This is a list of mammal species recorded in the wild in Newfoundland, the island portion of the

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

province of

Newfoundland and Labrador Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic Canada, Atlantic region. The province comprises t ...

. Only 14 known species (and one extinct species) are or were native to the island; this list is divided into native species and species introduced to the island since discovery by Europeans and colonization in the late 15th and early 16th centuries. Several species native to Newfoundland are genetically distinct subspecies of more common species found elsewhere in Canada and North America.

Native species

* Northern long-eared bat, ''Myotis septentrionalis'' *

Hoary bat The hoary bat (''Lasiurus cinereus'') is a species of bat in the vesper bat family, Vespertilionidae. It lives throughout most of North America (possibly including Hawaii, although this is disputed). Taxonomy The hoary bat was described as a ...

, ''Lasiurus cinereus'' *

Little brown bat The little brown bat or little brown myotis (''Myotis lucifugus'') is an endangered species of mouse-eared microbat found in North America. It has a small body size and glossy brown fur. It is similar in appearance to several other mouse-ea ...

, ''Myotis lucifugus'' *

Newfoundland black bear The Newfoundland black bear (''Ursus americanus hamiltoni'') is a morphologically distinct subspecies of the American black bear, which is endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, su ...

, ''Ursus americanus hamiltoni'' Formally classified distinct subspecies of more common mainland species. * Newfoundland beaver, ''Castor canadensis caecator'' * Migratory woodland caribou, ''Rangifer tarandus caribou'' * Ermine, ''Mustela erminea'' * Red fox, ''Vulpes vulpes deletrix'',

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and

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variants *

Arctic hare The Arctic hare (''Lepus arcticus'') is a species of hare highly adapted to living in the Arctic tundra and other icy biomes. The Arctic hare survives with shortened ears and limbs, a small nose, fat that makes up close to 20% of its body, and a ...

, ''Lepus arcticus bangsii'' * Newfoundland lynx, ''Lynx canadensis subsolanus'' *

Newfoundland pine marten The Newfoundland pine marten (''Martes americana atrata'') is a genetically distinct subspecies of the American marten (''Martes americana'') found only on the island of Newfoundland in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada; it is one ...

, ''Martes americana atrata'' * Muskrat, ''Ondatra zibethicus obscurus'' *

Northern river otter The North American river otter (''Lontra canadensis''), also known as the northern river otter and river otter, is a semiaquatic mammal that only lives on the North American continent, along its waterways and coasts. An adult North American ri ...

, ''Lontra canadensis degener'' *

Meadow vole The eastern meadow vole (''Microtus pennsylvanicus''), sometimes called the field mouse or meadow mouse, is a North American vole found in eastern Canada and the United States. Its range extends farther south along the Atlantic coast. The west ...

, ''Microtus pennsylvanicus terranovae''

Extinct species

* Newfoundland wolf, ''Canis lupus beothucus''

Naturally incoming species

Labrador wolf The Labrador wolf (''Canis lupus labradorius'') is a subspecies of gray wolf native to Labrador and northern Quebec. It has been described as ranging in color from dark grizzly-gray to almost white,Glover, A. (1942)''Extinct and vanishing mammals ...

, ''Canis lupus labradorius'', apparent natural range expansion in early 21st century. There is no confirmed breeding population on the island. * Coyote, ''Canis latrans'', natural range expansion in the late 20th century * Polar bear, ''Ursus maritimus'', periodic appearances on the island in late winter or early spring

Introduced species

Eastern chipmunk The eastern chipmunk (''Tamias striatus'') is a chipmunk species found in eastern North America. It is the only living member of the chipmunk genus ''Tamias''. Etymology The name "chipmunk" comes from the Ojibwe word ''ajidamoo'' (or possibl ...

, ''Tamias striatus'', introduced in 1962{{cn, date=January 2024 *

Snowshoe hare The snowshoe hare (''Lepus americanus''), also called the varying hare or snowshoe rabbit, is a species of hare found in North America. It has the name "snowshoe" because of the large size of its hind feet. The animal's feet prevent it from sin ...

, ''Lepus americanus'', introduced around 1860 *

American mink The American mink (''Neogale vison'') is a semiaquatic species of mustelid native to North America, though human intervention has expanded its range to many parts of Europe, Asia and South America. Because of range expansion, the American mink i ...

, ''Mustela vison'', introduced for fur-farming in 1934 *

Moose The moose (in North America) or elk (in Eurasia) (''Alces alces'') is a member of the New World deer subfamily and is the only species in the genus ''Alces''. It is the largest and heaviest extant species in the deer family. Most adult ma ...

, ''Alces alces'', introduced in both 1878 and 1904 * Eastern deer mouse, ''Peromyscus maniculatus'' * House mouse, ''Mus musculus'' *

Brown rat The brown rat (''Rattus norvegicus''), also known as the common rat, street rat, sewer rat, wharf rat, Hanover rat, Norway rat, Norwegian rat and Parisian rat, is a widespread species of common rat. One of the largest muroids, it is a brown o ...

, ''Rattus norvegicus'' * Masked shrew, ''Sorex cinereus'' * American red squirrel, ''Tamiasciurus hudsonicus'', introduced in 1963 * Bank vole, ''Myodes glareolus'', introduced in 1967 * Southern red-backed vole, ''Myodes gapperi''

External links

Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, Fisheries and Land Resources: Mammals Native to Newfoundland, Introduced to Newfoundland, Native to Labrador

References

Mammals Mammals () are a group of vertebrate animals constituting the class Mammalia (), characterized by the presence of mammary glands which in females produce milk for feeding (nursing) their young, a neocortex (a region of the brain), fur o ...

Newfoundland