List of mammals of Christmas Island

Last updated

This is a list of the mammal species recorded on Christmas Island . The island had five native and endemic land mammal species, of which three are now presumed to be extinct. [1] In addition, five wild mammals have been introduced to Christmas Island since settlement.

Contents

Carnivora

Introduced cats and dogs are a threat to native wildlife on Christmas Island and can carry potentially dangerous pathogens, such as Leptospira . [2] In 2014, the Australian Government announced a $500,000 investment to help eradicate stray and feral cats on the island, with the aim of complete eradication by 2020. [3] As of 2016, all pet cats on Christmas Island have been registered and de-sexed and no further cats will be permitted onto the island. [4]

NameSpecies
authority
OrderFamilyNotes
Feral cat [5]
Feral cat 1.JPG
Felis catus
Linnaeus, 1758
Carnivora Felidae introduced
Feral dog [5]
Wilde huendin am stillen.jpg
Canis lupus familiaris
Linnaeus, 1758
Carnivora Canidae introduced

Chiroptera

Christmas Island was once home to two native bat species, of which only one is extant. The Christmas Island pipistrelle was endemic to the island until 2009, when the last individual was recorded. In 2016, the species was assessed as extinct by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. [6] The remaining native bat species Pteropus natalis (Christmas Island flying fox) is classified as critically endangered. [7]

NameSpecies
authority
OrderFamilyNotesRed List
Christmas Island pipistrelle Pipistrellus murrayi
Andrews, 1900
Chiroptera Vespertilionidae endemic, extinct – last reported in 2009 [8] Fl mammals ex.svg [6]
Christmas Island flying fox
Pteropus melanotus natalis - the Christmas Island flying-fox.jpg
Pteropus natalis
Thomas, 1887
Chiroptera Pteropodidae endemic [9] Fl mammals cr.svg [7] [9]

Eulipotyphla

The Christmas Island shrew, once abundant on the island, has been very rare since the early twentieth century. [10] Since 1909, only four confirmed individuals have been recorded: two in 1958, and two in 1985. [10]

NameSpecies
authority
OrderFamilyNotesRed List
Christmas Island shrew Crocidura trichura
Dobson, 1889
Eulipotyphla Soricidae endemic – possibly extinct – last observed in 1985 [1] Fl mammals cr.svg [10]

Rodentia

At the time of human settlement, Christmas Island hosted two endemic rodents, the bulldog rat and Maclear's rat. However, both species were extinct by 1908. [11] [12] There is evidence that black rats, introduced to the island in 1899, carried the infectious parasite Trypanosoma lewisi , which was fatal to the native rodents. [13]

NameSpecies
authority
OrderFamilyNotesRed List
House mouse [5]
House mouse.jpg
Mus musculus
Linnaeus, 1758
Rodentia Muridae introduced Fl mammals lc.svg [14]
Polynesian rat [15]
Pacific rat.jpg
Rattus exulans
Peale, 1848
Rodentia Muridae introduced Fl mammals lc.svg [15]
Maclear's rat
MusMacleariSmit.jpg
Rattus macleari
Thomas, 1888
Rodentia Muridae endemic – extinct Fl mammals ex.svg [11]
Bulldog rat
Rattus nativitatis.jpg
Rattus nativitatis
Thomas, 1888
Rodentia Muridae endemic – extinct Fl mammals ex.svg [12]
Black rat [5]
Rattus rattus03.jpg
Rattus rattus
Linnaeus, 1758
Rodentia Muridae introduced in 1899 [13] Fl mammals lc.svg [16]

Cetacea

NameSpecies
authority
OrderFamilyNotesRed List
Humpback whale
Humpback Whale fg1 cropped.JPG
Megaptera novaeangliae
Gray, 1846
Cetacea Balaenopteridae native migrant [17] Fl mammals en.svg [18]
Blue whale
Rug van blauwe vinvis Sri Lanka.jpg
Balaenoptera musculus
Linnaeus, 1758
Cetacea Balaenoptiidae migrant [17] Fl mammals en.svg [19]
Southern fin whale
Finhval (1).jpg
Balaenoptera physalus quoyi
Linnaeus, 1758
Cetacea Balaenoptiidae native migrant or resident Fl mammals en.svg
Sei whale
Sei whale mother and calf Christin Khan NOAA.jpg
Balaenoptera borealis schlegelii
Linnaeus, 1758
Cetacea Balaenoptiidae native migrant [17] Fl mammals en.svg [20]
Bryde's whale
Bryde's whale.jpg
Balaenoptera brydei
Olsen, 1913 [21]
Cetacea Balaenoptiidae native migrant or resident Fl mammals dd.svg
Antarctic minke whale
Antarctic, minky whales (js) 13.jpg
Balaenoptera bonaerensis
Linnaeus, 1758
Cetacea Physeteridae native migrant Fl mammals lc.svg
Sperm whale
Mother and baby sperm whale.jpg
Physeter macrocephalus
Linnaeus, 1758
Cetacea Physeteridae native migrant or resident Fl mammals vu.svg [22]
Short-finned pilot whale
Maldivian pilot whales.png
Globicephala macrorhynchus
Gray, 1846
Cetacea Globicephala native migrant or resident Fl mammals dd.svg [23]
Killer whale
Orcinus orca NOAA Photo Library.jpg
Orcinus orca
Linnaeus, 1758
Cetacea Delphinidae native migrant or resident Fl mammals dd.svg [24]
Spinner dolphin
Stenella longirostris Maldives.jpg
Stenella longirostris
Gray, 1828
Cetacea Delphinidae native migrant or resident Fl mammals dd.svg
Short-beaked common dolphin
Short-beaked Common Dolphin (Delphinus delphis) 4.jpg
Delphinus delphis
Linnaeus, 1758
Cetacea Delphinidae native migrant or resident Fl mammals lc.svg
Common bottlenose dolphin
Tursiops truncatus Maldives.jpg
Tursiops truncatus
Montagu, 1821
Cetacea Delphinidae possible migrant Fl mammals lc.svg

Sirenia

NameSpecies
authority
OrderFamilyNotesRed List
Dugong
Dugong Lamen Island Epi Vanuatu.jpeg
Dugong dugon
Lacépède, 1799
Sirenia Dugongidae possible vagrant Fl mammals vu.svg [24]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gould's mouse</span> Species of rodent

Gould's mouse, also known as the Shark Bay mouse and djoongari in the Pintupi and Luritja languages, is a species of rodent in the murid family. Once ranging throughout Australia from Western Australia to New South Wales, its range has since been reduced to five islands off the coast of Western Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maclear's rat</span> Extinct species of rodent

Maclear's rat is an extinct large rat endemic to Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean. It was one of two species of rat native to Christmas Island, alongside the bulldog rat. Abundant, unfamiliar with and seemingly unafraid of humans, large numbers of the creatures emerged and foraged in all directions at night. Making querulous squeaks, the rats entered the Challenger expedition's tents and shelters in 1886, ran over sleepers, and upset everything in the search and fight for food. Maclear's rat might have been responsible for keeping the population of the Christmas Island red crab in check, as recent numbers of the crab are greater than in the past. It is thought that black rats inadvertently introduced by the expedition infected the Maclear's rats with a disease, which in turn could have contributed to the species' decline. The last recorded sighting was in 1903, although it is possible that Maclear's rats hybridized with black rats. A hard tick, described as an ectoparasite of Maclear's rat, is also thought to be extinct.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bulldog rat</span> Extinct species of rodent

The bulldog rat is an extinct species of rat formerly endemic to Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean. It was one of two rats endemic to Christmas Island, alongside Maclear's rat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spectacled hare-wallaby</span> Species of marsupial

The spectacled hare-wallaby is a species of macropod found in Australia and New Guinea. In Australia, a small sub-population is found on Barrow Island, while the mainland type is widespread, though in decline, across northern regions of the country.

This article is a list of biological species, subspecies, and evolutionary significant units that are known to have become extinct during the Holocene, the current geologic epoch, ordered by their known or approximate date of disappearance from oldest to most recent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pale field rat</span> Species of rodent

The pale field rat is a small rat endemic to Australia. It is a nocturnal and herbivorous rodent that resides throughout the day in shallow burrows made in loose sand. Once widespread, the range has become greatly reduced and it is restricted to the grasslands, sedges, and cane-fields at the north and east of the continent. The fur is an attractive yellow-brown colour, with grey or cream at the underside. This medium-sized rat has a tail shorter than its body.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Smoky mouse</span> Species of rodent

The smoky mouse is a species of rodent in the family Muridae native to southeastern Australia. It was first described in 1934 and its species name is Latin for "smoky". As its name suggests, it is a grey-furred mouse, darker grey above and paler smoky grey below. Mice from the Grampians are larger and a darker more slate-grey above. It has a black eye-ring and dark grey muzzle. The feet are light pink, and the ears a grey-pink. The tail is longer than the mouse's body, and is pink with a brownish stripe along the top. Mice from east of Melbourne average around 35 grams and have 107 mm long bodies with 116 mm long tails, while those from the Grampians are around 65 grams and have 122 mm long bodies with 132 mm long tails.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christmas Island shrew</span> Species of mammal

The Christmas Island shrew, also known as the Christmas Island musk-shrew is an extremely rare or possibly extinct shrew from Christmas Island. It was variously placed as subspecies of the Asian gray shrew or the Southeast Asian shrew, but morphological differences and the large distance between the species indicate that it is an entirely distinct species.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christmas Island flying fox</span> Species of mammal (bat)

The Christmas Island flying fox or Christmas Island fruit bat, as the name suggests, is a flying fox endemic to Christmas Island. It is unclear if it should be considered a distinct species, or a subspecies of the black-eared flying fox. It may descend from a population of island flying foxes from Pulau Panjang near Java.

References

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Further reading