List of mammals of Florida


This is a list of mammal species found in the wild in the American state of Florida. Ninety-nine species of mammals are known to inhabit, or have recently inhabited, the state and its surrounding waters. This includes a few species, such as the black-tailed jackrabbit and red deer, that were introduced after the arrival of Europeans. It also includes the extinct Caribbean monk seal. Rodents account for roughly one quarter of all species, followed closely by mammals from the families Cetacea and Carnivora.
The species included in this list are drawn from the work of the American Society of Mammalogists, which compiled information from five different publications. Information on the international conservation status of species has been drawn from the IUCN Red List.

Mammals by order

Terrestrial mammals

Carnivora

s arrived in northern Florida in the 1970s as their natural range expanded. Illegal releases were another factor in their occupation of the state. Coyotes are extremely adaptable, living in all types of forests and farms.
Florida has two types of foxes. The native gray fox can be found in the United States almost anywhere, except the northern plains and Rockies. It is sometimes confused with the red fox due to having patches of red hair. The red fox was introduced to Florida by hunting clubs, although it may have been native in the northern panhandle. Its preferred habitats are open areas, while the gray fox prefers woods.
Red wolves were once common throughout the southeastern US, including Florida. Extinct in the wild in 1980, it has been progressively introduced to select nature preserves. The present population was introduced as part of this recovery program in 1997 to the Saint Vincent National Refuge; once red wolf pups reach 18 months, they are relocated to the North Carolina portion of the program.
Bobcats are well adapted to urban development and are not a conservation concern. They make their home in hammocks, forests or swamps.
The Florida panther is a subspecies of cougar. Its main differences from other subspecies are longer legs, smaller size and a shorter darker coat. The skull of the Florida panther is broader and flatter with highly arched nasal bones. Reportedly only seventy adult animals are alive, and a 1992 study estimated that the subspecies would become extinct between 2016 and 2055. It was chosen in 1982 as the Florida state animal by the state's schoolchildren.
It is believed that some jaguarundis were unintentionally released in the wild in the 1940s. There is no evidence besides witness accounts, and the existence of jaguarandis in the state is dubious.
Two of the eleven species of skunks live in Florida. Both the eastern spotted skunk and the striped skunk can be found statewide.
Small populations of the Everglades mink, a subspecies of American mink, are encountered near Lake Okeechobee, and in the Big Cypress Swamp-Everglades National Park area.
Northern river otters are a common sight close to freshwater streams in Florida. The population is increasing.
Raccoons are prevalent in the contiguous 48 states, including Florida. Adaptable to almost all kinds of habitats, they are among the few which actually benefit from human development, since food becomes more available. Attacks by predators like the bobcat cause minimum mortality, and the main reason for raccoon deaths is considered to be car accidents. They are predators of sea turtle nests.
The Florida black bear, Ursus americanus floridanus, is a subspecies of the American black bear. Differences between subspecies are very small; the Florida black bear has a highly arched forehead and a long and narrow braincase. Estimates for 2002 indicated the number of bears statewide to be between 2,000 and 3,200, indicating an increase from the previous census in 1998. The biggest cause of concern is roadkill, although the rates of mortality are equivalent to other areas in the country.
Common nameScientific name
authority
OrderFamilyASM state status and native rangeRed List
Coyote
Canis latrans
Say, 1823
CarnivoraCanidaeuncommon or locally common statewide
7
Feral dog
Canis familiaris
Linnaeus, 1758
CarnivoraCanidaelocally common; escaped or released statewide
0
Gray fox
Urocyon cinereoargenteus
CarnivoraCanidaeuncommon or locally common statewide
7
Red fox
Vulpes vulpes
Linnaeus, 1758
CarnivoraCanidaeuncommon or locally common statewide
7
Florida black wolf
Canis lupus floridanus
Miller, 1912
CarnivoraCanidaeextinct
3
Red wolf
Canis rufus
Audubon & Bachman, 1851
CarnivoraCanidaerare, introduced on Saint Vincent Island
3
Bobcat
Lynx rufus
CarnivoraFelidaecommon; peninsula and northern Keys
7
Florida panther
Puma concolor
CarnivoraFelidaerare, restricted to Green Swamp and Big Cypress areas in SW peninsula
6
Feral cat
Felis catus
CarnivoraFelidaeabundant; escaped or released statewide
0
Jaguarundi
Herpailurus yaguarondi
CarnivoraFelidaepossibly introduced to the northern two thirds of peninsula
7
Eastern spotted skunk
Spilogale putorius
CarnivoraMephitidaecommon; statewide except northeast corner and Keys
7
Striped skunk
Mephitis mephitis
CarnivoraMephitidaecommon; statewide except Keys
7
Long-tailed weasel
Mustela frenata
Lichtenstein, 1831
CarnivoraMustelidaerare; statewide except Everglades and Keys
7
Mink
Mustela vison
Schreber, 1777
CarnivoraMustelidaerare; coastal marshes in west Panhandle, Big Bend area, northeast area, and Everglades
7
Northern river otter
Lontra canadensis
CarnivoraMustelidaelocally common, mostly freshwater habitats, primarily rivers and streams, statewide except Keys
7
Common raccoon
Procyon lotor
CarnivoraProcyonidaeabundant, statewide
7
White-nosed coati
Nasua narica
CarnivoraProcyonidaeintroduced species, with reports over a wide area of southern Florida
7
Florida black bear
Ursus americanus floridanus
Pallas, 1780
CarnivoraUrsidaerare or uncommon; localized populations statewide except Keys
7

Chiroptera

Of the bats listed below, thirteen are confirmed to be resident species; all of them are insectivorous. Five species had very low numbers reported and can be classified as accidental species: the Indiana bat, Jamaican fruit bat, little brown bat, northern long-eared myotis and the silver-haired bat. Some bats not in this list, but with reported sightings in the Lower Keys, are the buffy flower bat, Cuban flower bat and Cuban fig-eating bat.
Bats can be classified in two groups by their roosting habits: solitary- and colony-roosting bats.
Solitary bats prefer to live in leaves, palm fronds and Spanish moss. Resident bats in this category are the eastern red bat, the northern yellow bat and the Seminole bat. Hoary bats are not considered residents because they migrate to Mexico and South America to spend the winter.
The remaining species are considered to be colony-roosting bats. Darker than their solitary counterparts and less furry, these bats prefer to live under bridges, in tree holes or caves. Only three Florida species live in caves: the eastern pipistrelle, the gray bat and the southeastern myotis. Florida has the highest concentration of southeastern myotis in the world.
The greatest threat to bats in Florida is the disturbance or destruction of roost sites, due to vandalism or urban development.
Common nameScientific name
authority
OrderFamilyASM state status and native rangeRed List
Velvety free-tailed bat
Molossus molossus
ChiropteraMolossidaerare; Lower Keys
7
Mexican free-tailed bat
Tadarida brasiliensis
ChiropteraMolossidaecommon, statewide except for Keys
6
Florida bonneted bat
Eumops floridanus
ChiropteraMolossidaerare, endemic to southern Florida
7
Jamaican fruit bat
Artibeus jamaicensis
Leach, 1821
ChiropteraPhyllostomidaerare, Lower Keys only
7
Big brown bat
Eptesicus fuscus
ChiropteraVespertilionidaecommon statewide except for Keys
7
Eastern pipistrelle
Pipistrellus subflavus
ChiropteraVespertilionidaeuncommon; panhandle and northern half of peninsula
7
Eastern red bat
Lasiurus borealis
ChiropteraVespertilionidaeuncommon; panhandle and northern quarter of peninsula
7
Evening bat
Nycticeius humeralis
ChiropteraVespertilionidaecommon; statewide except for Keys
7
Gray bat
Myotis grisescens
A.H. Howell, 1909
ChiropteraVespertilionidaerare, known only from panhandle, Marianna area
4
Hoary bat
Lasiurus cinereus
ChiropteraVespertilionidaeuncommon, panhandle and northern half of peninsula
7
Indiana bat
Myotis sodalis
Miller & Allen, 1928
ChiropteraVespertilionidaerare, known only from panhandle, Marianna and Jackson counties
4
Little brown bat
Myotis lucifugus
ChiropteraVespertilionidaerare, known only from panhandle and Okaloosa County
7
Northern long-eared myotis
Myotis septentrionalis
ChiropteraVespertilionidaerare, known only from panhandle, Marianna and Jackson counties
7
Northern yellow bat
Lasiurus intermedius
H. Allen, 1862
ChiropteraVespertilionidaecommon statewide except southern tip of peninsula and Keys
7
Rafinesque's big-eared bat
Plecotus rafinesquii
Lesson, 1827
ChiropteraVespertilionidaerare, statewide except southern tip of peninsula and Keys
5
Seminole bat
Lasiurus seminolus
ChiropteraVespertilionidaecommon, statewide except southern tip of peninsula and Keys
7
Silver-haired bat
Lasionycteris noctivagans
ChiropteraVespertilionidaerare; known only from north Santa Rosa County and possibly north Nassau County
7
Southeastern myotis
Myotis austroriparius
ChiropteraVespertilionidaecommon; cave habitats in panhandle and, disjunct, northeastern and northcentral peninsula
7

Rodentia

Of the several species of rodents in Florida, the subspecies of oldfield mouse are the biggest conservation concern, along with the Florida mouse. Six of eight subspecies of the oldfield mouse are in endangered status, and one is extinct. Given causes for their demise is predators like cats and red foxes and destruction of their natural habitats. The Florida mouse is on the endangered species list because of destruction of their habitat. The mouse is the only mammal that is endemic to Florida. The rodent depends on the gopher tortoise for its survival, because it makes its burrows from tortoise burrows, or in the absence of those, oldfield mouse burrows.
Non-native species brought in boats by colonizers are the black rat, brown rat and house mouse. Other non-natives are the capybara, the nutria and the Mexican gray squirrel.
Not listed below, but with reported sightings, are the biggest rat in the world, the Gambian pouched rat, which arrived in 2002; and the prairie dog. Both are wild releases of animals kept as pets.
Common nameScientific name
authority
OrderFamilyASM state status and native rangeRed List
American beaver
Castor canadensis
Kuhl, 1820
RodentiaCastoridaecommon; panhandle and northern third of peninsula, except coastal areas.
7
Southeastern pocket gopher
Geomys pinetis
Rafinesque, 1817
RodentiaGeomyidaecommon; panhandle and northern half of peninsula
7
Goff's pocket gopherGeomys pinetis goffi
Sherman, 1944
RodentiaGeomyidaeextinct
7
Capybara
Hydrochaeris hydrochaeris
RodentiaHydrochaeridaeintroduced; probably several small populations north of peninsula
7
Oldfield mouse
Peromyscus polionotus
RodentiaCricetidaerare; coastal dunes and dunes on some barrier islands; uncommon on panhandle and northern two thirds of peniinsula in dry, sandy, old fields and grasslands
7
Anastasia Island beach mouse
Peromyscus polionotus phasma
RodentiaCricetidaeonly in Anastasia Island in St. Augustine, Florida
7
Perdido Key beach mouse
Peromyscus polionotus trissyllepsis
RodentiaCricetidaefound on Perdido Key, Florida
7
Pallid beach mousePeromyscus polionotus decoloratus
RodentiaCricetidaeextinct
7
Cotton mouse
Peromyscus gossypinus
RodentiaCricetidaecommon; statewide in forests and mixed forest/grasslands
7
Eastern harvest mouse
Reithrodontomys humilis
RodentiaCricetidaecommon; panhandle and northern two thirds of peninsula in old fields, grasslands, and fields
7
Florida woodrat
Neotoma floridana
RodentiaCricetidaeuncommon; panhandle, northern two thirds of peninsula and rare; Key Largo
7
Florida mousePodomys floridanus
RodentiaCricetidaerare; central peninsula, mostly in habitats along central ridges.
5
Meadow vole
Microtus pennsylvanicus
RodentiaCricetidaerare; salt marsh in Cedar Key area of Gulf coast
7
Golden mouseOchrotomys nuttalli
2
RodentiaCricetidaerare; panhandle and northern half of peninsula
7
Hispid cotton rat
Sigmodon hispidus
Say & Ord, 1825
RodentiaCricetidaecommon; statewide
7
House mouse
Mus musculus
Linnaeus, 1758
RodentiaMuridaeintroduced; common; statewide
7
Marsh rice rat
Oryzomys palustris
RodentiaCricetidaecommon; statewide in saltmarsh and associated habitats
7
Brown rat
Rattus norvegicus
RodentiaMuridaeintroduced; common; statewide
7
Woodland vole
Microtus pinetorum
RodentiaCricetidaeuncommon; central portion of northern third of peninsula
7
Black rat
Rattus rattus
RodentiaMuridaeintroduced; common statewide
7
Round-tailed muskrat
Neofiber alleni
True, 1884
RodentiaCricetidaecommon; peninsula and isolated populations in Apalachicola and Okefenokee areas
6
Coypu
Myocastor coypus
RodentiaMyocastoridaeintroduced; Duval County and panhandle populations; possibly established statewide except Keys
7
Eastern chipmunk
Tamias striatus
RodentiaSciuridaeuncommon; northern half of western panhandle in mesic forest areas
7
Eastern gray squirrel
Sciurus carolinensis
Gmelin, 1788
RodentiaSciuridaecommon; statewide except Lower Keys
7
Fox squirrel
Sciurus niger
Linnaeus, 1758
RodentiaSciuridaerare; statewide except Keys; possibly extinct in southeastern peninsula
7
Mexican gray squirrel
Sciurus aureogaster
F. Cuvier, 1829
RodentiaSciuridaeintroduced; established on Elliott Key
7
Southern flying squirrel
Glaucomys volans
RodentiaSciuridaecommon; statewide except Keys and possibly southwest peninsula
7

Other orders

The only native even-toed ungulate is the white-tailed deer. It is the most economically important hunting mammal in all of North America, and is one of the major prey animals of the Florida panther. There were only about 20,000 deer in Florida during the late 1930s, and the species was almost extinct in South Florida due to a campaign to eliminate tick-borne diseases. Hunt restraining measures and purchases from other states were very successful bringing the population to more than 700,000 deer statewide. A smaller subspecies, the Key deer, lives only in the Keys and numbers around 800 animals. Sambar deer were introduced in 1908 as alternative game for hunters on Saint Vincent Island. The population is between 700 and 1,000; 130 hunters are licensed per year, and each can kill up to two deer. Some red deer were released from a hunting ranch around 1967 and may still exist as a small herd.
Hogs found their way to Florida in 1539 with Spanish colonist Hernando de Soto. Florida has 12% of the three million hogs that roam in the US. They are a popular hunting prey, but are regarded as a pest due to the damage they inflict to agriculture and environment. More than 21,000 hogs were killed in 1980 alone.
All the confirmed lagomorphs in Florida are nocturnal; the black-tailed jackrabbit—introduced as a training tool for racing greyhounds from 1930 to 1950; the native eastern cottontail, which can be found anywhere but in forests and coastal marshes; and the marsh rabbit, which prefers freshwater and brackish marshes. The subspecies Lower Keys marsh rabbit has the scientific name Sylvilagus palustris hefneri after Hugh Hefner—because research on the subspecies was financed in part by the Playboy Foundation.
Three species of shrews are found across Florida. Two known subspecies are the Homosassa shrew and Sherman's short-tailed shrew. One of their main predators is the cat. Completing the Soricomorpha are two species of moles.
The rhesus macaque was introduced sometime in the 1930s and has flourished in central Florida. The original source of this population is a matter of debate, with one common belief being that they were brought for Tarzan movies being filmed in the area and either escaped from the set or were set free. Charles River Laboratories, the world's biggest producer of lab animals, maintained a free-range colony until 1999, when they were forced to remove the animals after they destroyed parts of the mangrove forests in Key Haven. Other primates with reported sightings not included in this list are vervet monkeys and squirrel monkeys.
Cingulata are represented by the nine-banded armadillo, released in 1922 by a marine who kept them as pets, but other accounts place them as having migrated from Texas. Subsequent introductions and fast breeding spread the species statewide.
The Virginia opossum is the only marsupial found in North America north of the Rio Grande. It lives in wooded areas and can be easily found statewide.
Common nameScientific name
authority
OrderFamilyASM state status and native rangeRed List
Red deer
Cervus elaphus
Linnaeus, 1758
ArtiodactylaCervidaeintroduced; single population in Highlands County.
7
Sambar deer
Cervus unicolor
Kerr, 1792
ArtiodactylaCervidaeintroduced on St. Vincent Island
7
White-tailed deer
Odocoileus virginianus
Zimmermann, 1780
ArtiodactylaCervidaecommon statewide; rare in Keys
7
Key deer
O. v. clavium
Barbour & G. M. Allen, 1922
ArtiodactylaCervidaeonly in Everglades or Keys
7
Wild boar
Sus scrofa
Linnaeus, 1758
ArtiodactylaSuidaecommon; statewide except Keys
7
Florida Cracker Horse
Equus caballus
Linnaeus, 1758
PerissodactylaEquidaecommon; statewide in Florida
7
Nine-banded armadillo
Dasypus novemcinctus
Linnaeus, 1758
CingulataDasypodidaecommon; statewide, except possibly some parts of Everglades
7
Virginia opossum
Didelphis virginiana
Kerr, 1792
DidelphimorphiaDidelphidaecommon; statewide
7
Black-tailed jackrabbit
Lepus californicus
Gray, 1837
LagomorphaLeporidaeintroduced; established in Homestead area
7
Eastern cottontail
Sylvilagus floridanus
LagomorphaLeporidaecommon; statewide except Keys
7
Marsh rabbit
Sylvilagus palustris
LagomorphaLeporidaecommon; statewide
7
Swamp rabbit
Sylvilagus aquaticus
LagomorphaLeporidaerare and unconfirmed; possibly present in Escambia County but no known records
7
Rhesus macaque
Macaca mulatta
PrimatesCercopithecidaeintroduced; Ocala and Silver Springs areastyle=display:none>6
Vervet monkey
Chlorocebus pygerythrus
PrimatesCercopithecidaeintroduced; Dania Beach and Fort Lauderdale areastyle=display:none>7
North American least shrew
Cryptotis parva
SoricomorphaSoricidaecommon; statewide except for Keys
7
Southeastern shrew
Sorex longirostris
Bachman, 1837
SoricomorphaSoricidaeuncommon; north, south through Central Florida and on central ridge through southcentral
7
Southern short-tailed shrew
Blarina carolinensis
SoricomorphaSoricidaecommon; statewide except for Keys
7
Eastern mole
Scalopus aquaticus
SoricomorphaTalpidaecommon; statewide except for Keys
7
Star-nosed mole
Condylura cristata
SoricomorphaTalpidaerare; Okefenokee Swamp area and possibly in Leon County
7

Marine mammals

Carnivora and Sirenia

Trichechus manatus latirostris is one of the two subspecies of the West Indian manatee. This herbivorous aquatic mammal lives in rivers, springs and shallow coastal waters. It was designated the state marine mammal in 1975 and is protected by federal and state laws. Threatened by habitat loss, entanglements in fishing gear and crab traps, or by being asphyxiated or crushed by canal locks and flood gates, the most common cause for manatee deaths is being struck by boats, which caused one quarter of all deaths recorded since 1974. In 2015, the statewide population was estimated at 6,063.
Florida does not have seal colonies, but stray seals come ashore in Florida occasionally. The most prevalent of those have been the common seal and the hooded seal, although a bearded seal was seen in 2007. The Caribbean monk seal was native to the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico. Once a popular prey for Bahamas fishermen, their numbers diminished greatly in the 1800s. The last sighting of the species in Florida was in 1922, and specimens have not been seen anywhere since 1952.
Common nameScientific name
authority
OrderFamilyASM state status and native rangeRed List
Harbor seal
Phoca vitulina
Linnaeus, 1758
CarnivoraPhocidaerare; east coastal marine areas to Central Florida
7
Hooded seal
Cystophora cristata
CarnivoraPhocidaerare; east coastal marine areas to Central Florida
7
Bearded seal
Erignathus barbatus
CarnivoraPhocidaerare; east coastal marine areas to Central Florida
7
Caribbean monk seal
Monachus tropicalis
CarnivoraPhocidaeextinct
1
West Indian manatee
Trichechus manatus
Linnaeus, 1758
SireniaTrichechidaerare; coastal marine areas, but not usually north of the Suwannee River in the Gulf of Mexico; enters rivers and connected springs
5

Cetacea

Of the several whales seen close to Florida, the most frequent and notable visitor is the North Atlantic right whale. Named as such because they were the "right" whales to kill, their only known calving ground is located off the coasts of Georgia and Florida. Pregnant females migrate from feeding grounds located far north and deliver calves from mid-December to March. Humpback whales are also re-colonizing the area while gray whales, once cavorting off Florida for the same reasons as the right whales, were extirpated from the Atlantic in the 17th and 18th centuries.
The most common dolphin in the state is the common bottlenose dolphin. Dolphins, like manatees, are vulnerable to red tide and have mass fatalities when one occurs. Dolphins were designated the Florida state saltwater mammal in 1975.
Common nameScientific name
authority
OrderFamilyASM state status and native rangeRed List
North Atlantic right whale
Eubalaena glacialis
P.L.S. Müller, 1776
CetaceaBalaenidaeregular migrant ; marine areas
4
Gray whale
Eschrichtius robustus
Lilljeborg, 1861
CetaceaBalaenopteridaeextirpated in the Atlantic 17th and 18th centuries
0
Bryde's whale
Balaenoptera edeni
Anderson, 1878
CetaceaBalaenopteridaerare; marine areas
0
Fin whale
Balaenoptera physalus
CetaceaBalaenopteridaerare; marine areas
4
Blue whale
Balaenoptera musculus
CetaceaBalaenopteridaerare; marine areas
4
Common minke whale
Balaenoptera acutorostrata
Lacépède, 1804
CetaceaBalaenopteridaerare; marine areas
6
Sei whale
Balaenoptera borealis
Lesson, 1828
CetaceaBalaenopteridaerare; marine areas
4
Humpback whale
Megaptera novaeangliae
CetaceaBalaenopteridaecommon ; marine areas
5
Atlantic spotted dolphin
Stenella frontalis
CetaceaDelphinidaerare; marine areas
0
Pantropical spotted dolphin
Stenella attenuata
CetaceaDelphinidaerare; marine areas
0
Striped dolphin
Stenella coeruleoalba
CetaceaDelphinidaerare; marine areas
6
Clymene dolphin
Stenella clymene
CetaceaDelphinidaerare; marine areas
0
Spinner dolphin
Stenella longirostris
CetaceaDelphinidaerare; marine areas
0
Common bottlenose dolphin
Tursiops truncatus
CetaceaDelphinidaecommon; coastal marine areas
0
Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin
Tursiops aduncus
CetaceaDelphinidaerare; marine areas
0
Short-beaked common dolphin
Delphinus delphis
Linnaeus, 1758
CetaceaDelphinidaerare; marine areas
7
False killer whale
Pseudorca crassidens
CetaceaDelphinidaerare; marine areas
0
Pygmy killer whale
Feresa attenuata
CetaceaDelphinidaerare; marine areas
0
Melon-headed whale
Peponocephala electra
CetaceaDelphinidaerare; marine areas
0
Fraser's dolphin
Lagenodelphis hosei
CetaceaDelphinidaerare; marine areas
0
Risso's dolphin
Grampus griseus
CetaceaDelphinidaerare; marine areas
0
Killer whale
Orcinus orca
CetaceaDelphinidaerare; marine areas
0
Rough-toothed dolphin
Steno bredanensis
CetaceaDelphinidaerare; marine areas
0
Short-finned pilot whale
Globicephala macrorhynchus
Gray, 1846
CetaceaDelphinidaeuncommon; marine areas
0
Pygmy sperm whale
Kogia breviceps
CetaceaKogiidaeuncommon; marine areas
0
Dwarf sperm whale
Kogia sima
CetaceaKogiidaeuncommon; marine areas
0
Sperm whale
Physeter macrocephalus
Linnaeus, 1758
CetaceaPhyseteridaerare; marine areas
5
Gervais' beaked whale
Mesoplodon europaeus
CetaceaZiphiidaerare; marine areas
0
Blainville's beaked whale
Mesoplodon densirostris
CetaceaZiphiidaerare; marine areas
0
True's beaked whale
Mesoplodon mirus
True, 1913
CetaceaZiphiidaerare; Atlantic marine areas south to Flagler County.
0
Cuvier's beaked whale
Ziphius cavirostris
G. Cuvier, 1823
CetaceaZiphiidaerare; marine areas
0