List_of_mammals_of_Canada

List of mammals of Canada

List of mammals of Canada

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This is a list of the mammal species recorded in Canada. There are approximately 200 mammal species in Canada.[1] Its large territorial size consist of fifteen terrestrial and five marine ecozones, ranging from oceanic coasts, to mountains to plains to urban housing, mean that Canada can harbour a great variety of species, including nearly half of the known cetaceans.[2] The largest marine ecozone is the Arctic Archipelago whereas the terrestrial ecozone is the Boreal Shield.[3] The most well represented order is that of the rodents, and the smallest that of the Didelphimorphia (common opossums).

Studies of mammals in Canada hearken back to the 1795 northern explorations of Samuel Hearne, whose account is considered surprisingly accurate. The first seminal work on Canadian mammals, however, was John Richardson's 1829 Fauna Boreali-Americana. Joseph Burr Tyrrell was the first to attempt to produce, in 1888, a comprehensive list of Canadian mammalian species. Ernest Thompson Seton and Charles-Eusèbe Dionne's work were also important. Modern Canadian publications with interest in mammalogy include The Canadian Field-Naturalist, the Canadian Journal of Zoology and the French-language Le Naturaliste Canadien.[A]

Several species of mammal have particular symbolism. The Canadian horse and North American beaver are official symbols of Canada,[B] and several provinces have designated native species as symbols.

The North American beaver, Castor canadensis, is the national animal of Canada

Conservation status - IUCN Red List of Threatened Species:

EX - Extinct, EW - Extinct in the Wild
CR - Critically Endangered, EN - Endangered, VU - Vulnerable
NT - Near Threatened, LC - Least Concern
DD - Data Deficient, NE - Not Evaluated
(v. 2013.2, the data is current as of March 5, 2014[4])

Native mammals

Bats

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.

More information Common name (French name), Species (authority) ...

Carnivorans

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

More information Common name (French name), Species (authority) ...

Cetaceans

See also: List of cetaceans

Cetaceans 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.

More information Common name (French name), Species (authority) ...

Even-toed ungulates

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 worldwide, including many that are of great economic importance.

More information Common name (French name), Species (authority) ...

Marsupials

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.

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Rabbits, hares, and pikas

The lagomorphs comprise two families, Leporidae (hares and rabbits), and Ochotonidae (pikas). They can resemble rodents, but differ in a number of physical characteristics, such as having four incisors in the upper jaw rather than two.

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Rodents

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, a rodent native to South America, can weigh up to 45 kg (100 lb).

More information Common name (French name), Species (authority) ...

Shrews and moles

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

More information Common name (French name), Species (authority) ...

Introduced or accidental species

A number of wild mammals may be found in Canadian territory without being confirmed natives. Some were voluntarily or involuntarily introduced. These include the house mouse (Mus musculus), and brown and black rats (respectively Rattus norvegicus and R. rattus). Other include escaped animals: the coypu (Myocastor coypus), European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) and European hare (Lepus europaeus).[58] Both the European fallow deer (Dama dama) and wild boar (Sus scrofa) were introduced for hunting.

Finally, other species are encountered only accidentally, or so rarely in Canadian territory that it is impossible to tell whether they are permanent residents. Most of these species are cetaceans, some generally poorly known: Risso's dolphin (Grampus griseus), the dwarf and pygmy sperm whales (Kogia sima and K. breviceps), Blainville's and True's beaked whale (Mesoplodon densirostris and M. mirus), the false killer whale (Pseudorca crassidens), and the striped dolphin (Stenella coeruleoalba). The big free-tailed and evening bats (respectively Nyctinomops macrotis and Nycticeius humeralis), as well as the New England cottontail (Sylvilagus transitionalis) are found mostly in areas south of the U.S.-Canada frontier, and occasionally in Canada.

Extinct, extirpated or reintroduced species

Out of three species that have been extirpated in Canada in written history, two have since been reintroduced.

The sea mink (Neogale macrodon) formerly lived in the Maritime Provinces, but became extinct following overhunting and habitat destruction. The only Canadian (and also last known) specimen was captured on Campobello Island, New Brunswick in 1894.

The eastern elk (Cervus canadensis canadensis), a subspecies of the elk or wapiti, was also formerly found in Quebec and Ontario, but was made extinct for much the same reasons as the sea mink.

Eastern cougars (Puma concolor couguar) were also found in the eastern provinces, but became extinct soon after populations in the United States were eradicated.

The black-footed ferret (Mustela nigripes) became extirpated in Canada in 1937. Between the 1950s and 1981, it was suspected to be entirely extinct until a wild population was discovered in 1981 in Wyoming. Subsequent reintroductions into Canada have failed.

The swift fox (Vulpes velox) and sea otter (Enhydra lutris) both were extirpated in Canada in the 1930s, but were successfully reintroduced in the beginning of the 1970s.

See also

Notes

  • A^ Banfield, Mammals of Canada, pp. xiv-xv.
  • B^ National Symbol of Canada Act 1985 R.S.C., c. N-17: "the Beaver (Castor canadensis) is a symbol of the sovereignty of Canada". National Horse of Canada Act 2002 S.C. 2002, c. 11.

References

  1. [1]
    "Canada Animals | Canadian Animals | Canada Wildlife | AZ Animals". A-Z Animals.
  2. [2]
    Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (2018-01-10). "Introduction to the Ecological Land Classification (ELC) 2017". www.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved 2020-11-09.
  3. [3]
    Wiken, Ed. "Casting the bottom line on the blue planet". Natural Resources Canada. Archived from the original on 2008-06-12. Retrieved 2008-02-13.
  4. [4]
    "The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species". International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources. Archived from the original on 27 June 2014. Retrieved 5 March 2014.
  5. [5]
    Tamara Eder; Gregory Kennedy (2011). Mammals of Canada. Lone Pine Pub. ISBN 978-1-55105-857-3.
  6. [6]
    • I: International - ises IUCN where available
    • CA: Canadian status, if any
      • Provincial statuses, if any and different from federal status
  7. [7]
    This species is often treated as a subspecies of L. borealis
  8. [8]
    Sometimes considered a subspecies of M. leibii
  9. [9]
    Sometimes considered a subspecies of M. keenii
  10. [10]
    Formerly Loup-cervier
  11. [11]
    It is not clear whether a sustainable population exists or not in eastern Canada. The species was practically exterminated by the 1970s, but a large number of observations since and the capture of a specimen in 1992 have made the species' status in eastern Canada a subject of controversy amongst biologists.
  12. [12]
    "Coyote | The Canadian Encyclopedia". www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca.
  13. [13]
    "Loup gris" is used when contrast with C. l. rufus ("Loup rouge") is needed
  14. [14]
    "Arctic Wolf - Facts, Diet & Habitat Information".
  15. [15]
    Phillips, M. (2020) [errata version of 2018 assessment]. "Canis rufus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2018: e.T3747A163509841. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
  16. [16]
    "Renard polaire" is preferred in Europe, while "renard arctique" is more common in Quebec.
  17. [17]
    The species is occasionally reported as far south as Central Ontario and Cape Breton Island, and is known to travel south on floes.
  18. [18]
    The Prairies population has been extirpated as has the population in central British Columbia and the lower mainland.
  19. [19]
    If distinction from other Procyon species is needed, "raton laveur commun" is used.
  20. [20]
    Reintroduced in the 1970s; the species had been extirpated in Canada around the start of the 20th century.
  21. [21]
    Ssp. luscus is Blue-Listed. Ssp. vancouverensis is Red-Listed.
  22. [22]
    Cape Breton Island only
  23. [23]
    Frequently just "belette", or "belette d'Europe" if distinction from other Mustela species is needed.
  24. [24]
    This species is often considered a subspecies of the eastern spotted skunk, S. putorius, which is otherwise not found in Canada.
  25. [25]
    If distinction is needed with Arctocephalus fosteri, the southern or New Zealand fur seal, "otarie à fourrure du Nord" is used.
  26. [26]
    Also "lion de mer de Steller"
  27. [27]
    Sources conflict as to whether classify this species with Phoca or Pagophilus.
  28. [28]
    IUCN records this species as Baleine du Groenland.
  29. [29]
    The IUCN ranks the Okhotsk Sea subpopulation as Endangered EN and the Bering-Chukchi-Beaufort Sea population as Least Concern LR/cd.
  30. [30]
    COSEWIC ranks the Davis Strait-Baffin and Bay-Foxe Basin populations as Threatened and the Bering-Chukchi-Beaufort Sea population as Special Concern.
  31. [31]
    Also Baleine noire. The recognition of Eubalaena japonica as a separate species has not yet effected common French names.
  32. [32]
    COSEWIC ranks the Pacific population as Threatened and the Atlantic one as Special Concern.
  33. [33]
    COSEWIC ranks the Pacific population as Threatened and the Atlantic one as Not at Risk.
  34. [34]
    IUCN lists the species as Near Threatened; TNC lists it as Apparently Secure.
  35. [35]
    The various populations have ranks varying between Special Concern and Endangered.
  36. [36]
    The St. Laurence Estuary population is designated Threatened, other populations are listing candidates.
  37. [37]
    Sometimes simply "Marsouin"
  38. [38]
    Population of the Scotian Shelf only
  39. [39]
    Might be a subspecies of M. bowdoini
  40. [40]
    Populations in the Pacific are ranked Threatened, Endangered or Special Concern. The Atlantic population is considered Data Deficient.
  41. [41]
    Populations are Blue- or Red-Listed
  42. [42]
    On mainland only
  43. [43]
    Some debate remains as to whether consider this species the same or not as Red Deer, C. elaphus.
  44. [44]
    The name "chevreuil" is frequent in Quebec, but considered improper, as it normally applies to the European roe deer, Capreolus capreolus.
  45. [45]
    If distinction is needed with B. bonasus, "bison d'Amérique" is used.
  46. [46]
    This species and the European Sciurus vulgaris both share the same French name.
  47. [47]
    COSEWIC originally designated this species as Special Concern in 1988. It has since been discovered that the range is much larger than previously thought, and the species was delisted in 2006.("COSEWIC Species Database : Squirrel, Southern Flying". Archived from the original on 2009-07-14. Retrieved 2007-09-01., )
  48. [48]
    Originally assessed as Special Concern, was reassessed in 1998
  49. [49]
    Myodes, MSW3
  50. [50]
    The name was originally applied to D. torquatus, of which D. groenlandicus was originally considered to be a subspecies.
  51. [51]
    Whether or not this species is a subspecies of D. groenlandicus is unclear.
  52. [52]
    The North American L. sibiricus are now recognized as a separate species. IUCN still treats both as L. sibiricus.
  53. [53]
    This species is now considered to include P. sitkensis and P. oreas, as well as several subspecies of P. maniculatus
  54. [54]
    Ranked as "Vulnerable" in both province by The Nature Conservancy
  55. [55]
    The available evidence indicates that S. gaspensis is a junior synonym for S. dispar but regulatory regimes have not yet fully incorporated that finding.
  56. [56]
    Formerly considered Special Concern
  57. [57]
    Also Sorex obscurus in older sources.
  58. [58]
    Some authorities consider L. europaeus and L. capensis (Cape hare) to be the same species.

Sources

Further reading
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