List of mammals of Puerto Rico

North American animals Wiki list articleTemplate:SHORTDESC:North American animals Wiki list article
This is a list of the **mammal species recorded in Puerto Rico**. These are the mammal species in Puerto Rico, of which one is critically endangered, none are endangered, two are vulnerable, and none are near threatened. Two of the species listed for Puerto Rico are considered to be extinct.

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

Some species were assessed using an earlier set of criteria. Species assessed using this system have the following instead of near threatened and least concern categories:

 LR/lc | **Lower risk/least concern** | Species for which there are no identifiable risks.

## 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. All four species are endangered.

* Family: Trichechidae
	+ Genus: *Trichechus*
		- West Indian manatee, *T. manatus* **VU**

## 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: Hystricomorpha
	+ Family: Capromyidae
		- Subfamily: Isolobodontinae
			* Genus: *Isolobodon*
				+ Puerto Rican hutia, *I. portoricensis* **EX** introduced
* Suborder: Muridae
	+ Family: Muridae
		- Genus: *Mus*
			* House mouse, *M. musculus* **LC** introduced
		- Genus: *Rattus*
			* Brown rat, *R. norvegicus* **LC** introduced
			* Black rat, *R. rattus* **LC** introduced

## 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.

* Family: Noctilionidae
	+ Genus: *Noctilio*
		- Greater bulldog bat, *Noctilio leporinus* LR/lc
* Family: Vespertilionidae
	+ Subfamily: Vespertilioninae
		- Genus: *Lasiurus*
			* Eastern red bat, *Lasiurus borealis* LR/lc
* Family: Molossidae
	+ Genus: *Molossus*
		- Velvety free-tailed bat, *Molossus molossus* LR/lc
	+ Genus: *Tadarida*
		- Mexican free-tailed bat, *Tadarida brasiliensis* LR/nt
* Family: Mormoopidae
	+ Genus: *Mormoops*
		- Antillean ghost-faced bat, *Mormoops blainvillii* LR/nt
	+ Genus: *Pteronotus*
		- Parnell's mustached bat, *Pteronotus parnellii* LR/lc
		- Sooty mustached bat, *Pteronotus quadridens* LR/nt
* Family: Phyllostomidae
	+ Subfamily: Phyllostominae
		- Genus: *Macrotus*
			* Waterhouse's leaf-nosed bat, *Macrotus waterhousii* extirpated LR/lc
	+ Subfamily: Brachyphyllinae
		- Genus: *Brachyphylla*
			* Antillean fruit-eating bat, *Brachyphylla cavernarum* LR/lc
	+ Subfamily: Phyllonycterinae
		- Genus: *Phyllonycteris*
			* Puerto Rican flower bat, *Phyllonycteris major* EX
	+ Subfamily: Glossophaginae
		- Genus: *Monophyllus*
			* Insular single leaf bat, *Monophyllus plethodon* LC possibly extirpated
				+ Puerto Rican long-nosed bat, *M. p. prater* **EX**
			* Leach's single leaf bat, *Monophyllus redmani* LR/lc
	+ Subfamily: Stenodermatinae
		- Genus: *Artibeus*
			* Jamaican fruit bat, *Artibeus jamaicensis* LR/lc
		- Genus: *Stenoderma*
			* Red fruit bat, *Stenoderma rufum* VU

## 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.

* Suborder: Mysticeti
	+ Family: Balaenopteridae (baleen whales)
		- Genus: *Balaenoptera*
			* Common minke whale, *Balaenoptera acutorostrata*
			* Sei whale, *Balaenoptera borealis*
			* Bryde's whale, *Balaenoptera brydei*
			* Blue whale, *Balaenoptera musculus*
		- Genus: *Megaptera*
			* Humpback whale, *Megaptera novaeangliae*
* Suborder: Odontoceti
	+ Superfamily: Platanistoidea
		- Family: Delphinidae (marine dolphins)
			* Genus: *Delphinus*
				+ Short-beaked common dolphin, *Delphinus delphis* DD
			* Genus: *Feresa*
				+ Pygmy killer whale, *Feresa attenuata* DD
			* Genus: *Globicephala*
				+ Short-finned pilot whale, *Globicephala macrorhynchus* DD
			* Genus: *Lagenodelphis*
				+ Fraser's dolphin, *Lagenodelphis hosei* DD
			* Genus: *Grampus*
				+ Risso's dolphin, *Grampus griseus* DD
			* Genus: *Orcinus*
				+ Killer whale, *Orcinus orca* DD
			* Genus: *Peponocephala*
				+ Melon-headed whale, *Peponocephala electra* DD
			* Genus: *Pseudorca*
				+ False killer whale, *Pseudorca crassidens* DD
			* Genus: *Stenella*
				+ Pantropical spotted dolphin, *Stenella attenuata* DD
				+ Clymene dolphin, *Stenella clymene* DD
				+ Striped dolphin, *Stenella coeruleoalba* DD
				+ Atlantic spotted dolphin, *Stenella frontalis* DD
				+ Spinner dolphin, *Stenella longirostris* DD
			* Genus: *Steno*
				+ Rough-toothed dolphin, *Steno bredanensis* DD
			* Genus: *Tursiops*
				+ Common bottlenose dolphin, *Tursiops truncatus*
		- Family: Physeteridae (sperm whales)
			* Genus: *Physeter*
				+ Sperm whale, *Physeter catodon* DD
		- Family: Kogiidae (dwarf sperm whales)
			* Genus: *Kogia*
				+ Pygmy sperm whale, *Kogia breviceps* DD
				+ Dwarf sperm whale, *Kogia sima* DD
	+ Superfamily Ziphioidea
		- Family: Ziphidae (beaked whales)
			* Genus: *Mesoplodon*
				+ Gervais' beaked whale, *Mesoplodon europaeus* DD
				+ Blainville's beaked whale, *Mesoplodon densirostris* DD
				+ True's beaked whale, *Mesoplodon mirus* DD
			* Genus: *Ziphius*
				+ Cuvier's beaked whale, *Ziphius cavirostris* DD

## Order: Carnivora (carnivorans)

There are over 260 species of carnivorans, the majority of which feed primarily on meat. They have a characteristic skull shape and dentition.

* Family: Herpestidae
	+ Genus: *Urva*
		- Small Indian mongoose, *U. auropunctata* **LC** introduced
* Suborder: Pinnipedia
	+ Family: Phocidae (earless seals)
		- Genus: *Cystophora*
			* Hooded seal, *C. cristata* **VU** vagrant
		- Genus: *Neomonachus*
			* Caribbean monk seal, *N. tropicalis* **EX**

## Order: Artiodactyla (even-toed ungulates)

The even-toed ungulates are ungulates – hoofed animals – which bear weight equally on two (an even number) of their five toes: the third and fourth. The other three toes are either present, absent, vestigial, or pointing posteriorly.

* Family: Cervidae
	+ Subfamily: Capreolinae
		- Genus: *Odocoileus*
			* White-tailed deer, *O. virginianus* **LC** introduced

## See also

* Puerto Rico portal
* Biology portal

* 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. ↑ Murray, Kevin L.; Theodore H., Fleming; S. Gaines, Michael; Williams, Dean A. "Characterization of Polymorphic Microsatellite Loci for Two Species of Phyllostomid Bats from the Greater Antilles (*Erophylla Sezekorni* and *Macrotus Waterhousii*)". *Molecular Ecology Resources*. **8**: 596–98. doi:10.1111/j.1471-8286.2007.02007.x.
3. ↑ Choate, Jerry R.; Birney, Elmer C. (August 1968). "Sub-Recent Insectivora and Chiroptera from Puerto Rico, with the Description of a New Bat of the Genus *Stenoderma*". *Journal of Mammalogy*. **49** (3): 400–412. doi:10.2307/1378198. JSTOR 1378198.
4. ↑ Jennings, A. & Veron, G. 2016. Herpestes auropunctatus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016: e.T70204120A70204139. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-1.RLTS.T70204120A70204139.en. Downloaded on 27 March 2021.

## References

* "The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: Mammals of Puerto Rico". IUCN. 2001. Retrieved 22 May 2007. [*dead link*]
* "Mammal Species of the World". Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. 2005. Archived from the original on 27 April 2007. Retrieved 22 May 2007.
* "Animal Diversity Web". University of Michigan Museum of Zoology. 1995–2006. Retrieved 22 May 2007.