List of mammals of Georgia (U.S. state)

This is a list of the mammals native to the U.S. state of Georgia.

The critically endangered North Atlantic right whale is the state marine mammal of Georgia.

Family	Scientific name	Common names	Range within Georgia	Conservation status
Didelphidae	Didelphis virginiana [1] : 35–38  [2] : 122	Virginia opossum	Statewide	least concern
Trichechidae	Trichechus manatus [1] : 197  [2] : 131	West Indian manatee	Vagrant; Savannah harbor, Jekyll Creek, Little Satilla River, and Cumberland Island	vulnerable
Dasypodidae	Dasypus novemcinctus [1] : 76–77  [2] : 125	Nine-banded armadillo	Common in lower Coastal Plain sand hills	least concern
Soricidae	Blarina brevicauda [1] : 43–45  [2] : 122	Northern short-tailed shrew	North of the fall line	least concern
Soricidae	Blarina carolinensis [2] : 122–123	Southern short-tailed shrew	Coastal Plain south of the fall line, and extreme northwest Georgia	least concern
Soricidae	Cryptotis parva [1] : 45–47  [2] : 123	Least shrew	Statewide, most abundant in the Coastal Plain	least concern
Soricidae	Sorex cinereus [2] : 122	Cinereus shrew	Towns County, Georgia	least concern
Soricidae	Sorex fumeus [1] : 39–41  [2] : 122	Smoky shrew	Uncommon, found in mountains of Fannin, Murray, Rabun, Towns, and Union counties.	least concern
Soricidae	Sorex hoyi [2] : 122	American pygmy shrew	Rare; identified in Towns County, Georgia	least concern
Soricidae	Sorex longirostris [1] : 41–43  [2] : 122	Southeastern shrew	Statewide but uncommon	least concern
Talpidae	Condylura cristata [1] : 51–52  [2] : 123	Star-nosed mole	Very rare; found in Charlton, Chatham, Clinch, Effingham, Jackson, and Union counties	least concern
Talpidae	Parascalops breweri [3]	Hairy-tailed mole	Appalachian Mountains, extreme northeastern part of the state	least concern
Talpidae	Scalopus aquaticus [1] : 48–51  [2] : 123	Eastern mole	State-wide	least concern
Leporidae	Sylvilagus aquaticus [1] : 83–85  [2] : 125	Swamp rabbit	Piedmont and Ridge and Vallye, and western upper Coastal Plain	least concern
Leporidae	Sylvilagus floridanus [1] : 79–83	Eastern cottontail, cottontail rabbit	State-wide	least concern
Leporidae	Sylvilagus obscurus [4]	Appalachian cottontail	Appalachian Mountains	near-threatened
Leporidae	Sylvilagus palustris [1] : 85–86  [2] : 125	Marsh rabbit	Eastern Coastal Plain	least concern
Castoridae	Castor canadensis [1] : 107–110  [2] : 126	American beaver	State-wide	least concern
Geomyidae	Geomys pinetis [1] : 105–107  [2] : 126	Southeastern pocket gopher	Coastal Plain	least concern
Echimyidae	Myocastor coypus [2] : 129	Coypu, nutria	Introduced: swamps of south central Georgia	least concern
Sciurinae	Glaucomys volans [1] : 102–105  [2] : 126	Southern flying squirrel	State-wide	least concern
Sciurinae	Marmota monax [1] : 92–94  [2] : 125	Groundhog, woodchuck	Mountains	least concern
Sciurinae	Sciurus carolinensis [1] : 96–98  [2] : 125	Eastern gray squirrel	State-wide	least concern
Sciurinae	Sciurus niger [1] : 98–101  [2] : 125–126	Eastern fox squirrel	State-wide, but less common in mountains and Piedmont	least concern
Sciurinae	Tamias striatus [1] : 94–96  [2] : 125	Eastern chipmunk	Mountains, Piedmont, and upper-western Coastal Plain	least concern
Sciurinae	Tamiasciurus hudsonicus [1] : 101–102  [2] : 126	American red squirrel	Mountains	least concern
Cricetidae	Microtus pennsylvanicus [1] : 143–146  [2] : 128	Meadow vole	Clarke, Newton, Oconee, and Polk Counties.	least concern
Cricetidae	Microtus pinetorum [1] [5] [2] : 128	Woodland vole	State-wide, but more common in Piedmont and Mountain regions.	least concern
Cricetidae	Myodes gapperi [2] : 128	Southern red-backed vole	Mountains of Union, Towns, and Rabun counties	least concern
Cricetidae	Neofiber alleni [1] : 149–150  [2] : 128	Round-tailed muskrat, water rat	Southeastern Georgia, near the Okefenokee Swamp.	least concern
Cricetidae	Neotoma floridana [1] : 141–143  [2] : 127–128	Eastern woodrat	Coastal Plain and mountains	least concern
Cricetidae	Neotoma magister [6]	Allegheny woodrat	north-western part of the state	near-threatened
Cricetidae	Ochrotomys nuttalli [1] : 131–134  [2] : 127	Golden mouse	State-wide	least concern
Cricetidae	Ondatra zibethicus [1] : 150–152  [2] : 128	Muskrat	Mountains, Ridge and Valley Province, Piedmont, and upper Coastal Plain	least concern
Cricetidae	Oryzomys palustris [1] : 111–113  [2] : 126	Marsh rice rat	State-wide	least concern
Cricetidae	Peromyscus gossypinus [1] : 128–131  [2] : 127	Cotton mouse	Primarily Coastal Plain, but can also be found in Ridge and Valley Province and Piedmont	least concern
Cricetidae	Peromyscus leucopus [1] : 123–128  [2] : 127	White-footed mouse, woodmouse	Restricted to Piedmont and mountains	least concern
Cricetidae	Peromyscus maniculatus [1] : 118–120  [2] : 127	Deer mouse	Summits of higher mountains	least concern
Cricetidae	Peromyscus polionotus [1] : 121–123  [2] : 127	Oldfield mouse, beach mouse	State-wide, except high mountain areas	least concern
Cricetidae	Reithrodontomys humulis [1] : 113–117  [2] : 126	Eastern harvest mouse	State-wide	least concern
Cricetidae	Sigmodon hispidus [1] : 134–141  [2] : 127	Hispid cotton rat, cotton rat	State-wide	least concern
Dipodidae	Napaeozapus insignis [1] : 164–165  [2] : 128	Woodland jumping mouse	Rare, Mountains	least concern
Dipodidae	Zapus hudsonius [1] : 160–163  [2] : 128	Meadow jumping mouse	Rare in Georgia. Recorded in Clarke, Oconee, Hall, and Meriwether Counties.	least concern
Muridae	Mus musculus [1] : 157–160  [2] : 128	House mouse	Introduced: state-wide	least concern
Muridae	Rattus norvegicus [1] : 153–156  [2] : 128	Brown rat, Norway rat, wharf rat	Introduced: state-wide	least concern
Muridae	Rattus rattus [1] : 156–157  [2] : 128	Black rat, roof rat	Introduced: the lower Coastal Plain	least concern
Lemuridae	Lemur catta	Ring-tailed lemur	Introduced to St. Catherines Island [7] [8] [9]	Endangered
Bovidae	Bison bison [2] : 132	American bison	Extirpated from Georgia since the early 1800s [10]	near threatened
Cervidae	Cervus canadensis [2] : 132	Elk	Reintroduced; eastern elk subspecies (C. c. canadensis) is extinct, Rocky Mountain elk subspecies (C. c. nelsoni) introduced [11]	least concern
Cervidae	Dama dama [2] : 131	European fallow deer	Introduced: Little St. Simons Island [12]	least concern
Cervidae	Odocoileus virginianus [1] : 199–204  [2] : 132	White-tailed deer	State-wide	least concern
Suidae	Sus scrofa [1] : 198–199  [2] : 131	Wild boar	Introduced: lower Coastal Plain and mountains	least concern
Canidae	Canis latrans [1] : 172–175  [2] : 130	Coyote	Primarily in the western half of Georgia	least concern
Canidae	Canis rufus [2] : 132	Red wolf	Extirpated	critically endangered
Canidae	Urocyon cinereoargenteus [1] : 177–180  [2] : 130	Gray fox	State-wide	least concern
Canidae	Vulpes vulpes [1] : 175–177  [2] : 130	Red fox	Piedmont and mountainous regions, occasionally in the Coastal Plain	least concern
Felidae	Lynx rufus [1] : 195–196  [2] : 131	Bobcat	State-wide	least concern
Felidae	Puma concolor [1] : 194–195  [2] : 131	Cougar	Extirpated; eastern cougar population is extinct, occasional vagrant from Florida reported [13]	least concern
Mephitidae	Mephitis mephitis [1] : 190–192  [2] : 131	Striped skunk	State-wide	least concern
Mephitidae	Spilogale putorius [1] : 188–190  [2] : 131	Eastern spotted skunk	State-wide, except not on the eastern portion of the Coastal Plain	vulnerable
Mustelidae	Lontra canadensis [1] : 192–194  [2] : 131	North American river otter	Coastal Plain and salt marshes. Rare above the fall line.	least concern
Mustelidae	Neogale frenata [1] : 184–186  [2] : 130	Long-tailed weasel	State-wide	least concern
Mustelidae	Neogale vison [1] : 186–188  [2] : 130–131	American mink	State-wide	least concern
Procyonidae	Procyon lotor [1] : 182–184  [2] : 130	Raccoon	State-wide	least concern
Ursidae	Ursus americanus [1] : 180–181  [2] : 130	American black bear	Mountains, Ocmulgee River area, along the fall line, and in the Okefenokee Swamp.	least concern
Otariidae	Zalophus californianus [2] : 131	California sea lion	Introduced	least concern
Phocidae	Cystophora cristata [2] : 131	Hooded seal	Known only from records – presumed extirpated	vulnerable
Balaenidae	Eubalaena glacialis [2] : 129–130	North Atlantic right whale, black right whale	Known from three stranding records	critically endangered
Balaenopteridae	Balaenoptera brydei [2] : 129	Bryde's whale	Known from a 1978 stranding	least concern
Balaenopteridae	Megaptera novaeangliae [2] : 129	Humpback whale	Known from a stranding on Sapelo Island	least concern
Delphinidae	Globicephala macrorhynchus [1] : 169  [2] : 129	Short-finned pilot whale	Known from 17 stranding events	least concern
Delphinidae	Pseudorca crassidens [1] : 169  [2] : 129	False killer whale	Known from a single stranding	near threatened
Delphinidae	Stenella frontalis [1] : 168  [2] : 129	Atlantic spotted dolphin	Known from sightings off of Georgia's shore	least concern
Delphinidae	Steno bredanensis [2] : 129	Rough-toothed dolphin	Known from a stranding event involving two individuals	least concern
Delphinidae	Tursiops truncatus [1] : 168  [2] : 129	Common bottlenose dolphin, Atlantic bottlenose dolphin	Known from over forty strandings	least concern
Kogiidae	Kogia breviceps [1] : 168  [2] : 129	Pygmy sperm whale	Known from 24 strandings	least concern
Kogiidae	Kogia simus [2] : 129	Dwarf sperm whale	Known from strandings	least concern
Ziphiidae	Mesoplodon densirostris [2] : 129	Blainville's beaked whale, tropical beaked whale	Known from a stranding on Cumberland Island	data deficient
Ziphiidae	Mesoplodon europaeus [2] : 129	Gervais' beaked whale	Known from a stranding on Ossabaw Island	data deficient
Ziphiidae	Ziphius cavirostris [1] : 168  [2] : 129	Cuvier's beaked whale, goose-beaked whale	Known from six stranding records.	least concern
Molossidae	Tadarida brasiliensis [2] : 125	Mexican free-tailed bat	Uncommon, in Piedmont and Coastal Plain	least concern
Vespertilionidae	Corynorhinus rafinesquii [2] : 124–125	Rafinesque's big-eared bat	Uncommon, state-wide	least concern
Vespertilionidae	Eptesicus fuscus [1] : 66–67  [2] : 124	Big brown bat	Common state-wide	least concern
Vespertilionidae	Lasionycteris noctivagans [1] : 64–65  [2] : 124	Silver-haired bat	Common, except in lower Coastal Plain	least concern
Vespertilionidae	Lasiurus borealis [1] : 67–69  [2] : 124	Eastern red bat	State-wide	least concern
Vespertilionidae	Lasiurus cinereus [1] : 71–72  [2] : 124	Hoary bat	Uncommon, state-wide	least concern
Vespertilionidae	Lasiurus intermedius [2] : 124	Northern yellow bat	Rare, Coastal Plain	least concern
Vespertilionidae	Lasiurus seminolus [1] : 69–70  [2] : 124	Seminole bat	State-wide, mostly Coastal Plain and Piedmont	least concern
Vespertilionidae	Myotis austroriparius [1] : 60–62  [2] : 123	Southeastern myotis	Southwestern Georgia	least concern
Vespertilionidae	Myotis grisescens [1] : 62  [2] : 123	Gray bat, gray myotis	West Georgia	vulnerable
Vespertilionidae	Myotis leibii [2] : 124	Eastern small-footed myotis	Rare, Dade and Union counties	endangered
Vespertilionidae	Myotis lucifugus [1] : 57–60  [2] : 123	Little brown bat	Bartow, Dade, Polk, Towns, and Walker counties	endangered
Vespertilionidae	Myotis septentrionalis [1] : 63  [2] : 123  [14]	Northern long-eared bat	Rare, in Mountain and Piedmont regions. Often confused with Myotis keenii , Keen's myotis, in older literature.	near threatened
Vespertilionidae	Myotis sodalis [1] : 63  [2] : 124	Indiana bat	Dade County in Northwestern Georgia.	near threatened
Vespertilionidae	Nycticeius humeralis [1] : 72–74  [2] : 124	Evening bat	State-wide	least concern
Vespertilionidae	Perimyotis subflavus [1] : 65  [2] : 124	Tricolored bat, eastern pipistrelle	State-wide	vulnerable

Gallery

• 
  West Indian manatee, vulnerable
• 
  Little brown bat, endangered
• 
  American bison, near threatened
• 
  Indiana bat, near threatened
• 
  New England cottontail, vulnerable
• 
  Eastern small-footed myotis, endangered
• 
  False killer whale, near threatened
• 
  Tricolored bat, vulnerable
• 
  Eastern spotted skunk, vulnerable
• 
  Northern long-eared bat, near threatened
• 
  Hooded seal, vulnerable

References

1. Golley, Frank B (1962). Mammals of Georgia, a study of their distribution and functional role in the ecosystem. University of Georgia Press. OCLC   337941.
2. Laerm, Joshua; Logan, Lloyd E.; McGhee, M. Elizabeth; Neuhauser, Hans N. (July 1981). "Annotated Checklist of the Mammals of Georgia". Brimleyana (7): 121–135. Retrieved September 16, 2020.
3. "Parascalops breweri: Cassola, F.: The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016: e.T41469A115188181". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 9 August 2016. August 9, 2016. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T41469A22322790.en . Retrieved July 22, 2021.{{cite iucn}}: |date= / |doi= mismatch (help)
4. Barry, R.; Lanier, H.C. (2019). "Sylvilagus obscurus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2019: e.T41301A45192437. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-2.RLTS.T41301A45192437.en . Retrieved September 20, 2020.
5. Arata, Andrew A. (1965). "Taxonomic Status of the Pine Vole in Florida" . Journal of Mammalogy. 46 (1): 87–94. doi:10.2307/1377819. ISSN   0022-2372. JSTOR   1377819 . Retrieved September 17, 2020.
6. Linzey, A. V. & NatureServe (Hammerson (June 30, 2008). "IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: Neotoma magister". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Retrieved September 19, 2020.
7. Georgia Coastal Management Program: Environmental Impact Statement. United States. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 1997. p. 222.
8. Behler, .Deborah A. (2001). "St. Catherine's Wildlife Survival Center". In Bell, Catharine E; Fisher, Lester; Mizicko, Laura (eds.). Encyclopedia of the World's Zoos. Vol. 1. Taylor & Francis. pp. 1106–1107. ISBN   978-1-57958-174-9.
9. Fuentes, Agustín (2017). The International Encyclopedia of Primatology, 3 Volume Set. John Wiley & Sons. p. 357. ISBN   978-0-470-67337-9.
10. "Bison Bellows: Bison East of The Mississippi (U.S. National Park Service)". www.nps.gov. Retrieved September 16, 2020.
11. "Returning Elk to the Southeast: A 20-year Retrospective". Wildlife Management Institute. March 14, 2019. Archived from the original on January 4, 2021. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
12. Morse, Brian W.; Miller, Debra L.; Miller, Karl V.; Baldwin, Charles A. (April 2009). "Population health of Fallow deer (Dama dama) on Little St. Simons Island, Georgia, USA". Journal of Wildlife Diseases. 45 (2): 411–421. doi: 10.7589/0090-3558-45.2.411 . ISSN   0090-3558. PMID   19395750. S2CID   24723221.
13. Dickson, Terry. "Georgia man who killed Florida panther gets two years probation, banned from hunting". The Florida Times-Union. Retrieved July 2, 2021.
14. "Bats of Georgia | Department Of Natural Resources Division". georgiawildlife.com. Archived from the original on September 19, 2020. Retrieved September 19, 2020.