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Checklist to the
 Mammals of Alaska
 G. H. Jarrell, S. O. MacDonald, and J. A. Cook
This list includes indigenous, feral, and introduced species based upon refereed literature or specimens at the University of Alaska Museum. Since our 1989 list, biologists have documented two new species in Alaska, the tiny shrew and the mountain lion. Other changes since 1989 reflect the uncertain taxonomic status of several northern species. Except where annotated ([ Name not as in Wilson & Reeder ]), we use the names in Mammal Species of the World by D. E. Wilson & D. M. Reeder (1993, Smithsonian Institution Press). Each scientific name is followed by the name of the author who first described the species and the year of publication. Parentheses indicate that, though the species name has remained the same, the species has since been assigned to another genus.
ORDERS OF MAMMALS IN ALASKA: KEY TO ICONS:
  • [ Name not as in Wilson & Reeder ] - Name not as in Wilson & Reeder
  • [ Introduced species ] - Introduced species
  • [ Annotation ] - Linked annotation
  • [ External link ] - External link
  • [ Online Key ] - Key to Small Mammals of Alaska [All links with this Key symbol are no longer available and were not archived.]
INSECTIVORA [ External link ] [ Key to Insectivora ]
Soricidae [ External link ]
  • Sorex alaskanus Merriam, 1900 - Glacier Bay water shrew [ Annotation ]
  • Sorex cinereus Kerr, 1792 - common shrew [ Annotation ]
  • Sorex hoyi Baird, 1857 - pygmy shrew [ Annotation ]
  • Sorex hydrodromus Dobson, 1889 - Pribilof Island shrew [ Annotation ]
  • Sorex jacksoni Hall & Gilmore, 1932 - St. Lawrence Island shrew [ Annotation ]
  • Sorex monticolus Merriam, 1890 - dusky shrew [ Annotation ]
  • Sorex palustris Richardson, 1828 - water shrew [ Annotation ]
  • Sorex tundrensis Merriam, 1900 - tundra shrew [ Annotation ]
  • Sorex ugyunak Anderson & Rand, 1945 - barrenground shrew [ Annotation ]
  • Sorex yukonicus Dokuchaev, 1997 - tiny shrew [ Annotation ] [Name not as in Wilson and Reeder]
 
CHIROPTERA [ External link ] [ Key to Chiroptera ]
Vespertilionidae [ External link ]
  • Eptesicus fuscus (Beauvois, 1796) - big brown bat [ Annotation ]
  • Lasionycteris noctivagans (Le Conte, 1831) - silver-haired bat [ Annotation ]
  • Myotis californicus (Audubon & Bachman, 1842) - California myotis [ Annotation ]
  • Myotis keenii (Merriam, 1895) - Keen's myotis [ Annotation ]
  • Myotis lucifugus (Le Conte, 1831) - little brown bat [ Annotation ]
  • Myotis volans (H. Allen, 1866) - long-legged myotis [ Annotation ]
 
CARNIVORA [ External link ]
Canidae [ External Link ]
  • Alopex lagopus (Linnaeus, 1758) - arctic fox [ Annotation ]
  • Canis latrans Say, 1823 - coyote [ Annotation ]
  • Canis lupus Linnaeus, 1758 - wolf [ Annotation ]
  • Vulpes vulpes (Linnaeus, 1758) - red fox [ Annotation ]
Felidae [ External link ]
  • Lynx canadensis Kerr, 1792 - lynx [ Annotation ]
  • Puma concolor (Linnaeus, 1771) - mountain lion
Mustelidae [ External link ]
  • Enhydra lutris (Linnaeus, 1758) - sea otter [ Annotation ]
  • Lontra canadensis (Schreber, 1777) - river otter [ Annotation ]
  • Gulo gulo (Linnaeus, 1758) - wolverine [ Annotation ]
  • Martes americana (Turton, 1806) - marten [ Annotation ]
  • Martes pennanti (Erxleben, 1777) - fisher [ Annotation ]
  • Mustela erminea Linnaeus, 1758 - ermine [ Annotation ]
  • Mustela nivalis Linnaeus, 1766 - least weasel [ Annotation ]
  • Mustela vison Schreber, 1777 - mink [ Annotation ]
Odobenidae [ External link ]
  • Odobenus rosmarus (Linnaeus, 1758) - walrus [ Annotation ]
Otariidae [ External link ]
  • Callorhinus ursinus (Linnaeus, 1758) - northern fur seal [ Annotation ]
  • Eumetopias jubatus (Schreber, 1776) - Steller's sea lion [ Annotation ]
  • Zalophus californianus (Lesson, 1828) - California sea lion
Phocidae [ External link ]
  • Cystophora cristata (Erxleben, 1777) - hooded seal [ Annotation ]
  • Erignathus barbatus (Erxleben, 1777) - bearded seal [ Annotation ]
  • Mirounga angustirostris (Gill, 1866) - elephant seal
  • Phoca fasciata Zimmermann, 1783 - ribbon seal
  • Phoca groenlandica Erxleben, 1777 - harp seal [ Annotation ]
  • Phoca hispida Schreber, 1775 - ringed seal [ Annotation ]
  • Phoca largha Pallas, 1811 - spotted seal [ Annotation ] [ Key]
  • Phoca vitulina Linnaeus, 1758 - harbor seal [ Annotation ] [ Key]
Procyonidae [ External link ]
  • Procyon lotor (Linnaeus, 1758) - raccoon [ Annotation ][Introduced species]
Ursidae [ External link ]
  • Ursus americanus Pallas, 1780 - black bear [ Annotation ]
  • Ursus arctos Linnaeus, 1758 - brown bear [ Annotation ]
  • Ursus maritimus Phipps, 1774 - polar bear [ Annotation ]
 
CETACEA [ External link ]
Balaenidae [ External link ]
  • Balaena mysticetus Linnaeus, 1758 - bowhead whale [ Annotation ]
  • Eubalaena glacialis (Müller, 1776) - northern right whale
Balaenopteridae [ External link ]
  • Balaenoptera acutorostrata Lacépède, 1804 - minke whale
  • Balaenoptera borealis Lesson, 1828 - sei whale
  • Balaenoptera musculus (Linnaeus, 1758) - blue whale
  • Balaenoptera physalus (Linnaeus, 1758) - fin whale
  • Megaptera novaeangliae (Borowski, 1781) - humpback whale [ Annotation ]

Eschrichtiidae [ External link ]
  • Eschrichtius robustus (Lilljeborg, 1861) - gray whale [ Annotation ]
Delphinidae [ External link ]
  • Globicephala macrorhynchus Gray, 1846 - short-finned pilot whale
  • Grampus griseus (Cuvier, 1812) - Risso's dolphin
  • Lagenorhynchus obliquidens Gill, 1865 - Pacific white-sided dolphin [ Annotation ]
  • Lissodelphis borealis (Peale, 1848) - northern right-whale dolphin
  • Orcinus orca (Linnaeus, 1758) - killer whale
Monodontidae [ External link ]
  • Delphinapterus leucas (Pallas, 1776) - white whale
  • Monodon monoceros Linnaeus, 1758 - narwhal [ Annotation ]
Phocoenidae [ External link ]
  • Phocoena phocoena (Linnaeus, 1758) - harbor porpoise
  • Phocoenoides dalli (True, 1885) - Dall's porpoise [ Annotation ]
Physeteridae [ External link ]
  • Physeter catodon Linnaeus, 1758 - sperm whale
Ziphiidae [ External link ]
  • Berardius bairdii Stejneger, 1883 - Baird's beaked whale
  • Mesoplodon stejnegeri True, 1885 - Stejneger's beaked whale
  • Ziphius cavirostris Cuvier, 1823 - Cuvier's beaked whale
 
ARTIODACTYLA [ External link ]
Cervidae [ External link ]
  • Cervus elaphus Linnaeus, 1758 - wapiti [ Annotation ] [Introduced species]
  • Alces alces (Linnaeus, 1758) - moose [ Annotation ]
  • Odocoileus hemionus (Rafinesque, 1817) - mule deer [ Annotation ]
  • Rangifer tarandus (Linnaeus, 1758) - caribou [ Annotation ]
Bovidae [ External link ]
  • Bison bison (Linnaeus, 1758) - bison [ Annotation ][Introduced species]
  • Oreamnos americanus (de Blainville, 1816) - mountain goat [ Annotation ]
  • Ovibos moschatus (Zimmermann, 1780) - muskox [ Annotation ] [Introduced species]
  • Ovis dalli Nelson, 1884 - Dall's sheep [ Annotation ]
 
RODENTIA [ External link ] [ Key to small mammals ]
Sciuridae [ External link ]
  • Marmota broweri Hall & Gilmore, 1934 - Alaska marmot [ Annotation ]
  • Marmota caligata (Eschscholtz, 1829) - hoary marmot [ Annotation ]
  • Marmota monax (Linnaeus, 1758) - woodchuck [ Annotation ]
  • Spermophilus parryii (Richardson, 1825) - arctic ground squirrel [ Annotation ]
  • Tamiasciurus hudsonicus (Erxleben, 1777) - red squirrel [ Annotation ]
  • Glaucomys sabrinus (Shaw, 1801) - northern flying squirrel [ Annotation ]
Castoridae [ External link ]
  • Castor canadensis Kuhl, 1820 - beaver [ Annotation ]
Dipodidae [ External link ]
  • Zapus hudsonius (Zimmermann, 1780) - meadow jumping mouse [ Annotation ]
  • Zapus princeps J. A. Allen, 1893 - western jumping mouse [ Annotation ]
Muridae [ External link ]
  • Clethrionomys gapperi (Vigors, 1830) - southern red-backed vole [ Annotation ]
  • Clethrionomys rutilus (Pallas, 1779) - northern red-backed vole [ Annotation ]
  • Dicrostonyx groenlandicus (Traill, 1823) - collared lemming [ Annotation ][ Name not as in Wilson and Reeder ]
  • Lemmus trimucronatus (Richardson, 1825) - brown lemming [ Annotation ][ Name not as in Wilson and Reeder ]
  • Microtus abbreviatus Miller, 1899 - St. Matthew Island vole [ Annotation ]
  • Microtus longicaudus (Merriam, 1888) - long-tailed vole [ Annotation ]
  • Microtus miurus Osgood, 1901 - singing vole [ Annotation ]
  • Microtus oeconomus (Pallas, 1776) - tundra vole [ Annotation ]
  • Microtus pennsylvanicus (Ord, 1815) - meadow vole [ Annotation ]
  • Microtus xanthognathus (Leach, 1815) - yellow-cheeked vole [ Annotation ]
  • Ondatra zibethicus (Linnaeus, 1766) - muskrat [ Annotation ]
  • Synaptomys borealis (Richardson, 1828) - northern bog lemming [ Annotation ]
  • Mus musculus Linnaeus, 1758 - house mouse [ Annotation ][Introduced species]
  • Rattus norvegicus (Berkenhout, 1769) - Norway rat [ Annotation ][ Introduced species ]
  • Neotoma cinerea (Ord, 1815) - bushy-tailed woodrat [ Annotation ]
  • Peromyscus keeni (Rhoads, 1894) - forest deer mouse [ Annotation ][ Name not as in Wilson and Reeder ]
  • Peromyscus maniculatus (Wagner, 1845) - deer mouse [ Annotation ][ Introduced species ]
  • Phenacomys intermedius Merriam, 1889 - heather vole [ Annotation ]
Erethizontidae [ External link ]
  • Erethizon dorsatum (Linnaeus, 1758) - porcupine [ Annotation ]
 
LAGOMORPHA [ External link ] [ Key to lagomorphs ]
Ochotonidae [ External link ]
  • Ochotona collaris (Nelson, 1893) - collared pika [ Annotation ]
Leporidae [ External link ]
  • Lepus americanus Erxleben, 1777 - snowshoe hare [ Annotation ]
  • Lepus othus Merriam, 1900 - tundra hare [ Annotation ]
  • Oryctolagus cuniculus (Linnaeus, 1758) - European rabbit [ Annotation ][ Introduced species ]

TOP of page[Scroll to top] INSECTIVORA[Scroll to top] CHIROPTERA[Scroll to top] CARNIVORA[Scroll to top]
CETACEA[Scroll to top] ARTIODACTYLA[Scroll to top] RODENTIA[Scroll to top] LAGOMORPHA