List of mammals of Mauritius

This is a list of the mammal species recorded in Mauritius. Of the mammal species in Mauritius, one is critically endangered, three are vulnerable, and one is considered to be 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: Dugongidae
 * Genus: Dugong
 * Dugong, D. dugon

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: Pteropus
 * Mauritian flying fox, P. niger
 * Rodrigues flying fox, P. rodricensis
 * Small Mauritian flying fox, P. subniger
 * Family: Molossidae
 * Genus: Mormopterus
 * Natal free-tailed bat, M. acetabulosus
 * Family: Emballonuridae
 * Genus: Taphozous
 * Mauritian tomb bat, T. mauritianus

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: Balaenopteridae
 * Subfamily: Balaenopterinae
 * Genus: Balaenoptera
 * Common minke whale, Balaenoptera acutorostrata LC
 * Antarctic minke whale, Balaenoptera bonaerensis DD
 * Bryde's whale, Balaenoptera edeni DD
 * Southern sei whale, Balaenoptera borealis schlegelii EN
 * Southern fin whale, Balaenoptera physalus quoyi EN
 * Pygmy blue whale, Balaenoptera musculus brevicauda DD
 * Southern blue whale, Balaenoptera musculus intermedia EN
 * Family: Megapterinae
 * Genus: Megaptera
 * Humpback whale, Megaptera novaeangliae LC
 * Family: Balaenidae
 * Genus: Eubalaena
 * Southern right whale, Eubalaena australis LC (rarer on today's Mauritius)
 * Suborder: Odontoceti
 * Family: Physeteridae
 * Genus: Physeter
 * Sperm whale, Physeter macrocephalus VU
 * Family: Kogiidae
 * Genus: Kogia
 * Pygmy sperm whale, Kogia breviceps DD
 * Dwarf sperm whale, Kogia sima DD
 * Family: Ziphidae
 * Genus: Indopacetus
 * Tropical bottlenose whale, Indopacetus pacificus DD
 * Genus: Ziphius
 * Cuvier's beaked whale, Ziphius cavirostris DD
 * Subfamily: Hyperoodontinae
 * Genus: Mesoplodon
 * Blainville's beaked whale, Mesoplodon densirostris DD
 * Gray's beaked whale, Mesoplodon grayi DD
 * Hector's beaked whale, Mesoplodon hectori DD
 * Layard's beaked whale, Mesoplodon layardii DD
 * True's beaked whale, Mesoplodon mirus DD
 * Superfamily: Delphinoidea
 * Family: Delphinidae (marine dolphins)
 * Genus: Steno
 * Rough-toothed dolphin, Steno bredanensis LC
 * Genus: Grampus
 * Risso's dolphin, Grampus griseus DD
 * Genus: Globicephala
 * Short-finned pilot whale, Globicephala macrorhynchus DD
 * Genus: Sousa
 * Indian humpback dolphin, Sousa plumbea NT
 * Genus: Tursiops
 * Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin, Tursiops aduncus DD
 * Common bottlenose dolphin, Tursiops truncatus LC
 * Genus: Stenella
 * Pantropical spotted dolphin, Stenella attenuata LC
 * Striped dolphin, Stenella coeruleoalba LC
 * Spinner dolphin, Stenella longirostris DD
 * Genus: Delphinus
 * Long-beaked common dolphin, Delphinus capensis DD
 * Genus: Lagenodelphis
 * Fraser's dolphin, Lagenodelphis hosei DD
 * Genus: Peponocephala
 * Melon-headed whale, Peponocephala electra DD
 * Genus: Pseudorca
 * False killer whale, Pseudorca crassidens DD
 * Genus: Feresa
 * Pygmy killer whale, Feresa attenuata 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: Herpestidae
 * Genus: Urva
 * Small Indian mongoose, U. auropunctatus introduced
 * Suborder: Caniformia
 * Family: Phocidae (earless seals)
 * Genus: Mirounga
 * Southern elephant seal, Mirounga leonina LR/lc