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Maine Mammals: Species List With Pictures

Last checked November 3, 2026 against official sources.

On this page
  1. Which mammals can hurt you
  2. All 53 mammals
  3. Lookalikes
  4. When they are active
  5. If you are bitten or stung
  6. Common questions
  7. What official sources say
  8. About this list
  9. Sources

Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife: Mammals 83 7 11 26 marine (MDMR) 24 5 5 7 terrestrial (MDIFW) 59 2 6 19

This page lists 53 mammals. Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife gives a total of 83; the 53 here are the mammals official sources name one by one.

Which mammals can hurt you

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

  • Rabies carriers: skunks, raccoons, bats and foxes

    Maine CDC. “In Maine, the most commonly infected animals are skunks, raccoons, bats, and foxes.” Maine DHHS

  • Bats (rabies)

    About 4 in 100 bats tested in Maine are rabies positive. “Bats are occasionally found in homes and camps and should be submitted to the Public Health Lab for rabies testing if they come in contact with a person.” Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife

  • Seals and other stranded marine mammals

    DMR. “It is against the law to handle a marine mammal without proper authorization, and their sharp teeth can be very dangerous.” Maine Department of Marine Resources

  • Black Bear
    Photo: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service - Midwest Region · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

    Black Bear

    Human-bear conflicts (mainly damage to bird feeders and garbage, spring and early summer). “Most conflicts with bears can be prevented by removing common food attractants around homes.” Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife

  • Moose
    Photo: Alan Kneidel · CC BY 4.0 · iNaturalist

    Moose

    Vehicle collisions. “Minimize agricultural conflicts with moose and the number and severity of moose-vehicle collisions” Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife

All 53 mammals

From A to Z. Do not handle them.

Beaver
Photo: GrandTetonNPS · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Beaver

Castor canadensis

89 records by month.
No confirmed photo of Big Brown Bat

Big Brown Bat

Eptesicus fuscus

Conservation
State Special Concern (IFW list, December 21, 2024)
Black Bear
Photo: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service - Midwest Region · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Black Bear

Ursus americanus

Danger to people
“Most conflicts with bears can be prevented by removing common food attractants around homes.” Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife
Size
Smokies: males average about 6 ft long, 3 ft at the shoulder and 250 lb in summer; females usually just over 100 lb. Missouri: 46 to 78 inches long, 86 to 600 lb.
How to recognize it
  • Straight facial profile, rounded erect ears, very short tail
  • Short curved claws for climbing

Full Black Bear guide

Blue Whale
Photo: Carina Gsottbauer · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · resized

Blue Whale

Balaenoptera musculus

Conservation
SGCN 2025 Priority 1; Federal Endangered (1970); not on Maine's state list of Endangered and Threatened marine species
Bobcat
Photo: National Marine Sanctuaries · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Bobcat

Lynx rufus

Size
Total length 18 to 50 inches, tail 3 to 8 inches, weight 8 to 49 pounds (Missouri). About twice the size of a house cat.
How to recognize it
  • Short 'bobbed' tail, 4 to 8 inches, with a black tip and white underneath (Arizona). New Mexico instead describes black bars on top, white underneath and a white tip.
  • Pointed ears with tufts at the tips, often with cheek tufts
  • Backs of the ears are black with a light central spot

Full Bobcat guide

Canada Lynx
Photo: Norma Malinowski · CC BY 4.0 · iNaturalist

Canada Lynx

Lynx canadensis

Conservation
Federally Threatened, State Species of Special Concern
Coyote
Photo: Gaurav Vaidya from Chapel Hill, USA · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Coyote

Canis latrans

Size
About 3.5 to 4 feet long including the tail and roughly 2 feet tall at the shoulder; weight varies by region: Arizona 20 to 30 lb, Florida average about 28 lb, Georgia 25 to 45 lb
How to recognize it
  • Large pointed ears, long narrow nose, bushy black-tipped tail
  • Like a slender medium-sized dog, much smaller than a wolf
  • Paw track about 2 inches long (Florida)
46 records by month.

Full Coyote guide

Eastern Gray Squirrel
Photo: Mila C · CC BY 4.0 · iNaturalist

Eastern Gray Squirrel

Sciurus carolinensis

119 records by month.
Eastern Red Bat
Photo: Judy Gallagher · CC BY-SA 4.0 · iNaturalist · resized

Eastern Red Bat

Lasiurus borealis

Conservation
State Special Concern (IFW list, December 21, 2024)
Eastern Small-footed Bat
Photo: Kate Kruesi · CC BY 4.0 · iNaturalist

Eastern Small-footed Bat

Myotis leibii

Conservation
State Threatened (IFW list, October 25, 2023)
Finback Whale
Photo: Steven Lamonde · CC BY 4.0 · iNaturalist

Finback Whale

Balaenoptera physalus

Conservation
SGCN 2025 Priority 1; State Endangered; Federal Endangered
Fisher
Photo: christine123 · CC BY 4.0 · iNaturalist

Fisher

Pekania pennanti

Size
New York: males 7 to 15 pounds and 35 to 47 inches; females 3 to 7 pounds and 30 to 37 inches. Figures vary by state.
How to recognize it
  • Low to the ground with short legs, small ears and a well-furred tail
  • Tail about one-third of total length
  • Five toes and sharp semi-retractable claws; bright green eyeshine at night

Full Fisher guide

Gray Wolf or Eastern Canadian Wolf
Photo: Robbie Hannawacker · CC0 1.0 · iNaturalist

Gray Wolf or Eastern Canadian Wolf

Canis lupus

Size
Adults about 40 to 175 pounds depending on sex and region; on average about five to six feet long (Isle Royale), up to 6 feet including the tail (Washington), and 26 to 34 inches at the shoulder. Twice the size of a coyote.
How to recognize it
  • Longer legs, larger feet, wider head and snout, shorter ears, narrow body and straight tail compared with most coyotes and dogs.
  • Tracks about 5 inches long by 4 inches wide, with claws showing.
  • Long, drawn-out howls, audible up to five miles.
Conservation
State: Extirpated; Federal: Endangered

Full Gray Wolf or Eastern Canadian Wolf guide

No confirmed photo of Harbor Porpoise

Harbor Porpoise

Phocoena phocoena

Conservation
SGCN 2025 Priority 3
Hoary Bat
Photo: otiegoat · CC BY 4.0 · iNaturalist

Hoary Bat

Lasiurus cinereus

Conservation
State Special Concern (IFW list, December 21, 2024)
No confirmed photo of Humpback Whale

Humpback Whale

Megaptera novaeangliae

Conservation
SGCN 2025 Priority 1; State Endangered (1975); federal: North Atlantic distinct population segment Delisted (2016), previously Endangered (1970)
No confirmed photo of Little Brown Bat

Little Brown Bat

Myotis lucifugus

Conservation
State Endangered (IFW list, October 25, 2023)
No confirmed photo of Long-tailed Shrew

Long-tailed Shrew

Sorex dispar

Conservation
SGCN 2025 Priority 3
No confirmed photo of Masked Shrew

Masked Shrew

Sorex cinereus

No confirmed photo of Meadow Vole

Meadow Vole

Microtus pennsylvanicus

No confirmed photo of New England Cottontail

New England Cottontail

Sylvilagus transitionalis

Conservation
State Endangered (Maine Endangered Species list, October 25, 2023)
No confirmed photo of Northern Bog Lemming

Northern Bog Lemming

Synaptomys borealis

Conservation
State Threatened (IFW list, October 25, 2023)
No confirmed photo of Northern Flying Squirrel

Northern Flying Squirrel

No confirmed photo of Northern Long-eared Bat

Northern Long-eared Bat

Myotis septentrionalis

Conservation
State Endangered (IFW list, October 25, 2023); Federally Threatened (IFW footnote **)
Porcupine
Photo: The Cosmonaut · CC BY-SA 2.5 ca · Wikimedia Commons · resized

Porcupine

Erethizon dorsatum

Size
Adults about 30 inches including a 6- to 10-inch tail, 9 to 15 pounds, older adults up to 20 pounds (Pennsylvania). Massachusetts: 25-31 inches, averaging 12 pounds in early spring to 20 in fall. Minnesota: 24 to 40 inches, 18 to 35 pounds.
How to recognize it
  • Coat of quills; up to 30,000
  • Only North American mammal with coat hairs modified as quills
  • Short legs, long claws, high-arching back
125 records by month.

Full Porcupine guide

Red Fox
Photo: David Willingham · CC BY 4.0 · iNaturalist

Red Fox

Vulpes vulpes

72 records by month.
River Otter
Photo: Adam Jackson · CC0 1.0 · iNaturalist

River Otter

Lontra canadensis

37 records by month.
No confirmed photo of Rock (yellow-nosed) Vole

Rock (yellow-nosed) Vole

Microtus chrotorrhinus

Conservation
SGCN 2025 Priority 3
No confirmed photo of Sei Whale

Sei Whale

Balaenoptera borealis

Conservation
SGCN 2025 Priority 1; State Endangered; Federal Endangered
No confirmed photo of Short-tailed Weasel (Ermine)

Short-tailed Weasel (Ermine)

Mustela erminea

Silver-haired Bat
Photo: Sam Kieschnick · CC BY 4.0 · iNaturalist

Silver-haired Bat

Lasionycteris noctivagans

Conservation
State Special Concern (IFW list, December 21, 2024)
No confirmed photo of Southern Flying Squirrel

Southern Flying Squirrel

Sperm Whale
Photo: Whale Watch Kaikoura / Destination Kaikōura · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Sperm Whale

Physeter macrocephalus

Conservation
SGCN 2025 Priority 1; State Endangered; Federal Endangered
No confirmed photo of Star-nosed Mole

Star-nosed Mole

Condylura cristata

Tri-colored Bat
Photo: Felix Zareie-Vaux · CC0 1.0 · iNaturalist

Tri-colored Bat

Pipistrellus subflavus

Conservation
State Threatened (IFW list, October 25, 2023)
Virginia Opossum
Photo: Shirley Zundell · CC BY 4.0 · iNaturalist

Virginia Opossum

Didelphis virginiana

Size
Weighs 4 to 7 lb and stands 6 to 8 inches high at the shoulder (South Carolina DNR); about the size of a house cat
How to recognize it
  • Long pointed nose, black hairless ears, dark eyes, nearly hairless grasping (prehensile) tail
  • Long scaly tail and a pointed snout ending in a pink nose
  • Opposable thumb-like big toe (hallux) on each hind foot

Full Virginia Opossum guide

No confirmed photo of White-footed Mouse

White-footed Mouse

Peromyscus leucopus

No confirmed photo of White-tailed Deer

White-tailed Deer

Odocoileus virginianus

232 records by month.
No confirmed photo of Woodland Vole

Woodland Vole

Microtus pinetorum

Conservation
SGCN 2025 Priority 3

Mammals people confuse

Bobcat or Canada lynx?

Bobcat
Photo: National Marine Sanctuaries · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Bobcat Not stated

Canada lynx
Photo: Norma Malinowski · CC BY 4.0 · iNaturalist

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).

Coyote or Gray wolf?

Coyote
Photo: Gaurav Vaidya from Chapel Hill, USA · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Coyote Not stated

Gray wolf
Photo: Robbie Hannawacker · CC0 1.0 · iNaturalist

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.

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

When mammals are active in Maine

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

1,994 records of mammals in Maine by month (GBIF, CC0 and CC BY records).

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 Maine Department of Marine Resources and Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife:

Common questions

What official sources say

Are there wolves or mountain lions in Maine?

No. IFW lists the wolf and the eastern cougar among mammals extinct or extirpated from Maine. Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife

“These include the sea mink, caribou, eastern cougar, and wolf.”

About this list

The species list comes from No complete official mammal checklist found. Entries: IFW mammal species pages, 2025 SWAP SGCN table, DMR protected-species pages (Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, IFW pages undated; SWAP Element 1 final 2026-03-10). 53 more entries come from other official sources named on each card.

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

Sources

  1. Listed Species (Maine Endangered and Threatened Species). Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. undated page; checked November 3, 2026.
  2. Mammals: Species Information. Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. undated page; checked November 3, 2026.
    Quoted passages (1)
    “These include the sea mink, caribou, eastern cougar, and wolf.”
  3. Maine 2025 State Wildlife Action Plan, Element 1 (Final, 2026-03-10). Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. Final 2026-03-10; checked November 3, 2026.
    Quoted passages (1)
    “Mammals 83 7 11 26 marine (MDMR) 24 5 5 7 terrestrial (MDIFW) 59 2 6 19”
  4. Bear (mammal species page). Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. undated page; checked November 3, 2026.
    Quoted passages (3)
    “Most conflicts with bears can be prevented by removing common food attractants around homes.”
    “To prevent conflicts with black bears each year when bears are active (April 1-November 1):”
    “…when bears are active (April 1-November 1)”
  5. Beaver (mammal species page). Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. undated page; checked November 3, 2026.
  6. Bobcat (mammal species page). Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. undated page; checked November 3, 2026.
  7. Bog Lemming (mammal species page). Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. undated page; checked November 3, 2026.
  8. Canada Lynx (mammal species page). Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. undated page; checked November 3, 2026.
  9. Coyote (mammal species page). Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. undated page; checked November 3, 2026.
  10. Deer (mammal species page). Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. undated page; checked November 3, 2026.
  11. Eastern Gray Squirrel (mammal species page). Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. undated page; checked November 3, 2026.
  12. Ermine (mammal species page). Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. undated page; checked November 3, 2026.
  13. Fisher (mammal species page). Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. undated page; checked November 3, 2026.
  14. Marten (mammal species page). Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. undated page; checked November 3, 2026.
  15. Masked Shrew (mammal species page). Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. undated page; checked November 3, 2026.
  16. Meadow Vole (mammal species page). Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. undated page; checked November 3, 2026.
  17. Mink (mammal species page). Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. undated page; checked November 3, 2026.
  18. Moose (mammal species page). Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. undated page; checked November 3, 2026.
    Quoted passages (1)
    “Minimize agricultural conflicts with moose and the number and severity of moose-vehicle collisions”
  19. Muskrat (mammal species page). Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. undated page; checked November 3, 2026.
  20. Opossum (mammal species page). Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. undated page; checked November 3, 2026.
  21. Porcupine (mammal species page). Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. undated page; checked November 3, 2026.
  22. Raccoon (mammal species page). Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. undated page; checked November 3, 2026.
  23. Red Squirrel (mammal species page). Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. undated page; checked November 3, 2026.
  24. River Otter (mammal species page). Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. undated page; checked November 3, 2026.
  25. Star Nosed Mole (mammal species page). Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. undated page; checked November 3, 2026.
  26. Striped Skunk (mammal species page). Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. undated page; checked November 3, 2026.
  27. White Footed Mouse (mammal species page). Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. undated page; checked November 3, 2026.
  28. Woodchuck (mammal species page). Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. undated page; checked November 3, 2026.
  29. Eastern Chipmunk (mammal species page). Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. undated page; checked November 3, 2026.
  30. Flying Squirrel (mammal species page). Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. undated page; checked November 3, 2026.
  31. Foxes (mammal species page). Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. undated page; checked November 3, 2026.
  32. Cottontail Snowshoe Hare (mammal species page). Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. undated page; checked November 3, 2026.
  33. Bats (mammal species page). Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. undated page; checked November 3, 2026.
    Quoted passages (1)
    “Bats are occasionally found in homes and camps and should be submitted to the Public Health Lab for rabies testing if they come in contact with a person.”
  34. Large Whale Species Of New England (DMR species information). Maine Department of Marine Resources. undated page; checked November 3, 2026.
  35. Seals (DMR species information). Maine Department of Marine Resources. undated page; checked November 3, 2026.
    Quoted passages (2)
    “It is against the law to handle a marine mammal without proper authorization, and their sharp teeth can be very dangerous.”
    “The National Marine Fisheries Service recommend that any stranded animal be left alone.”
  36. Rabies. Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Maine DHHS). undated page; checked November 3, 2026.
    Quoted passages (1)
    “In Maine, the most commonly infected animals are skunks, raccoons, bats, and foxes.”
  37. GBIF.org occurrence records, human observations licensed CC0 1.0 or CC BY 4.0 only, accessed November 3, 2026. The datasets behind these counts are listed on our Sources page.