List of mammals of Poland

This list shows the IUCN Red List status of the 112 mammal species occurring in Poland which have been recorded in historic times. Of these, two are endangered, three are vulnerable, and five are near threatened. Three of the species listed for Poland are nationally extinct. The following tags are used to highlight each species' status as published 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.
 * Suborder: Sciurognathi
 * Family: Castoridae (beavers)
 * Genus: Castor
 * American beaver, C. canadensis introduced
 * Eurasian beaver, C. fiber
 * Family: Sciuridae (squirrels)
 * Subfamily: Sciurinae
 * Tribe: Sciurini
 * Genus: Sciurus
 * Red squirrel, S. vulgaris
 * Subfamily: Xerinae
 * Tribe: Marmotini
 * Genus: Marmota
 * Alpine marmot, M. marmota
 * Tatra marmot, M. marmota latirostris
 * Genus: Spermophilus
 * European ground squirrel, Spermophilus citellus
 * Speckled ground squirrel, Spermophilus suslicus
 * Family: Gliridae (dormice)
 * Subfamily: Leithiinae
 * Genus: Dryomys
 * Forest dormouse, Dryomys nitedula LC
 * Genus: Eliomys
 * Garden dormouse, E. quercinus
 * Genus: Muscardinus
 * Hazel dormouse, Muscardinus avellanarius
 * Subfamily: Glirinae
 * Genus: Glis
 * European edible dormouse, Glis glis LC
 * Family: Dipodidae (jerboas)
 * Subfamily: Sicistinae
 * Genus: Sicista
 * Northern birch mouse, Sicista betulina LC
 * Southern birch mouse, Sicista subtilis LC
 * Family: Cricetidae
 * Subfamily: Cricetinae
 * Genus: Cricetus
 * European hamster, C. cricetus
 * Subfamily: Arvicolinae
 * Genus: Ondatra
 * Muskrat, Ondatra zibethicus introduced
 * Genus: Arvicola
 * European water vole, A. amphibius
 * Genus: Chionomys
 * European snow vole, Chionomys nivalis
 * Genus: Clethrionomys
 * Bank vole, Myodes glareolus
 * Genus: Microtus
 * Field vole, Microtus agrestis
 * Common vole, Microtus arvalis
 * Tundra vole, Microtus oeconomus
 * European pine vole, Microtus subterraneus
 * Tatra vole, Microtus tatricus
 * Family: Muridae (mice, rats, voles, gerbils, hamsters, etc.)
 * Subfamily: Murinae
 * Genus: Apodemus
 * Striped field mouse, Apodemus agrarius
 * Yellow-necked mouse, Apodemus flavicollis
 * Wood mouse, Apodemus sylvaticus
 * Ural field mouse, Apodemus uralensis
 * Genus: Micromys
 * Eurasian harvest mouse, Micromys minutus
 * Genus: Mus
 * House mouse, M. musculus
 * Genus: Rattus
 * Black rat, R. rattus
 * Brown rat, R. norvegicus

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
 * Genus: Oryctolagus
 * European rabbit, O. cuniculus introduced

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
 * West European hedgehog, E. europaeus
 * Northern white-breasted hedgehog, E. roumanicus

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: Crocidurinae
 * Genus: Crocidura
 * Bicolored shrew, C. leucodon
 * Lesser white-toothed shrew, C. suaveolens
 * Subfamily: Soricinae
 * Tribe: Nectogalini
 * Genus: Neomys
 * Southern water shrew, N. anomalus
 * Eurasian water shrew, N. fodiens
 * Tribe: Soricini
 * Genus: Sorex
 * Alpine shrew, S. alpinus
 * Common shrew, S. araneus
 * Laxmann's shrew, S. caecutiens
 * Eurasian pygmy shrew, S. minutus
 * 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
 * Bechstein's bat, M. bechsteini
 * Lesser mouse-eared bat, M. blythii
 * Brandt's bat, M. brandti
 * Pond bat, M. dasycneme
 * Daubenton's bat, M. daubentonii
 * Geoffroy's bat, M. emarginatus
 * Greater mouse-eared bat, M. myotis
 * Whiskered bat, M. mystacinus
 * Natterer's bat, M. nattereri
 * Subfamily: Vespertilioninae
 * Genus: Barbastella
 * Western barbastelle, B. barbastellus
 * Genus: Eptesicus
 * Northern bat, E. nilssonii
 * Serotine bat, E. serotinus
 * Genus: Nyctalus
 * Greater noctule bat, N. lasiopterus
 * Lesser noctule, N. leisleri
 * Common noctule, N. noctula
 * Genus: Pipistrellus
 * Kuhl's pipistrelle, P. kuhlii
 * Nathusius' pipistrelle, P. nathusii
 * Common pipistrelle, P. pipistrellus
 * Soprano pipistrelle, P. pygmaeus
 * Genus: Plecotus
 * Brown long-eared bat, P. auritus
 * Grey long-eared bat, P. austriacus
 * Genus: Vespertilio
 * Parti-coloured bat, V. murinus
 * Family: Rhinolophidae
 * Subfamily: Rhinolophinae
 * Genus: Rhinolophus
 * Greater horseshoe bat, R. ferrumequinum
 * Lesser horseshoe bat, R. hipposideros

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, B. acutorostrata
 * Sei whale, B. borealis
 * Fin whale, B. physalus
 * Subfamily: Megapterinae
 * Genus: Megaptera
 * Humpback whale, M. novaeangliae
 * Suborder: Odontoceti
 * Family: Phocoenidae
 * Genus: Phocoena
 * Harbour porpoise, Phocoena phocoena
 * Family: Monodontidae
 * Genus: Delphinapterus
 * Beluga, Delphinapterus leucas
 * Family: Ziphidae
 * 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
 * Genus: Lagenorhynchus
 * White-beaked dolphin, Lagenorhynchus albirostris
 * Genus: Tursiops
 * Bottlenose dolphin,
 * Genus: Orcinus
 * Orca, O. orca

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: Felis
 * European wildcat, F. silvestris
 * Genus: Lynx
 * Eurasian lynx, L. lynx
 * Suborder: Caniformia
 * Family: Canidae (dogs, foxes)
 * Genus: Canis
 * Golden jackal, C. aureus, vagrant
 * European jackal, C. a. moreoticus
 * Gray wolf, C. lupus
 * Eurasian wolf, C. l. lupus
 * Genus: Nyctereutes
 * Raccoon dog, N. procyonoides introduced
 * Genus: Vulpes
 * Red fox, V. vulpes
 * Family: Procyonidae (raccoons)
 * Genus: Procyon
 * Raccoon, P. lotor introduced
 * Family: Ursidae (bears)
 * Genus: Ursus
 * Brown bear, U. arctos
 * Eurasian brown bear, U. a. arctos
 * Family: Mustelidae (mustelids)
 * Genus: Lutra
 * Eurasian otter, L. lutra
 * Genus: Martes
 * Beech marten, M. foina
 * European pine marten, M. martes
 * Genus: Meles
 * European badger, M. meles
 * Genus: Mustela
 * Stoat, M. erminea
 * Steppe polecat, M. eversmannii
 * Least weasel, M. nivalis
 * European polecat, M. putorius
 * Genus: Neovison
 * American mink, N. vison introduced
 * Family: Phocidae (earless seals)
 * Genus: Halichoerus
 * Grey seal, H. grypus
 * Genus: Phoca
 * Common seal, P. vitulina
 * Genus: Pusa
 * Ringed seal, P. hispida

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: Suidae (pigs)
 * Subfamily: Suinae
 * Genus: Sus
 * Wild boar, S. scrofa
 * Family: Cervidae (deer)
 * Subfamily: Capreolinae
 * Genus: Alces
 * Moose, A. alces
 * Genus: Capreolus
 * Roe deer, C. capreolus
 * Subfamily: Cervinae
 * Genus: Cervus
 * Red deer, C. elaphus
 * Sika deer, C. nippon introduced
 * 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
 * Subfamily: Caprinae
 * Genus: Rupicapra
 * Chamois, R. rupicapra

Locally extinct
The following species are locally extinct in the country:
 * European mink, Mustela lutreola