List of mammals of Cyprus

This is a list of the mammal species recorded in Cyprus. There are seventeen mammal species native to Cyprus, excluding feral species. Most of the land mammals have been introduced, with only the Cypriot mouse being endemic. The other mammal species present on the islands during the Late Pleistocene, including the Cyprus dwarf hippopotamus, the Cyprus dwarf elephant, and Cyprus genet, are extinct.

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

Order: Lagomorpha (rabbits and hares)
Despite their appearance, lagomorphs are not rodents, and fall in their own order. They consist of rabbits, hares, and pikas.
 * Family: Leporidae
 * Genus: Lepus
 * Cape hare, L. capensis

Order: Rodentia (rodents)
Rodents make up the largest order of mammals, with over 40% of mammalian species. They have two incisors in the upper and lower jaw which grow continually and must be kept short by gnawing. Most rodents are small though the capybara can weigh up to 45 kg.


 * Suborder: Sciurognathi
 * Family: Muridae (mice, rats, voles, gerbils, hamsters, etc.)
 * Subfamily: Deomyinae
 * Genus: Acomys
 * Cyprus spiny mouse, A. nesiotes
 * Subfamily: Murinae
 * Genus: Mus
 * Cypriot mouse, M. cypriacus
 * House mouse, M. musculus introduced
 * Genus: Rattus
 * Brown rat, R. norvegicus introduced
 * Black rat, R. rattus introduced

Order: Erinaceomorpha (hedgehogs and gymnures)
The order Erinaceomorpha contains a single family, Erinaceidae, which comprise the hedgehogs and gymnures. The hedgehogs are easily recognised by their spines while gymnures look more like large rats.


 * Family: Erinaceidae (hedgehogs)
 * Subfamily: Erinaceinae
 * Genus: Hemiechinus
 * Long-eared hedgehog, H. auritus

Order: Soricomorpha (shrews, moles, and solenodons)
The "shrew-forms" are insectivorous mammals. The shrews and solenodons closely resemble mice while the moles are stout-bodied burrowers.
 * Family: Soricidae (shrews)
 * Subfamily: Crocidurinae
 * Genus: Crocidura
 * Lesser white-toothed shrew, C. suaveolens introduced
 * Genus: Suncus
 * Etruscan shrew, S. etruscus

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: Pteropodidae (flying foxes, Old World fruit bats)
 * Subfamily: Pteropodinae
 * Genus: Rousettus
 * Egyptian fruit bat, R. aegyptiacus
 * Family: Vespertilionidae
 * Subfamily: Miniopterinae
 * Genus: Miniopterus
 * Common bent-wing bat, M. schreibersii
 * Subfamily: Myotinae
 * Genus: Myotis
 * Greater mouse-eared bat, M. myotis
 * Subfamily: Vespertilioninae
 * Genus: Pipistrellus
 * Common pipistrelle, P. pipistrellus
 * Genus: Plecotus
 * Grey long-eared bat, P. austriacus
 * Family: Rhinolophidae
 * Subfamily: Rhinolophinae
 * Genus: Rhinolophus
 * Blasius's horseshoe bat, R. blasii
 * Mediterranean horseshoe bat, R. euryale
 * Greater horseshoe bat, R. ferrumequinum

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.

Species listed below also includes species being recorded in Levantine Sea.
 * Suborder: Mysticeti
 * Family: Balaenopteridae
 * Genus: Balaenoptera
 * Common minke whale, B. acutorostrata
 * Fin whale, B. physalus
 * Subfamily: Megapterinae
 * Genus: Megaptera
 * Humpback whale, M. novaeangliae
 * Suborder: Odontoceti
 * Family: Physeteridae
 * Genus: Physeter
 * Sperm whale, P. macrocephalus
 * Family: Ziphidae
 * Genus: Mesoplodon
 * Gervais' beaked whale, M. europaeus
 * Genus: Ziphius
 * Cuvier's beaked whale, Z. cavirostris
 * Superfamily: Platanistoidea
 * Family: Delphinidae (marine dolphins)
 * Genus: Delphinus
 * Short-beaked common dolphin, D. delphis
 * Genus: Globicephala
 * Long-finned pilot whale, G. melas
 * Genus: Grampus
 * Risso's dolphin, G. griseus
 * Genus: Orcinus
 * Orca, O. orca
 * Genus: Pseudorca
 * False killer whale, P. crassidens
 * Genus: Stenella
 * Striped dolphin, S. coeruleoalba
 * Genus: Steno
 * Rough-toothed dolphin, S. bredanensis
 * Genus: Tursiops
 * Common bottlenose dolphin, T. truncatus

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: Canidae (dogs, foxes)
 * Genus: Vulpes
 * Red fox, V. vulpes
 * Cypriot red fox, V. v. indutus
 * Family: Phocidae (earless seals)
 * Genus: Monachus
 * Mediterranean monk seal, M. monachus

Order: Artiodactyla (even-toed ungulates)
The even-toed ungulates are ungulates whose weight is borne about equally by the third and fourth toes, rather than mostly or entirely by the third as in perissodactyls. There are about 220 artiodactyl species, including many that are of great economic importance to humans.


 * Family: Bovidae (cattle, antelope, sheep, goats)
 * Subfamily: Caprinae
 * Genus: Ovis
 * Mouflon, O. gmelini
 * Cyprus mouflon, O. g. ophion