List of mammals of Samoa explained

This is a list of the mammal species recorded in Samoa. There are nine mammal species in Samoa, of which one is endangered and two are vulnerable.^[1]

Order: Chiroptera (bats)

The 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.

• Family: Pteropodidae (flying foxes, Old World fruit bats)
  • Subfamily: Pteropodinae
    • Genus: Pteropus
      • Samoa flying-fox, Pteropus samoensis VU
      • Insular flying-fox, Pteropus tonganus LR/lc
• Family: Vespertilionidae
  • Subfamily: Myotinae
    • Genus: Myotis
      • Insular myotis, Myotis insularum DD
• Family: Emballonuridae
  • Genus: Emballonura
    • Polynesian sheath-tailed bat, Emballonura semicaudata EN

Order: Cetacea (whales)

The order Cetacea 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.

• Suborder: Mysticeti
  • Family: Balaenopteridae
    • Subfamily: Megapterinae
      • Genus: Megaptera
        • Humpback whale, Megaptera novaeangliae LC
• Suborder: Odontoceti
  • Superfamily: Platanistoidea
    • Family: Ziphidae
      • Subfamily: Hyperoodontinae
        • Genus: Mesoplodon
          • Ginkgo-toothed beaked whale, Mesoplodon ginkgodens DD
    • Family: Delphinidae (marine dolphins)
      • Genus: Tursiops
        • Bottlenose dolphin, Tursiops truncatus DD
      • Genus: Stenella
        • Spinner dolphin, Stenella longirostris LR/cd
      • Genus: Lagenodelphis
        • Fraser's dolphin, Lagenodelphis hosei DD

See also

• List of birds of Samoa
• List of protected areas of Samoa
• Lists of mammals by region

References

• Web site: Mammal Species of the World . Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History . 2005 . 22 May 2007 . https://web.archive.org/web/20070427043030/http://nmnhgoph.si.edu/msw/ . 27 April 2007 . dead .
• Web site: Animal Diversity Web. University of Michigan Museum of Zoology. 1995–2006. 22 May 2007.

Notes and References

1. This list is derived from the IUCN Red List which lists species of mammals and includes those mammals that have recently been classified as extinct (since 1500 AD). The taxonomy and naming of the individual species is based on those used in existing Wikipedia articles as of 21 May 2007 and supplemented by the common names and taxonomy from the IUCN, Smithsonian Institution, or University of Michigan where no Wikipedia article was available.