No confirmed photo of Allegheny woodrat
Allegheny woodrat
Neotoma magister
Pennsylvania Mammals: Species List With Pictures
Last checked November 3, 2026 against official sources.
On this page
Pennsylvania Game Commission: Current List of Wild Mammals in Pennsylvania1 (66)
This page lists 66 mammals: all from Pennsylvania Game Commission's Current List of Wild Mammals in Pennsylvania. 1 is nonnative.
Which mammals can hurt you
Official sources single out these mammals in Pennsylvania, in their own words:
-
Rabies vector species: skunks, raccoons, bats, groundhogs, foxes, coyotes
Rabies vector species (PGC). “Since skunks – as well as raccoons, bats, groundhogs, foxes and coyotes – are rabies vector species, they should not be relocated like other wildlife.” Pennsylvania Game Commission
-
Photo: Cullen Hanks · CC BY 4.0 · iNaturalist Feral swine
Dangerous, destructive and invasive. “Feral swine are a dangerous, destructive, and invasive species. … Feral swine can also harbor diseases that can impact the pork industry, as well as the health of other domestic animals, wild animals, and humans.” Pennsylvania Game Commission
All 66 mammals
From A to Z. Do not handle them.
No confirmed photo of Appalachian cottontail
Appalachian cottontail
Sylvilagus obscurus
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Beaver
Castor canadensis
No confirmed photo of Big brown bat
Big brown bat
Eptesicus fuscus
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Black bear
Ursus americanus
- 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 Pennsylvania
- Large forested areas statewide; over three-quarters of the state Pennsylvania Game Commission
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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
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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)
Deer mouse
Peromyscus maniculatus
Eastern chipmunk
Tamias striatus
Eastern cottontail
Sylvilagus floridanus
No confirmed photo of Eastern mole
Eastern mole
Scalopus aquaticus
No confirmed photo of Elk
Elk
Cervus elaphus
No confirmed photo of Ermine or Short-tailed weasel
Ermine or Short-tailed weasel
Mustela erminea
No confirmed photo of Evening bat
Evening bat
Nycticeius humeralis
Feral Swine
Sus scrofa
- Danger to people
- “Feral swine are a dangerous, destructive, and invasive species. … Feral swine can also harbor diseases that can impact the pork industry, as well as the health of other domestic animals, wild …” Pennsylvania Game Commission
- Size
- Adults average 75 to 250 pounds, but some get twice as large. They can stand up to 3 feet tall and reach 5 feet long, and males (boars) are larger than females (sows). FWC says Florida wild hogs can weigh more than 150 pounds and be 5 to 6 feet long. Ohio State Extension says Ohio adults typically weigh 125 to 200 pounds.
- How to recognize it
- Look much like domestic hogs but are generally thinner, with thicker hides of coarse, bristly hair and longer tusks
- Four continuously growing tusks, 2 on top and 2 below
- Russian (Eurasian) boar type: long, straight, narrow snout; dark-colored or camouflage coat; light-tipped bristles
- Where in Pennsylvania
- Likely limited to Bedford and Fulton counties (breeding populations, if any) Pennsylvania Game Commission
Fisher
Martes pennanti
Fox squirrel
Sciurus niger
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Gray fox
Urocyon cinereoargenteus
Gray squirrel
Sciurus carolinensis
No confirmed photo of Hairy-tailed mole
Hairy-tailed mole
Parascalops breweri
Hoary bat
Lasiurus cinereus
House mouse
Mus musculus
No confirmed photo of Indiana bat
Indiana bat
Myotis sodalis
No confirmed photo of Least shrew
Least shrew
Cryptotis parva
No confirmed photo of Least weasel
Least weasel
Mustela nivalis
No confirmed photo of Little brown bat
Little brown bat
Myotis lucifugus
No confirmed photo of Long-tailed or Rock shrew
Long-tailed or Rock shrew
Sorex dispar
Long-tailed weasel
Mustela frenata
No confirmed photo of Maryland shrew
Maryland shrew
Sorex fontinalis
No confirmed photo of Masked shrew
Masked shrew
Sorex cinereus
No confirmed photo of Meadow jumping mouse
Meadow jumping mouse
Zapus hudsonius
No confirmed photo of Meadow vole
Meadow vole
Microtus pennsylvanicus
Mink
Mustela vison
Muskrat
Ondatra zibethicus
No confirmed photo of Northern flying squirrel
Northern flying squirrel
Glaucomys sabrinus
No confirmed photo of Northern long-eared bat
Northern long-eared bat
Myotis septentrionalis
No confirmed photo of Northern short-tailed shrew
Northern short-tailed shrew
Blarina brevicauda
Norway rat
Rattus norvegicus
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 Pine or woodland vole
Pine or woodland 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 hoyi
Raccoon
Procyon lotor
Red bat
Lasiurus borealis
Red fox
Vulpes vulpes
Red squirrel
Tamiasciurus hudsonicus
No confirmed photo of Red-backed vole
Red-backed vole
Clethrionomys gapperi
River otter
Lutra canadensis
No confirmed photo of Seminole Bat
Seminole Bat
Lasiurus seminolus
Silver-haired bat
Lasionycteris noctivagans
Small-footed bat
Myotis leibii
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 Spotted skunk
Spotted skunk
Spilogale putorius
No confirmed photo of Star-nosed mole
Star-nosed mole
Condylura cristata
Striped skunk
Mephitis mephitis
Thirteen-lined ground squirrel
Spermophilus tridecemlineatus
Tri-colored bat
Perimyotis subflavus
No confirmed photo of Water shrew
Water shrew
Sorex palustris
No confirmed photo of White-footed mouse
White-footed mouse
Peromyscus leucopus
No confirmed photo of White-tailed deer
White-tailed deer
Odocoileus virginianus
Woodchuck or Groundhog
Marmota monax
No confirmed photo of Woodland jumping mouse
Woodland jumping mouse
Napaeozapus insignis
No confirmed photo of Yellow-nosed vole
Yellow-nosed vole
Microtus chrotorrhinus
When mammals are active in Pennsylvania
Records of mammals in Pennsylvania peak in April to July and September. They show when people record mammals, not how many there are (about month bars).
- Black bears den in late fall; pregnant females first, typically mid to late November, males several weeks later. Pennsylvania Game Commission
- Of 9 regular bat species, 6 hibernate in PA and 3 migrate south for winter. Pennsylvania Game Commission
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 Pennsylvania Game Commission:
- Do not handle bats, especially ones on the ground or out in daytime. Pennsylvania Game Commission
- Skunks, raccoons, bats, groundhogs, foxes and coyotes are rabies vector species and should not be relocated. Pennsylvania Game Commission
What official sources say
Are there bears in Pennsylvania?
Yes. PGC says black bears live in large forested areas statewide and occupy over three-quarters of the state. Sightings have been confirmed in every county. Pennsylvania Game Commission
“They currently occupy over three-quarters of the state, although sightings have been confirmed in every county.”
About this list
The species list comes from Current List of Wild Mammals in Pennsylvania (66) (Pennsylvania Game Commission, Updated January 21, 2011).
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 Pennsylvania.
Sources
- Pennsylvania Native Reptile and Amphibian Species (PA Species and Endangered Species Act listing status). Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission. undated page; checked November 3, 2026.
- Current List of Wild Mammals in Pennsylvania (66). Pennsylvania Game Commission. archived copy, captured September 1, 2024; checked November 3, 2026.
Quoted passages (1)
“Current List of Wild Mammals in Pennsylvania1 (66)”
- Feral Swine. Pennsylvania Game Commission. undated page; checked November 3, 2026.
Quoted passages (1)
“Feral swine are a dangerous, destructive, and invasive species. … Feral swine can also harbor diseases that can impact the pork industry, as well as the health of other domestic animals, wild animals, and humans.”
- Nuisance Wildlife. Pennsylvania Game Commission. undated page; checked November 3, 2026.
Quoted passages (1)
“Since skunks – as well as raccoons, bats, groundhogs, foxes and coyotes – are rabies vector species, they should not be relocated like other wildlife.”
- Wildlife Notes: Bats. Pennsylvania Game Commission. Revised 03/2022; checked November 3, 2026.
Quoted passages (2)
“(People should not, however, handle bats, especially those found on the ground or in the open during the day.)”
“Nine species of bats regularly occur in Pennsylvania; six hibernate in Pennsylvania and three primarily migrate south for the winter.”
- Wildlife Notes: Black Bear. Pennsylvania Game Commission. Revised 02/2021; checked November 3, 2026.
Quoted passages (2)
“Bears enter hibernation late in the fall, with pregnant females being the first to enter dens, typically during mid to late November. Males den several weeks later.”
“They currently occupy over three-quarters of the state, although sightings have been confirmed in every county.”
- 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.