List of mammals of the Bahamas

This is a list of the mammal species recorded in the Bahamas. Of the mammal species in the Bahamas, two are 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:

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: Trichechidae
 * Genus: Trichechus
 * West Indian manatee, T. manatus

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. Most rodents are small though the capybara can weigh up to 45 kg (100 lb).


 * Suborder: Hystricomorpha
 * Family: Capromyidae
 * Subfamily: Capromyinae
 * Genus: Geocapromys
 * Bahamian hutia, G. ingrahami
 * Family: Muridae
 * Subfamily: Murinae
 * Genus: Rattus
 * Black rat, R. rattus 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: Noctilionidae
 * Genus: Noctilio
 * Greater bulldog bat, N. leporinus
 * Family: Vespertilionidae
 * Subfamily: Vespertilioninae
 * Genus: Eptesicus
 * Big brown bat, E. fuscus
 * Genus: Lasiurus
 * Minor red bat, L. minor
 * Family: Molossidae
 * Genus: Tadarida
 * Mexican free-tailed bat, T. brasiliensis
 * Family: Phyllostomidae
 * Subfamily: Phyllostominae
 * Genus: Macrotus
 * Waterhouse's leaf-nosed bat, M. waterhousii
 * Subfamily: Brachyphyllinae
 * Genus: Brachyphylla
 * Cuban fruit-eating bat, B. nana extirpated
 * Subfamily: Phyllonycterinae
 * Genus: Erophylla
 * Buffy flower bat, E. sezekorni
 * Subfamily: Glossophaginae
 * Genus: Monophyllus
 * Leach's single leaf bat, M. redmani
 * Subfamily: Stenodermatinae
 * Genus: Artibeus
 * Jamaican fruit bat, A. jamaicensis
 * Family: Natalidae
 * Genus: Chilonatalus
 * Bahaman funnel-eared bat, C. tumidifrons
 * Genus: Nyctiellus
 * Gervais's funnel-eared bat, N. lepidus

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 (baleen whales)
 * Genus: Eubalaena
 * North Atlantic right whale, E. glacialis
 * Genus: Balaenoptera
 * Common minke whale, Balaenoptera acutorostrata
 * Sei whale, Balaenoptera borealis
 * Bryde's whale, Balaenoptera brydei
 * Blue whale, Balaenoptera musculus
 * Fin whale, Balaenoptera physalus
 * Genus: Megaptera
 * Humpback whale, Megaptera novaeangliae
 * Suborder: Odontoceti
 * Superfamily: Platanistoidea
 * Family: Delphinidae (marine dolphins)
 * Genus: Delphinus
 * Short-beaked common dolphin, Delphinus delphis DD
 * Genus: Feresa
 * Pygmy killer whale, Feresa attenuata DD
 * Genus: Globicephala
 * Short-finned pilot whale, Globicephala macrorhyncus DD
 * Genus: Lagenodelphis
 * Fraser's dolphin, Lagenodelphis hosei DD
 * Genus: Grampus
 * Risso's dolphin, Grampus griseus DD
 * Genus: Orcinus
 * Killer whale, Orcinus orca DD
 * Genus: Peponocephala
 * Melon-headed whale, Peponocephala electra DD
 * Genus: Pseudorca
 * False killer whale, Pseudorca crassidens DD
 * Genus: Stenella
 * Pantropical spotted dolphin, Stenella attenuata DD
 * Clymene dolphin, Stenella clymene DD
 * Striped dolphin, Stenella coeruleoalba DD
 * Atlantic spotted dolphin, Stenella frontalis DD
 * Spinner dolphin, Stenella longirostris DD
 * Genus: Steno
 * Rough-toothed dolphin, Steno bredanensis DD
 * Genus: Tursiops
 * Common bottlenose dolphin, Tursiops truncatus
 * Family: Physeteridae (sperm whales)
 * Genus: Physeter
 * Sperm whale, Physeter catodon DD
 * Family: Kogiidae (dwarf sperm whales)
 * Genus: Kogia
 * Pygmy sperm whale, Kogia breviceps DD
 * Dwarf sperm whale, Kogia sima DD
 * Superfamily Ziphioidea
 * Family: Ziphidae (beaked whales)
 * Genus: Mesoplodon
 * Gervais' beaked whale, Mesoplodon europaeus DD
 * Blainville's beaked whale, Mesoplodon densirostris DD
 * True's beaked whale, Mesoplodon mirus DD
 * Genus: Ziphius
 * Cuvier's beaked whale, Ziphius cavirostris 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: Caniformia
 * Family: Procyonidae (raccoons)
 * Genus: Procyon
 * Raccoon, P. lotor
 * Bahamian raccoon, P. l. maynardi
 * Genus: Neomonachus
 * Caribbean monk seal, N. tropicalis