List of mammals of Ecuador

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This is a list of the mammal species recorded in Ecuador. There are 317 mammal species in Ecuador, of which two are critically endangered, ten are endangered, twenty-three are vulnerable, and seven are near threatened. Two of the species listed for Ecuador are considered to be extinct. [1]

Contents

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

EXExtinctNo reasonable doubt that the last individual has died.
EWExtinct in the wildKnown only to survive in captivity or as a naturalized populations well outside its previous range.
CRCritically endangeredThe species is in imminent risk of extinction in the wild.
ENEndangeredThe species is facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild.
VUVulnerableThe species is facing a high risk of extinction in the wild.
NTNear threatenedThe species does not meet any of the criteria that would categorise it as risking extinction but it is likely to do so in the future.
LCLeast concernThere are no current identifiable risks to the species.
DDData deficientThere is inadequate information to make an assessment of the risks to this species.

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/cdLower risk/conservation dependentSpecies which were the focus of conservation programmes and may have moved into a higher risk category if that programme was discontinued.
LR/ntLower risk/near threatenedSpecies which are close to being classified as vulnerable but are not the subject of conservation programmes.
LR/lcLower risk/least concernSpecies for which there are no identifiable risks.

Subclass: Theria

Infraclass: Eutheria

Order: Sirenia (manatees and dugongs)

Amazonian manatee Amazonian manatee.png
Amazonian manatee

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.

Order: Cingulata (armadillos)

Nine-banded armadillo Nine-banded-Armadillo.jpg
Nine-banded armadillo

The armadillos are small mammals with a bony armored shell. They are native to the Americas. There are around 20 extant species.

Order: Pilosa (anteaters, sloths and tamanduas)

Hoffmann's two-toed sloth Choloepus hoffmanni.jpg
Hoffmann's two-toed sloth

The order Pilosa is extant only in the Americas and includes the anteaters, sloths, and tamanduas.

Order: Primates

White-headed capuchin Capuchin Costa Rica.jpg
White-headed capuchin
Common squirrel monkey Common.squirrel.monkey.arp.jpg
Common squirrel monkey
Monk saki Monk saki monkey.JPG
Monk saki
Mantled howler Allouataadulto 500px.jpg
Mantled howler

The order Primates contains humans and their closest relatives: lemurs, lorisoids, monkeys, and apes.

Order: Rodentia (rodents)

Brazilian guinea pig Wildmeerschweinchen-06.jpg
Brazilian guinea pig
Lowland paca Paka (Coelogenys Paca).png
Lowland paca
White-footed climbing mouse Hesperomys (Rhipidomys) sclateri (cropped).jpg
White-footed climbing mouse

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).

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.

Order: Eulipotyphla (shrews, hedgehogs, moles, and solenodons)

Eulipotyphlans are insectivorous mammals. Shrews and solenodons closely resemble mice, hedgehogs carry spines, while moles are stout-bodied burrowers.

Order: Chiroptera (bats)

Western mastiff bat Eumops perotis.jpeg
Western mastiff bat
Tomes's sword-nosed bat Lonchorhina.jpg
Tomes's sword-nosed bat
Pale spear-nosed bat Liscionos mniejszy Phyllostomus discolor RB1.jpg
Pale spear-nosed bat

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.

Order: Cetacea (whales)

Blue whale Bluewhale877.jpg
Blue whale
Humpback whale Humpback Whale underwater shot.jpg
Humpback whale
Pygmy sperm whale Kogia breviceps.jpg
Pygmy sperm whale
Spinner dolphins SpinnerDolphinsoffKauai 1999-03-15.jpg
Spinner dolphins
Orcas Killerwhales jumping.jpg
Orcas

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.

Order: Carnivora (carnivorans)

Short-eared dog Short-eared Dog.jpg
Short-eared dog
Sechura fox Lycalopex sechurae in Peru 2 (cropped).jpg
Sechura fox
Long-tailed weasel Mustela frenata.jpg
Long-tailed weasel
Tayra Belize72.jpg
Tayra

Carnivorans include over 260 species, the majority of which eat meat as their primary dietary item. They have a characteristic skull shape and dentition.

Order: Perissodactyla (odd-toed ungulates)

Brazilian tapir Tapirus terrestris.jpg
Brazilian tapir

The odd-toed ungulates are browsing and grazing mammals. They are usually large to very large, and have relatively simple stomachs and a large middle toe.

Order: Artiodactyla (even-toed ungulates)

Collared peccary Collared peccary02 - melbourne zoo.jpg
Collared peccary
Red brocket Mazama americana.jpg
Red brocket

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 artiodactyl species, including many that are of great economic importance to humans.

Infraclass: Metatheria

Order: Didelphimorphia (common opossums)

Common opossum Rabipelao2.jpg
Common opossum

Didelphimorphia is the order of common opossums of the Western Hemisphere. Opossums probably diverged from the basic South American marsupials in the late Cretaceous or early Paleocene. They are small to medium-sized marsupials, about the size of a large house cat, with a long snout and prehensile tail.

Order: Paucituberculata (shrew opossums)

Eastern caenolestid Caenolestes sangay. Foto Jorge Brito.jpg
Eastern caenolestid

There are six extant species of shrew opossum. They are small shrew-like marsupials confined to the Andes.

See also

References

  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. ↑ Lucherini, M.; Eizirik, E.; de Oliveira, T.; Pereira, J.; Williams, R.S.R. (2016). "Leopardus colocolo". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2016: e.T15309A97204446.
  3. ↑ Paviolo, A.; Crawshaw, P.; Caso, A.; de Oliveira, T.; Lopez-Gonzalez, C.A.; Kelly, M.; De Angelo, C. & Payan, E. (2015). "Leopardus pardalis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2015: e.T11509A97212355.
  4. ↑ Payan, E. & de Oliveira, T. (2016). "Leopardus tigrinus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2016: e.T54012637A50653881.
  5. ↑ de Oliveira, T.; Paviolo, A.; Schipper, J.; Bianchi, R.; Payan, E. & Carvajal, S.V. (2015). "Leopardus wiedii". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2015: e.T11511A50654216.
  6. ↑ Nielsen, C.; Thompson, D.; Kelly, M. & Lopez-Gonzalez, C. A. (2015). "Puma concolor". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2015: e.T18868A97216466.
  7. ↑ Caso, A.; de Oliveira, T. & Carvajal, S.V. (2015). "Herpailurus yagouaroundi". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2015: e.T9948A50653167.
  8. ↑ Quigley, H.; Foster, R.; Petracca, L.; Payan, E.; Salom, R. & Harmsen, B. (2017). "Panthera onca". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2017: e.T15953A123791436.
  9. ↑ Hofmeyr, G.J.G. (2015). "Mirounga leonina". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2015: e.T13583A45227247.
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