List of mammals of Vanuatu

This is a list of the mammal species recorded in Vanuatu. There are 22 mammal species in Vanuatu, of which one is endangered and four are vulnerable.

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: 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
 * Vanuatu flying fox, Pteropus anetianus LR/lc
 * Banks flying fox, Pteropus fundatus VU
 * Insular flying-fox, Pteropus tonganus LR/lc
 * Subfamily: Macroglossinae
 * Genus: Notopteris
 * Long-tailed fruit bat, Notopteris macdonaldi VU
 * Family: Vespertilionidae
 * Subfamily: Myotinae
 * Genus: Myotis
 * Large-footed bat, Myotis adversus LR/lc
 * Subfamily: Miniopterinae
 * Genus: Miniopterus
 * Little long-fingered bat, Miniopterus australis LR/lc
 * Great bent-winged bat, Miniopterus tristis LR/lc
 * Family: Molossidae
 * Genus: Chaerephon
 * Chaerephon bregullae LR/nt
 * Northern freetail bat, Chaerephon jobensis LR/lc
 * Family: Emballonuridae
 * Genus: Emballonura
 * Polynesian sheath-tailed bat, Emballonura semicaudata EN
 * Family: Rhinolophidae
 * Subfamily: Hipposiderinae
 * Genus: Aselliscus
 * Temminck's trident bat, Aselliscus tricuspidatus LR/lc
 * Genus: Hipposideros
 * Fawn roundleaf bat, Hipposideros cervinus LR/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: Balaenopteridae
 * Subfamily: Megapterinae
 * Genus: Megaptera
 * Humpback whale, Megaptera novaeangliae VU
 * Suborder: Odontoceti
 * Superfamily: Platanistoidea
 * Family: Ziphidae
 * Subfamily: Hyperoodontinae
 * Genus: Mesoplodon
 * Blainville's beaked whale, Mesoplodon densirostris DD
 * Ginkgo-toothed beaked whale, Mesoplodon ginkgodens DD
 * Hector's beaked whale, Mesoplodon hectori DD
 * Family: Delphinidae (marine dolphins)
 * Genus: Stenella
 * Pantropical spotted dolphin, Stenella attenuata LR/cd
 * Striped dolphin, Stenella coeruleoalba LR/cd
 * Spinner dolphin, Stenella longirostris LR/cd
 * Genus: Lagenodelphis
 * Fraser's dolphin, Lagenodelphis hosei DD