List of mammals of Svalbard and Jan Mayen

This is a list of mammal species recorded in Svalbard and Jan Mayen. There are seventeen mammal species in Svalbard and Jan Mayen, of which three are endangered and three are vulnerable.

The following tags are used to highlight each species' conservation status as assessed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature:

Order: Rodentia (rodents)


Rodents make up the largest order of mammals, with over 40 percent 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: Cricetidae
 * Subfamily: Arvicolinae
 * Genus: Microtus
 * Southern vole, Microtus levis LC introduced

Order: Lagomorpha (rabbits, hares and pikas)


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 20th 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
 * Mountain hare, L. timidus introduced

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
 * Bowhead whale, Balaena mysticetus
 * Genus: Eubalaena
 * North Atlantic right whale, Eubalaena glacialis
 * Family: Balaenopteridae (rorquals)
 * Subfamily: Balaenopterinae
 * Genus: Balaenoptera
 * Minke whale, Balaenoptera acutorostrata
 * Blue whale, Balaenoptera musculus
 * Fin whale, Balaenoptera physalus
 * Subfamily: Megapterinae
 * Genus: Megaptera
 * Humpback whale, Megaptera novaeangliae
 * Suborder: Odontoceti
 * Superfamily: Delphinoidea
 * Family: Delphinidae (marine dolphins)
 * Genus: Lagenorhynchus
 * White-beaked dolphin, Lagenorhynchus albirostris
 * Genus: Leucopleurus
 * Atlantic white-sided dolphin, Leucopleurus acutus
 * Genus: Orcinus
 * Killer whale, Orcinus orca
 * Family: Monodontidae (narwhal and beluga)
 * Genus: Monodon
 * Narwhal, Monodon monoceros
 * Genus: Delphinapterus
 * Beluga, Delphinapterus leucas
 * Family: Ziphiidae (beaked whales)
 * Subfamily: Hyperoodontinae
 * Genus: Hyperoodon
 * Northern bottlenose whale, Hyperoodon ampullatus

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: Caniformia
 * Family: Canidae (dogs, foxes)
 * Genus: Vulpes
 * Arctic fox, Vulpes lagopus
 * Family: Ursidae (bears)
 * Genus: Ursus
 * Polar bear, Ursus maritimus
 * Family: Odobenidae
 * Genus: Odobenus
 * Walrus, Odobenus rosmarus
 * Family: Phocidae (earless seals)
 * Genus: Cystophora
 * Hooded seal, Cystophora cristata
 * Genus: Erignathus
 * Bearded seal, Erignathus barbatus
 * Genus: Pagophilus
 * Harp seal, Pagophilus groenlandicus
 * Genus: Phoca
 * Harbor seal, Phoca vitulina
 * Genus: Pusa
 * Ringed seal, Pusa 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: Bovidae (cattle, antelope, sheep, goats)
 * Subfamily: Caprinae
 * Genus: Ovibos
 * Muskox, O. moschatus introduced, extirpated
 * Family: Cervidae (deer)
 * Subfamily: Capreolinae
 * Genus: Rangifer
 * Reindeer, R. tarandus
 * Svalbard reindeer, R. t. platyrhynchus