List of mammals of Barbados

This is a list of the mammal species recorded in Barbados. There are thirty-four mammal species of Barbados, of which one is considered vulnerable and one is extinct.

The following tags are used to highlight each species' conservation status as assessed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature:

Some species were assessed using an earlier set of criteria. Species assessed using this system have the following instead of near threatened and least concern categories:

Order: Sirenia (manatees and dugongs)
Sirenia is an order of fully aquatic, herbivorous mammals that inhabit rivers, estuaries, coastal marine waters, swamps, and marine wetlands. All four species are endangered.


 * Family: Trichechidae
 * Genus: Trichechus
 * West Indian manatee, T. manatus extirpated

Order: Primates
The order Primates includes the lemurs, monkeys, and apes, with the latter category including humans.


 * Family: Cercopithecidae
 * Genus: Chlorocebus
 * Green monkey, C. sabaeus introduced

Order: Rodentia (Rodents)
Rodentia is an order of mammals characterised by two continuously growing incisors in the upper and lower jaws which must be kept short by gnawing.


 * Family: Cricetidae
 * Genus: Megalomys
 * Barbados giant rice rat, M. georginae

Order: Lagomorpha (rabbits and hares)

 * Family Leporidae
 * Genus: Lepus
 * European hare, L. europaeus introduced

Order: Chiroptera (bats)
The bats' most distinguishing feature is that their forelimbs are developed as wings, making them the only mammals capable of flight. Bat species account for about 20% of all mammals.


 * Family: Noctilionidae
 * Genus: Noctilio
 * Greater bulldog bat, Noctilio leporinus
 * Family: Vespertilionidae
 * Subfamily: Myotinae
 * Genus: Myotis
 * Schwartz's myotis, Myotis martiniquensis
 * Subfamily: Vespertilioninae
 * Genus: Eptesicus
 * Big brown bat, Eptesicus fuscus
 * Family: Phyllostomidae
 * Subfamily: Brachyphyllinae
 * Genus: Brachyphylla
 * Antillean fruit-eating bat, Brachyphylla cavernarum
 * Subfamily: Glossophaginae
 * Genus: Monophyllus
 * Insular single leaf bat, Monophyllus plethodon
 * Subfamily: Stenodermatinae
 * Genus: Artibeus
 * Jamaican fruit bat, Artibeus jamaicensis

Order: Cetacea (whales)
The order Cetacea includes whales, dolphins and porpoises. They are the mammals most fully adapted to aquatic life with a spindle-shaped nearly hairless body, protected by a thick layer of blubber, and forelimbs and tail modified to provide propulsion underwater.

In general, cetacean populations in Barbados waters are relatively small or rare.


 * Suborder: Mysticeti
 * Family: Balaenopteridae (baleen whales)
 * Genus: Balaenoptera
 * Common minke whale, Balaenoptera acutorostrata
 * Sei whale, Balaenoptera borealis
 * Bryde's whale, Balaenoptera brydei
 * Blue whale, Balaenoptera musculus
 * Genus: Megaptera
 * Humpback whale, Megaptera novaeangliae
 * Suborder: Odontoceti
 * Superfamily: Platanistoidea
 * Family: Delphinidae (marine dolphins)
 * Genus: Delphinus
 * Short-beaked common dolphin, Delphinus delphis DD
 * Genus: Feresa
 * Pygmy killer whale, Feresa attenuata DD
 * Genus: Globicephala
 * Short-finned pilot whale, Globicephala macrorhyncus DD
 * Genus: Lagenodelphis
 * Fraser's dolphin, Lagenodelphis hosei DD
 * Genus: Grampus
 * Risso's dolphin, Grampus griseus DD
 * Genus: Orcinus
 * Killer whale, Orcinus orca DD
 * Genus: Peponocephala
 * Melon-headed whale, Peponocephala electra DD
 * Genus: Pseudorca
 * False killer whale, Pseudorca crassidens DD
 * Genus: Stenella
 * Pantropical spotted dolphin, Stenella attenuata DD
 * Clymene dolphin, Stenella clymene DD
 * Striped dolphin, Stenella coeruleoalba DD
 * Atlantic spotted dolphin, Stenella frontalis DD
 * Spinner dolphin, Stenella longirostris DD
 * Genus: Steno
 * Rough-toothed dolphin, Steno bredanensis DD
 * Genus: Tursiops
 * Common bottlenose dolphin, Tursiops truncatus
 * Family: Physeteridae (sperm whales)
 * Genus: Physeter
 * Sperm whale, Physeter catodon DD
 * Family: Kogiidae (dwarf sperm whales)
 * Genus: Kogia
 * Pygmy sperm whale, Kogia breviceps DD
 * Dwarf sperm whale, Kogia sima DD
 * Superfamily Ziphioidea
 * Family: Ziphidae (beaked whales)
 * Genus: Mesoplodon
 * Gervais' beaked whale, Mesoplodon europaeus DD
 * Genus: Ziphius
 * Cuvier's beaked whale, Ziphius cavirostris DD

Order: Carnivora (carnivorans)
There are over 260 species of carnivorans, the majority of which feed primarily on meat. They have a characteristic skull shape and dentition.
 * Suborder: Caniformia
 * Family: Procyonidae (raccoons)
 * Genus: Procyon
 * Raccoon, P. lotor introduced, extirpated
 * Barbados raccoon, P. l. gloveralleni
 * Suborder: Pinnipedia
 * Family: Phocidae (earless seals)
 * Genus: Neomonachus
 * Caribbean monk seal, N. tropicalis