List of mammals of Iceland

This is a list of the mammal species recorded in Iceland. There are twenty-eight mammal species in Iceland, of which four are endangered and four are vulnerable. The only native land mammal, not including vagrant species, is the Arctic fox. This list is derived from the IUCN Red List which lists species of mammals and includes those mammals that have recently been classified as extinct (since 1500 AD). The taxonomy and naming of the individual species is based on those used in existing Wikipedia articles as of 21 May 2007 and supplemented by the common names and taxonomy from the IUCN, Smithsonian Institution, or University of Michigan where no Wikipedia article was available.

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

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 (100 lb).


 * Suborder: Myomorpha
 * Family: Muridae (mice, rats, gerbils, etc.)
 * Subfamily: Murinae
 * Genus: Apodemus
 * Wood mouse, Apodemus sylvaticus
 * Genus: Mus
 * House mouse, Mus musculus introduced
 * Genus: Rattus
 * Brown rat, Rattus norvegicus introduced
 * Black rat, R. rattus introduced

Order: Lagomorpha (rabbits, hares and pikas)
The lagomorphs comprise two families, Leporidae (hares and rabbits), and Ochotonidae (pikas). Though they can resemble rodents, and were classified as a superfamily in that order until the early 20th century, they have since been considered a separate order. They differ from rodents in a number of physical characteristics, such as having four incisors in the upper jaw rather than two.


 * Family: Leporidae (rabbits, hares)
 * Genus: Oryctolagus
 * European rabbit, O. cuniculus introduced
 * Genus: Lepus
 * Mountain hare, L. timidus introduced

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.


 * Suborder: Mysticeti
 * Family: Balaenidae
 * Genus: Balaena
 * Bowhead whale, Balaena mysticetus
 * Genus: Eubalaena
 * North Atlantic right whale, Eubalaena glacialis
 * Family: Eschrichtiidae
 * Genus: Eschrichtius
 * Gray whale, Eschrichtius robustus extirpated from Iceland
 * Family: Balaenopteridae
 * Subfamily: Balaenopterinae
 * Genus: Balaenoptera
 * Minke whale, Balaenoptera acutorostrata
 * Sei whale, Balaenoptera borealis
 * Blue whale, Balaenoptera musculus
 * Fin whale, Balaenoptera physalus
 * Subfamily: Megapterinae
 * Genus: Megaptera
 * Humpback whale, Megaptera novaeangliae
 * Family: Phocoenidae
 * Genus: Phocoena
 * Harbour porpoise, Phocoena phocoena
 * Family: Ziphidae
 * Subfamily: Hyperoodontinae
 * Genus: Hyperoodon
 * Northern bottlenose whale, Hyperoodon ampullatus
 * Genus: Mesoplodon
 * Sowerby's beaked whale, Mesoplodon bidens
 * Family: Delphinidae (marine dolphins)
 * Genus: Delphinus
 * Short-beaked common dolphin, Delphinus delphis vagrant
 * Genus: Stenella
 * Striped dolphin, Stenella coeruleoalba
 * Genus: Tursiops
 * Common bottlenose dolphin, Tursiops truncatus
 * Genus: Grampus
 * Risso's dolphin, Grampus griseus
 * Genus: Lagenorhynchus
 * White-beaked dolphin, Lagenorhynchus albirostris
 * Atlantic white-sided dolphin, Lagenorhynchus acutus
 * Genus: Orcinus
 * Orca, Orcinus orca
 * Genus: Globicephala
 * Long-finned pilot whale, Globicephala melas
 * Family: Monodontidae
 * Genus: Delphinapterus
 * Beluga whale, Delphinapterus leucas
 * Genus: Monodon
 * Narwhal, Monodon monoceros
 * Family: Physeteridae
 * Genus: Physeter
 * Sperm whale, Physeter macrocephalus

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
 * Arctic fox, Vulpes lagopus
 * Family: Phocidae (earless seals)
 * Genus: Cystophora
 * Hooded seal, Cystophora cristata
 * Genus: Erignathus
 * Bearded seal, Erignathus barbatus
 * Genus: Halichoerus
 * Grey seal, Halichoerus grypus
 * Genus: Pagophilus
 * Harp seal, Pagophilus groenlandicus
 * Genus: Phoca
 * Common seal, Phoca vitulina
 * Family: Mustelidae (weasels, allies)
 * Genus: Neogale
 * American mink, Neogale vison introduced
 * Family: Ursidae (bears)
 * Genus: Ursus
 * Polar bear, Ursus maritimus vagrant

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: Cervidae (deer)
 * Subfamily: Capreolinae
 * Genus: Rangifer
 * Reindeer, Rangifer tarandus introduced

Order: Chiroptera (bats)
Bats have been increasingly recorded in Iceland where they are thought to be either vagrants or artificially introduced. 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: Vespertilionidae
 * Subfamily: Myotinae
 * Genus: Myotis
 * Little brown bat, M. lucifugus vagrant or introduced
 * Northern long-eared bat, M. septentrionalis vagrant or introduced
 * Subfamily: Vespertilioninae
 * Genus: Eptesicus
 * Big brown bat, E. fuscus vagrant or introduced
 * Genus: Lasiurus
 * Hoary bat, L. cinereus vagrant or introduced
 * Genus: Nyctalus
 * Common noctule, N. noctula vagrant or introduced
 * Lesser noctule, N. leisleri vagrant or introduced
 * Genus: Pipistrellus
 * Nathusius' pipistrelle, P. nathusii vagrant or introduced
 * Genus: Vespertilio
 * Parti-coloured bat, V. murinus vagrant or introduced