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No confirmed photo of Allegheny Woodrat
Allegheny Woodrat
Neotoma magister
- Conservation
- New York Endangered
New York Mammals: Species List With Pictures
Last checked November 3, 2026 against official sources.
On this page
NYSDEC Division of Fish and Wildlife: The following list of amphibians (34 species), reptiles (38), birds (474) and mammals (93)
This page lists 90 mammals: all from NYSDEC Division of Fish and Wildlife's Checklist of Amphibians, Reptiles, Birds and Mammals of New York State, Including Their Legal Status. 3 are nonnative. NYSDEC Division of Fish and Wildlife gives a total of 93; the 90 here are the mammals official sources name one by one.
Which mammals can hurt you
Official sources single out these mammals in New York, in their own words:
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Photo: Marco Antonino Ramos Rodríguez · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · resized Raccoon
Rabies. “Rabies is most often seen among wild animals such as raccoons, bats, skunks, and foxes, but any mammal can be infected with rabies.” New York State Department of Health
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Bats
Rabies. “Rabies is most often seen among wild animals such as raccoons, bats, skunks, and foxes, but any mammal can be infected with rabies.” New York State Department of Health
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Skunks
Rabies. “Rabies is most often seen among wild animals such as raccoons, bats, skunks, and foxes, but any mammal can be infected with rabies.” New York State Department of Health
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Foxes
Rabies. “Rabies is most often seen among wild animals such as raccoons, bats, skunks, and foxes, but any mammal can be infected with rabies.” New York State Department of Health
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Photo: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service - Midwest Region · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons Black Bear
Can become defensive if surprised, approached or emboldened by human food. “Although black bears have a natural fear of humans, they can act or become defensive if surprised, approached, or become emboldened by human food sources.” NYSDEC
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Eastern Coyote
DEC says a coyote that does not flee from people should be considered dangerous. “A coyote that does not flee from people should be considered dangerous.” NYSDEC
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Photo: Dan Vickers · CC BY 4.0 · iNaturalist Moose
Vehicle collisions. “Moose are most active from dusk to dawn, when their coloration makes them difficult to see in the roadway” NYSDEC
All 90 mammals
From A to Z. Do not handle them.
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American Beaver
Castor canadensis
American Black Bear
Ursus americanus
- Danger to people
- “Although black bears have a natural fear of humans, they can act or become defensive if surprised, approached, or become emboldened by human food sources.” NYSDEC
- 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
American Marten
Martes americana
American Mink
Neovison vison
No confirmed photo of American Pygmy Shrew
American Pygmy Shrew
Sorex hoyi
No confirmed photo of American Water Shrew
American Water Shrew
Sorex palustris
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Atlantic Spotted Dolphin
Stenella frontalis
Atlantic White-sided Dolphin
Lagenorhynchus acutus
No confirmed photo of Big Brown Bat
Big Brown Bat
Eptesicus fuscus
No confirmed photo of Blainville’s Beaked Whale
Blainville’s Beaked Whale
Mesoplodon densirostris
Blue Whale
Balaenoptera musculus
- Conservation
- Federal Endangered; New York Endangered
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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
Bottlenose Dolphin
Tursiops truncatus
Brown Rat
Rattus norvegicus
Canadian Lynx
Lynx canadensis
- Conservation
- Federal Threatened; New York Threatened
No confirmed photo of Cinereus Shrew
Cinereus Shrew
Sorex cinereus
Common Minke Whale
Balaenoptera acutorostrata
Common Muskrat
Ondatra zibethicus
Cougar
Puma concolor
- Size
- Total length 5 to 8.5 feet including a 21 to 37.5 inch tail; males 79 to 265 lb, females 64 to 141 lb (Missouri Department of Conservation).
- How to recognize it
- Very large, slender cat with a small head, small rounded ears without tufts and a long, heavy tail.
- The tail may be one-third of the total length; much larger than a bobcat or lynx.
- Tracks: 2.75 to 3.75 inches wide, three lobes at the bottom of the heel pad, claw marks usually absent.
- Conservation
- New York Endangered
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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)
Cuvier’s Beaked Whale
Ziphius cavirostris
Eastern Chipmunk
Tamias striatus
Eastern Cottontail
Sylvilagus floridanus
Eastern Fox Squirrel
Sciurus niger
Eastern Gray Squirrel
Sciurus carolinensis
No confirmed photo of Eastern Mole
Eastern Mole
Scalopus aquaticus
Eastern Pipistrelle
Pipistrellus subflavus
Eastern Red Bat
Lasiurus borealis
Eastern Small-footed Myotis
Myotis leibii
- Conservation
- New York Special Concern
No confirmed photo of Ermine
Ermine
Mustela erminea
Fin Whale
Balaenoptera physalus
- Conservation
- Federal Endangered; New York Endangered
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
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Gray Fox
Urocyon cinereoargenteus
Gray Seal
Halichoerus grypus
No confirmed photo of Hairy-tailed Mole
Hairy-tailed Mole
Parascalops breweri
No confirmed photo of Harbor Porpoise
Harbor Porpoise
Phocoena phocoena
- Conservation
- New York Special Concern
Harbor Seal
Phoca vitulina
Harp Seal
Pagophilus groenlandicus
Hoary Bat
Lasiurus cinereus
Hooded Seal
Cystophora cristata
House Mouse
Mus musculus
No confirmed photo of Humpback Whale (West Indies Distinct Population Segment)
Humpback Whale (West Indies Distinct Population Segment)
Megaptera novaeangliae
- Conservation
- New York Endangered
No confirmed photo of Indiana Myotis
Indiana Myotis
Myotis sodalis
- Conservation
- Federal Endangered; New York Endangered
No confirmed photo of Least Weasel
Least Weasel
Mustela nivalis
No confirmed photo of Little Brown Myotis
Little Brown Myotis
Myotis lucifugus
No confirmed photo of Long-finned Pilot Whale
Long-finned Pilot Whale
Globicephala melas
No confirmed photo of Long-tailed Shrew
Long-tailed Shrew
Sorex dispar
Long-tailed Weasel
Mustela frenata
No confirmed photo of Meadow Jumping Mouse
Meadow Jumping Mouse
Zapus hudsonius
No confirmed photo of Meadow Vole
Meadow Vole
Microtus pennsylvanicus
Moose
Alces americanus
- Danger to people
- “Moose are most active from dusk to dawn, when their coloration makes them difficult to see in the roadway” NYSDEC
No confirmed photo of New England Cottontail
New England Cottontail
Sylvilagus transitionalis
- Conservation
- New York Special Concern
North American Deermouse
Peromyscus maniculatus
No confirmed photo of North American Least Shrew
North American Least Shrew
Cryptotis parva
No confirmed photo of North American Porcupine
North American Porcupine
Erethizon dorsata
North American River Otter
Lontra canadensis
North Atlantic Right Whale
Eubalaena glacialis
- Conservation
- Federal Endangered; New York Endangered
No confirmed photo of Northern Flying Squirrel
Northern Flying Squirrel
Glaucomys sabrinus
No confirmed photo of Northern Myotis
Northern Myotis
Myotis septentrionalis
- Conservation
- Federal Threatened; New York Threatened
No confirmed photo of Northern Short-tailed Shrew
Northern Short-tailed Shrew
Blarina brevicauda
No confirmed photo of Pygmy Sperm Whale
Pygmy Sperm Whale
Kogia breviceps
Raccoon
Procyon lotor
- Danger to people
- “Rabies is most often seen among wild animals such as raccoons, bats, skunks, and foxes, but any mammal can be infected with rabies.” New York State Department of Health
Red Fox
Vulpes vulpes
Red Squirrel
Tamiasciurus hudsonicus
No confirmed photo of Ringed Seal
Ringed Seal
Pusa hispida
Risso’s Dolphin
Grampus griseus
No confirmed photo of Rock Vole
Rock Vole
Microtus chrotorrhinus
Roof Rat
Rattus rattus
No confirmed photo of Sei Whale
Sei Whale
Balaenoptera borealis
- Conservation
- Federal Endangered; New York Endangered
Short-beaked Common Dolphin
Delphinus delphis
Silver-haired Bat
Lasionycteris noctivagans
No confirmed photo of Smoky Shrew
Smoky Shrew
Sorex fumeus
Snowshoe Hare
Lepus americanus
No confirmed photo of Southern Bog Lemming
Southern Bog Lemming
Synaptomys cooperi
No confirmed photo of Southern Flying Squirrel
Southern Flying Squirrel
Glaucomys volans
No confirmed photo of Southern Red-backed Vole
Southern Red-backed Vole
Myodes gapperi
Sperm Whale
Physeter catodon
- Conservation
- Federal Endangered; New York Endangered
No confirmed photo of Star-nosed Mole
Star-nosed Mole
Condylura cristata
Striped Dolphin
Stenella coeruleoalba
Striped Skunk
Mephitis mephitis
No confirmed photo of True's Beaked Whale
True's Beaked Whale
Mesoplodon mirus
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
No confirmed photo of White-beaked Dolphin
White-beaked Dolphin
Lagenorhynchus albirostris
No confirmed photo of White-footed Deermouse
White-footed Deermouse
Peromyscus leucopus
No confirmed photo of White-tailed Deer
White-tailed Deer
Odocoileus virginianus
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
- Federal Endangered; New York Endangered
Woodchuck
Marmota monax
No confirmed photo of Woodland Jumping Mouse
Woodland Jumping Mouse
Napaeozapus insignis
No confirmed photo of Woodland Vole
Woodland Vole
Microtus pinetorum
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. NYSDEC
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).
Photos show typical adults; individuals vary. Never get close to compare.
When mammals are active in New York
Records of mammals in New York peak in February to July and October. 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 NYSDEC:
Common questions
What official sources say
Are there bears in New York?
Yes. DEC estimates a minimum of 6,000-8,000 black bears in areas open to hunting, with 50-60% in the Adirondack region. NYSDEC
“Currently estimated at a minimum of 6,000-8,000 bears in areas open to hunting”
Are there moose in New York?
Yes. DEC biologists estimated roughly 600-700 moose in the Adirondack Region as of 2018. NYSDEC
“DEC biologists estimated that there are roughly 600-700 moose in the Adirondack Region as of 2018”
About this list
The species list comes from Checklist of Amphibians, Reptiles, Birds and Mammals of New York State, Including Their Legal Status (NYSDEC Division of Fish and Wildlife, February 2019 (tenth revision)).
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 York.
Sources
- Amphibians and Reptiles. NYSDEC. archived copy, captured May 22, 2026; checked November 3, 2026.
- Checklist of Amphibians, Reptiles, Birds and Mammals of New York State, Including Their Legal Status (Tenth revision, February 2019). NYSDEC Division of Fish and Wildlife. February 2019; checked November 3, 2026.
Quoted passages (1)
“The following list of amphibians (34 species), reptiles (38), birds (474) and mammals (93)”
- Be BearWise. NYSDEC. archived copy, captured September 24, 2026; checked November 3, 2026.
Quoted passages (2)
“Although black bears have a natural fear of humans, they can act or become defensive if surprised, approached, or become emboldened by human food sources.”
“Never feed or approach bears”
- Rabies: What to Know. New York State Department of Health. undated page; checked November 3, 2026.
Quoted passages (1)
“Rabies is most often seen among wild animals such as raccoons, bats, skunks, and foxes, but any mammal can be infected with rabies.”
- Moose. NYSDEC. archived copy, captured June 16, 2026; checked November 3, 2026.
Quoted passages (2)
“Moose are most active from dusk to dawn, when their coloration makes them difficult to see in the roadway”
“DEC biologists estimated that there are roughly 600-700 moose in the Adirondack Region as of 2018”
- Coyote Conflicts. NYSDEC. archived copy, captured August 31, 2026; checked November 3, 2026.
Quoted passages (2)
“A coyote that does not flee from people should be considered dangerous.”
“Do not approach a coyote or let children or pets approach a coyote.”
- Black Bear. NYSDEC. archived copy, captured July 11, 2026; checked November 3, 2026.
Quoted passages (1)
“Currently estimated at a minimum of 6,000-8,000 bears in areas open to hunting”
- Gray Wolf. NYSDEC. archived copy, captured April 20, 2026; checked November 3, 2026.
Quoted passages (1)
“Males are larger than females, with females typically weighing 50-100 pounds and males weighing 70-145 pounds, depending on geographic locations. Wolves generally measure 5-6 feet from nose to tip of tail and stand 27-33 inches at the shoulder.”
- 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.