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

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

Family	Scientific name	Common names	Range within Georgia	Conservation status
Didelphidae	Didelphis virginiana^[1] ^[2]	Virginia opossum	Statewide	least concern
Trichechidae	Trichechus manatus	West Indian manatee	Vagrant Savannah harbor, Jekyll Creek, Little Satilla River, and Cumberland Island	vulnerable
Dasypodidae	Dasypus novemcinctus	Nine-banded armadillo	Common in lower Coastal Plain sand hills	least concern
Soricidae	Blarina brevicauda	Northern short-tailed shrew	North of the fall line	least concern
Soricidae	Blarina carolinensis	Southern short-tailed shrew	Coastal Plain south of the fall line, and extreme northwest Georgia	least concern
Soricidae	Cryptotis parva	Least shrew	Statewide, most abundant in the Coastal Plain	least concern
Soricidae	Sorex cinereus	Cinereus shrew	Towns County, Georgia	least concern
Soricidae	Sorex fumeus	Smoky shrew	Uncommon, found in mountains of Fannin, Murray, Rabun, Towns, and Union counties.	least concern
Soricidae	Sorex hoyi	American pygmy shrew	Rare; identified in Towns County, Georgia	least concern
Soricidae	Sorex longirostris	Southeastern shrew	Statewide but uncommon	least concern
Talpidae	Condylura cristata	Star-nosed mole	Very rare; found in Charlton, Chatham, Clinch, Effingham, Jackson, and Union counties	least concern
Talpidae	Parascalops breweri^[3]	Hairy-tailed mole	Appalachian Mountains, extreme northeastern part of the state	least concern
Talpidae	Scalopus aquaticus	Eastern mole	State-wide	least concern
Leporidae	Sylvilagus aquaticus	Swamp rabbit	Piedmont and Ridge and Vallye, and western upper Coastal Plain	least concern
Leporidae	Sylvilagus floridanus	Eastern cottontail, cottontail rabbit	State-wide	least concern
Leporidae	Sylvilagus obscurus^[4]	Appalachian cottontail	Appalachian Mountains	near-threatened
Leporidae	Sylvilagus palustris	Marsh rabbit	Eastern Coastal Plain	least concern
Castoridae	Castor canadensis	American beaver	State-wide	least concern
Geomyidae	Geomys pinetis	Southeastern pocket gopher	Coastal Plain	least concern
Echimyidae	Myocastor coypus	Coypu, nutria	Introduced: swamps of south central Georgia	least concern
Sciurinae	Glaucomys volans	Southern flying squirrel	State-wide	least concern
Sciurinae	Marmota monax	Groundhog, woodchuck	Mountains	least concern
Sciurinae	Sciurus carolinensis	Eastern gray squirrel	State-wide	least concern
Sciurinae	Sciurus niger	Eastern fox squirrel	State-wide, but less common in mountains and Piedmont	least concern
Sciurinae	Tamias striatus	Eastern chipmunk	Mountains, Piedmont, and upper-western Coastal Plain	least concern
Sciurinae	Tamiasciurus hudsonicus	American red squirrel	Mountains	least concern
Cricetidae	Microtus pennsylvanicus	Meadow vole	Clarke, Newton, Oconee, and Polk Counties.	least concern
Cricetidae	Microtus pinetorum^[5]	Woodland vole	State-wide, but more common in Piedmont and Mountain regions.	least concern
Cricetidae	Myodes gapperi	Southern red-backed vole	Mountains of Union, Towns, and Rabun counties	least concern
Cricetidae	Neofiber alleni	Round-tailed muskrat, water rat	Southeastern Georgia, near the Okefenokee Swamp.	least concern
Cricetidae	Neotoma floridana	Eastern woodrat	Coastal Plain and mountains	least concern
Cricetidae	Neotoma magister^[6]	Allegheny woodrat	north-western part of the state	near-threatened
Cricetidae	Ochrotomys nuttalli	Golden mouse	State-wide	least concern
Cricetidae	Ondatra zibethicus	Muskrat	Mountains, Ridge and Valley Province, Piedmont, and upper Coastal Plain	least concern
Cricetidae	Oryzomys palustris	Marsh rice rat	State-wide	least concern
Cricetidae	Peromyscus gossypinus	Cotton mouse	Primarily Coastal Plain, but can also be found in Ridge and Valley Province and Piedmont	least concern
Cricetidae	Peromyscus leucopus	White-footed mouse, woodmouse	Restricted to Piedmont and mountains	least concern
Cricetidae	Peromyscus maniculatus	Deer mouse	Summits of higher mountains	least concern
Cricetidae	Peromyscus polionotus	Oldfield mouse, beach mouse	State-wide, except high mountain areas	least concern
Cricetidae	Reithrodontomys humulis	Eastern harvest mouse	State-wide	least concern
Cricetidae	Sigmodon hispidus	Hispid cotton rat, cotton rat	State-wide	least concern
Dipodidae	Napaeozapus insignis	Woodland jumping mouse	Rare, Mountains	least concern
Dipodidae	Zapus hudsonius	Meadow jumping mouse	Rare in Georgia. Recorded in Clarke, Oconee, Hall, and Meriwether Counties.	least concern
Muridae	Mus musculus	House mouse	Introduced: state-wide	least concern
Muridae	Rattus norvegicus	Brown rat, Norway rat, wharf rat	Introduced: state-wide	least concern
Muridae	Rattus rattus	Black rat, roof rat	Introduced: the lower Coastal Plain	least concern
Lemuridae	Lemur catta	Ring-tailed lemur	Introduced to St. Catherines Island^[7] ^[8] ^[9]	Endangered
Bovidae	Bison bison		Extirpated from Georgia since the early 1800s^[10]	near threatened
Cervidae	Cervus canadensis	Elk	Reintroduced; eastern elk subspecies (C. c. canadensis) is extinct, Rocky Mountain elk subspecies (C. c. nelsoni) introduced^[11]	least concern
Cervidae	Dama dama	European fallow deer	Introduced: Little St. Simons Island^[12]	least concern
Cervidae	Odocoileus virginianus	White-tailed deer	State-wide	least concern
Suidae	Sus scrofa	Wild boar	Introduced: lower Coastal Plain and mountains	least concern
Canidae	Canis latrans	Coyote	Primarily in the western half of Georgia	least concern
Canidae	Canis rufus	Red wolf	Extirpated	critically endangered
Canidae	Urocyon cinereoargenteus	Gray fox	State-wide	least concern
Canidae	Vulpes vulpes	Red fox	Piedmont and mountainous regions, occasionally in the Coastal Plain	least concern
Felidae	Lynx rufus	Bobcat	State-wide	least concern
Felidae	Puma concolor	Cougar		Extirpated eastern cougar population is extinct, occasional vagrant from Florida reported^[13]	least concern
Mephitidae	Mephitis mephitis	Striped skunk	State-wide	least concern
Mephitidae	Spilogale putorius	Eastern spotted skunk	State-wide, except not on the eastern portion of the Coastal Plain	vulnerable
Mustelidae	Lontra canadensis	North American river otter	Coastal Plain and salt marshes. Rare above the fall line.	least concern
Mustelidae	Neogale frenata	Long-tailed weasel	State-wide	least concern
Mustelidae	Neogale vison	American mink	State-wide	least concern
Procyonidae	Procyon lotor	Raccoon	State-wide	least concern
Ursidae	Ursus americanus	American black bear	Mountains, Ocmulgee River area, along the fall line, and in the Okefenokee Swamp.	least concern
Otariidae	Zalophus californianus		Introduced	least concern
Phocidae	Cystophora cristata	Hooded seal	Known only from records – presumed extirpated	vulnerable
Balaenidae	Eubalaena glacialis	North Atlantic right whale, black right whale	Known from three stranding records	critically endangered
Balaenopteridae	Balaenoptera brydei	Bryde's whale	Known from a 1978 stranding	least concern
Balaenopteridae	Megaptera novaeangliae	Humpback whale	Known from a stranding on Sapelo Island	least concern
Delphinidae	Globicephala macrorhynchus	Short-finned pilot whale	Known from 17 stranding events	least concern
Delphinidae	Pseudorca crassidens	False killer whale	Known from a single stranding	near threatened
Delphinidae	Stenella frontalis	Atlantic spotted dolphin	Known from sightings off of Georgia's shore	least concern
Delphinidae	Steno bredanensis	Rough-toothed dolphin	Known from a stranding event involving two individuals	least concern
Delphinidae	Tursiops truncatus	Common bottlenose dolphin, Atlantic bottlenose dolphin	Known from over forty strandings	least concern
Kogiidae	Kogia breviceps	Pygmy sperm whale	Known from 24 strandings	least concern
Kogiidae	Kogia simus	Dwarf sperm whale	Known from strandings	least concern
Ziphiidae	Mesoplodon densirostris	Blainville's beaked whale, tropical beaked whale	Known from a stranding on Cumberland Island	data deficient
Ziphiidae	Mesoplodon europaeus	Gervais' beaked whale	Known from a stranding on Ossabaw Island	data deficient
Ziphiidae	Ziphius cavirostris	Cuvier's beaked whale, goose-beaked whale	Known from six stranding records.	least concern
Molossidae	Tadarida brasiliensis	Mexican free-tailed bat	Uncommon, in Piedmont and Coastal Plain	least concern
Vespertilionidae	Corynorhinus rafinesquii	Rafinesque's big-eared bat	Uncommon, state-wide	least concern
Vespertilionidae	Eptesicus fuscus	Big brown bat	Common state-wide	least concern
Vespertilionidae	Lasionycteris noctivagans	Silver-haired bat	Common, except in lower Coastal Plain	least concern
Vespertilionidae	Lasiurus borealis	Eastern red bat	State-wide	least concern
Vespertilionidae	Lasiurus cinereus	Hoary bat	Uncommon, state-wide	least concern
Vespertilionidae	Lasiurus intermedius	Northern yellow bat	Rare, Coastal Plain	least concern
Vespertilionidae	Lasiurus seminolus	Seminole bat	State-wide, mostly Coastal Plain and Piedmont	least concern
Vespertilionidae	Myotis austroriparius	Southeastern myotis	Southwestern Georgia	least concern
Vespertilionidae	Myotis grisescens	Gray bat, gray myotis	West Georgia	vulnerable
Vespertilionidae	Myotis leibii	Eastern small-footed myotis	Rare, Dade and Union counties	endangered
Vespertilionidae	Myotis lucifugus	Little brown bat	Bartow, Dade, Polk, Towns, and Walker counties	endangered
Vespertilionidae	Myotis septentrionalis^[14]	Northern long-eared bat	Rare, in Mountain and Piedmont regions. Often confused with Myotis keenii, Keen's myotis, in older literature.	near threatened
Vespertilionidae	Myotis sodalis	Indiana bat	Dade County in Northwestern Georgia.	near threatened
Vespertilionidae	Nycticeius humeralis	Evening bat	State-wide	least concern
Vespertilionidae	Perimyotis subflavus	Tricolored bat, eastern pipistrelle	State-wide	vulnerable

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.