List of mammals of the United States explained

About 490 species of mammals are recorded in the United States. Unincorporated territories such as Puerto Rico, Guam or Northern Mariana Islands are not covered. Mammals introduced and extinct in the Holocene except Pleistocene/Holocene boundary are included.

According to the IUCN Red List 3 of these species are critically endangered, 20 endangered, 15 vulnerable, 20 near threatened and 4 extinct.

Some species are identified as indicated below:

The following tags are used to highlight each species' conservation status as assessed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature:

ExtinctNo reasonable doubt that the last individual has died.
Extinct in the wildKnown only to survive in captivity or as a naturalized population well outside its previous range.
Critically endangeredThe species is in imminent risk of extinction in the wild.
EndangeredThe species is facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild.
VulnerableThe species is facing a high risk of extinction in the wild.
Near threatenedThe species does not meet any of the criteria that would categorize it as risking extinction but it is likely to do so in the future.
Least concernThere are no current identifiable risks to the species.
Data deficientThere is inadequate information to make an assessment of the risks to this species.
(v. 2013.2, the data is current as of March 5, 2014)

and the Endangered Species Act:

E Endangered
T Threatened
XN, XE eXperimental Nonessential or Essential population
E(S/A), T(S/A) Endangered or Threatened due to Similarity of Appearance
(the data is current as of March 28, 2014)

Subclass: Theria

Infraclass: Metatheria

Order: Didelphimorphia (common opossums)

----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.

Order: Rodentia (rodents)

----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 can weigh up to 45kg (99lb).

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.

Order: Artiodactyla (even-toed ungulates)

----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, including many that are of great economic importance to humans.

Order: Sirenia (manatees and dugongs)

----Sirenia is an order of fully aquatic, herbivorous mammals that inhabit rivers, estuaries, coastal marine waters, swamps, and marine wetlands.

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.

Introduced animals

----

See also

Notes

Notes and References

  1. Capra sibirica. A. K.. Fedosenko. Blank. D. A.. Mammalian Species. 675. 26 December 2001. 1–13. 10.2307/0.675.1. free.
  2. Hemitragus jemlahicus . amp . Ale, S.B. . Sathyakumar, S. . Forsyth, D.M. . Lingyun, X. . Bhatnagar, Y.V. . e.T9919A22152905 . 2020 .

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "List of mammals of the United States".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.