List of mammals of Palau

This is a list of the mammal species recorded in Palau. There are fifteen mammal species in Palau, of which two are endangered, one is 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, Dugong dugon VU

Order: Primates
The order Primates contains humans and their closest relatives: lemurs, lorisoids, monkeys, and apes.


 * Suborder: Haplorhini
 * Infraorder: Simiiformes
 * Parvorder: Catarrhini
 * Superfamily: Cercopithecoidea
 * Family: Cercopithecidae (Old World monkeys)
 * Genus: Macaca
 * Crab-eating macaque, M. fascicularis introduced

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
 * Pelew flying fox, Pteropus pelewensis NT
 * Large Palau flying fox, Pteropus pilosus EX
 * Family: Emballonuridae
 * Genus: Emballonura
 * Polynesian sheath-tailed bat, Emballonura semicaudata EN

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
 * Bryde's whale, Balaenoptera edeni DD
 * Suborder: Odontoceti
 * Superfamily: Platanistoidea
 * Family: Physeteridae
 * Genus: Physeter
 * Sperm whale, Physeter macrocephalus VU
 * Family: Kogiidae
 * Genus: Kogia
 * Dwarf sperm whale, Kogia sima LR/lc
 * Family: Ziphidae
 * Subfamily: Hyperoodontinae
 * Genus: Mesoplodon
 * Blainville's beaked whale, Mesoplodon densirostris DD
 * Ginkgo-toothed beaked whale, Mesoplodon ginkgodens DD
 * Family: Delphinidae (marine dolphins)
 * Genus: Stenella
 * Spinner dolphin, Stenella longirostris LR/cd
 * Genus: Lagenodelphis
 * Fraser's dolphin, Lagenodelphis hosei DD
 * Genus: Grampus
 * Risso's dolphin, Grampus griseus DD
 * Genus: Feresa
 * Pygmy killer whale, Feresa attenuata DD
 * Genus: Globicephala
 * Pilot whale, Globicephala macrorhynchus LR/cd