List of mammals of Minnesota
This list of mammals of Minnesota includes the mammals native to Minnesota. It also shows their status in the wild. There are 81 native and 5 introduced mammal species found in the state. American bison, caribou, and wolverines were extirpated from the state. Minnesota does not have a state mammal but several have been proposed: The northern white tailed deer was proposed eight times, the eastern wolf was proposed six times, the American black bear and thirteen-lined ground squirrel were each proposed once.[1]
The following tags are used to highlight each species' conservation status as assessed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature; those on the left are used here, those in the second column in some other articles:
| EX | EX | Extinct | No reasonable doubt that the last individual has died. |
| EW | EW | Extinct in the wild | Known only to survive in captivity or as a naturalized population well outside its historic range. |
| CR | CR | Critically endangered | The species is in imminent danger of extinction in the wild. |
| EN | EN | Endangered | The species is facing a very high risk of extinction in the wild. |
| VU | VU | Vulnerable | The species is facing a high risk of extinction in the wild. |
| NT | NT | Near threatened | The species does not qualify as being at high risk of extinction but is likely to do so in the future. |
| LC | LC | Least concern | The species is not currently at risk of extinction in the wild. |
| DD | DD | Data deficient | There is inadequate information to assess the risk of extinction for this species. |
| NE | NE | Not evaluated | The conservation status of the species has not been studied. |
Opossums
[edit]- Virginia opossum, Didelphis virginiana LC
Squirrels
[edit]- Northern flying squirrel, Glaucomys sabrinus LC
- Southern flying squirrel, Glaucomys volans LC
- Woodchuck, Marmota monax LC
- Least chipmunk, Neotamias minimus LC
- Eastern gray squirrel, Sciurus carolinensis LC
- Fox squirrel, Sciurus niger LC
- Franklin's ground squirrel, Spermophilus franklinii LC
- Richardson's ground squirrel, Spermophilus richardsonii LC
- Thirteen-lined ground squirrel, Spermophilus tridecemlineatus LC
- Eastern chipmunk, Tamias striatus LC
- American red squirrel, Tamiasciurus hudsonicus LC
- Black-tailed prairie dog, Cynomys ludovicianus LC introduced
Beavers
[edit]- American beaver, Castor canadensis LC
Gophers
[edit]- Plains pocket gopher, Geomys bursarius LC
- Northern pocket gopher, Thomomys talpoides LC
Pocket mice
[edit]- Plains pocket mouse, Perognathus flavescens LC
Cricetids
[edit]- Eastern deer mouse, Peromyscus maniculatus LC
- White-footed mouse, Peromyscus leucopus LC
- Western deer mouse, Peromyscus sonoriensis NE
- Western harvest mouse, Reithrodontomys megalotis LC
- Northern grasshopper mouse, Onychomys leucogaster LC
- Northern bog lemming, Synaptomys borealis LC
- Southern bog lemming, Synaptomys cooperi LC
- Rock vole, Microtus chrotorrhinus LC
- Prairie vole, Microtus ochrogaster LC
- Woodland vole, Microtus pinetorum LC
- Meadow vole, Microtus pennsylvanicus LC
- Eastern heather vole, Phenacomys ungava LC
- Southern red-backed vole, Myodes gapperi LC
- Muskrat, Ondatra zibethicus LC
Murids
[edit]- House mouse, Mus musculus LC introduced
- Brown rat, Rattus norvegicus LC introduced
Jumping mice
[edit]- Meadow jumping mouse, Zapus hudsonius LC
- Woodland jumping mouse, Napaeozapus insignis LC
Porcupines
[edit]- North American porcupine, Erethizon dorsatum LC
Hares
[edit]- Snowshoe hare, Lepus americanus LC
- White-tailed jackrabbit, Lepus townsendii LC
Cottontail rabbits
[edit]- Eastern cottontail, Sylvilagus floridanus LC
Shrews
[edit]- Northern short-tailed shrew, Blarina brevicauda LC
- North American least shrew, Cryptotis parva LC
- Arctic shrew, Sorex arcticus LC
- Masked shrew, Sorex cinereus LC
- American pygmy shrew, Sorex hoyi LC
- American water shrew, Sorex palustris LC
Moles
[edit]- Star-nosed mole, Condylura cristata LC
- Eastern mole, Scalopus aquaticus LC
Evening bats
[edit]- Big brown bat, Eptesicus fuscus LC
- Silver-haired bat, Lasionycteris noctivagans LC
- Hoary bat, Lasiurus cinereus LC
- Eastern red bat, Lasiurus borealis LC
- Little brown bat, Myotis lucifugus EN
- Northern long-eared myotis, Myotis septentrionalis NT
- Eastern pipistrelle, Pipistrellus subflavus VU
Procyonids
[edit]- Common raccoon, Procyon lotor LC
Mustelids
[edit]- Wolverine, Gulo gulo LC extirpated
- Northern river otter, Lontra canadensis LC
- American marten, Martes americana LC
- Least weasel, Mustela nivalis LC
- American ermine, Mustela richardsonii NE
- Western Great Lakes stoat, M. r. bangsi NE
- Beringian ermine or stoat, Mustela erminea LC
- Long-tailed weasel, Neogale frenata LC
- American mink, Neogale vison LC
- Fisher, Pekania pennanti LC
- American badger, Taxidea taxus LC
Skunks
[edit]- Striped skunk, Mephitis mephitis LC
- Eastern spotted skunk, Spilogale putorius VU
Canines
[edit]- Coyote, Canis latrans LC
- Gray wolf, Canis lupus LC
- Eastern wolf, Canis lycaon VU
- Gray fox, Urocyon cinereoargenteus LC
- Swift fox, Vulpes velox LC vagrant
- Red fox, Vulpes vulpes LC
- American red fox, V. v. fulva LC
- Northern plains fox, V. v. regalis LC[2]
Felines
[edit]- Canada lynx, Lynx canadensis LC
- Bobcat, Lynx rufus LC
- Cougar, Puma concolor LC vagrant[3]
Bears
[edit]- American black bear, Ursus americanus LC
Deer
[edit]- Moose, Alces alces LC
- Elk, Cervus canadensis LC
- White-tailed deer, Odocoileus virginianus LC
- Caribou, Rangifer tarandus VU extirpated
- Woodland caribou, R. t. caribou extirpated
- Mule deer, Odocoileus hemionus LC
- Sika deer, Cervus nippon LC introduced
Pronghorn
[edit]- Pronghorn, Antilocapra americana LC vagrant
Bovids
[edit]- American bison, Bison bison NT extirpated
- Plains bison, B. b. bison extirpated
Pigs
[edit]- Wild boar, Sus scrofa LC introduced
References
[edit]- ^ "Unofficial, Proposed, or Facetious State Symbols - Minnesota". Minnesota State Legislature. Retrieved 2022-12-15.
- ^ "red fox". MinnesotaSeasons.com. Retrieved 2022-12-16.
- ^ "Super rare video of cougar in northern Minnesota". YouTube. 3 November 2022.
- ^ a b c "whitetail deer". MinnesotaSeasons.com. Retrieved 2022-12-16.
- Burt, W. H., and R. P. Grossenheider (1976). Field Guide to the Mammals: North America North of Mexico. Third edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, Massachusetts, US.
- Gunderson, H. L., and J. R. Beer (1953). "Mammals of Minnesota". Occasional Papers, Minnesota Museum of Natural History, University of Minnesota. 6: 1-190.
- Hazard, E. B. 1982. Mammals of Minnesota. University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
- Heany, L. R., and E. C. Birney (1975). "Comments on the distribution and natural history of some mammals in Minnesota". Canadian Field-Naturalist. 89 (1): 29-34.
- Wiche, J. M. and J. F. Cassel (1978). "Checklist of North Dakota mammals. (Revised)". The Prairie Naturalist 10 (3): 81-88.
- Wilson, D. E., and F. R. Cole (2000). Common Names of the Mammals of the World. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, D.C., US.