List of mammals of Latvia

There are fifty-six mammal species in Latvia, of which one is endangered, four are vulnerable, and three are near threatened.

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: 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. Three species of rodents (voles) have been discovered only in recent three decades: European pine vole, East European vole, and Tundra vole.


 * Suborder: Sciurognathi
 * Family: Castoridae (beavers)
 * Genus: Castor
 * Eurasian beaver, C. fiber
 * Family: Sciuridae (squirrels)
 * Subfamily: Sciurinae
 * Tribe: Pteromyini
 * Genus: Pteromys
 * Siberian flying squirrel, P. volans
 * Family: Gliridae (dormice)
 * Subfamily: Leithiinae
 * Genus: Dryomys
 * Forest dormouse, Dryomys nitedula LR/nt
 * Genus: Eliomys
 * Garden dormouse, Eliomys quercinus VU
 * Genus: Muscardinus
 * Hazel dormouse, Muscardinus avellanarius LR/nt
 * Subfamily: Glirinae
 * Genus: Glis
 * European edible dormouse, Glis glis LR/nt
 * Family: Dipodidae (jerboas)
 * Subfamily: Sicistinae
 * Genus: Sicista
 * Northern birch mouse, Sicista betulina LR/nt
 * Family: Cricetidae
 * Subfamily: Arvicolinae
 * Genus: Arvicola
 * Water vole, Arvicola terrestris LR/lc
 * Genus: Clethrionomys
 * Bank vole, Clethrionomys glareolus LR/lc
 * Genus: Microtus
 * European pine vole, Microtus subterraneus LR
 * Field vole, Microtus agrestis LR/lc
 * Common vole, Microtus arvalis LR/lc
 * East European vole, Microtus mystacinus LR
 * Tundra vole, Microtus oeconomus LR
 * Family: Muridae (mice, rats, voles, gerbils, hamsters, etc.)
 * Subfamily: Murinae
 * Genus: Apodemus
 * Striped field mouse, Apodemus agrarius LR/lc
 * Yellow-necked mouse, Apodemus flavicollis LR/lc
 * Wood mouse, Apodemus sylvaticus LC
 * Ural field mouse, Apodemus uralensis LR/lc
 * Genus: Micromys
 * Harvest mouse, Micromys minutus LR/nt

Order: Lagomorpha (lagomorphs)
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 twentieth 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: Lepus
 * European hare, L. europaeus
 * Mountain hare, L. timidus

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: Erinaceus
 * Southern white-breasted hedgehog, E. concolor LC
 * West European hedgehog, E. europaeus LC

Order: Soricomorpha (shrews, moles, and solenodons)
The Soricomorpha are insectivorous mammals. The shrews and solenodons resemble mice while the moles are stout-bodied burrowers.
 * Family: Soricidae (shrews)
 * Subfamily: Soricinae
 * Tribe: Nectogalini
 * Genus: Neomys
 * Eurasian water shrew, Neomys fodiens LR/lc
 * Tribe: Soricini
 * Genus: Sorex
 * Common shrew, Sorex araneus LR/lc
 * Laxmann's shrew, Sorex caecutiens LR/lc
 * Eurasian pygmy shrew, Sorex minutus LR/lc
 * Family: Talpidae (moles)
 * Subfamily: Talpinae
 * Tribe: Talpini
 * Genus: Talpa
 * European mole, Talpa europaea LR/lc

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: Vespertilionidae
 * Subfamily: Myotinae
 * Genus: Myotis
 * Brandt's bat, Myotis brandti LR/lc
 * Pond bat, Myotis dasycneme VU
 * Daubenton's bat, Myotis daubentonii LR/lc
 * Whiskered bat, Myotis mystacinus LR/lc
 * Natterer's bat, Myotis nattereri LR/lc
 * Subfamily: Vespertilioninae
 * Genus: Barbastella
 * Western barbastelle, B. barbastellus
 * Genus: Eptesicus
 * Northern bat, Eptesicus nilssoni LR/lc
 * Genus: Nyctalus
 * Lesser noctule, Nyctalus leisleri LR/nt
 * Common noctule, Nyctalus noctula LR/lc
 * Genus: Pipistrellus
 * Nathusius' pipistrelle, Pipistrellus nathusii LR/lc
 * Common pipistrelle, Pipistrellus pipistrellus LC
 * Genus: Plecotus
 * Brown long-eared bat, P. auritus
 * Genus: Vespertilio
 * Parti-coloured bat, Vespertilio murinus LR/lc

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 (right whales)
 * Genus: Balaena
 * North Atlantic right whale, Eubalaena glacialis CR or functionally extinct in the eastern Atlantic
 * Family: Balaenopteridae
 * Subfamily: Balaenopterinae
 * Genus: Balaenoptera
 * Fin whale, Balaenoptera physalus EN
 * Common minke whale, Balaenoptera acutorostrata LC
 * Subfamily: Megapterinae
 * Genus: Megaptera
 * Humpback whale, Megaptera novaeangliae LC
 * Suborder: Odontoceti
 * Family: Phocoenidae
 * Genus: Phocoena
 * Harbour porpoise, Phocoena phocoena VU
 * Family: Monodontidae
 * Genus: Delphinapterus
 * Beluga, Delphinapterus leucas VU
 * Family: Ziphidae
 * Genus: Mesoplodon
 * Sowerby's beaked whale, Mesoplodon bidens DD
 * Family: Delphinidae (marine dolphins)
 * Genus: Lagenorhynchus
 * White-beaked dolphin, Lagenorhynchus albirostris LR/lc
 * Genus: Tursiops
 * Bottlenose dolphin, Tursiops truncatus DD
 * Genus: Orcinus
 * Orca, Orcinus orca 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: Feliformia
 * Family: Felidae (cats)
 * Subfamily: Felinae
 * Genus: Lynx
 * Eurasian lynx, L. lynx LC
 * Suborder: Caniformia
 * Family: Canidae (dogs, foxes)
 * Genus: Canis
 * Grey wolf, Canis lupus LC
 * Genus: Vulpes
 * Red fox, Vulpes vulpes LC
 * Family: Ursidae (bears)
 * Genus: Ursus
 * Brown bear, U. arctos LC
 * Family: Mustelidae (mustelids)
 * Genus: Lutra
 * European otter, L. lutra NT
 * Genus: Martes
 * European pine marten, M. martes LC
 * Genus: Meles
 * European badger, M. meles LC
 * Genus: Mustela
 * Stoat, M. erminea LC
 * European mink, M. lutreola CR extirpated
 * Least weasel, M. nivalis LC
 * European polecat, M. putorius LC
 * Genus: Neogale
 * American mink, N. vison introduced
 * Family: Phocidae (earless seals)
 * Genus: Halichoerus
 * Grey seal, Halichoerus grypus LC
 * Genus: Pusa
 * Ringed seal, Pusa hispida LC

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
 * Subfamily: Bovinae
 * Genus: Bison
 * European bison, B. bonasus reintroduced
 * Family: Cervidae (deer)
 * Subfamily: Cervinae
 * Genus: Cervus
 * Red deer, C. elaphus
 * Genus: Dama
 * European fallow deer, D. dama introduced
 * Subfamily: Capreolinae
 * Genus: Alces
 * Moose, A. alces
 * Genus: Capreolus
 * Roe deer, C. capreolus
 * Family: Suidae (pigs)
 * Subfamily: Suinae
 * Genus: Sus
 * Wild boar, S. scrofa