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List of mammals of the Canary Islands

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is a list of the mammal species recorded in the Canary Islands, Spain.[1] Since the Osorian shrew (Crocidura osorio) was proven to be actually a population of introduced European greater white-toothed shrew (C. russula)[2] the Canarian shrew, C. canariensis is believed to be the only surviving native terrestrial mammal of the archipelago, every other species now present having been voluntarily or accidentally introduced by humans.[3]

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

EX Extinct No reasonable doubt that the last individual has died.
EW Extinct in the wild Known only to survive in captivity or as a naturalized populations well outside its previous range.
CR Critically endangered The species is in imminent risk of extinction in the wild.
EN Endangered The species is facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild.
VU Vulnerable The species is facing a high risk of extinction in the wild.
NT Near threatened The species does not meet any of the criteria that would categorise it as risking extinction but it is likely to do so in the future.
LC Least concern There are no current identifiable risks to the species.
DD Data deficient There is inadequate information to make an assessment of the risks to this species.

Subclass: Theria

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Infraclass: Eutheria

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Order: Rodentia (rodents)

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Barbary ground squirrel
Restoration of a Tenerife giant rat

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 45 kg (99 lb).

Order: Lagomorphs (lagomorphs)

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European rabbit

The lagomorphs comprise two families, Leporidae (hares and rabbits), and Ochotonidae (pikas). Though they can resemble rodents, and were classified as a superfamily in that order until the early 20th century, they have since been considered a separate order. They differ from rodents in a number of physical characteristics, such as having four incisors in the upper jaw rather than two.

Order: Erinaceomorpha (hedgehogs and gymnures)

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North African hedgehog

The order Erinaceomorpha contains a single family, Erinaceidae, which comprise the hedgehogs and gymnures. The hedgehogs are easily recognised by their spines while gymnures look more like large rats.

Order: Soricomorpha (shrews, moles, and solenodons)

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Canarian shrew

The "shrew-forms" are insectivorous mammals. The shrews and solenodons closely resemble mice while the moles are stout bodied burrowers.

Order: Chiroptera (bats)

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Egyptian fruit bat, accidentally introduced in Tenerife
European free-tailed bat

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: Cetacea (whales)

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See also: Marine life of the Canary Islands
Bryde's whale off La Gomera
Short-finned pilot whales off Tenerife are one of the main attractions in the Canary islands
Atlantic spotted dolphin with an injured dorsal fin off La Gomera

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.

Order: Artiodactyla (even-toed ungulates)

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Barbary sheep

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.

Locally extinct

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The following species are locally extinct in the area but continue to exist elsewhere:

Notes

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  1. ^ The taxonomy and naming of the individual species is based on those used in existing Wikipedia articles as of 9 January 2013 and supplemented by the common names and taxonomy from the IUCN where no Wikipedia article was available.
  2. ^ Molina, O. et al. (2003) "The origin of the Osorian shrew (Crocidura osorio) from Gran Canaria resolved using mtDNA". Italian Journal of Zoology, Volume 70, Issue 2
  3. ^ Hutterer, R. et al. (1992) "Origin and evolution of the endemic Canary Island shrews (Mammalia: Soricidae)" Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, Volume 46, Issue 1-2, pages 49–58
  4. ^ Musser, G. G.; Carleton, M. D. (2005). "Superfamily Muroidea". In Wilson, D. E.; Reeder, D. M. (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 1357. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494.
  5. ^ Boye', P.; Hutterer, R.; López-Martínez, N. & Michaux, Jacques (1992): A reconstruction of the Lava mouse (Malpaisomys insularis), an extinct rodent of the Canary Islands. Zeitschrift für Säugetierkunde 57 (1): 29–38. HTML abstract
  6. ^ Palomo, L. J., Gisbert, J., & Blanco, J. C. (Eds.). (2007). Atlas y libro rojo de los mamíferos terrestres de España. Madrid: Organismo Autónomo de Parques Nacionales.

References

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  • "Atlas y Libro Rojo de los mamíferos terrestres de España". Gobierno de España - Ministerio de Agricultura, Alimentación y Medio Ambiente. 2012. Retrieved 2 Jan 2013.
  • Nogales, M. et al. (2006) "Ecological effects and distribution of invasive non-native mammals on the Canary Islands" Mammal Rev. 2006, Volume 36, No. 1, 49–65
  • Purroy, F.J. and Varela, J.M. (2003) Guía de los Mamíferos de España. Península, Baleares y Canarias. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona.

See also

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