List of mammals of Lithuania

A list of mammals of Lithuania published in 1997 contains 68 species that are present in the country, including 14 bat species, 21 rodents, four shrews, two lagomorphs, one hedgehog, 13 carnivores, five whales and eight ungulates.

The following tags are used to highlight each species' conservation status as assessed on the IUCN Red List:

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 (100 lb).


 * Suborder: Sciurognathi
 * Family: Castoridae (beavers)
 * Genus: Castor
 * Eurasian beaver, C. fiber
 * Family: Sciuridae (squirrels)
 * Subfamily: Sciurinae
 * Family: Gliridae (dormice)
 * Subfamily: Leithiinae
 * Genus: Dryomys
 * Forest dormouse, D. nitedula LC
 * 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: Cricetidae
 * Subfamily: Arvicolinae
 * Genus: Arvicola
 * Water vole, Arvicola terrestris LR/lc
 * Genus: Clethrionomys
 * Bank vole, Clethrionomys glareolus LR/lc
 * Genus: Microtus
 * Field vole, Microtus agrestis LR/lc
 * Common vole, Microtus arvalis LR/lc
 * 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
 * Genus: Micromys
 * Harvest mouse, Micromys minutus LR/nt

Order: Lagomorpha (lagomorphs)
The following two lagomorphs are present in the country:
 * 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, Erinaceus concolor LR/lc
 * West European hedgehog, Erinaceus europaeus LR/lc

Order: Soricomorpha (shrews, moles, and solenodons)
The following four shrew species are present in the country:
 * Family: Soricidae (shrews)
 * Subfamily: Soricinae
 * Tribe: Soricini
 * Genus: Sorex
 * Common shrew, S. araneus
 * Eurasian pygmy shrew, S. minutus
 * Genus: Neomys
 * Eurasian water shrew, N. fodiens
 * Family: Talpidae (moles)
 * Subfamily: Talpinae
 * Tribe: Talpini
 * Genus: Talpa
 * European mole, T. europaea

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
 * Pond bat, Myotis dasycneme VU
 * Subfamily: Vespertilioninae
 * Genus: Barbastella
 * Western barbastelle, B. barbastellus
 * Genus: Nyctalus
 * Lesser noctule, Nyctalus leisleri LR/nt
 * Genus: Pipistrellus
 * Common pipistrelle, Pipistrellus pipistrellus 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: Grampus
 * Risso's dolphin, Grampus griseus 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
 * Suborder: Caniformia
 * Family: Canidae (dogs, foxes)
 * Genus: Canis
 * Gray wolf, C. lupus
 * Genus: Vulpes
 * Red fox, V. vulpes
 * Family: Mustelidae (mustelids)
 * Genus: Lutra
 * European otter, L. lutra
 * Genus: Martes
 * European pine marten, M. martes
 * Genus: Meles
 * European badger, M. meles
 * Genus: Mustela
 * Least weasel, M. nivalis
 * Stoat, M. erminea
 * European polecat, M. putorius
 * Genus: Neogale
 * American mink, N. vison introduced
 * Family: Phocidae (earless seals)
 * Genus: Halichoerus
 * Gray seal, Halichoerus grypus

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

Locally extinct
The following species are locally extinct in the country:
 * European mink, Mustela lutreola
 * Siberian flying squirrel, Pteromys volans
 * Brown bear, Ursus arctos