (Moore, 1963) | Temperate waters | North Pacific | ||
| Stejneger's beaked whale
| Mesoplodon stejnegeri (True, 1885) | Cold, high sea | North Pacific | ||
| Family Delphinidae: Oceanic dolphins | |||||
| White-beaked dolphin (Dauphin à bec blanc) | Lagenorhynchus albirostris (Gray, 1846) | High, cold sea | North Atlantic | ||
| Atlantic white-sided dolphin (Dauphin à flancs blancs) | Leucopleurus acutus (Gray, 1828) | Temperate high sea | North Atlantic | ||
| Common bottlenose dolphin (Grand dauphin) | Tursiops truncatus (Montagu, 1821) | Coastal waters | Occasional in the Maritimes | ||
| Short-beaked common dolphin (Dauphin commun à bec court) | Delphinus delphis (Linnaeus, 1758) | Temperate high sea | Atlantic and Pacific Continental shelves | ||
| Pacific white-sided dolphin (Dauphin à flancs blancs du pacifique) | Sagmatias obliquidens (Gill, 1865) | Temperate and subarctic seas | North Pacific | ||
| Orca (Épaulard or orque) | Orcinus orca (Linnaeus, 1758) | Prefers coastal waters | Atlantic, Pacific and parts of the Arctic | ||
| Short-finned pilot whale (Globicéphale du Pacifique) | Globicephala macrorhynchus (Gray, 1846) | Varied | Pacific Ocean | ||
| Long-finned pilot whale
| Globicephala melas (Traill, 1809) | Varied | North Atlantic |
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 worldwide, including many that are of great economic importance.
| Common name (French name) | Species (authority) | Preferred habitat | Native range | Status | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Family Cervidae: Deer | |||||
| Moose () | Alces alces (Linnaeus, 1758) | Subarctic and open forests | Yukon to New Brunswick - introduced in Newfoundland, Cape Breton and Anticosti Islands | ||
| Elk (Wapiti) | Cervus canadensis (Linnaeus, 1758)[27] | Varied, prefers open areas | Southern Rockies and part of the Prairies, reintroduced in several part of its former range. | ||
| Mule deer (Cerf mulet) | Odocoileus hemionus (Rafinesque, 1817) | Subarctic and open forests | West Coast to Prairies | ||
| White-tailed deer (Cerf de Virginie)[28] | Odocoileus virginianus (Zimmerman, 1780) | Glens, rivers, marshes, forest edges | Southern Rockies and Prairie Provinces to coast of Labrador and Maritimes - introduced to the Anticosti Islands | ||
| Caribou (Caribou) | Rangifer tarandus (Zimmerman, 1780) | Tundra, Taiga and boreal forest | Boreal forest across Canada, and parts of the Arctic and Rockies | ||
| Family Antilocapridae: The Pronghorn | |||||
| Pronghorn (Antilope d'Amérique or pronghorn) | Antilocapra americana (Ord, 1815) | Prairies and plains | Southern Saskatchewan and Alberta | ||
| Family Bovidae: Bovids | |||||
| American bison (Bison)[29] | Bison bison (Linnaeus, 1758) | Varied | South of the Great Slaves Lake - small reintroduced population found in several parts of its former range | ||
| Mountain goat (Chèvre de montagne) | Oreamnos americanus (Blainville, 1816) | Mountains | Various parts of the Western Cordillera | ||
| Muskox (Boeuf musqué) | Ovibos moschatus (Zimmermann, 1780) | Arctic tundra | Canadian Arctic | ||
| Bighorn sheep (Mouflon d'Amérique) | Ovis canadensis (Shaw, 1804) | Alpine prairies | South and southeastern Rockies | ||
| Dall sheep (Mouflon de Dall) | Ovis dalli (Nelson, 1884) | Alpine tundra | Yukon and northern British Columbia |
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.
| Common name (French name) | Species (authority) | Preferred habitat | Native range | Status | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Family Didelphidae: New World opossums | |||||
| Virginia opossum (Opossum d'Amérique or de Virginie) | Didelphis virginiana (Kerr, 1792) | Humid lowland forest | Southwestern Ontario, introduced in British Columbia |
The lagomorphs comprise two families, Leporidae (hares and rabbits), and Ochotonidae (pikas). They can resemble rodents, but differ in a number of physical characteristics, such as having four incisors in the upper jaw rather than two.
| Common name(French name) | Species(authority) | Preferred habitat | Native range | Status | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Family Ochotonidae: Pikas | |||||
| Collared pika (Pica à collier) | Ochotona collaris (Nelson, 1893) | Mountains above the tree line | Rockies of the Yukon | ||
| American pika (Pica d'Amérique) | Ochotona princeps (Richardson, 1828) | Mountains near the tree line | Southern British Columbia and Alberta | ||
| Family Leporidae: Rabbits and hares | |||||
| Snowshoe hare (Lièvre d'Amérique) | Lepus americanus (Erxleben, 1777) | Forests | Much of mainland Canada except southernmost Ontario | ||
| Arctic hare (Lièvre arctique) | Lepus arcticus (Ross, 1819) | Tundra | Canadian Arctic (including Arctic Archipelago), Labrador, Newfoundland | ||
| White-tailed jackrabbit (Lièvre de Townsend) | Lepus townsendii (Bachman, 1839) | Fields | Southern Prairies, Okanagan Valley | ||
| Eastern cottontail (Lapin à queue blanche) | Sylvilagus floridanus (J. A. Allen, 1890) | Open woodlands | Southern Manitoba, Saskatchewan Ontario and Quebec | ||
| Mountain cottontail (Lapin de Nuttall) | Sylvilagus nuttallii (J. A. Allen, 1890) | Dry plains | Southern Alberta and Saskatchewan, Okanagan and Similkameen valleys | ||
| New England cottontail (Lapin de Nouvelle-Angleterre) | Sylvilagus transitionalis(Bangs, 1895) | High elevation forests | Presence uncertain in Quebec, possibly extant |
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, a rodent native to South America, can weigh up to 45 kg (100 lb).
| Common name(French name) | Species(authority) | Preferred habitat | Native range | Status[30] | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Family Erethizontidae: New World porcupines | |||||
| North American porcupine (Porc-épic d'Amérique) | Erethizon dorsatum (Linnaeus, 1758) | Forests south of the tree line | All of Canada except Arctic | ||
| Family Aplodontiidae: mountain beaver | |||||
| Mountain beaver (Castor de montagne) | Aplodontia rufa (Rafinesque, 1817) | Montane forest | Southern British Columbia | ||
| Family Castoridae: Beavers | |||||
| North American beaver (Castor) | Castor canadensis (Kuhl, 1820) | Humid areas of forests | All of Canada below the tree line except drier parts of the Prairies | ||
| Family Sciuridae: Squirrels | |||||
| Eastern grey squirrel (Écureuil gris) | Sciurus carolinensis (Gmelin, 1788) | Prefers deep forest, but frequent in urban areas | Southern Manitoba and northwestern Ontario, southern Quebec, Ontario and New Brunswick | ||
| Eastern fox squirrel (Écureuil fauve) | Sciurus (Linnaeus, 1758) | Edges of forests and groves | Southern Manitoba and Saskatchewan, British Columbia and Pelee Island | ||
| Douglas squirrel (Écureuil de Douglas) | Tamiasciurus douglasii (Bachman, 1839) | Coniferous forest | Southwestern British Columbia | ||
| American red squirrel (Écureuil roux)[31] | Tamiasciurus hudsonicus (Erxleben, 1839) | Forests | Mainland Canada south of the tree line, except the southern Prairies and southwestern British Columbia; Vancouver Island | ||
| Humboldt's flying squirrel | Glaucomys oregonensis (Bachman, 1839) | Boreal forest | Southern British Columbia continuing south through the US border | ||
| Northern flying squirrel (Grand polatouche) | Glaucomys sabrinus (Shaw, 1801) | Boreal forest | Mainland Canada south of the tree line except the southern Prairies | ||
| Southern flying squirrel (Petit polatouche) | Glaucomys volans (Linnaeus, 1758) | Deciduous forest | Southern Ontario, part of Quebec, southern Nova Scotia | ||
| Black-tailed prairie dog (Chien de prairie à queue noire) | Cynomys ludovicianus (Ord, 1815) | Dry prairies | Small part of southern Saskatchewan | ||
| Hoary marmot (Marmotte des Rocheuses) | Marmota caligata (Eschscholtz, 1829) | Alpine tundra | Rockies, Columbia, and Coast Mountains | ||
| Yellow-bellied marmot (Marmotte à ventre jaune) | Marmota flaviventris (Audubon and Bachman, 1841) | Mountains | Central British Columbia and southernmost Alberta | ||
| Groundhog (Marmotte commune, siffleux) | Marmota monax (Linnaeus, 1758) | Broken ground | Much of mainland Canada east of the Rockies, inland valleys and part of western Yukon | ||
| Vancouver Island marmot (Marmotte de Vancouver) | Marmota vancouverensis (Swarth, 1911) | Near the mountain tree line | Endemic to Vancouver Island | ||
| Golden-mantled ground squirrel (Spermophile à mante dorée) | Callospermophilus lateralis (Say, 1823) | Montane coniferous forest | Southeastern Rockies | ||
| Cascade golden-mantled ground squirrel (Spermophile à mante dorée des Cascades) | Callospermophilus saturatus (Rhoads, 1895) | Southern British Columbia Cascade Range | British Columbia | ||
| Franklin's ground squirrel (Écureuil terrestre de Franklin) | Poliocitellus franklinii (Sabine, 1822) | Parklands | Northwestern Ontario and southern Prairies except short-grass prairies | ||
| Thirteen-lined ground squirrel (Spermophile rayé) | Ictidomys tridecemlineatus (Mitchill, 1821) | Groves, swamps, uncultivated land | Southern Prairie Provinces | ||
| Columbian ground squirrel (Spermophile du Columbia) | Urocitellus columbianus (Ord, 1815) | Montane open areas | Southern Rocky mountains | ||
| Arctic ground squirrel (Spermophile arctique) | Urocitellus parryii (Richardson, 1825) | Tundra without permafrost | Mainland Arctic | ||
| Richardson's ground squirrel (Spermophile de Richardson) | Urocitellus richardsonii (Sabine, 1822) | Prairies | South of the Prairie provinces | ||
| Yellow-pine chipmunk (Tamia amène) | Tamias amoenus (Allen, 1821) | Dry montane forest | Southern and central British Columbia and Alberta | ||
| Least chipmunk (Tamia mineur) | Tamias minimus (Bachman, 1839) | Edges of forests, groves, but also open spaces | Western Quebec to Yukon | ||
| Red-tailed chipmunk (Tamia à queue rousse) | Tamias ruficaudus (A. H. Howell, 1839) | High altitude forest and valley pine groves | Southern British Columbia and Alberta | ||
| Eastern chipmunk (Tamia rayé, Petit suisse) | Tamias striatus (Linnaeus, 1758) | Deciduous forest | Maritime provinces, and the southern half of Quebec, Ontario, and Manitoba | ||
| Townsend's chipmunk (Tamia de Townsend) | Tamias townsendii (Bachman, 1839) | Western Coast lowland and montane tsuga forests | Southwestern British Columbia | ||
| Family Geomyidae: Pocket gophers | |||||
| Plains pocket gopher (Gaufre brun) | Geomys bursarius (Shaw, 1800) | Fields and banks | Southern Manitoba | ||
| Northern pocket gopher (Gaufre gris) | Thomomys talpoides (Richardson, 1828) | Open areas | Southern Prairie Provinces and British Columbia | ||
| Family Heteromyidae: Heteromyids | |||||
| Ord's kangaroo rat
| Dipodomys ordii (Woodhouse, 1853) | Semi-deserctic areas | Great Sand Hills area | ||
| Olive-backed pocket mouse
| Perognathus fasciatus (Wied-Neuwied, 1839) | Dry plains | Southern Prairies | ||
| Great Basin pocket mouse (Souris à abajoues des pinèdes) | Perognathus parvus (Peale, 1848) | Dry plains | Great Basin | ||
| Family Dipodidae: Jerboas | |||||
| Woodland jumping mouse (Souris sauteuse des bois) | Napaeozapus insignis (Miller, 1891) | Forest streams | Eastern Canada | ||
| Meadow jumping mouse (Souris sauteuse des champs) | Zapus hudsonius (Zimmermann, 1780) | Wet fields | Eastern Canada (except Anticosti island and Newfoundland) to Yukon | ||
| Western jumping mouse (Souris sauteuse de l'ouest) | Zapus princeps (Allen, 1893) | Prairies | Rockies and Prairies | ||
| Pacific jumping mouse (Souris sauteuse du Pacifique) | Zapus trinotatus (Rhoads, 1893) | Montane prairies | Southwestern British Columbia | ||
| Family Cricetidae: Cricetids | |||||
| Southern red-backed vole (Campagnol à dos roux de Gapper) | Myodes gapperi[32] (Vigors), 1830 | Forests | Most of the provinces, except Newfoundland and Vancouver Island | ||
| Northern red-backed vole (Campagnol à dos roux boréal) | Myodes rutilus (Pallas, 1779) | Shrubby tundra | Mainland Arctic | ||
| Northern collared lemming (Lemming variable or lemming à collerette)[33] | Dicrostonyx groenlandicus (Traill, 1823) | Tundra | Northern Arctic islands | ||
| Ungava collared lemming (Lemming d'Ungava) | Dicrostonyx hudsonius (Pallas, 1778) | Tundra | Northern Quebec | ||
| Victoria collared lemming (Lemming à collerette) | Dicrostonyx kilangmiutak[34] (Anderson & Rand, 1945) | Tundra | Mainland Arctic, Banks, Victoria and King Williams Islands | ||
| Ogilvie Mountains collared lemming (-) | Dicrostonyx nunatakensis (Youngman, 1967) | Montane tundra | Ogilvie Mountains | ||
| Richardson's collared lemming (-) | Dicrostonyx richardsoni (Merriam, 1900) | Tundra | Arctic, roughly south of the Thelon River Basin | ||
| Sagebrush vole (Campagnol des sauges) | Lemmiscus curtatus (Cope, 1868) | Sagebrush steppes | Southern Alberta and Saskatchewan | ||
| North American brown lemming (Lemming brun) | Lemmus trimucronatus (Richardson, 1825) | Tundra of Nunavut, Northwest Territories and Yukon, also west coast of British Columbia almost south to Vancouver Island | |||
| Rock vole (Campagnol des rochers) | Microtus chrotorrhinus (Miller, 1894) | Rocky areas | Boreal Ontario and Quebec; southernmost Labrador; Gaspesia and northern New Brunswick | ||
| Long-tailed vole (Campagnol longicaude) | Microtus longicaudus (Miller, 1894) | Varied | Western Cordillera | ||
| Singing vole (Campagnol chanteur) | Microtus miurus (Osgood, 1901) | Alpine tundra | Yukon and neighbouring Northwest Territory | ||
| Montane vole (Campagnol montagnard) | Microtus montanus (Peale, 1848) | Shortgrass alpine prairies | Central south British Columbia | ||
| Prairie vole (Campagnol des prairies) | Microtus ochrogaster (Wagner, 1842) | Prairies | Prairie provinces | ||
| Tundra vole (Campagnol nordique) | Microtus oeconomus (Pallas, 1776) | Wet tundra | Western Arctic | ||
| Creeping vole (Campagnol de l'oregon) | Microtus oregoni (Bachman, 1839) | Humid coniferous forest | Southern British Columbia | ||
| Meadow vole (Campagnol des champs) | Microtus pennsylvanicus (Ord, 1815) | Wet fields | All of Canada except Arctic and westernmost ranges | ||
| Woodland vole (Campagnol sylvestre) | Microtus pinetorum (Le Conte, 1830) | Deciduous forest | Southernmost Ontario and Quebec | ||
| Water vole (Campagnol de Richardson) | Microtus richardsoni (De Kay, 1842) | Alpine prairies and streams | Cascades and southern Rockies | ||
| Townsend's vole (Campagnol de Townsend) | Microtus townsendii (Bachman, 1839) | Saline marshes and fields | Vancouver Island, nearby islands and Fraser River delta | ||
| Taiga vole (Campagnol à joues jaunes) | Microtus xanthognathus (Leach, 1815) | Forest streams | From southwestern Hudson Bay through northern Prairies and Yukon | ||
| Muskrat (Rat musqué) | Ondatra zibethicus (Linnaeus, 1766) | Wetlands | Most of Canada outside the Arctic and southwestern British Columbia | ||
| Western heather vole (Campagnol des bruyères) | Phenacomys intermedius (Merriam, 1889) | Varied | British Columbia | ||
| Eastern heather vole (Phénacomys d'Ungava) | Phenacomys ungava (Merriam, 1889) | Varied | Quebec, Ontario and Labrador to southern Yukon | ||
| Northern bog lemming (Campagnol-lemming boréal) | Synaptomys borealis (Richardson, 1828) | Peatlands | Labrador to Alaska; Gaspesia and northern New Brunswick | ||
| Southern bog lemming (Campagnol-lemming de Cooper) | Synaptomys cooperi (Baird, 1857) | Peatlands | Western Manitoba, central and southern Ontario and Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia | ||
| Bushy-tailed woodrat (Rat à queue touffue) | Neotoma cinerea (Ord, 1815) | Mountains | Western Cordillera | ||
| Yukon deer mouse (Souris de yukon) | Peromyscus arcticus(Wagner, 1845) | Forest, mountains | Yukon | ||
| Northwestern deer mouse (Souris de keen) | Peromyscus keeni[35] (Rhoades, 1894) | Mild and rainy forest | West of the Coastal Mountains | ||
| White-footed mouse (Souris à pattes blanches) | Peromyscus leucopus (Rafinesque, 1818) | Deciduous forest | Southern Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario, Quebec and Nova Scotia | ||
| Eastern deer mouse (Souris sylvestre) | Peromyscus maniculatus (Wagner, 1845) | Anywhere except wetlands | Easternmost Saskatchewan to most of eastern Canada aside from northern Quebec and Newfoundland | ||
| Western deer mouse (Souris sylvestre) | Peromyscus sonoriensis(Wagner, 1845) | Anywhere except wetlands | Saskatchewan west to British Columbia, north to the southern Northwest Territories and eastern Yukon | ||
| Western harvest mouse (Souris-moissonneuse occidentale) | Reithrodontomys megalotis (Baird, 1858) | Prairies | Okanagan Valley (ssp. dychei), south of Alberta and Saskatchewann (ssp. megalotis) | ||
| Northern grasshopper mouse
| Onychomys leucogaster (Wied-Neuwied, 1841) | Southern Prairies | Prairies |
Eulipotyphlans are insectivorous mammals. Shrews and solenodons closely resemble mice, hedgehogs carry spines, while moles are stout-bodied burrowers.
| Common name(French name) | Species(authority) | Preferred habitat | Native range | Status | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Family Soricidae: Shrews | |||||
| Northern short-tailed shrew (Grande musaraigne) | Blarina brevicauda (Say, 1823) | Deciduous forest | Eastern Saskatchewan to Maritime provinces | ||
| North American least shrew (Petite musaraigne) | Cryptotis parva (Say, 1823) | Fields, clearings and salt marshes | Long point, Ontario | ||
| Arctic shrew (Musaraigne arctique) | Sorex arcticus (Kerr, 1792) | Peatlands and marshes | From the Northwest Territory to central Quebec | ||
| Maritime shrew (Musaraigne des Maritimes) | Sorex maritimensis (Smith, 1939) | Peatlands and marshes | New Brunswick and Nova Scotia | ||
| Marsh shrew (Musaraigne de Bendire) | Sorex bendirii (Smith, 1939) | Coniferous forest | Fraser Valley | ||
| Masked shrew (Musaraigne cendrée) | Sorex cinereus (Smith, 1939) | Varied | Most of Mainland Canada except northernmost Quebec; Prince Edward and Cape Breton islands | ||
| Long-tailed shrew (Musaraigne longicaude) | Sorex dispar[36] (Batchelder, 1911) | Wet banks | New Brunswick | ||
| Smoky shrew (Musaraigne fuligineuse) | Sorex fumeus (Miller, 1895) | Deciduous forest | Great lakes to Maritimes | ||
| Gaspé shrew (Musaraigne de Gaspé) | Sorex gaspensis (Anthony & Goodwin, 1924) | Near forest streams | Gaspesia and northern New Brunswick; Cape Breton Island | ||
| Prairie shrew (Musaraigne des steppes) | Sorex haydeni (Baird, 1857) | Grassland | Southern Prairies | ||
| American pygmy shrew (Musaraigne pygmée) | Sorex hoyi (Baird, 1857) | Forest clearings | Yukon and eastern Cordillera to Labrador and Maritimes | ||
| Merriam's shrew (Musaraigne de Merriam) | Sorex merriami (Dobson, 1890) | Grasslands | Extreme southern British Columbia | ||
| Montane shrew (Musaraigne sombre) | Sorex monticolus[37] (Merriam, 1890) | Montane streams and marshes | Western Cordillera | ||
| American water shrew (Musaraigne palustre) | Sorex palustris (Richardson, 1828) | Lakes and marshes | Western Cordillera to Labrador and Maritimes except southern Prairies and southernmost Ontario | ||
| Preble's shrew (Musaraigne de Preble) | Sorex preblei (Jackson,1922) | Montane streams and marshes | Southcentral British Columbia | ||
| Trowbridge's shrew (Musaraigne de Trowbridge) | Sorex trowbridgii (Baird, 1857) | Coniferous forest | Lower Fraser Valley | ||
| Tundra shrew (—) | Sorex tundrensis (Merriam, 1900) | Tundra | Yukon and Northwest territory | ||
| Barren ground shrew (—) | Sorex ugyunak (Anderson & Rand, 1945) | Tundra | Mainland Arctic | ||
| Vagrant shrew (Musaraigne errante) | Sorex vagrans (Baird, 1857) | Montane streams | Southern Cordillera | ||
| Family Talpidae: Moles | |||||
| Star-nosed mole (Condylure étoilé) | Condylura cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) | Wet forest | Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, Labrador, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia | ||
| Coast mole (Taupe du Pacifique) | Scapanus orarius (True, 1896) | Alpine coniferous forest | Southwestern British Columbia | ||
| Townsend's mole (Taupe de Townsend) | Scapanus townsendii (Bachman, 1839) | Fields | Southwestern British Columbia | ||
| Shrew-mole (Taupe de Townsend) | Neurotrichus gibbsii (Baird, 1858) | Banks | Southwestern British Columbia | ||
| Eastern mole (Taupe à queue glabre) | Scalopus aquaticus (Linnaeus, 1758) | Open woodlands | Point Pelee area | ||
| Hairy-tailed mole (Taupe à queue velue) | Parascalops breweri (Bachman, 1842) | Dry loose soils | Southern Quebec and Ontario |
A number of wild mammals may be found in Canadian territory without being confirmed natives. Some were voluntarily or involuntarily introduced. These include the house mouse (Mus musculus), and brown and black rats (respectively Rattus norvegicus and R. rattus). Other include escaped animals: the coypu (Myocastor coypus), European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) and European hare (Lepus europaeus).[38] Both the European fallow deer (Dama dama) and wild boar (Sus scrofa) were introduced for hunting.
Finally, other species are encountered only accidentally, or so rarely in Canadian territory that it is impossible to tell whether they are permanent residents. Most of these species are cetaceans, some generally poorly known: Risso's dolphin (Grampus griseus), the dwarf and pygmy sperm whales (Kogia sima and K. breviceps), Blainville's and True's beaked whale (Mesoplodon densirostris and M. mirus), the false killer whale (Pseudorca crassidens), and the striped dolphin (Stenella coeruleoalba). The big free-tailed and evening bats (respectively Nyctinomops macrotis and Nycticeius humeralis), as well as the New England cottontail (Sylvilagus transitionalis) are found mostly in areas south of the U.S.-Canada frontier, and occasionally in Canada.
Out of three species that have been extirpated in Canada in written history, two have since been reintroduced.
The sea mink (Neogale macrodon) formerly lived in the Maritime Provinces, but became extinct following overhunting and habitat destruction. The only Canadian (and also last known) specimen was captured on Campobello Island, New Brunswick in 1894.
The eastern elk (Cervus canadensis canadensis), a subspecies of the elk or wapiti, was also formerly found in Quebec and Ontario, but was made extinct for much the same reasons as the sea mink.
Eastern cougars (Puma concolor couguar) were also found in the eastern provinces, but became extinct soon after populations in the United States were eradicated.
The black-footed ferret (Mustela nigripes) became extirpated in Canada in 1937. Between the 1950s and 1981, it was suspected to be entirely extinct until a wild population was discovered in 1981 in Wyoming. Subsequent reintroductions into Canada have failed.
The swift fox (Vulpes velox) and sea otter (Enhydra lutris) both were extirpated in Canada in the 1930s, but were successfully reintroduced in the beginning of the 1970s.