California Mammals: Species List With Pictures

Which mammals can hurt you

Official sources single out these mammals in California, in their own words:

• 

  Mountain Lion

  Rare attacks on humans, including fatalities. “Mountain lion attacks on humans are rare. Since 1890, there have been less than 50 verified mountain lion attacks on humans in California, including six fatal incidents.” California Department of Fish and Wildlife

• 

  Black Bear

  Rare injuries. “Black bear encounters resulting in human injury are rare in California.” California Department of Fish and Wildlife

• 

  Coyote

  Health and safety concerns if habituated. “Potential conflict with coyotes may occur due to property damage, loss of pets or small livestock, or human health and safety concerns if a coyote loses its natural fear of humans.” California Department of Fish and Wildlife

All 227 mammals on the list

• Agile Kangaroo Rat Dipodomys agilis
• Alpine Chipmunk Tamias alpinus
• American Badger Taxidea taxus
• American Beaver Castor canadensis
• American Mink Mustela vison
• American Pika Ochotona princeps
• Arizona Cotton Rat Sigmodon arizonae
• Arizona Myotis Myotis occultus
• Audubon’s Cottontail Sylvilagus audubonii
• Axis Deer Axis axisNonnative
• Bailey's Pocket Mouse Chaetodipus rudinoris
• Baja Mouse Peromyscus fraterculus
• Barbary Sheep Ammotragus lerviaNonnative
• Belding's Ground Squirrel Urocitellus beldingi
• Big Brown Bat Eptesicus fuscus
• Big Free-tailed Bat Nyctinomops macrotis
• Big-eared Woodrat Neotoma macrotis
• Bighorn Sheep Ovis canadensis
• Bison Bos bisonNonnative
• Black Bear Ursus americanus
• Black Rat Rattus rattusNonnative
• Black-tailed Jackrabbit Lepus californicus
• Blackbuck Antilope cervicapraNonnative
• Blue Whale Balaenoptera musculus
• Bobcat Lynx rufus
• Botta's Pocket Gopher Thomomys bottae
• Bottle-nosed Dolphin Tursiops truncatus
• Brazilian Free-tailed Bat Tadarida brasiliensis
• Broad-footed Mole Scapanus latimanus
• Brush Mouse Peromyscus boylii
• Brush Rabbit Sylvilagus bachmani
• Bryant’s Woodrat Neotoma bryanti
• Burchell's Zebra Equus burchelliNonnative
• Bushy-tailed Woodrat Neotoma cinerea
• Cactus Mouse Peromyscus eremicus
• California Ground Squirrel Ostospermophilus beecheyi
• California Kangaroo Rat Dipodomys californicus
• California Leaf-nosed Bat Macrotus californicus
• California Mouse Peromyscus californicus
• California Myotis Myotis californicus
• California Pocket Mouse Chaetodipus californicus
• California Red-backed Vole Myodes californicus
• California Sea-lion Zalophus californianus
• California Vole Microtus californicus
• Canyon Bat Parastrellus hesperus
• Canyon Mouse Peromyscus crinitus
• Cave Myotis Myotis velifer
• Chaparral Chipmunk Tamias obscurus
• Chisel-toothed Kangaroo Rat Dipodomys microps
• Coast Mole Scapanus orarius
• Common Dolphin Delphinus delphis
• Common Muskrat Ondatra zibethicus
• Common Porcupine Erethizon dorsatum
• Coyote Canis latrans
• Creeping Vole Microtus oregoni
• Dall's Porpoise Phocoenoides dalli
• Dark Kangaroo Mouse Microdipodops megacephalus
• Deer Mouse Peromyscus maniculatus
• Dense-beaked Whale Mesoplodon densirostris
• Desert Kangaroo Rat Dipodomys deserti
• Desert Pocket Mouse Chaetodipus penicillatus
• Desert Shrew Notiosorex crawfordi
• Desert Woodrat Neotoma lepida
• Douglas' Squirrel Tamiasciurus douglasii
• Dulzura Kangaroo Rat Dipodomys simulans
• Dusky-footed Woodrat Neotoma fuscipes
• Dwarf Sperm Whale Kogia sima
• Eastern Fox Squirrel Sciurus nigerNonnative
• Eastern Gray Squirrel Sciurus carolinensisNonnative
• Elk Cervus elaphus
• Ermine Mustela erminea
• European Rabbit Oryctolagus cuniculusNonnative
• Fallow Deer Dama damaNonnative
• False Killer Whale Pseudorca crassidens
• Feral Ass Equus asinusNonnative
• Feral Cat Felis catusNonnative
• Feral Cattle Bos taurusNonnative
• Feral Dog Canis familiarisNonnative
• Feral Goat Capra hircusNonnative
• Feral Horse Equus caballusNonnative
• Fin Whale Balaenoptera physalus
• Fisher Pekania pennanti
• Fog Shrew Sorex sonomae
• Fresno Kangaroo Rat Dipodomys nitratoides
• Fringed Myotis Myotis thysanodes
• Giant Kangaroo Rat Dipodomys ingens
• Ginko-toothed Whale Mesoplodon ginkodens
• Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel Callospermophilus lateralis
• Goose-beaked Whale Ziphius cavirostris
• Grampus Grampus griseus
• Gray Fox Urocyon cinereoargenteus
• Gray Whale Eschrichtius robustus
• Gray Wolf Canis lupus
• Great Basin Pocket Mouse Perognathus parvus
• Guadalupe Fur-seal Arctocephalus townsendi
• Harbor Porpoise Phocoena phocoena
• Harbor Seal Phoca vitulina
• Heather Vole Phenacomys intermedius
• Heermann's Kangaroo Rat Dipodomys heermanni
• Himalayan Tahr Hemitragus jemlahicusNonnative
• Hispid Cotton Rat Sigmodon hispidus
• Hoary Bat Lasiurus cinereus
• Hog-nosed Bat Choeronycteris mexicana
• House Mouse Mus musculusNonnative
• Humpback Whale Megaptera novaeangliae
• Inyo Shrew Sorex tenellus
• Island Gray Fox Urocyon littoralis
• Killer Whale Orcinus orca
• Kit Fox Vulpes macrotis
• Least Chipmunk Tamias minimus
• Lesser Long-nosed Bat Leptonycteris yerbabuenae
• Little Brown Bat Myotis lucifugus
• Little Pocket Mouse Perognathus longimembris
• Lodgepole Chipmunk Tamias speciosus
• Long-eared Chipmunk Tamias quadrimaculatus
• Long-eared Myotis Myotis evotis
• Long-legged Myotis Myotis volans
• Long-tailed Pocket Mouse Chaetodipus formosus
• Long-tailed Vole Microtus longicaudus
• Long-tailed Weasel Mustela frenata
• Marsh Shrew Sorex bendirii
• Marten Martes caurina
• Mazama Pocket Gopher Thomomys mazama
• Merriam's Chipmunk Tamias merriami
• Merriam's Kangaroo Rat Dipodomys merriami
• Merriam's Shrew Sorex merriami
• Minke Whale Balaenoptera acutorostrata
• Mohave Ground Squirrel Xerospermophilus mohavensis
• Montane Shrew Sorex monticolus
• Montane Vole Microtus montanus
• Moore's Beaked Whale Mesoplodon carlhubbsi
• Mountain Beaver Aplodontia rufa
• Mountain Lion Puma concolor
• Mountain Pocket Gopher Thomomys monticola
• Mt. Lyell Shrew Sorex lyelli
• Mule Deer Odocoileus hemionus
• Narrow-faced Kangaroo Rat Dipodomys venustus
• Nelson's Antelope Ground Squirrel Ammospermophilus nelsoni
• North Pacific Beaked Whale Mesoplodon stejnegeri
• North Pacific Bottle-nosed Whale Berardius bairdii
• North Pacific Right Whale Eubalaena japonica
• Northern (Steller) Sea-lion Eumetopias jubatus
• Northern Elephant Seal Mirounga angustirostris
• Northern Flying Squirrel Glaucomys sabrinus
• Northern Fur-seal Callorhinus ursinus
• Northern Grasshopper Mouse Onychomys leucogaster
• Northern Pocket Gopher Thomomys talpoides
• Northern Right-whale Dolphin Lissodelphis borealis
• Northern River Otter Lontra canadensis
• Norway Rat Rattus norvegicusNonnative
• Nutria Myocastor copyusInvasive
• Nuttall’s Cottontail Sylvilagus nuttallii
• Ord's Kangaroo Rat Dipodomys ordii
• Ornate Shrew Sorex ornatus
• Pacific Jumping Mouse Zapus trinotatus
• Pacific White-sided Dolphin Lagenorhynchus obliquidens
• Pale Kangaroo Mouse Microdipodops pallidus
• Pallid Bat Antrozous pallidus
• Panamint Chipmunk Tamias panamintinus
• Panamint Kangaroo Rat Dipodomys panamintinus
• Pantropical Spotted Dolphin Stenella attenuata
• Perrin's Beaked Whale Mesoplodon perrini
• Pinyon Mouse Peromyscus truei
• Piute Ground Squirrel Urocitellus mollis
• Pocketed Free-tailed Bat Nyctinomops femorosaccus
• Preble's Shrew Sorex preblei
• Pronghorn Antilocapra americana
• Pygmy Rabbit Brachylagus idahoensis
• Pygmy Sperm Whale Kogia breviceps
• Raccoon Procyon lotor
• Red Fox Vulpes vulpes
• Redwood Chipmunk Tamias ochrogenys
• Ribbon Seal Histriophoca fasciata
• Ringed Seal Pusa hispida
• Ringtail Bassariscus astutus
• Rock Squirrel Ostospermophilus variegatus
• Rough-toothed Dolphin Steno bredanensis
• Round-tailed Ground Squirrel Xerospermophilus tereticaudus
• Sagebrush Vole Lemmiscus curtatus
• Salt-marsh Harvest Mouse Reithrodontomys raviventris
• Sambar Deer Cervus unicolorNonnative
• San Diego Pocket Mouse Chaetodipus fallax
• San Joaquin Pocket Mouse Perognathus inornatus
• Sea Otter Enhydra lutris
• Sei Whale Balaenoptera borealis
• Shadow Chipmunk Tamias senex
• Short-finned Pilot Whale Globicephala macrorhynchus
• Shrew-mole Neurotrichus gibbsii
• Silver-haired Bat Lasionycteris noctivagans
• Siskiyou Chipmunk Tamias siskiyou
• Small-footed Myotis Myotis ciliolabrum
• Snowshoe Hare Lepus americanus
• Sonoma Chipmunk Tamias sonomae
• Sonoma Red Tree Vole Arborimus pomo
• Southern Grasshopper Mouse Onychomys torridus
• Sperm Whale Physeter macrocephalus
• Spiny Pocket Mouse Chaetodipus spinatus
• Spotted Bat Euderma maculatum
• Stephens' Kangaroo Rat Dipodomys stephensi
• Striped Dolphin Stenella coeruleoalba
• Striped Skunk Mephitis mephitis
• Townsend's Big-eared Bat Corynorhinus townsendii
• Townsend's Mole Scapanus townsendii
• Townsend's Pocket Gopher Thomomys townsendii
• Townsend's Vole Microtus townsendii
• Trowbridge's Shrew Sorex trowbridgii
• Uinta Chipmunk Tamias umbrinus
• Vagrant Shrew Sorex vagrans
• Virginia Opossum Didelphis virginianaNonnative
• Water Shrew Sorex palustris
• Western Gray Squirrel Sciurus griseus
• Western Harvest Mouse Reithrodontomys megalotis
• Western Jumping Mouse Zapus princeps
• Western Mastiff Bat Eumops perotis
• Western Red Bat Lasiurus blossevillii
• Western Spotted Skunk Spilogale gracilis
• Western Yellow Bat Lasiurus xanthinus
• White-eared Pocket Mouse Perognathus alticolus
• White-footed Vole Arborimus albipes
• White-tailed Antelope Ground Squirrel Ammospermophilus leucurus
• White-tailed Jackrabbit Lepus townsendii
• White-throated Woodrat Neotoma albigula
• Wild Pig Sus scrofaNonnative
• Wolverine Gulo gulo
• Yellow-bellied Marmot Marmota flaviventris
• Yellow-pine Chipmunk Tamias amoenus
• Yuma Myotis Myotis yumanensis

Mammals people confuse

Coyote or Gray wolf?

Coyote Not stated

Gray wolf Not stated

NY DEC: gray wolves are much larger (females typically 50-100 lb, males 70-145 lb, 5-6 ft nose to tail, 27-33 in at the shoulder); eastern coyotes rarely exceed 50 lb and generally stand under 2 ft at the shoulder. Wolves have small rounded ears and a short blocky snout; coyotes have larger, more pointed ears (can look rounded in winter coat) and a long, narrow, pointed snout. Coyote tracks are typically 3 x 2 in, wolf tracks about 5 x 4 in. NY DEC says most wolf reports in New York were coyotes, dogs or wolf-dog hybrids.

Mountain lion or Bobcat?

Mountain lion Not stated

Bobcat Not stated

Bobcats are smaller with short tails and are streaked and spotted with black; mountain lions are uniformly colored with a long tail. Bobcat tracks are under 2 inches wide.

Bobcat or Domestic cat?

Bobcat Not stated

Domestic cat Not stated

TWRA says the domestic cat is smaller, usually has a longer tail and is not spotted with black. NCWRC says a bobcat is about twice as large, and South Carolina DNR says its legs are longer. Tracks of young bobcats are easily confused with house cat tracks (Missouri).

Photos show typical adults; individuals vary. Never get close to compare.

When mammals are active in California

Records of mammals in California peak in March to September. They show when people record mammals, not how many there are (about month bars).

If you are bitten or stung

Call 911 or Poison Help at 1-800-222-1222 right away. Poison Help connects you to your local poison center, any time of day.

Official advice from California Department of Fish and Wildlife:

• Black bear contact: fight back, then call 911 California Department of Fish and Wildlife
• Coyote contact: fight back, then call Animal Control or 911 California Department of Fish and Wildlife

How to report

Wildlife conflicts: CDFW Wildlife Incident Reporting (WIR) system https://apps.wildlife.ca.gov/wir, emergencies 9-1-1. Invasive animal sightings: CDFW Invasive Species Program (866) 440-9530 or [email protected]; invasive insects/spiders/terrestrial invertebrates: California Department of Food and Agriculture 1-800-491-1899. California Department of Fish and Wildlife

About this list

The species list comes from Complete List of Amphibian, Reptile, Bird and Mammal Species in California (MAMMALIA section) (California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CWHR Program), 2016-05).

Venom labels come only from official sources and link to them; "Not stated" never means harmless. How labels work.

"Nonnative" and "Invasive" follow the wording of the source list. See invasive species in California.