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Atlantic Killer Whale
Orcinus orca
New Jersey Mammals: Species List With Pictures
Last checked November 3, 2026 against official sources.
On this page
This page lists 89 mammals: all from NJDEP Division of Fish & Wildlife's Mammals of New Jersey. 7 are nonnative.
Which mammals can hurt you
Official sources single out these mammals in New Jersey, in their own words:
-
Photo: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service - Midwest Region · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons Black Bear
Bears near homes and trails. “However, if you encounter a black bear in your neighborhood or outdoors while hiking or camping, follow these common-sense safety tips.” NJDEP Fish & Wildlife
All 89 mammals
From A to Z. Do not handle them.
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Beaver
Castor candensis
No confirmed photo of Beluga Whale
Beluga Whale
Delphinapterus leucas
No confirmed photo of Big Brown Bat
Big Brown Bat
Eptesicus fuscus
- Conservation
- State Special Concern
Black Bear
Ursus americanus
- Danger to people
- “However, if you encounter a black bear in your neighborhood or outdoors while hiking or camping, follow these common-sense safety tips.” NJDEP Fish & 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
- Where in New Jersey
- Confirmed sightings in all 21 counties NJDEP Fish & Wildlife
Black Rat
Rattus rattus
Black Right Whale
Balaena glacialis
- Conservation
- State Endangered (also federally endangered or threatened)
No confirmed photo of Black-tailed Jackrabbit
Black-tailed Jackrabbit
Lepus californicus
Blue Whale
Balaenoptera musculus
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Bobcat
Felis 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
- Where in New Jersey
- Rebounding in northern NJ; very few observations in central and southern NJ NJDEP Fish & Wildlife
- Conservation
- State Threatened
Bottle-nosed Dolphin
Tursiops truncatus
- Conservation
- State Special Concern
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Bridled Spotted Dolphin
Stenella frontalis
Brown Rat
Rattus norvegicus
No confirmed photo of Dense Beaked Whale
Dense Beaked Whale
Mesoplodon densirostris
No confirmed photo of Dwarf Sperm Whale
Dwarf Sperm Whale
Kogia simus
Eastern Chipmunk
Tamias striatus
Eastern Cottontail
Sylvilagus floridanus
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Eastern Coyote
Canis latrans, var.
- 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)
No confirmed photo of Eastern Mole
Eastern Mole
Scalopus aquaticus
Eastern Pipistrel
Pipistrellus subflavus
- Conservation
- State Endangered
No confirmed photo of Eastern Wood Rat
Eastern Wood Rat
Neotoma floridana
- Where in New Jersey
- Hudson River Palisades (only remaining population, as Allegheny woodrat) NJDEP Fish & Wildlife
- Conservation
- State Endangered
No confirmed photo of Ermine
Ermine
Mustela erminea
No confirmed photo of European Hare
European Hare
Lepus capensis
Fin Whale
Balaenoptera physalus
- Conservation
- State Endangered (also federally endangered or threatened)
No confirmed photo of Gervais Beaked Whale
Gervais Beaked Whale
Mesoplodon europaeus
Goose-beaked Whale
Ziphius cavirostris
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Gray Fox
Urocyon cinereoargenteus
Gray Seal
Halichoerus grypus
Gray Squirrel
Sciurus carolinensis
No confirmed photo of Hairy-tailed Mole
Hairy-tailed Mole
Parascalops breweri
- Conservation
- Undetermined-Unknown (state nongame list)
No confirmed photo of Harbor Porpoise
Harbor Porpoise
Phocoena phocoena
- Conservation
- State Special Concern
Harbor Seal
Phoca vitulina
No confirmed photo of Harp Seal
Harp Seal
Pagophilus groenlandica
Hoary Bat
Lasiurus cinereus
- Conservation
- State Special Concern
Hooded Seal
Cystophora cristata
House mouse
Mus musculus
No confirmed photo of Humpback Whale
Humpback Whale
Megaptera novaeangliae
- Conservation
- State Endangered (also federally endangered or threatened)
No confirmed photo of Indiana Bat
Indiana Bat
Myotis sodalis
- Conservation
- State Endangered (also federally endangered or threatened)
No confirmed photo of Keen Myotis
Keen Myotis
Myotis septentrionalis
- Conservation
- State Endangered (also federally endangered or threatened)
No confirmed photo of Least Shrew
Least Shrew
Crytotis parva
- Conservation
- Undetermined-Unknown (state nongame list)
No confirmed photo of Little Brown Bat
Little Brown Bat
Myotis lucifugus
- Conservation
- State Endangered
No confirmed photo of Long-finned Pilot Whale
Long-finned Pilot Whale
Globicephala melaena
No confirmed photo of Long-tailed Shrew
Long-tailed Shrew
Sorex dispar
- Conservation
- Undetermined-Unknown (state nongame list)
Long-tailed Weasel
Mustela frenata
No confirmed photo of Marsh Rice Rat
Marsh Rice Rat
Oryzomys palustris
- Conservation
- Undetermined-Unknown (state nongame list)
No confirmed photo of Masked Shrew
Masked Shrew
Sorex cinereus
No confirmed photo of Meadow Jumping Mouse
Meadow Jumping Mouse
Zapus hudsonius
- Conservation
- State Special Concern
No confirmed photo of Meadow Vole
Meadow Vole
Microtus pennsylvanicus
Mink
Mustela vison
Minke Whale
Balaenoptera acutorostrata
- Conservation
- Undetermined-Unknown (state nongame list)
Muskrat
Ondatra zibethicus
No confirmed photo of New England Cottontail
New England Cottontail
Sylvilagus transitionalis
No confirmed photo of Northern Flying Squirrel
Northern Flying Squirrel
Glaucomys sabrinus
- Conservation
- Undetermined-Unknown (state nongame list)
No confirmed photo of Northern yellow bat
Northern yellow bat
Lasiurus intermedius
Nutria
Myocastor coypus
- Size
- Body 47 to 61 cm (about 1.5 to 2 ft) plus a tail of about 37 to 41 cm (USGS). Males reach about 20 lb and females 18 lb (USGS). CDFW: up to 2.5 ft body length, 12 to 18 inch tail, 20+ lb.
- How to recognize it
- White whiskers and a large, round, sparsely haired tail.
- Large dark-orange front teeth (incisors).
- Hind feet webbed on four of five toes.
No confirmed photo of Opossum
Opossum
Didelphis marsupialis
No confirmed photo of Pine Vole
Pine Vole
Microtus pinetorum
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
No confirmed photo of Pygmy Shrew
Pygmy Shrew
Sorex hoyii
- Conservation
- Undetermined-Unknown (state nongame list)
No confirmed photo of Pygmy Sperm Whale
Pygmy Sperm Whale
Kogia breviceps
Raccoon
Procyon lotor
Red Bat
Lasiurus borealis
- Conservation
- State Special Concern
Red Fox
Vulpes vulpes
Red Squirrel
Tamiasciurus hudsonicus
No confirmed photo of Red-backed Mouse
Red-backed Mouse
Clethrionomys gapperi
Risso’s Dolphin
Grampus griseus
River Otter
Lutra canadensis
Saddle-backed Dolphin
Delphinus delphis
No confirmed photo of Sei Whale
Sei Whale
Balaenoptera borealis
No confirmed photo of Short-finned Pilot Whale
Short-finned Pilot Whale
Globicephala macrorhyncus
- Conservation
- Undetermined-Unknown (state nongame list)
No confirmed photo of Short-tailed Shrew
Short-tailed Shrew
Blarina brevicauda
Silver-haired Bat
Lasionycteris noctivagans
- Conservation
- State Special Concern
Small-footed Myotis
Myotis leibii
- Conservation
- State Endangered
No confirmed photo of Smokey Shrew
Smokey Shrew
Sorex fumeus
- Conservation
- Undetermined-Unknown (state nongame list)
No confirmed photo of Southern Bog Lemming
Southern Bog Lemming
Synaptomys cooperi
- Conservation
- Undetermined-Unknown (state nongame list)
No confirmed photo of Southern Flying Squirrel
Southern Flying Squirrel
Glaucomys volans
Sperm Whale
Physeter macrocephalus
No confirmed photo of Spotted Dolphin
Spotted Dolphin
Stenella plagiodon
No confirmed photo of Star-nosed Mole
Star-nosed Mole
Condylura cristata
Striped Dolphin
Stenella coeruleoalba
- Conservation
- Undetermined-Unknown (state nongame list)
Striped Skunk
Mephitis mephitis
No confirmed photo of True’s Beaked Whale
True’s Beaked Whale
Mesoplodon mirus
No confirmed photo of Tuckahoe Masked Shrew
Tuckahoe Masked Shrew
Sorex cinereus nigriculus
- Conservation
- Undetermined-Unknown (state nongame list)
No confirmed photo of Water Shrew
Water Shrew
Sorex palustris
- Conservation
- Undetermined-Unknown (state nongame list)
No confirmed photo of White-footed Mouse
White-footed Mouse
Peromyscus leucopus
No confirmed photo of White-tailed Deer
White-tailed Deer
Odocoileus virginianus
White-tailed Jackrabbit
Lepus townsendii
Woodchuck
Marmota monax
No confirmed photo of Woodland Jumping Mouse
Woodland Jumping Mouse
Napaeozapus insignis
- Conservation
- Undetermined-Unknown (state nongame list)
Mammals people confuse
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.
Photos show typical adults; individuals vary. Never get close to compare.
When mammals are active in New Jersey
Records of mammals in New Jersey peak in March to August. They show when people record mammals, not how many there are (about month bars).
- Black bears are not true hibernators and may be active all year. NJDEP Fish & Wildlife
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 NJDEP Fish & Wildlife:
- Black bears: secure garbage and other attractants; report bear damage or nuisance behavior to 1-877-WARN DEP. NJDEP Fish & Wildlife
What official sources say
Are there black bears in New Jersey?
Yes. The population has grown since the 1980s and spread south and east from northwestern New Jersey. NJDEP Fish & Wildlife
“…there are now confirmed bear sightings in all 21 of New Jersey’s counties.”
About this list
The species list comes from Mammals of New Jersey (checklist) (NJDEP Division of Fish & Wildlife, Last Updated: December 10, 2004).
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 New Jersey.
Sources
- New Jersey's Endangered, Threatened, and Special Concern Species. NJDEP Fish & Wildlife, ENSP. archived copy, captured August 25, 2026; checked November 3, 2026.
- Mammals of New Jersey (checklist). NJDEP Division of Fish & Wildlife. updated December 10, 2004; checked November 3, 2026.
- New Jersey's Mammals. NJDEP Fish & Wildlife. archived copy, captured October 3, 2026; checked November 3, 2026.
- Black Bears in New Jersey. NJDEP Fish & Wildlife. archived copy, captured July 21, 2026; checked November 3, 2026.
Quoted passages (4)
“However, if you encounter a black bear in your neighborhood or outdoors while hiking or camping, follow these common-sense safety tips.”
“Prevent bear encounters by securing garbage and other attractants.”
“Black bears are not true hibernators and may be active throughout the year.”
“…there are now confirmed bear sightings in all 21 of New Jersey’s counties.”
- 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.