List_of_Texas_mammals

List of mammals of Texas

Add article description

This is a list of mammals of Texas. Mammals native to or immediately off the coast of the U.S. state of Texas are listed first. Introduced mammals, whether intentional or unintentional, are listed separately.

Topographic map of Texas

The varying geography of Texas, the second largest state, provides a large variety of habitats for mammals. The land varies from swamps, Piney Woods in the east, rocky hills and limestone karst in the central Hill Country of the Edwards Plateau, desert in the south and west, mountains in the far west (the Trans-Pecos), and grassland prairie in the north, also known as the Panhandle.^[1]^[2]^[3] The state's many rivers, including the Rio Grande, the Colorado River, and the Trinity River, also provide diverse river habitats.^[4]^[5] Its central position in the United States means that species found primarily in either the western or eastern reaches of the country often have their ranges meeting in the state. Additionally, its proximity to Mexico is such that many species found there and into Central America also range as far north as Texas.^[1]

Texas recognizes three official mammals: the nine-banded armadillo, the Texas Longhorn, and the Mexican free-tailed bat. State law protects numerous species. The state also recognizes the Texas State Bison Herd at Caprock Canyons State Park since 2011,^[6] the State Longhorn herd at multiple state parks since 1969,^[7]^[6] and the State dog breed, Blue Lacy since 2005.^[6]

The state mammals were all named by the legislature in 1995.^[8]

List of species

Introduced/invasive mammals

Share this article:

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article List_of_Texas_mammals, and is written by contributors. Text is available under a CC BY-SA 4.0 International License; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[ecoregions-1] [1]
"Texas Ecoregions". Texas Parks & Wildlife Department. Archived from the original on November 5, 2020. Retrieved October 3, 2020.

[2] [2]
"Native Habitats & Ecosystems". Audubon. 17 December 2015. Archived from the original on March 16, 2018. Retrieved October 3, 2020.

[3] [3]
"Ecoregion Download Files by State - Region 6". Environmental Protection Agency. 9 March 2016. Archived from the original on July 25, 2020. Retrieved October 3, 2020.

[4] [4]
"Texas River Guide". Texas Parks & Wildlife Department. Archived from the original on September 29, 2020. Retrieved October 3, 2020.

[5] [5]
"Texas". National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. Archived from the original on October 2, 2018. Retrieved October 3, 2020.

[TexasLibrarySymbols-6] [6]
"Texas State Symbols". Texas State Library and Archives Commission. Texas State Library and Archives Commission. Retrieved 18 October 2023.

[THCLonghorn-7] [7]
"Legendary Longhorns". Texas Historical Commission. Texas Historical Commission. Retrieved 18 October 2023.

[TPWDmammalart-8] [8]
"Learn About Texas State Symbols" (PDF). Texas Parks and Wildlife Publications. Texas Parks & Wildlife. Retrieved 18 October 2023.

[9] [9]
"Armadillo". Britannica. Archived from the original on October 18, 2020. Retrieved October 16, 2020.

[10] [10]
"Nine-Banded Armadillo". Texas Parks & Wildlife Department. Archived from the original on October 18, 2020. Retrieved October 12, 2020.

[MammalsofTexasSchmidley-11] [11]
Schmidley, David. "The Mammals of Texas, Online Edition (7th Edition)". Texas Tech Natural Science Research Laboratory. University of Texas Press. Archived from the original on 24 October 2020. Retrieved 17 October 2020.

[12] [12]
"Ghost-faced Bat (Mormoops megalophylla)". Texas Parks & Wildlife Department. Archived from the original on October 14, 2020. Retrieved October 13, 2020.

[13] [13]
"Pallid Bat (Antrozous pallidus)". Texas Parks & Wildlife Department. Archived from the original on October 17, 2020. Retrieved October 16, 2020.

[14] [14]
"Velvety Free-tailed Bat". iNaturalist. Retrieved 5 February 2024.

[rev-15] [15]
Giordano, A.J. (2016). "Ecology and status of the jaguarundi Puma yagouaroundi: a synthesis of existing knowledge" (PDF). Mammal Review. 46 (1): 30–43. doi:10.1111/mam.12051.

[16] [16]
Kays, R.W.; Wilson, D. E. (2002). Mammals of North America. Illustrated by Sandra Doyle, Nancy Halliday, Ron Klingner, Elizabeth McClelland, Consie Powell, Wendy Smith, Todd Zalewski, Diane Gibbons, Susan C. Morse, Jesse Guertin. Princeton and Oxford: Princeton University Press. ISBN 0-691-07012-1.

[17] [17]
"NatureServe Explorer 2.0". explorer.natureserve.org. Retrieved 2023-08-10.

[18] [18]
Procopio, Michael. "North American River Otter at Abilene State Park". iNaturalist. iNaturalist. Retrieved 18 October 2023.

[19] [19]
Meyer, John R. (December 2006). "The Last Texas Grizzly". Texas Parks & Wildlife. Archived from the original on August 10, 2020. Retrieved October 12, 2020.

[20] [20]
"Mexican grizzly bear (extinct)". Bear Conversation. Archived from the original on December 27, 2019. Retrieved October 12, 2020.

[21] [21]
"Runaway Moose in Trouble". The Oklahoman. 1989-02-09. Retrieved 2024-03-26.

[22] [22]
NatureServe. 1989. Cervus elaphus merriami, Merriam's Elk. NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia. Available https://explorer.natureserve.org/Taxon/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.103499/Cervus_elaphus_merriami. Accessed 9 December 2021.

[23] [23]
Texas Parks & Wlidlife. "Texas State Bison Herd" (PDF). Texas Parks and Wildlife. Retrieved July 7, 2021.

[24] [24]
"Eastern Mole". Natural Science Research Laboratory. Texas Tech University. Archived from the original on October 19, 2020. Retrieved October 16, 2020.

[25] [25]
Matson, J.; Woodman, N.; Castro-Arellano, I.; de Grammont, P.C. (2015). "Scalopus aquaticus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T41471A22319923.en. Retrieved 14 October 2022.|date= / |doi= mismatch

[26] [26]
"West Indian Manatee". Natural Science Research Laboratory. Texas Tech University. Retrieved October 16, 2020.

[27] [27]
"Texas (TX) United States". Observation.org. Retrieved 5 February 2024.

[28] [28]
"Virginia Opossum (Didelphis virginiana)". Texas Parks & Wildlife Department. Archived from the original on October 17, 2020. Retrieved October 16, 2020.

[GoMMammals-29] [29]
Würsig, Bernd (27 June 2017). Habitats and Biota of the Gulf of Mexico: Before the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill. New York, NY: Springer. pp. 1489–1587. doi:10.1007/978-1-4939-3456-0_5. ISBN 978-1-4939-3456-0. S2CID 134821188. Archived from the original on 26 October 2020. Retrieved 22 October 2020.

[30] [30]
"Killer Whale". Natural Science Research Laboratory. Texas Tech University. Archived from the original on October 18, 2020. Retrieved October 24, 2020.

[31] [31]
Baker, Ed (5 August 2005). "The Legendary Snow Monkeys of Texas: A brief open season on monkeys resulted in protections for them in the Lone Star State". The Austin Chronicle. Archived from the original on 5 June 2011. Retrieved 3 May 2011.

[32] [32]
Born Free USA: Primate Sanctuary: About the Sanctuary, 2003–2011, archived from the original on 20 April 2011, retrieved 3 May 2011

[potts-33] [33]
Potts, Allen (1912). Fox Hunting in America. Washington: The Carnahan Press. pp. 7, 38. Retrieved 9 July 2016.

[TPWDRedFox-34] [34]
"Introducing Mammals to Young Naturalists - Red Foxes". Texas Parks & Wildlife. Texas Parks & Wildlife. Archived from the original on 23 October 2020. Retrieved 22 October 2020.

[35] [35]
"Nutria". Natural Science Research Laboratory. Texas Tech University. Archived from the original on October 17, 2020. Retrieved October 17, 2020.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[a]

[10]

[11]

[12]

[13]

[14]

[15]

[16]

[17]

[18]

[19]

[20]

[21]

[22]

[23]

[24]

[25]

[26]

[27]

[28]

[29]

[30]

[31]

[32]

[33]

[34]

[35]

Species	Common name	Distribution	Status
Choeronycteris mexicana	Mexican long-tongued bat	Only found in South Texas; may be slowly increasing distribution northward.^[11]	NT
Diphylla ecaudata	Hairy-legged vampire bat	Only one specimen found in 1967, in Val Verde County.^[11]	LC
Leptonycteris nivalis	Greater long-nosed bat	Only found in Presidio County and Brewster County.^[11]	EN

Species	Common name	Distribution	Status
Aeorestes cinereus	Hoary bat	Found in mature forested areas across the state^[11]	LC
Antrozous pallidus	Pallid bat	Commonly found in the western half of Texas, including the panhandle.^[13]^[11]	LC
Corynorhinus rafinesquii	Rafinesque's big-eared bat	Found in small localities in the Pineywoods of East Texas.^[11]	LC
Corynorhinus townsendii	Townsend's big-eared bat	Commonly found in the western half of Texas, including the panhandle. Population in West Texas and Panhandle are divided into subspecies.^[11]	LC
Dasypterus ega	Southern yellow bat	Found in seven counties in the Rio Grande Valley.^[11]	LC
Dasypterus intermedius	Northern yellow bat	Occurs in the eastern and southern part of the state, including along the coast.^[11]	LC
Dasypterus xanthinus	Western yellow bat	Reported in the southernmost counties of Texas surrounding Big Bend National Park.^[11]	LC
Eptesicus fuscus	Big brown bat	Found primarily iy the eastern, northern and western parts of the state.^[11]	LC
Euderma maculatum	Spotted bat	Found only in Big Bend National Park.^[11]	LC
Lasionycteris noctivagans	Silver-haired bat	Found in forested areas across the state, not seen often in cities.^[11]	LC
Lasiurus blossevillii	Desert red bat	One specimen found in Presidio County in 1988^[11]	LC
Lasiurus borealis	Eastern red bat	Found state-wide, but most commonly found in the eastern and central part of the state^[11]	LC
Lasiurus seminolus	Seminole bat	Found in the eastern part of the state^[11]	LC
Myotis austroriparius	Southeastern myotis	Found in eastern Texas caves^[11]	LC
Myotis californicus	California myotis	Found primarily in the Chihuahuan Desert and Trans-Pecos region of Texas^[11]	LC
Myotis ciliolabrum	Western small-footed myotis	Found primarily in the Trans-Pecos mountains and small populations in the panhandle^[11]	LC
Myotis occultus	Arizona myotis	One found in Hudspeth Co., likely a migrant individual.^[11]	LC
Myotis septentrionalis	Northern long-eared myotis	Only one specimen ever found in Dimmit Co.^[11]	NT
Myotis thysanodes	Fringed myotis	Found in the Trans-Pecos region, with one migrant speciment collected in the Panhandle.^[11]	LC
Myotis velifer	Cave myotis	Found in most areas in Texas except the Pineywoods.^[11]	LC
Myotis volans	Long-legged myotis	Found in the Trans-Pecos region, with one migrant speciment collected in the Panhandle.^[11]	LC
Myotis yumanensis	Yuma myotis	Found in south Texas along the Rio Grande River.^[11]	LC
Nycticeius humeralis	Evening bat	Found widespread throughout the state except for the Panhandle, with westward expansion of their range.^[11]	LC
Parastrellus hesperus	Canyon bat	Found in the western half of the state, especially the Trans-Pecos Mountains.^[11]	LC
Perimyotis subflavus	Tricolored bat	Found in most regions of Texas except the Trans-Pecos.^[11]	VU

Species	Common name	Distribution	Status
Eumops perotis	Western mastiff bat	Found in Val Verde, Terrell, Brewster, and Presidio counties in South Texas and in Midland County in the west^[11]	LC
Nyctinomops femorosacca	Pocketed free-tailed bat	Found in Val Verde, Terrell, Brewster, and Presidio counties in South Texas.^[11]	LC
Nyctinomops macrotis	Big free-tailed bat	Scattered localities in the Panhandle, Trans-Pecos region, and recently in Wise County^[11]	LC
Molossus molossus	Velvety free-tailed bat	Vagrant^[14]	LC
Tadarida brasiliensis	Mexican free-tailed bat	State-wide distribution in the summer, with the eastern population being year-round residents^[11]	LC

Species	Common name	Distribution	Status
Canis latrans	Coyote	ubiquitous throughout Texas	LC
Canis lupus	Gray wolf	all subspecies previously found in Texas are either extinct or extirpated; see below	LC
C. l. baileyi	Mexican wolf	extirpated	EN
C. l. monstrabilis	Texas wolf	extinct	EX
C. l. nubilus	Great Plains wolf	extinct	EX
Canis rufus	Red wolf	extirpated	CR
Urocyon cinereoargenteus	Gray fox	Ubiquitous throughout Texas.^[11]	LC
Vulpes macrotis	Kit fox	Found in the Trans-Pecos and Edwards Plateau regions.^[11]	LC
Vulpes velox	Swift fox	Found in the Panhandle region.^[11]	LC

Species	Common name	Distribution	Status
Herpailurus yagouaroundi	Jaguarundi	Extirpated; Last U.S sighting in 1986 in Brownsville.^[15]	LC
Leopardus pardalis	Ocelot	Only found in and around Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge	LC
Leopardus wiedii	Margay	Extirpated; Only U.S. record found in 1852 outside Kingsville.^[11]^[16]^[17]	NT
Lynx rufus	Bobcat	ubiquitous throughout Texas	LC
Panthera onca	Jaguar	Extirpated by 1948.^[11]	NT
Puma concolor	Cougar	Western counties only	LC

Species	Common name	Distribution	Status
Bassariscus astutus	Ring-tailed cat	Common in the Trans-Pecos, Edwards Plateau and Cross Timbers ecoregions, but also seen statewide except the panhandle^[11]	LC
Nasua narica	White-nosed coati	Recently, only seen in the Big Bend and Padre Island regions^[11]	LC
Procyon lotor	Raccoon	Ubiquitous throughout Texas	LC

Species	Common name	Distribution	Status
Conepatus leuconotus	American hog-nosed skunk	Found throughout central and southern Texas.^[11]	LC
Mephitis macroura	Hooded skunk	Found in the central Trans-Pecos region.^[11]	LC
Mephitis mephitis	Striped skunk	Ubiquitous throughout Texas.^[11]	LC
Spilogale gracilis	Western spotted skunk	Found in the southwestern part of the state, north to Garza Co. and east to Duvall Co.^[11]	LC
Spilogale putorius	Eastern spotted skunk	Found in the eastern half of the state and up into the Panhandle. Somewhat rare.^[11]	VU

Species	Common name	Distribution	Status
Lontra canadensis	North American river otter	Found historically along tributaries and rivers of the Red River. Has been limited further east,^[11] but recently found as far west as Abilene.^[18]	LC
Mustela nigripes	Black-footed ferret	Extirpated. Before extirpation, was found wherever prairie dogs were in the Panhandle.^[11]	EN
Neogale frenata	Long-tailed weasel	Secretive species with few scientific records across the state. Found in a variety of habitats where water is present. Not found in the northern Panhandle.^[11]	LC
Neogale vison	American mink	Found in the eastern half of the state where water is present.^[11]	LC
Taxidea taxus	American badger	Found throughout the state except the far eastern Pineywoods.Habitat loss pushes it further east.^[11]	LC

Species	Common name	Distribution	Status
Ursus americanus	American black bear	Found in the forested areas of east Texas, the Trans-Pecos region, and at the tip of the Panhandle^[11]	LC
Ursus arctos	Brown bear	all populations once present in Texas are either extirpated or extinct; see below	LC
U. a. horribilis	Grizzly bear	extirpated; the only documented grizzly bear (U. a. horribilis) specimen was killed in 1905 in Jeff Davis County^[11]
U. a. horribilis	Mexican grizzly bear	extinct^[19]^[20]	EX

Species	Common name	Distribution	Status
Alces alces	Moose	Vagrant^[21]	LC
Cervus canadensis	Elk	Reintroduced, see below	LC
C. c. merriami	Merriam's elk	Extinct by 1906^[22]	EX
C. c. nelsoni	Rocky Mountain elk	Introduced to the state in 1928, currently found in the Trans-Pecos and Panhandle regions^[11]	LC
Odocoileus hemionus	Mule deer	Found in the western-half of the state through the Panhandle and Trans-Pecos.^[11]	LC
Odocoileus virginianus	White-tailed deer	Ubiquitous throughout Texas.^[11]	LC

Species	Common name	Distribution	Status
Bison bison	American bison	Reintroduced, see below.^[23]	NT
B. b. bison	Plains bison	Reintroduced at Caprock Canyons State Park and Fort Worth Nature Center as well as private herds. All controlled by fences. Historically widespread.^[11]	NT
Ovis canadensis	Bighorn sheep	Extirpated throughout original Trans-Pecos mountain ranges. See below.	LC
O. c. nelsoni	Desert bighorn sheep	Reintroduced populations in certain areas of the Trans-Pecos mountains are free-roaming and wild.^[11]	LC

Species	Common name	Status
Blarina carolinensis	Southern short-tailed shrew	LC
Blarina hylophaga	Elliot's short-tailed shrew	LC
Cryptotis parva	North American least shrew	LC
Notiosorex crawfordi	Crawford's gray shrew	LC

Species	Common name	Distribution	Status	Image
Didelphis marsupialis	Common opossum	Vagrant^[27]	LC
Didelphis virginiana	Virginia opossum	Found throughout the state except for the arid Trans-Pecos and Llano Estacado^[28]	LC

Species	Common name	Distribution	Status
Lepus californicus	Black-tailed jackrabbit		LC
Sylvilagus aquaticus	Swamp rabbit		LC
Sylvilagus audubonni	Desert cottontail		LC
Sylvilagus floridanus	Eastern cottontail		LC
Sylvilagus holzneri	Robust cottontail	Davis Mountains, Guadalupe Mountains	VU

Species	Common name	Distribution	Status
Cratogeomys castanops	Yellow-faced pocket gopher	Commonly found in the western-half of the state in the high plains and trans-pecos.^[1]^[11]	LC
Geomys arenarius	Desert pocket gopher	Common in El Paso County.^[11]	NT
Geomys attwateri	Attwater's pocket gopher	Endemic to Texas. East from the Brazos River to the San Antonio River, and along the coast in-between.^[11]	LC
Geomys breviceps	Baird's pocket gopher	Found in the eastern half of the state.^[11]	LC
Geomys bursarius	Plains pocket gopher	Found in the northwestern and north-central Texas panhandle.^[11]	LC
Geomys jugossicularis	Hall's pocket gopher	Found in the northwesternmost-counties of Dallam and Hartley.^[11]
Geomys knoxjonesi	Knox Jones's pocket gopher	Found in the southwestern plains of Texas.^[11]	LC
Geomys personatus	Texas pocket gopher	Found in the far south counties of the state, including the Texas barrier islands.^[11]	LC
Geomys streckeri	Strecker's pocket gopher	Restricted to Zavala and Dimmit Counties.^[11]
Geomys texensis	Llano pocket gopher	Found in two isolated areas in the Hill Country depending on subspecies. Endemic to Texas.^[11]	LC
Thomomys bottae	Botta's pocket gopher	Found in the Trans-Pecos eastward into the Edwards Plateau.^[11]	LC

**Balaenopteridae**
Species	Common name	Distribution
Balaenoptera acutorostrata	Minke whale	Seen stranded occasionally, rare sightings. Last seen in Texas in the 1980s.^[29]^[11]
Balaenoptera brydei Balaenoptera edeni	Bryde's whale	Seen yearly in every season but the fall in shallow waters. Taxonomy up to debate^[11]^[29]
Balaenoptera musculus	Blue whale
Balaenoptera physalus	Fin whale
Megaptera novaeangliae	Humpback whale

**Kogiidae**
Species	Common name	Distribution	Status	Image
Kogia breviceps	Pygmy sperm whale
Kogia simus	Dwarf sperm whale

**Ziphiidae**
Species	Common name	Distribution	Status	Image
Mesoplodon densirostris	Blainville's beaked whale
Mesoplodon europaeus	Gervais' beaked whale
Ziphius cavirostris	Cuvier's beaked whale

**Delphinidae**
Species	Common name	Distribution
Delphinus delphis	Short-beaked common dolphin
Feresa attenuata	Pygmy killer whale
Globicephala macrorhynchus	Short-finned pilot whale
Grampus griseus	Risso's dolphin
Orcinus orca	Killer whale	Uncommon in Texas waters, rare and poorly documented strandings, occasionally seen off South Padre Island^[30]
Pseudorca crassidens	False killer whale
Peponocephala electra	Melon-headed whale
Stenella frontalis	Atlantic spotted dolphin
Stenella attenuata	Pantropical spotted dolphin
Stenella coeruleoalba	Striped dolphin
Stenella clymene	Clymene dolphin
Stenella longirostris	Spinner dolphin
Steno brenadensis	Rough-toothed dolphin
Tursiops truncatus	Common bottlenose dolphin

Species	Common name	Status
Axis axis	Chital	LC
Axis porcinus	Indian hog deer	EN
Cervus elaphus	Red deer	LC
Cervus nippon	Sika deer	LC
Dama dama	European fallow deer	LC
Rusa unicolor	Sambar deer	VU

Species	Common name	Status
Ammotragus lervia	Barbary sheep	VU
Antilope cervicapra	Blackbuck	LC
Boselaphus tragocamelus	Nilgai	LC

Species	Common name	Distribution	Status
Mus musculus	House mouse	Ubiquitous throughout Texas	LC
Rattus norvegicus	Brown rat	Widespread throughout Texas, however not as common in the southern half of Texas as Rattus rattus^[11]	LC
Rattus rattus	Black rat	Ubiquitous throughout Texas	LC

List_of_Texas_mammals

List of species

Order Xenarthra

Dasypodidae

Order Chiroptera

Phyllostomidae

Mormoopidae

Vespertilionidae

Molossidae

Order Carnivora

Canidae

Felidae

Procyonidae

Mephitidae

Mustelidae

Phocidae

Ursidae

Order Artiodactyla

Tayassuidae

Cervidae

Antilocapridae

Bovidae

Order Eulipotyphla

Soricidae

Talpidae

Order Sirenia

Trichechidae

Order Didelphimorphia

Didelphidae

Order Lagomorpha

Leporidae

Order Rodentia

Castoridae

Cricetidae

Erethizontidae

Geomyidae

Heteromyidae

Sciuridae

Order Cetacea

Balaenidae

Balaenopteridae

Kogiidae

Physeteridae

Ziphiidae

Delphinidae

Introduced/invasive mammals

Order Primates

Order Carnivora

Canidae (canids)

Order Artiodactyla

Suidae (pigs)

Cervidae (deer)

Bovidae (antelopes & sheep)

Order Rodentia

Muridae (Old World mice & rats)

Myocastoridae (Nutria)

See also

Notes and references

Notes

Citations

External links

Share this article: