List of mammals of the Faroe Islands

This is a list of the mammal species recorded in the Faroe Islands. There are eleven mammal species in the Faroe Islands, of which two are endangered and two 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: 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
 * Genus: Eubalaena
 * North Atlantic right whale, Eubalaena glacialis EN
 * Family: Balaenopteridae
 * Subfamily: Balaenopterinae
 * Genus: Balaenoptera
 * Fin whale, Balaenoptera physalus EN
 * Suborder: Odontoceti
 * Superfamily: Platanistoidea
 * Family: Monodontidae
 * Genus: Delphinapterus
 * Beluga, Delphinapterus leucas VU
 * Family: Phocoenidae
 * Genus: Phocoena
 * Harbour porpoise, Phocoena phocoena VU
 * Family: Ziphidae
 * Subfamily: Hyperoodontinae
 * Genus: Hyperoodon
 * Bottlenose whale, Hyperoodon ampullatus LR/cd
 * Family: Delphinidae (marine dolphins)
 * Genus: Lagenorhynchus
 * White-beaked dolphin, Lagenorhynchus albirostris LR/lc
 * Atlantic white-sided dolphin, Lagenorhynchus acutus LR/lc
 * Genus: Orcinus
 * Orca, Orcinus orca LR/cd
 * Genus: Globicephala
 * Pilot whale, Globicephala melas LR/lc

Order: Lagomorpha (lagomorphs)

 * Family: Leporidae (rabbits and hares)
 * Genus: Lepus
 * Mountain hare, L. timidus introduced

Order Rodentia (rodents)

 * Family Muridae (mice and rats)
 * Genus: Rattus
 * Brown rat, Rattus norvegicus introduced
 * Genus: Mus
 * House mouse, Mus musculus introduced

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.
 * Family: Phocidae (earless seals)
 * Genus: Halichoerus
 * Grey seal, Halichoerus grypus LR/lc
 * Genus: Phoca
 * Harbor seal, P. vitulina LC
 * Genus: Cystophora
 * Hooded seal Cystophora cristata VU
 * Genus: Pagophilus
 * Harp seal, Pagophilus groenlandicus LC

Order: Chiroptera (bats)
Bats have been increasingly recorded where they are thought to be either vagrants or artificially introduced. 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: Vespertilioninae
 * Genus: Eptesicus
 * Northern bat, E. nilsonii vagrant or introduced
 * Serotine bat, E. serotinus vagrant or introduced
 * Genus: Nyctalus
 * Lesser noctule, N. leisleri vagrant or introduced
 * Genus: Pipistrellus
 * Nathusius' pipistrelle, P. nathusii vagrant or introduced
 * Genus: Vespertilio
 * Parti-coloured bat, V. murinus vagrant or introduced