Idaho Mammals: Species List With Pictures

Which mammals can hurt you

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

• 

  Grizzly Bear

  Approaching, disturbing or feeding bears is extremely dangerous (USFWS message published by IDFG). “Approaching, disturbing, or feeding bears, intentionally or accidentally, is extremely dangerous to both humans and bears.” Idaho Department of Fish and Game

• 

  Mountain Lion

  Attacks on people are very rare. “…since 1990 there have been 4 recorded attacks on humans by mountain lions in Idaho, none of which were fatal.” Idaho Department of Fish and Game

• Bats (rabies)

  Disease. “In Idaho, the rabies virus circulates among bats. Only a small percentage of bats in the wild have rabies (about 1 in 100).” Idaho Department of Health and Welfare

All 118 mammals on the list

• American Badger Taxidea taxus
• American Beaver Castor canadensis
• American Bison Bos bison
• American Black Bear Ursus americanus
• American Marten Martes americana
• American Mink Vison vison
• American Pika Ochotona princeps
• American Pygmy Shrew Sorex hoyi
• American Water Shrew Sorex palustris
• Belding's Ground Squirrel Urocitellus beldingi
• Big Brown Bat Eptesicus fuscus
• Bighorn Sheep Ovis canadensis
• Black-tailed Jackrabbit Lepus californicus
• Bobcat Lynx rufus
• Brazilian Free-tailed Bat Tadarida brasiliensis
• Bushy-tailed Woodrat Neotoma cinerea
• California Myotis Myotis californicus
• Canada Lynx Lynx canadensis
• Canyon Bat Parastrellus hesperus
• Canyon Deermouse Peromyscus crinitus
• Caribou Rangifer tarandus
• Chisel-toothed Kangaroo Rat Dipodomys microps
• Cinereus or Masked Shrew Sorex cinereus
• Cliff Chipmunk Tamias dorsalis
• Coast Mole Scapanus orarius
• Columbia Plateau Ground Squirrel Urocitellus canus
• Columbian Ground Squirrel Urocitellus columbianus
• Common Muskrat Ondatra zibethicus
• Coyote Canis latrans
• Dark Kangaroo Mouse Microdipodops megacephalus
• Desert Woodrat Neotoma lepida
• Domestic Cat Felis catus
• Domestic Cattle Bos taurus
• Domestic Dog Canis familiaris
• Dusky or Montane Shrew Sorex monticolus
• Dwarf Shrew Sorex nanus
• Eastern Cottontail Sylvilagus floridanus
• Eastern Fox Squirrel Sciurus niger
• Eastern Gray Squirrel Sciurus carolinensis
• Elk Cervus canadensis
• Ermine or Short-tailed Weasel Mustela erminea
• Feral Horse Equus caballus
• Fisher Pekania pennanti
• Fringed Myotis Myotis thysanodes
• Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel Callospermophilus lateralis
• Gray Wolf Canis lupus
• Great Basin Pocket Mouse Perognathus parvus
• Grizzly Bear or Brown Bear Ursus arctos
• Hoary Bat Lasiurus cinereus
• Hoary Marmot Marmota caligata
• House Mouse Mus musculus
• Idaho Pocket Gopher Thomomys idahoensis
• Kit Fox Vulpes macrotis
• Least Chipmunk Tamias minimus
• Little Brown Myotis Myotis lucifugus
• Little Pocket Mouse Perognathus longimembris
• Long-eared Myotis Myotis evotis
• Long-legged Myotis Myotis volans
• Long-tailed Vole Microtus longicaudus
• Long-tailed Weasel Mustela frenata
• Meadow Vole Microtus pennsylvanicus
• Merriam's Shrew Sorex merriami
• Montane Vole Microtus montanus
• Moose Alces americanus
• Mountain Cottontail Sylvilagus nuttallii
• Mountain Goat Oreamnos americanus
• Mountain Lion, Cougar, or Puma Puma concolor
• Mule Deer Odocoileus hemionus
• North American Deermouse Peromyscus maniculatus
• North American Porcupine Erethizon dorsatum
• North American Vole or Water Vole Microtus richardsoni
• Northern Bog Lemming Synaptomys borealis
• Northern Flying Squirrel Glaucomys sabrinus
• Northern Grasshopper Mouse Onychomys leucogaster
• Northern Idaho Ground Squirrel Urocitellus brunneus
• Northern Pocket Gopher Thomomys talpoides
• Northern Raccoon Procyon lotor
• Northern River Otter Lontra canadensis
• Norway Rat or Brown Rat Rattus norvegicusNonnative
• Ord's Kangaroo Rat Dipodomys ordii
• Pallid Bat Antrozous pallidus
• Piñon Mouse Peromyscus truei
• Piute Ground Squirrel Urocitellus mollis
• Pronghorn Antilocapra americana
• Pygmy Rabbit Brachylagus idahoensis
• Red Fox Vulpes vulpes
• Red Squirrel Tamiasciurus hudsonicus
• Red-tailed Chipmunk Tamias ruficaudus
• Ringtail Bassariscus astutus
• Rock Squirrel Otospermophilus variegatus
• Sagebrush Vole Lemmiscus curtatus
• Silver-haired Bat Lasionycteris noctivagans
• Snowshoe Hare Lepus americanus
• Southern Idaho Ground Squirrel Urocitellus endemicus
• Southern Red-backed Vole Myodes gapperi
• Spotted Bat Euderma maculatum
• Striped Skunk Mephitis mephitis
• Townsend's Big-eared Bat Corynorhinus townsendii
• Townsend's Pocket Gopher Thomomys townsendii
• Uinta Chipmunk Tamias umbrinus
• Uinta Ground Squirrel Urocitellus armatus
• Vagrant Shrew Sorex vagrans
• Virginia Opossum Didelphis virginiana
• Western Harvest Mouse Reithrodontomys megalotis
• Western Heather Vole Phenacomys intermedius
• Western Jumping Mouse Zapus princeps
• Western Red Bat Lasiurus blossevillii
• Western Small-footed Myotis Myotis ciliolabrum
• Western Spotted Skunk Spilogale gracilis
• White-tailed Antelope Squirrel Ammospermophilus leucurus
• White-tailed Deer Odocoileus virginianus
• White-tailed Jackrabbit Lepus townsendii
• Wolverine Gulo gulo
• Woodchuck Marmota monax
• Wyoming Ground Squirrel Urocitellus elegans
• 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.

Bobcat or Mountain lion (cougar)?

Bobcat Not stated

Mountain lion (cougar) Not stated

Cougars are one color (yellow-brown to light cinnamon) with a long tail. The bobcat's tail is short and its coat is spotted. TWRA says cougars are many times larger and longer, with a very long tail.

Bobcat or Canada lynx?

Bobcat Not stated

Canada lynx Not stated

A lynx has longer ear tufts and large, fur-covered feet (3.5 to 4.5 inches wide). A bobcat's feet are small and hairless (up to 2.5 inches). A lynx's tail has a black tip and no white underneath; a bobcat's tail is white underneath. Do not use the tail tip alone, because agencies describe the bobcat's tip differently (New Mexico white, Arizona black).

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).

American Black Bear or Grizzly (Brown) Bear?

American Black Bear Not stated

Grizzly (Brown) Bear Not stated

Grizzlies have longer front claws, humped shoulders and a more concave face. Color does not settle it: brown bears can be black to blonde.

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

When mammals are active in Idaho

Records of mammals in Idaho peak in April to August. They show when people record mammals, not how many there are (about month bars).

• Grizzly bears emerge from dens in spring. Idaho Department of Fish and Game

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 Idaho Department of Fish and Game and Idaho Department of Health and Welfare:

• Grizzly bears: stay at least 100 yards away; carry bear spray and keep it accessible; never feed bears. Idaho Department of Fish and Game
• Bat contact: if a bat bites you, lands on you, or is in the room when someone wakes up, contact your local public health district immediately (Idaho DHW). Idaho Department of Health and Welfare

How to report

Invasive species: Idaho Invasive Species Hotline 1-877-336-8676 (ISDA). Wildlife crimes: Citizens Against Poaching 1-800-632-5999 (IDFG). Bear sightings and conflicts: report to the state wildlife agency (IDFG regional offices). Idaho State Department of Agriculture

About this list

The species list comes from Idaho Species Catalog, Mammalia Class (In Idaho? = Yes), 3 pages (Idaho Department of Fish and Game, 2017 (Internet Archive captures 2017-05-06 and 2017-06-13)).

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 Idaho.