List of mammals of North Dakota explained

The list of mammals of North Dakota lists all mammal species that are seen in the U.S. state of North Dakota. 87 species are known to live in the state. This includes mammals that are currently extirpated or locally extinct in North Dakota such as the gray wolf, swift fox, caribou and grizzly bear. The species on this list are grouped by order. It does not include mammals that are only found in captivity.^{[1] [2]}

Marsupials

Opossums

• Virginia opossum, Didelphis virginiana

Moles and shrews

Shrews

• Northern short-tailed shrew, Blarina brevicauda
• Least shrew, Cryptotis parva
• Arctic shrew, Sorex arcticus
• Masked shrew, Sorex cinereus
• American pygmy shrew, Sorex hoyi
• Dwarf shrew, Sorex nanus
• American water shrew, Sorex palustris
• Merriam's shrew, Sorex merriami - rare

Moles

• Eastern mole, Scalopus aquaticus
• Star-nosed mole, Condylura cristata

Bats

Vesper bats

• Big brown bat, Eptesicus fuscus
• Eastern red bat, Lasiurus borealis
• Hoary bat, Lasiurus cinereus
• Silver-haired bat, Lasionycteris noctivagans
• Little brown bat, Myotis lucifugus
• Northern long-eared bat, Myotis septentrionalis
• Western small-footed bat, Myotis ciliolabrum
• Long-legged myotis, Myotis volans
• Long-eared myotis, Myotis evotis
• Townsend's big-eared bat, Plecotus townsendii
• Fringe-tailed bat, Myotis thysanodes - accidental

Free-tailed bats

• Big free-tailed bat, Nyctinomops macrotis - accidental
• Mexican free-tailed bat, Tadarida brasiliensis - accidental

Carnivores

Canids

• Coyote, Canis latrans
• Gray wolf, Canis lupus - extirpated
  • Great Plains wolf, C. l. nubilus - extirpated
• Gray fox, Urocyon cineroeargenteus
• Swift fox, Vulpes velox - extirpated
• Red fox, Vulpes vulpes

Felids

• Canada lynx, Lynx canadensis - extirpated
• Bobcat, Lynx rufus
• Cougar, Puma concolor

Raccoons

• Raccoon, Procyon lotor

Skunks

• Striped skunk, Mephitis mephitis
• Western spotted skunk, Spilogale gracilis
• Eastern spotted skunk, Spilogale putorius

Mustelids

• Wolverine, Gulo gulo - extirpated
• North American river otter, Lontra canadensis
• American marten, Martes americana
• Black-footed ferret, Mustela nigripes - reintroduced^[3]
• Least weasel, Mustela nivalis
• American ermine, Mustela richardsonii
• Long-tailed weasel, Neogale frenata
• American mink, Neogale vison
• Fisher, Pekania pennanti
• American badger, Taxidea taxus

Bears

• American black bear, Ursus americanus
• Brown bear, Ursus arctos - extirpated
  • Grizzly bear, U. a. horribilis - extirpated

Even-toed ungulates

Deer

• Moose, Alces alces
• Elk, Cervus canadensis
• Mule deer, Odocoileus hemionus
• White-tailed deer, Odocoileus virginianus
• Caribou, Rangifer tarandus - extirpated
  • Boreal woodland caribou, R. t. caribou - extirpated

Pronghorns

• Pronghorn, Antilocapra americana

Bovids

• American bison, Bison bison - reintroduced^[4]
  • Plains bison, B. b. bison - reintroduced
• Bighorn sheep, Ovis canadensis

Lagomorphs

Rabbits

• Snowshoe hare, Lepus americanus
• White-tailed jackrabbit, Lepus townsendii
• Desert cottontail, Sylvilagus audubonii
• Eastern cottontail, Sylvilagus floridanus
• Mountain cottontail, Sylvilagus nuttalii - extirpated^[5]

Rodents

Beavers

• American beaver, Castor canadensis

New World mice

• Southern red-backed vole, Clethrionomys gapperi
• Sagebrush vole, Lagurus curtatus
• Long-tailed vole, Microtus longicaudus
• Prairie vole, Microtus ochrogaster
• Meadow vole, Microtus pennsylvanicus
• Bushy-tailed woodrat, Neotoma cinerea
• Muskrat, Ondatra zibethicus
• Northern grasshopper mouse, Onychomys leucogaster
• White-footed mouse, Peromyscus leucopus
• Western deer mouse, Peromyscus sonoriensis
• Western harvest mouse, Reithrodontomys megalotis
• Plains harvest mouse, Reithrodontomys montanus

Porcupines

• North American porcupine, Erethizon dorsatum

Pocket gophers

• Plains pocket gopher, Geomys bursarius
• Northern pocket gopher, Thomomys talpoides

Kangaroo rats and pocket mice

• Ord's kangaroo rat, Dipodomys ordii
• Plains pocket mouse, Perognathus flavescens
• Olive-backed pocket mouse, Perognathus fasciatus

Old World mice and rats

• House mouse, Mus musculus introduced
• Norway rat, Rattus norvegicus introduced

Squirrels

• Black-tailed prairie dog, Cynomys ludovicianus
• Northern flying squirrel, Glaucomys sabrinus
• Southern flying squirrel, Glaucomys volans accidental
• Thirteen-lined ground squirrel, Ictidomys tridecemlineatus
• Yellow-bellied marmot, Marmota flaviventris
• Groundhog, Marmota monax
• Least chipmunk, Neotamias minimus
• Franklin's ground squirrel, Poliocitellus frankinii
• Fox squirrel, Sciurus niger
• Eastern chipmunk, Tamias striatus
• American red squirrel, Tamiasciurus hudsonicus
• Richardson's ground squirrel, Urocitellus richardsonii
• Spotted ground squirrel, Xerospermophilus spilosoma - accidental
• Eastern gray squirrel, Sciurus carolinensis

Jumping mice

• Meadow jumping mouse, Zapus hudsonius
• Western jumping mouse, Zapus princeps

See also

• Lists of mammals by region
• Mammal classification

Notes and References

1. Book: Seabloom. Robert. Hoganson. John W.. Jensen. William F.. The Mammals of North Dakota. North Dakota State University. 2. March 5, 2020. 978-1946163158.
2. Book: Vernon Bailey. A Biological Survey of North Dakota. 226. U.S. Government Printing Office. 1926.
3. Web site: Kobilinsky . Dana . 2023-06-22 . TWS2022: Ferrets return to Standing Rock Sioux Reservation . 2023-07-21 . The Wildlife Society . en-US.
4. Web site: Bison North Dakota Game and Fish. 2021-07-07. gf.nd.gov.
5. Web site: Cottontail Rabbits . U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.