List of mammals of Greenland

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This is a list of the native wild **mammal species recorded in Greenland**. There are 26 mammal species native to Greenland, of which none are critically endangered, three are endangered, three are vulnerable, two are near threatened and four are data deficient. Only seven of these species are fully terrestrial. Introduced species (e.g., the house mouse and brown rat) are not included.

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 on the right in some other articles:

## 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 45 kg (99 lb).

* Suborder: Myomorpha
	+ Family: Cricetidae
		- Subfamily: Arvicolinae
			* Genus: *Dicrostonyx*
				+ Northern collared lemming, *Dicrostonyx groenlandicus* LC

## Order: Lagomorpha (lagomorphs)

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.

* Family: Leporidae (rabbits, hares)
	+ Genus: *Lepus*
		- Arctic hare, *Lepus arcticus* LC
			* Greenland Arctic hare, *L. a. groenlandicus*

## Order: Carnivora (carnivorans)

There are over 260 species of carnivorans, the majority of which eat meat as their primary dietary item. They have a characteristic skull shape and dentition. Except for walruses and harbor seals, the pinnipeds of Greenland breed on pack ice or shore-fast ice. Walruses are the only local pinniped species to commonly consume warm-blooded prey.

* Suborder: Caniformia
	+ Family: Canidae (dogs, foxes)
		- Genus: *Vulpes*
			* Arctic fox, *Vulpes lagopus* LC
				+ Greenland Arctic fox, *V. l. foragorapusis*
		- Genus: *Canis*
			* Gray wolf, *Canis lupus* LC
				+ Greenland wolf, *C. l. orion*
	+ Family: Ursidae (bears)
		- Genus: *Ursus*
			* Polar bear, *Ursus maritimus* VU
	+ Family: Mustelidae (weasels and relatives)
		- Genus: *Mustela*
			* Beringian ermine, *Mustela erminea* LC
	+ Clade Pinnipedia (seals, sea lions and walruses)
		- Family: Odobenidae
			* Genus: *Odobenus*
				+ Walrus, *Odobenus rosmarus* VU
		- Family: Phocidae (earless seals)
			* Genus: *Cystophora*
				+ Hooded seal, *Cystophora cristata* VU
			* Genus: *Erignathus*
				+ Bearded seal, *Erignathus barbatus* LC
			* Genus: *Pagophilus*
				+ Harp seal, *Pagophilus groenlandicus* LC
			* Genus: *Phoca*
				+ Harbor seal, *Phoca vitulina* LC
			* Genus: *Pusa*
				+ Ringed seal, *Pusa hispida* LC

## Order: Artiodactyla (even-toed ungulates and cetaceans)

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 noncetacean artiodactyl species, including many that are of great economic importance to humans. Caribou hunting in Greenland has both cultural and economic significance.

* Family: Cervidae (deer)
	+ Subfamily: Capreolinae
		- Genus: *Rangifer*
			* Caribou, *Rangifer tarandus* VU
				+ Barren-ground caribou, *R. t. groenlandicus*
				+ Peary caribou, *R. t. pearyi* (?)
* Family: Bovidae (cattle, antelope, sheep, goats)
	+ Subfamily: Caprinae
		- Genus: *Ovibos*
			* Muskox, *Ovibos moschatus* LC

## Order: Cetacea (whales, dolphins and porpoises)

The infraorder 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. Their closest extant relatives are the hippos, which are artiodactyls, from which cetaceans descended; cetaceans are thus also artiodactyls.

* Parvorder: Mysticeti
	+ Family: Balaenidae
		- Genus: *Balaena*
			* Bowhead whale, *Balaena mysticetus* LC
		- Genus: *Eubalaena*
			* North Atlantic right whale, *Eubalaena glacialis* EN
	+ Family: Balaenopteridae
		- Subfamily: Balaenopterinae
			* Genus: *Balaenoptera*
				+ Northern minke whale, *Balaenoptera acutorostrata* LC
					- North Atlantic minke whale, *B. a. acutorostrata*
				+ Blue whale, *Balaenoptera musculus* EN
					- Northern blue whale, *B. m. musculus*
				+ Fin whale, *Balaenoptera physalus* VU
					- Northern fin whale, *B. p. physalus*
		- Subfamily: Megapterinae
			* Genus: *Megaptera*
				+ Humpback whale, *Megaptera novaeangliae* LC
* Parvorder: Odontoceti
	+ Superfamily: Platanistoidea
		- Family: Monodontidae
			* Genus: *Monodon*
				+ Narwhal, *Monodon monoceros* LC
			* Genus: *Delphinapterus*
				+ Beluga, *Delphinapterus leucas* LC
		- Family: Phocoenidae
			* Genus: *Phocoena*
				+ Harbour porpoise, *Phocoena phocoena* LC
					- North Atlantic harbour porpoise, *P. p. phocoena*
		- Family: Physeteridae
			* Genus: *Physeter*
				+ Sperm whale, *Physeter macrocephalus* VU
		- Family: Ziphidae
			* Subfamily: Hyperoodontinae
				+ Genus: *Hyperoodon*
					- Northern bottlenose whale, *Hyperoodon ampullatus* DD
		- Family: Delphinidae (marine dolphins)
			* Genus: *Lagenorhynchus*
				+ White-beaked dolphin, *Lagenorhynchus albirostris* LC
			* Genus: *Leucopleurus*
				+ Atlantic white-sided dolphin, *Leucopleurus acutus* LC
			* Genus: *Tursiops*
				+ Common bottlenose dolphin, *Tursiops truncatus* LC
					- Atlantic bottlenose dolphin, *T. t. truncatus*
			* Genus: *Stenella*
				+ Striped dolphin, *Stenella coeruleoalba* LC
			* Genus: *Orcinus*
				+ Orca, *Orcinus orca* DD
			* Genus: *Globicephala*
				+ Long-finned pilot whale, *Globicephala melas* LC

## See also

* Flora and fauna of Greenland
* List of chordate orders
* Lists of mammals by region
* List of prehistoric mammals
* Mammal classification
* List of mammals described in the 2000s

## Notes

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.
2. ↑ Greffard, M. C. (December 2000). "Peary Caribou". *Canadian Biodiversity*. McGill University. Archived from the original on 2008-11-08. Retrieved 2018-06-17.

## References

* "The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species". IUCN. 2013. Retrieved 18 May 2014.
* Wilson, D.E.; Reeder, D.M., eds. (2005). *Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference* (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494.
* "Animal Diversity Web". University of Michigan Museum of Zoology. 1995–2006. Retrieved 22 May 2007.