Maryland Mammals: Species List With Pictures

Which mammals can hurt you

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

• 

  Raccoon

  Rabies-vector species. “Relocation of rabies-vector species (raccoon, skunk, and fox) is prohibited” DNR

• Skunk

  Rabies-vector species. “Relocation of rabies-vector species (raccoon, skunk, and fox) is prohibited” DNR

• Fox

  Rabies-vector species. “Relocation of rabies-vector species (raccoon, skunk, and fox) is prohibited” DNR

• 

  Black bear

  May bluff charge when threatened. “When threatened, a black bear may also make a bluff charge.” DNR

All 101 mammals on the list

Bats (10)

• Big brown bat Eptesicus fuscus
• Eastern small-footed bat Myotis leibii
• Evening bat Nycticeius humeralis
• Hoary bat Lasiurus cinereus
• Indiana bat Myotis sodalis
• Little brown bat Myotis lucifugus
• Northern long-eared bat Myotis septentrionalis
• Red bat Lasiurus borealis
• Silver-haired bat Lasionycteris noctivagans
• Tricolored Bat Perimyotis subflavus

Bears (1)

• Black bear Ursus americanus

Beavers (1)

• American beaver Castor canadensis

Bowhead whales and right whales (1)

• North Atlantic right whale Eubalaena glacialis

Cats (2)

• Bobcat Lynx rufus
• Eastern mountain lion Felis concolor

Coyotes, Wolves and Foxes (4)

• Coyote Canis latrans
• Gray fox Urocyon cinereoargenteus
• Gray wolf Canis lupus
• Red fox Vulpes vulpes

Dwarf Sperm Whales (2)

• Dwarf sperm whale Kogia simus
• Pygmy sperm whale Kogia breviceps

Hoofed mammals (5)

• American bison Bos bison
• American elk Cervus elaphus
• Feral horse (Assateague pony) Equus caballusNonnative
• Sika deer Cervus nipponNonnative
• White-tailed deer Odocoileus virginianus

Jumping Mice (2)

• Meadow jumping mouse Zapus hudsonius
• Woodland jumping mouse Napaeozapus insignis

Lemmings (1)

• Southern bog lemming Synaptomys cooperi

Manatees (1)

• Manatee Trichechus manatus

Moles (3)

• Eastern mole Scalopus aquaticus
• Hairy-tailed mole Parascalops breweri
• Southeastern star-nosed mole Condylura cristata parva

Muskrats (1)

• Muskrat Ondatra zibethicus

New World Mice and Rats (5)

• Allegheny woodrat Neotoma magister
• Deer mouse Peromyscus maniculatus
• Eastern harvest mouse Reithrodontomys humulis
• Marsh rice rat Oryzomys palustris
• White-footed deer mouse Peromyscus leucopus

Nutria (1)

• Nutria Myocastor coypusInvasive

Oceanic Dolphins and Pilot Whales (11)

• Atlantic spotted dolphin Stenella frontalis
• Atlantic white-sided dolphin Lagenorhynchus acutus
• Bottle-nosed dolphin Tursiops truncatus
• Killer whale Orcinus orca
• Long-finned pilot whale Globicephala melas
• Melon-headed whale Peponocephala electra
• Risso's dolphin Grampus griseus
• Short-beaked common dolphin Delphinus delphis
• Short-finned pilot whale Globicephala macrorhynchus
• Striped dolphin Stenella coeruleoalba
• Tamanend's Bottlenose Dolphin Tursiops erebennus

Old World Mice and Rats (3)

• Black rat Rattus rattusNonnative
• House mouse Mus musculusNonnative
• Norway rat Rattus norvegicusNonnative

Opossums (1)

• Virginia opossum Didelphis virginiana

Porcupines (1)

• Porcupine Erethizon dorsatum

Porpoises (1)

• Harbor porpoise Phocoena phocoena

Rabbits and Hares (3)

• Appalachian cottontail Sylvilagus obscurus
• Eastern cottontail Sylvilagus floridanus
• Snowshoe hare Lepus americanus

Raccoons (1)

• Raccoon Procyon lotor

Rorqual whales (5)

• Blue whale Balaenoptera musculus
• Common minke whale Balaenoptera acutorostrata
• Fin whale Balaenoptera physalus
• Humpback whale Megaptera novaeangliae
• Sei whale Balaenoptera borealis

Seals (4)

• Gray seal Halichoerus grypus
• Harbor seal Phoca vitulina
• Harp seal Pagophilus groenlandicus
• Hooded seal Cystophora cristata

Shrews (8)

• Least shrew Cryptotis parva
• Long-tailed shrew Sorex dispar
• Masked shrew Sorex cinereus
• Northern short-tailed shrew Blarina brevicauda
• Smoky shrew Sorex fumeus
• Southeastern shrew Sorex longirostris
• Southern pygmy shrew Sorex hoyi winnemana
• Southern Water shrew Sorex palustris punctulatus

Skunks (2)

• Eastern spotted skunk Spilogale putorius
• Striped skunk Mephitis mephitis

Sperm Whales (1)

• Sperm whale Physeter macrocephalus

Squirrels and Chipmunks (7)

• Delmarva fox squirrel Sciurus niger cinereus
• Eastern chipmunk Tamias striatus
• Eastern fox squirrel Sciurus niger
• Eastern gray squirrel Sciurus carolinensis
• Groundhog (aka Woodchuck) Marmota monax
• Red squirrel Tamiasciurus hudsonicus
• Southern flying squirrel Glaucomys volans

Toothed Whales (2)

• Cuvier's beaked whale Ziphius cavirostris
• True's beaked whale Mesoplodon mirus

Voles (4)

• Meadow vole Microtus pennsylvanicus
• Southern red-backed vole Clethrionomys gapperi
• Southern Rock vole Microtus chrotorrhinus carolinensis
• Woodland vole Microtus pinetorum

Weasels, Minks and Otters (7)

• American ermine Mustela richardsonii
• American marten Martes americana
• Fisher Pekania pennanti
• Least weasel Mustela nivalis
• Long-tailed weasel Neogale frenata
• Mink Neovison vison
• Northern river otter Lontra canadensis

Mammals people confuse

Nutria or American beaver?

Nutria Not stated

American beaver Not stated

Beavers have a wide, flat tail and dark whiskers and reach up to 60 pounds; nutria have a round, sparsely haired tail and white whiskers.

Nutria or Muskrat?

Nutria Not stated

Muskrat Not stated

Muskrats have dark whiskers, a nearly triangular (side-flattened) tail and weigh at most 5 pounds. CDFW says most nutria reports it receives are actually muskrats.

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.

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

When mammals are active in Maryland

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

• Black bears often sighted outside their core range in spring. DNR
• Black bears den in late November through December, depending on weather. DNR
• Coyote breeding runs late January through March, peaking in February. DNR

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.

About this list

The species list comes from Mammals of Maryland (Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR), undated page; Internet Archive capture 2026-05-14).

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 Maryland.