List of mammals of Georgia (U.S. state) explained

This is a list of the mammals native to the U.S. state of Georgia.

FamilyScientific nameCommon namesRange within GeorgiaConservation status
DidelphidaeDidelphis virginiana[1] [2] Virginia opossumStatewideleast concern
TrichechidaeTrichechus manatusWest Indian manateeVagrant
Savannah harbor, Jekyll Creek, Little Satilla River, and Cumberland Island
vulnerable
DasypodidaeDasypus novemcinctusNine-banded armadilloCommon in lower Coastal Plain sand hillsleast concern
SoricidaeBlarina brevicaudaNorthern short-tailed shrewNorth of the fall lineleast concern
SoricidaeBlarina carolinensisSouthern short-tailed shrewCoastal Plain south of the fall line, and extreme northwest Georgialeast concern
SoricidaeCryptotis parvaLeast shrewStatewide, most abundant in the Coastal Plainleast concern
SoricidaeSorex cinereusCinereus shrewTowns County, Georgialeast concern
SoricidaeSorex fumeusSmoky shrewUncommon, found in mountains of Fannin, Murray, Rabun, Towns, and Union counties.least concern
SoricidaeSorex hoyiAmerican pygmy shrewRare; identified in Towns County, Georgialeast concern
SoricidaeSorex longirostrisSoutheastern shrewStatewide but uncommonleast concern
TalpidaeCondylura cristataStar-nosed moleVery rare; found in Charlton, Chatham, Clinch, Effingham, Jackson, and Union countiesleast concern
TalpidaeParascalops breweri[3] Hairy-tailed moleAppalachian Mountains, extreme northeastern part of the stateleast concern
TalpidaeScalopus aquaticusEastern moleState-wideleast concern
LeporidaeSylvilagus aquaticusSwamp rabbitPiedmont and Ridge and Vallye, and western upper Coastal Plainleast concern
LeporidaeSylvilagus floridanusEastern cottontail, cottontail rabbitState-wideleast concern
LeporidaeSylvilagus obscurus[4] Appalachian cottontailAppalachian Mountainsnear-threatened
LeporidaeSylvilagus palustrisMarsh rabbitEastern Coastal Plainleast concern
CastoridaeCastor canadensisAmerican beaverState-wideleast concern
GeomyidaeGeomys pinetisSoutheastern pocket gopherCoastal Plainleast concern
EchimyidaeMyocastor coypusCoypu, nutriaIntroduced: swamps of south central Georgialeast concern
SciurinaeGlaucomys volansSouthern flying squirrelState-wideleast concern
SciurinaeMarmota monaxGroundhog, woodchuckMountainsleast concern
SciurinaeSciurus carolinensisEastern gray squirrelState-wideleast concern
SciurinaeSciurus nigerEastern fox squirrelState-wide, but less common in mountains and Piedmontleast concern
SciurinaeTamias striatusEastern chipmunkMountains, Piedmont, and upper-western Coastal Plainleast concern
SciurinaeTamiasciurus hudsonicusAmerican red squirrelMountainsleast concern
CricetidaeMicrotus pennsylvanicusMeadow voleClarke, Newton, Oconee, and Polk Counties.least concern
CricetidaeMicrotus pinetorum[5] Woodland voleState-wide, but more common in Piedmont and Mountain regions.least concern
CricetidaeMyodes gapperiSouthern red-backed voleMountains of Union, Towns, and Rabun countiesleast concern
CricetidaeNeofiber alleniRound-tailed muskrat, water ratSoutheastern Georgia, near the Okefenokee Swamp.least concern
CricetidaeNeotoma floridanaEastern woodratCoastal Plain and mountainsleast concern
CricetidaeNeotoma magister[6] Allegheny woodratnorth-western part of the statenear-threatened
CricetidaeOchrotomys nuttalliGolden mouseState-wideleast concern
CricetidaeOndatra zibethicusMuskratMountains, Ridge and Valley Province, Piedmont, and upper Coastal Plainleast concern
CricetidaeOryzomys palustrisMarsh rice ratState-wideleast concern
CricetidaePeromyscus gossypinusCotton mousePrimarily Coastal Plain, but can also be found in Ridge and Valley Province and Piedmontleast concern
CricetidaePeromyscus leucopusWhite-footed mouse, woodmouseRestricted to Piedmont and mountainsleast concern
CricetidaePeromyscus maniculatusDeer mouseSummits of higher mountainsleast concern
CricetidaePeromyscus polionotusOldfield mouse, beach mouseState-wide, except high mountain areasleast concern
CricetidaeReithrodontomys humulisEastern harvest mouseState-wideleast concern
CricetidaeSigmodon hispidusHispid cotton rat, cotton ratState-wideleast concern
DipodidaeNapaeozapus insignisWoodland jumping mouseRare, Mountainsleast concern
DipodidaeZapus hudsoniusMeadow jumping mouseRare in Georgia. Recorded in Clarke, Oconee, Hall, and Meriwether Counties.least concern
MuridaeMus musculus House mouseIntroduced: state-wideleast concern
MuridaeRattus norvegicusBrown rat, Norway rat, wharf ratIntroduced: state-wideleast concern
MuridaeRattus rattus Black rat, roof ratIntroduced: the lower Coastal Plainleast concern
LemuridaeLemur cattaRing-tailed lemurIntroduced to St. Catherines Island[7] [8] [9] Endangered
BovidaeBison bisonExtirpated from Georgia since the early 1800s[10] near threatened
CervidaeCervus canadensisElkReintroduced; eastern elk subspecies (C. c. canadensis) is extinct, Rocky Mountain elk subspecies (C. c. nelsoni) introduced[11] least concern
CervidaeDama damaEuropean fallow deerIntroduced: Little St. Simons Island[12] least concern
CervidaeOdocoileus virginianusWhite-tailed deerState-wideleast concern
SuidaeSus scrofaWild boarIntroduced: lower Coastal Plain and mountainsleast concern
CanidaeCanis latransCoyotePrimarily in the western half of Georgialeast concern
CanidaeCanis rufusRed wolfExtirpatedcritically endangered
CanidaeUrocyon cinereoargenteusGray foxState-wideleast concern
CanidaeVulpes vulpesRed foxPiedmont and mountainous regions, occasionally in the Coastal Plainleast concern
FelidaeLynx rufusBobcatState-wideleast concern
FelidaePuma concolorCougarExtirpated
eastern cougar population is extinct, occasional vagrant from Florida reported[13]
least concern
MephitidaeMephitis mephitisStriped skunkState-wideleast concern
MephitidaeSpilogale putoriusEastern spotted skunkState-wide, except not on the eastern portion of the Coastal Plainvulnerable
MustelidaeLontra canadensisNorth American river otterCoastal Plain and salt marshes. Rare above the fall line.least concern
MustelidaeNeogale frenataLong-tailed weaselState-wideleast concern
MustelidaeNeogale visonAmerican minkState-wideleast concern
ProcyonidaeProcyon lotorRaccoonState-wideleast concern
UrsidaeUrsus americanusAmerican black bearMountains, Ocmulgee River area, along the fall line, and in the Okefenokee Swamp.least concern
OtariidaeZalophus californianusIntroducedleast concern
PhocidaeCystophora cristataHooded sealKnown only from records – presumed extirpatedvulnerable
BalaenidaeEubalaena glacialisNorth Atlantic right whale, black right whaleKnown from three stranding recordscritically endangered
BalaenopteridaeBalaenoptera brydeiBryde's whaleKnown from a 1978 strandingleast concern
BalaenopteridaeMegaptera novaeangliaeHumpback whaleKnown from a stranding on Sapelo Islandleast concern
DelphinidaeGlobicephala macrorhynchusShort-finned pilot whaleKnown from 17 stranding eventsleast concern
DelphinidaePseudorca crassidensFalse killer whaleKnown from a single strandingnear threatened
DelphinidaeStenella frontalisAtlantic spotted dolphinKnown from sightings off of Georgia's shoreleast concern
DelphinidaeSteno bredanensisRough-toothed dolphinKnown from a stranding event involving two individualsleast concern
DelphinidaeTursiops truncatusCommon bottlenose dolphin, Atlantic bottlenose dolphinKnown from over forty strandingsleast concern
KogiidaeKogia brevicepsPygmy sperm whaleKnown from 24 strandingsleast concern
KogiidaeKogia simusDwarf sperm whaleKnown from strandingsleast concern
ZiphiidaeMesoplodon densirostrisBlainville's beaked whale, tropical beaked whaleKnown from a stranding on Cumberland Islanddata deficient
ZiphiidaeMesoplodon europaeusGervais' beaked whaleKnown from a stranding on Ossabaw Islanddata deficient
ZiphiidaeZiphius cavirostrisCuvier's beaked whale, goose-beaked whaleKnown from six stranding records.least concern
MolossidaeTadarida brasiliensisMexican free-tailed batUncommon, in Piedmont and Coastal Plainleast concern
VespertilionidaeCorynorhinus rafinesquiiRafinesque's big-eared batUncommon, state-wideleast concern
VespertilionidaeEptesicus fuscusBig brown batCommon state-wideleast concern
VespertilionidaeLasionycteris noctivagansSilver-haired batCommon, except in lower Coastal Plainleast concern
VespertilionidaeLasiurus borealisEastern red batState-wideleast concern
VespertilionidaeLasiurus cinereusHoary batUncommon, state-wideleast concern
VespertilionidaeLasiurus intermediusNorthern yellow batRare, Coastal Plainleast concern
VespertilionidaeLasiurus seminolusSeminole batState-wide, mostly Coastal Plain and Piedmontleast concern
VespertilionidaeMyotis austroripariusSoutheastern myotisSouthwestern Georgialeast concern
VespertilionidaeMyotis grisescensGray bat, gray myotisWest Georgiavulnerable
VespertilionidaeMyotis leibiiEastern small-footed myotisRare, Dade and Union countiesendangered
VespertilionidaeMyotis lucifugusLittle brown batBartow, Dade, Polk, Towns, and Walker countiesendangered
VespertilionidaeMyotis septentrionalis[14] Northern long-eared batRare, in Mountain and Piedmont regions. Often confused with Myotis keenii, Keen's myotis, in older literature.near threatened
VespertilionidaeMyotis sodalisIndiana batDade County in Northwestern Georgia.near threatened
VespertilionidaeNycticeius humeralisEvening batState-wideleast concern
VespertilionidaePerimyotis subflavusTricolored bat, eastern pipistrelleState-widevulnerable

References

  1. Book: Golley . Frank B . Mammals of Georgia, a study of their distribution and functional role in the ecosystem. . 1962 . University of Georgia Press . 337941 . English.
  2. Laerm . Joshua . Logan . Lloyd E. . McGhee . M. Elizabeth . Neuhauser . Hans N. . Annotated Checklist of the Mammals of Georgia . Brimleyana . July 1981 . 7 . 121–135 . 16 September 2020 . English.
  3. Parascalops breweri: Cassola, F.: The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016: e.T41469A115188181 . 22 July 2021 . en . 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T41469A22322790.en . 9 August 2016.
  4. Barry, R. . Lanier, H.C. . 2019 . Sylvilagus obscurus . 2019 . e.T41301A45192437 . 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-2.RLTS.T41301A45192437.en . 20 September 2020.
  5. Arata . Andrew A. . Taxonomic Status of the Pine Vole in Florida . Journal of Mammalogy . 1965 . 46 . 1 . 87–94 . 10.2307/1377819 . 1377819 . 17 September 2020 . 0022-2372.
  6. Web site: Linzey. A. V. & NatureServe (Hammerson. 2008-06-30. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: Neotoma magister. 2020-09-19. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
  7. Book: Georgia Coastal Management Program: Environmental Impact Statement . 1997 . United States. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration . 222 . en.
  8. Book: Behler . .Deborah A. . Encyclopedia of the World's Zoos . Taylor & Francis . 2001 . 978-1-57958-174-9 . Bell . Catharine E . 1 . 1106–1107 . St. Catherine's Wildlife Survival Center . Fisher . Lester . Mizicko . Laura . https://books.google.com/books?id=8DT4xOpIzS0C&pg=PA1106.
  9. Book: Fuentes . Agustín . The International Encyclopedia of Primatology, 3 Volume Set . John Wiley & Sons . 2017 . 978-0-470-67337-9 . 357 . en.
  10. Web site: Bison Bellows: Bison East of The Mississippi (U.S. National Park Service) . www.nps.gov . 16 September 2020 . en.
  11. Web site: Returning Elk to the Southeast: A 20-year Retrospective. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20210104143310/https://wildlifemanagement.institute/outdoor-news-bulletin/march-2019/returning-elk-southeast-20-year-retrospective. 4 January 2021. 2 December 2020. Wildlife Management Institute.
  12. Morse . Brian W. . Miller . Debra L. . Miller . Karl V. . Baldwin . Charles A. . Population health of Fallow deer (Dama dama) on Little St. Simons Island, Georgia, USA . Journal of Wildlife Diseases . April 2009 . 45 . 2 . 411–421 . 10.7589/0090-3558-45.2.411 . 19395750 . 24723221 . 0090-3558. free .
  13. Web site: Dickson. Terry. Georgia man who killed Florida panther gets two years probation, banned from hunting. 2021-07-02. The Florida Times-Union. en.
  14. Web site: Bats of Georgia Department Of Natural Resources Division . georgiawildlife.com . 19 September 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200919194601/https://georgiawildlife.com/GeorgiaBats . 19 September 2020.