page_title: List of mammals of Mexico
section_title: Order: Rodentia (rodents)
hierarchical_section_title: List of mammals of Mexico / Subclass: Theria / Infraclass: Eutheria / Superorder: Euarchontoglires / Order: Rodentia (rodents)
caption_attribution_description: Cynomys ludovicianus English: A black-tailed prairie dog at Paignton Zoo, Devon, England.
context_page_description: This is a list of the native wild mammal species recorded in Mexico. As of September 2014, there were 536 mammalian species or subspecies listed. Based on IUCN data, Mexico has 23% more noncetacean mammal species than the U.S. and Canada combined in an area only 10% as large, or a species density over 12 times that of its northern neighbors. Mexico's high mammal biodiversity is in part a reflection of the wide array of biomes present over its latitudinal, climatic and altitudinal ranges, from lowland tropical rainforest to temperate desert to montane forest to alpine tundra. The general increase in terrestrial biodiversity moving towards the equator is another important factor in the comparison. Mexico includes much of the Mesoamerican and Madrean pine-oak woodlands biodiversity hotspots. From a biogeographic standpoint, most of Mexico is linked to the rest of North America as part of the Nearctic realm. However, the lowlands of southern Mexico are linked with Central America and South America as part of the Neotropical realm.
context_section_description: 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, although the capybara can weigh up to 45 kg (99 lb). According to the IUCN listing, Mexico has more rodent species (236 as of April 2011) than any other country in the world (Brazil is second with 222). Of Mexico's rodents, 2% are caviomorphs, 14.5% are sciurids, 25.5% are castorimorphs and 58% are cricetids. This distribution is fairly similar to that of the remainder of North America (although sciurids are relatively twice as abundant to the north, at the expense of cricetids), but is very different from that of South America, where the corresponding figures are 36%, 3%, 1% and 60%. Of Mexico's cricetids, 17% are sigmodontine, while the figure for South America is 99.5%. Mexico's caviomorphs are recent immigrants from South America, where their ancestors washed ashore after rafting across the Atlantic from Africa about 40–45 million years ago. Conversely, South America's sciurids, castorimorphs and cricetids are recent immigrants from Central America (with sigmodontines getting a head start on the others).
  Suborder: Hystricomorpha
  Parvorder: Caviomorpha
  Family: Erethizontidae (New World porcupines)
  Subfamily: Erethizontinae
  Genus: Erethizon
  North American porcupine, Erethizon dorsatum LC
  Genus: Coendou
  Mexican hairy dwarf porcupine, Coendou mexicanus LC
  Family: Dasyproctidae (agoutis and pacas)
  Genus: Dasyprocta
  Mexican agouti, Dasyprocta mexicana CR
  Central American agouti, Dasyprocta punctata LC
  Family: Cuniculidae
  Genus: Cuniculus
  Lowland paca, Cuniculus paca LC
  Suborder: Sciuromorpha
  Family: Sciuridae (squirrels)
  Subfamily: Sciurinae
  Tribe: Pteromyini
  Genus: Glaucomys
  Southern flying squirrel, Glaucomys volans LC
  Tribe: Sciurini
  Genus: Sciurus
  Abert's squirrel, Sciurus aberti LC
  Allen's squirrel, Sciurus alleni LC
  Arizona gray squirrel, Sciurus arizonensis DD
  Mexican gray squirrel, Sciurus aureogaster LC
  Collie's squirrel, Sciurus colliaei LC
  Deppe's squirrel, Sciurus deppei LC
  Western gray squirrel, Sciurus griseus LC
  Mexican fox squirrel, Sciurus nayaritensis LC
  Fox squirrel, Sciurus niger LC
  Peters's squirrel, Sciurus oculatus LC
  Variegated squirrel, Sciurus variegatoides LC
  Yucatan squirrel, Sciurus yucatanensis LC
  Genus: Tamiasciurus
  Mearns's squirrel, Tamiasciurus mearnsi EN
  Subfamily: Xerinae
  Tribe: Marmotini
  Genus: Ammospermophilus
  Harris's antelope squirrel, Ammospermophilus harrisii LC
  Espíritu Santo antelope squirrel, Ammospermophilus insularis
  Texas antelope squirrel, Ammospermophilus interpres LC
  White-tailed antelope squirrel, Ammospermophilus leucurus LC
  Genus: Cynomys
  Black-tailed prairie dog, Cynomys ludovicianus LC
  Mexican prairie dog, Cynomys mexicanus EN
  Genus: Neotamias
  Buller's chipmunk, Neotamias bulleri VU
  Cliff chipmunk, Neotamias dorsalis LC
  Durango chipmunk, Neotamias durangae LC
  Merriam's chipmunk, Neotamias merriami LC
  California chipmunk, Neotamias obscurus LC
  Genus: Spermophilus
  Tropical ground squirrel, Spermophilus adocetus LC
  Ring-tailed ground squirrel, Spermophilus annulatus LC
  Baja California rock squirrel, Spermophilus atricapillus EN
  California ground squirrel, Spermophilus beecheyi LC
  Sierra Madre ground squirrel, Spermophilus madrensis NT
  Mexican ground squirrel, Spermophilus mexicanus LC
  Perote ground squirrel, Xerospermophilus perotensis EN
  Spotted ground squirrel, Spermophilus spilosoma LC
  Round-tailed ground squirrel, Spermophilus tereticaudus LC
  Rock squirrel, Spermophilus variegatus LC
  Suborder: Castorimorpha
  Family: Castoridae (beavers)
  Genus: Castor
  American beaver, Castor canadensis LC
  Family: Geomyidae
  Genus: Cratogeomys
  Yellow-faced pocket gopher, Cratogeomys castanops LC
  Oriental Basin pocket gopher, Cratogeomys fulvescens LC
  Smoky pocket gopher, Cratogeomys fumosus LC
  Goldman's pocket gopher, Cratogeomys goldmani LC
  Merriam's pocket gopher, Cratogeomys merriami LC
  Perote pocket gopher, Cratogeomys perotensis LC
  Flat-headed pocket gopher, Cratogeomys pl
caption: Black-tailed prairie dog
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