List of mammals of Florida facts for kids

Dolphin, Florida's saltwater mammal; Florida panther, Florida's state animal; and manatee, Florida's marine mammal

Florida is home to many amazing animals, and this list focuses on the mammal species found living in the wild in Florida. There are 116 different kinds of mammals that live, or have recently lived, in the state and its waters. This includes some animals, like the black-tailed jackrabbit and red deer, that were brought here by people after Europeans arrived. It also includes animals that are now extinct, like the Caribbean monk seal and the Florida black wolf. About a quarter of all these mammals are rodents, and many others are from the whale and dolphin family or the carnivore family.

The information for this list comes from experts at the American Society of Mammalogists (ASM). We also used the IUCN Red List to find out how well different species are doing around the world.

Bats: Flying Mammals
- Solitary Bats
- Colony Bats
Carnivores: Meat-Eating Mammals
Cetaceans: Whales and Dolphins
Even-Toed Ungulates: Hoofed Mammals
Marsupials: Pouched Mammals
Armadillos
Anteaters and Tamanduas
Primates
Lagomorphs: Rabbits and Hares
Rodents: Gnawing Mammals
Shrews and Moles
Sirenia: Manatees
Images for kids

Bats: Flying Mammals

Thirteen types of bats are known to live in Florida all the time. They all eat insects! Eight other types of bats are seen only rarely, like the Indiana bat and the Jamaican fruit bat. These are called "accidental" species because they don't usually live here.

Bats can be grouped by where they like to sleep, or "roost." Some bats like to roost alone, while others live in big groups called colonies.

Solitary Bats

Solitary bats prefer to sleep by themselves in leaves, palm fronds, or Spanish moss. The bats that live in Florida and like to be alone are the eastern red bat, the northern yellow bat, and the Seminole bat. Hoary bats are also found here, but they fly south to Mexico and South America for the winter.

Colony Bats

The other types of bats in Florida live in colonies. These bats are usually darker and less furry than solitary bats. They like to live under bridges, in tree holes, or in caves. Only three Florida bats live in caves: the eastern pipistrelle, the gray bat, and the southeastern myotis. Florida actually has more southeastern myotis bats than anywhere else in the world!

The biggest danger to bats in Florida is when their roosting spots are disturbed or destroyed. This can happen because of vandalism or when new buildings are built in cities.

Common name	Scientific name authority	ASM state status and native range
Family Molossidae: Free-tailed bats
Florida bonneted bat	Eumops floridanus (Allen, 1932)	rare, only found in southern Florida
Velvety free-tailed bat	Molossus molossus (Pallas, 1766)	rare; Lower Keys
Mexican free-tailed bat	Tadarida brasiliensis (I. Geoffroy, 1824)	common, statewide except for Keys
Family Mormoopidae
Antillean ghost-faced bat	Mormoops blainvillei (Leach, 1821)	rare, Lower Keys only
Ghost-faced bat	Mormoops megalophylla (Peters, 1864)	no longer found in Florida
Pristine mustached bat	Pteronotus pristinus (Silva-Taboada, 1974)	Extinct
Family Phyllostomidae: Leaf-nosed bats
Jamaican fruit bat	Artibeus jamaicensis (Leach, 1821)	rare, Lower Keys only
Buffy flower bat	Erophylla sezekorni (Gundlach, 1860)	rare; Lower Keys
Cuban flower bat	Phyllonycteris poeyi (Gundlach, 1860)	rare; Lower Keys
Cuban fig-eating bat	Phyllops falcatus (Gray, 1839)	rare; Lower Keys
Family Vespertilionidae: Vesper bats
Rafinesque's big-eared bat	Corynorhinus rafinesquii Lesson, 1827	rare, statewide except southern tip of peninsula and Keys
Big brown bat	Eptesicus fuscus (Beauvois, 1796)	common statewide except for Keys
Silver-haired bat	Lasionycteris noctivagans (La Conte, 1831)	rare; known only from north Santa Rosa County and possibly north Nassau County
Eastern red bat	Lasiurus borealis (Müller, 1776)	uncommon; panhandle and northern quarter of peninsula
Hoary bat	Lasiurus cinereus (Beauvois, 1796)	uncommon, panhandle and northern half of peninsula
Northern yellow bat	Lasiurus intermedius H. Allen, 1862	common statewide except southern tip of peninsula and Keys
Seminole bat	Lasiurus seminolus (Rhoads, 1895)	common, statewide except southern tip of peninsula and Keys
Southeastern myotis	Myotis austroriparius (Rhoads, 1897)	common; cave habitats in panhandle and, separate areas, northeastern and northcentral peninsula
Gray bat	Myotis griscens A.H. Howell, 1909	rare, known only from panhandle, Marianna area
Little brown bat	Myotis lucifugus (La Conte, 1831)	rare, known only from panhandle and Okaloosa County
Northern long-eared myotis	Myotis septentrionalis (Trouessart, 1897)	rare/accidental or possibly no longer found, known only from panhandle, Marianna and Jackson counties
Indiana bat	Myotis sodalis Miller & Allen, 1922	rare, known only from panhandle, Marianna and Jackson counties
Evening bat	Nycticeius humeralis (Rafinesque, 1818)	uncommon; panhandle and northern quarter of peninsula
Eastern pipistrelle	Perimyotis subflavus (F. Cuvier, 1832)	uncommon; panhandle and northern half of peninsula

Carnivores: Meat-Eating Mammals

Florida panther

Coyotes and Foxes

Coyotes started appearing in northern Florida in the 1970s as they spread their natural territory. They also moved in because people illegally released them, and because red wolves and gray wolves were no longer found in the state. Coyotes are very good at adapting and can live in all kinds of forests and farms.

Florida has two types of foxes. The native gray fox can be found almost everywhere in the United States. It sometimes has patches of red hair, so people might confuse it with the red fox. The red fox was brought to Florida by hunting clubs, though it might have lived in the northern panhandle naturally. Red foxes like open areas, while gray foxes prefer forests.

Wolves and Wildcats

Red wolves used to be common across the southeastern U.S., including Florida. They became extinct in the wild in 1980. Now, they are being brought back to special nature preserves. A group of red wolves was brought to the Saint Vincent National Refuge in 1997 as part of this effort. When red wolf pups are about 18 months old, they are moved to North Carolina. A type of red wolf called the Florida black wolf (Canis rufus floridanus) also lived only in Florida but died out in the 1800s.

Bobcats are very good at living near cities and towns, so they are not a big concern for conservation. They make their homes in hammocks, forests, or swamps.

The Florida panther is a type of cougar found in Florida. It has longer legs, is smaller, and has a shorter, darker coat than other cougars. The Florida panther's skull is wider and flatter, with highly arched nasal bones. Experts believe there are only about 70 adult panthers left. A study in 1992 predicted that this type of panther might become extinct between 2016 and 2055. In 1982, Florida schoolchildren chose the Florida panther as the state animal.

Skunks, Otters, and Raccoons

Two of the eleven types of skunks live in Florida: the eastern spotted skunk and the striped skunk. Both can be found all over the state, except in the Keys.

Small groups of Everglades mink (Neogale vison evergladensis), which are a type of American mink, live near Lake Okeechobee and in the Big Cypress Swamp-Everglades National Park area.

North American river otters are often seen near freshwater streams in Florida. Their population is actually growing!

Raccoons are very common across the United States, including Florida. They can live in almost any kind of habitat. They are one of the few animals that actually do better when humans develop land, because it makes food easier to find. Predators like bobcats don't cause many raccoon deaths. Most raccoons die in car accidents. Raccoons also eat the eggs from sea turtle nests.

Bears and Seals

The Florida black bear (Ursus americanus floridanus) is a type of American black bear. The differences between types are very small, but the Florida black bear has a highly arched forehead and a long, narrow braincase. In 2002, there were an estimated 2,000 to 3,200 bears in Florida, which was an increase from 1998. The biggest worry for these bears is being hit by cars, though this happens at similar rates in other parts of the country.

Florida doesn't have seal colonies, but sometimes stray seals come ashore. The most common ones seen are the common seal and the hooded seal. A bearded seal was even seen in 2007. The Caribbean monk seal used to live in the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico. These seals were hunted a lot by fishermen in the 1800s, and their numbers dropped greatly. The last time a Caribbean monk seal was seen in Florida was in 1922, and no one has seen one anywhere since 1952.

Common name	Scientific name authority	ASM state status and native range
Family Felidae: Felines
Ocelot	Leopardus pardalis (Linnaeus, 1758)	no longer found in Florida
Bobcat	Lynx rufus (Schreber, 1777)	common; peninsula and northern Keys
Jaguar	Panthera onca (Linnaeus, 1758)	no longer found in Florida
Florida panther	Puma concolor (Linnaeus, 1771)	only found in Green Swamp and Big Cypress areas in SW peninsula
Family Canidae: Canines
Coyote	Canis latrans Say, 1823	uncommon or locally common statewide
Gray wolf	Canis lupus Linnaeus, 1758	no longer found in Florida
Red wolf	Canis rufus (Audubon & Bachman, 1851)	rare; introduced on St. Vincent Island, no longer found elsewhere
Florida black wolf	C. r. floridanus Miller, 1912	extinct
Gray fox	Urocyon cinereoargenteus (Schreber, 1775)	uncommon or locally common statewide
Red fox	Vulpes vulpes (Linnaeus, 1758)	uncommon or locally common statewide
Family Ursidae: Bears
Black bear	Ursus americanus (Pallas, 1780)	rare or uncommon; specific groups statewide except Keys
Family Procyonidae: Raccoons and allies
Kinkajou	Potos flavus (Schreber, 1774)	introduced
Common raccoon	Procyon lotor (Linnaeus, 1758)	very common, statewide
White-nosed coati	Nasua narica Linnaeus, 1766	introduced
South American coati	Nasua nasua Linnaeus, 1766	introduced; Miami-Dade County
Family Mustelidae: Weasels and allies
Northern river otter	Lontra canadensis (Schreber, 1777)	locally common, mostly freshwater habitats, mainly rivers and streams, statewide except Keys
European polecat	Mustela putorius Linnaeus, 1758	introduced
Long-tailed weasel	Neogale frenata (Lichtenstein, 1831)	rare; statewide except Everglades and Keys
American mink	Neogale vison (Schreber, 1777)	rare; coastal marshes in west Panhandle, Big Bend area, northeast area, and Everglades
American badger	Taxidea taxus (Schreber, 1777)	uncommon; Gulf coast
Family Mephitidae: Skunks
American hog-nosed skunk	Conepatus leuconotus (Lichtenstein, 1832)	no longer found in Florida
Striped skunk	Mephitis mephitis (Schreber, 1776)	common; statewide except Keys
Eastern spotted skunk	Spilogale putorius (Linnaeus, 1758)	common; statewide except northeast corner and Keys
Superfamily Pinnipedia: Seals and allies
Family Otariidae: Eared seals
California sea lion	Zalophus californianus (Lesson, 1828)	introduced; accidental sightings had occurred in Florida's Gulf coast of wandering individuals from Mobile Bay, Alabama
Family Phocidae: Earless seals
Hooded seal	Cystophora cristata (Erxleben, 1777)	rare; east coastal marine areas to Central Florida
Bearded seal	Erignathus barbatus (Erxleben, 1777)	rare; east coastal marine areas to Central Florida
Caribbean monk seal	Neomonachus tropicalis (Erxleben, 1777)	extinct
Gray seal	Halichoerus grypus (O. Fabricius, 1791)	rare
Harbor seal	Phoca vitulina (Linnaeus, 1758)	rare; east coastal marine areas to Central Florida

Cetaceans: Whales and Dolphins

Common bottlenose dolphin in Boca Raton

Many whales are seen near Florida. The most common and important visitor is the North Atlantic right whale. These whales were called "right" whales because they were the easiest to hunt. Their only known place to have babies is off the coasts of Georgia and Florida. Pregnant female right whales travel from far north to give birth between mid-December and March. Humpback whales are also starting to come back to the area. Gray whales used to visit Florida for the same reasons as right whales, but they disappeared from the Atlantic Ocean in the 1600s and 1700s.

The most common dolphin in Florida is the common bottlenose dolphin. Dolphins, like manatees, can be harmed by red tide (harmful algae blooms), which can cause many of them to die. Dolphins were chosen as Florida's state saltwater mammal in 1975.

Common name	Scientific name authority	ASM state status and native range
Family Balaenidae: Right whales
Southern right whale	Eubalaena australis (Desmoulins, 1822)	wandering; Atlantic coast
North Atlantic right whale	Eubalaena glacialis (Linnaeus, 1758)	regular visitor (in very small number)
Family Balaenopteridae: Rorquals
Common minke whale	Balaenoptera acutorostrata Lacépède, 1804	rare
Sei whale	Balaenoptera borealis (Lesson, 1828)	rare
Rice's whale	Balaenoptera ricei Rosel et al., 2021	resident
Bryde's whale	Balaenoptera brydei Anderson, 1878	rare
Blue whale	Balaenoptera musculus (Linnaeus, 1758)	rare
Fin whale	Balaenoptera physalus (Linnaeus, 1758)	rare
Humpback whale	Megaptera novaeangliae (Borowski, 1781)	common (in small numbers)
Family Eschrichtiidae: Gray whales
Gray whale	Eschrichtius robustus (Lilljebor, 1861)	no longer found in Florida; however in December 2023, a rare sighting of the species was seen at Sunny Isles Beach, which is considered to be the first rediscovered gray whale in Florida since the 18th century
Family Physeteridae: Sperm whales
Sperm whale	Physeter macrocephalus (Linnaeus, 1758)	rare
Family Kogiidae: Dwarf sperm whales
Pygmy sperm whale	Kogia breviceps (Blainville, 1838)	uncommon
Dwarf sperm whale	Kogia sima (Owen, 1866)	uncommon
Family Ziphidae: Beaked whales
Northern bottlenose whale	Hyperoodon ampullatus (Forster, 1770)	rare; Atlantic coast
Sowerby's beaked whale	Mesoplodon bidens Sowerby, 1804	rare; Gulf coast
Blainville's beaked whale	Mesoplodon densirostris (Blainville, 1817)	rare
Gervais' beaked whale	Mesoplodon europaeus (Gervais, 1855)	rare
True's beaked whale	Mesoplodon mirus (True, 1913)	rare; Atlantic coast south to Flagler County.
Cuvier's beaked whale	Ziphius cavirostris (G. Cuvier, 1823)	rare
Family Phocoenidae: Porpoises
Harbor porpoise	Phocoena phocoena (Linnaeus, 1758)	rare; east coastal marine areas to North Florida
Family Delphinidae: Oceanic dolphins
Short-beaked common dolphin	Delphinus delphis (Gray, 1828)	rare
Pygmy killer whale	Feresa attenuata (Gray, 1875)	rare
Short-finned pilot whale	Globicephala macrorhynchus Gray, 1846	rare
Risso's dolphin	Grampus griseus (G. Cuvier, 1812)	rare
Fraser's dolphin	Lagenodelphis hosei (Fraser, 1956)	rare;
Killer whale	Orcinus orca (Linnaeus, 1758)	rare though last sighting of the orcas where in the Florida Keys off Key Largo on July 2023. & again spotted migrating from the coast of Fort Pierce to Vero Beach on September 12, 2023.
Melon-headed whale	Peponocephala electra (Gray, 1846)	rare
False killer whale	Pseudorca crassidens (Owen, 1846)	rare
Pantropical spotted dolphin	Stenella attenuata (Gray, 1846)	rare
Clymene dolphin	Stenella clymene (Gray, 1846)	rare
Striped dolphin	Stenella coeruleoalba (Meyen, 1833)	rare
Atlantic spotted dolphin	Stenella frontalis (G. Cuvier, 1829)	rare
Spinner dolphin	Stenella longirostris (Gray, 1828)	rare
Rough-toothed dolphin	Steno bredanensis (G. Cuvier in Lesson, 1828)	rare
Common bottlenose dolphin	Tursiops truncatus (Montagu, 1821)	common; coastal
Tamanend's bottlenose dolphin	Tursiops erebennus (Cope, 1865)	rare; coastal

Even-Toed Ungulates: Hoofed Mammals

Key deer

The only native even-toed hoofed mammal in Florida is the white-tailed deer. This deer is very important for hunting in North America and is a main food source for the Florida panther. In the late 1930s, there were only about 20,000 deer in Florida. The species almost disappeared in South Florida because of efforts to get rid of diseases carried by ticks. Rules to limit hunting and bringing in deer from other states helped a lot. Now, there are more than 700,000 deer statewide. A smaller type of white-tailed deer, the Key deer, lives only in the Florida Keys. There are about 800 of them. Sambar deer were brought to Saint Vincent Island in 1908 for hunters. Their population is between 700 and 1,000. Some red deer were released from a hunting ranch around 1967 and might still live in a small group.

Wild boar arrived in Florida in 1539 with Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto. Florida has about 12% of the three million wild boars in the U.S. They are popular for hunting but are also seen as a problem because they damage farms and the environment. More than 21,000 wild boars were killed in 1980 alone.

Common name	Scientific name authority	ASM state status and native range
Family Cervidae: Deer
Chital	Axis axis (Erxleben, 1777)	introduced; uncommon
Elk	Cervus canadensis (Erxleben, 1777)	introduced, possibly no longer found
Red deer	Cervus elaphus Linnaeus, 1758	introduced; single population in Highlands County
Sika deer	Cervus nippon Temminck, 1838	introduced
White-tailed deer	Odocoileus virginianus (Zimmerman, 1780)	common statewide; rare in Keys
Key deer	O. v. clavium Barbour & G. M. Allen, 1922	only in Everglades or Keys
Barasingha	Rucervus duvaucelii G. Cuvier, 1823	introduced
Sambar deer	Rusa unicolor (Kerr, 1792)	introduced on St. Vincent Island
Family Bovidae: Bovids
American bison	Bison bison (Linnaeus, 1758)	reintroduced on Paynes Prairie Preserve
Nilgai	Boselaphus tragocamelus (Pallas, 1766)	introduced
Family Suidae: Pigs
Common warthog	Phacochoerus africanus (Gmelin, 1788)	introduced
Wild boar	Sus scrofa Linnaeus, 1758	introduced; common
Family Antilocapridae: Pronghorns
Pronghorn	Antilocapra americana (Ord, 1815)	introduced, presumably no longer found; Osceloa County
Family Tayassuidae: Peccaries
Collared peccary	Dicotyles tajacu (Linnaeus, 1758)	no longer found in Florida

Marsupials: Pouched Mammals

The Virginia opossum is the only marsupial (a mammal with a pouch) found in North America north of the Rio Grande. It lives in wooded areas and can be easily found all over Florida.

Common name	Scientific name authority	ASM state status and native range	Red List
Family Didelphidae: New World opossums
Virginia opossum	Didelphis virginiana (Kerr, 1792)	common; statewide

Armadillos

The nine-banded armadillo is the only type of armadillo found in Florida. It moved here from Texas. More armadillos were brought in by people, and they spread quickly across the state because they reproduce fast.

Common name	Scientific name authority	ASM state status and native range	Red List
Family Dasypodidae: Armadillos
Nine-banded armadillo	Dasypus novemcinctus Linnaeus, 1758	common; statewide, except possibly some parts of Everglades

Anteaters and Tamanduas

The Myrmecophagidae are a family of anteaters. Their name comes from ancient Greek words meaning 'ant' and 'eat'. This family includes the giant anteater and the tamanduas.

Common name	Scientific name authority	ASM state status and native range	Red List
Family Myrmecophagidae
Northern tamandua	Tamandua mexicana (Saussure, 1860)	introduced; Miami-Dade County

Primates

Six rhesus macaques were brought to Florida around the 1930s to be a tourist attraction. They were kept on an island in a Central Florida river and grew in number. A company called Charles River Laboratories kept a free-roaming group of these monkeys until 1999. They had to remove the animals because they were damaging the mangrove forests in Key Haven. Other primates that have been seen in Florida, but are not on this list, include crab-eating macaques and squirrel monkeys.

Common name	Scientific name authority	ASM state status and native range
Family Cercopithecidae: Old World monkeys
Vervet monkey	Chlorocebus pygerythrus (F. Cuvier, 1821)	introduced; Dania Beach and Fort Lauderdale area.
Rhesus macaque	Macaca mulatta (Zimmermann, 1780)	introduced; Ocala and Silver Springs area
Family Lemuridae: Lemurs
Ring-tailed lemur	Lemur catta Linnaeus, 1758	introduced

Lagomorphs: Rabbits and Hares

All the lagomorphs (rabbits and hares) found in Florida are active at night. The black-tailed jackrabbit was brought here between 1930 and 1950 to help train racing greyhounds. The native eastern cottontail can be found almost anywhere except in forests and coastal marshes. The marsh rabbit prefers freshwater and brackish (slightly salty) marshes.

Common name	Scientific name authority	ASM state status and native range
Family Leporidae: Rabbits and hares
Black-tailed jackrabbit	Lepus californicus (Gray, 1837)	introduced; established in Homestead area
Swamp rabbit	Sylvilagus aquaticus (Bachman, 1837)	rare and unconfirmed; possibly present in Escambia County but no known records
Eastern cottontail	Sylvilagus floridanus (J. A. Allen, 1890)	common; statewide except Keys
Marsh rabbit	Sylvilagus palustris (Bachman, 1837)	common; statewide
Lower Keys marsh rabbit	S. p. hefneri (Lazell, 1984)	Florida Keys

Rodents: Gnawing Mammals

Eastern gray squirrel in Tampa

Many different types of rodents live in Florida. Some of the biggest concerns for conservation are certain types of oldfield mouse, along with the Florida mouse and Florida salt marsh vole. Six out of eight types of the oldfield mouse (often called beach mice) are endangered, and one is extinct. They are disappearing because of predators like cats and red foxes, and because their natural homes are being destroyed. The Florida mouse is also on the endangered species list because its habitat is being destroyed. The Florida bonneted bat, Florida mouse, and Florida salt marsh vole are the only mammal species found only in Florida. The Florida mouse relies on the gopher tortoise (which is also endangered) to survive. It makes its burrows from old tortoise burrows, or if there aren't any, it uses oldfield mouse burrows.

Some non-native rodents were brought to Florida on boats by early settlers. These include the black rat, brown rat, and house mouse. Other non-native rodents are the capybara, the nutria, and the Mexican gray squirrel.

Common name	Scientific name authority	ASM state status and native range
Family Castoridae: Beavers
American beaver	Castor canadensis (Kuhl, 1820)	common; panhandle and northern third of peninsula, except coastal areas.
Family Sciuridae: Squirrels
Southern flying squirrel	Glaucomys volans (Linnaeus, 1758)	common; statewide except Keys and possibly southwest peninsula
Groundhog	Marmota monax (Linnaeus, 1758)	rare
Mexican gray squirrel	Sciurus aureogaster F. Cuvier, 1829	introduced; established on Elliott Key
Eastern gray squirrel	Sciurus carolinensis (Gmelin, 1788)	common; statewide except Lower Keys
Fox squirrel	Sciurus niger (Linnaeus, 1758)	rare; statewide except Keys; possibly extinct in southeastern peninsula
Eastern chipmunk	Tamias striatus (Linnaeus, 1758)	uncommon; northern half of western panhandle in mesic forest areas
American red squirrel	Tamiasciurus hudsonicus (Erxleben, 1777)	rare
Family Geomyidae: Pocket gophers
Plains pocket gopher	Geomys bursarius (Shaw, 1800)	rare
Southeastern pocket gopher	Geomys pinetis (Rafinesque, 1817)	common; panhandle and northern half of peninsula
Goff's pocket gopher	G. p. goffi Sherman, 1944	extinct; once only found in Brevard County
Family Zapodidae: Jumping mice
Woodland jumping mouse	Napaeozapus insignis (Miller, 1891)	rare
Family Cricetidae: Voles, muskrats
Eastern harvest mouse	Reithrodontomys humulis (Audubon & Bachman, 1941)	common; panhandle and northern two thirds of peninsula in old fields, grasslands, and fields
Florida salt marsh vole	Microtus dukecampbelli (Woods, Post, and Kilpatrick, 1982)	rare; only found in salt marshes in Waccasassa Bay in Levy County
Woodland vole	Microtus pinetorum (Le Conte, 1830)	uncommon; central portion of northern third of peninsula
Round-tailed muskrat	Neofiber alleni (True, 1884)	common; peninsula and isolated populations in Apalachicola and Okefenokee areas
Florida woodrat	Neotoma floridana (Ord, 1818)	uncommon; panhandle, northern two thirds of peninsula and rare; Key Largo
Key Largo woodrat	Neotoma floridana smalli (Sherman, 1955)	Endangered in Key Largo
Golden mouse	Ochrotomys nuttalli (Harlan, 1832)	rare; panhandle and northern half of peninsula
Muskrat	Ondatra zibethicus (Linnaeus, 1766)	common; northwestern half of panhandle
Marsh rice rat	Oryzomys palustris (Harlan, 1837)	common; statewide
Cotton mouse	Peromyscus gossypinus (Le Conte, 1850)	common; statewide in forests and mixed forest/grasslands
Key Largo cotton mouse	P. g. allapaticola (Schwartz, 1952)	only found in Key Largo
Chadwick Beach cotton mouse	P. g. restrictus (A.H. Howell, 1939)	extinct; once only found in the Chadwick Beach area of Manasota Key
Oldfield mouse	Peromyscus polionotus (Wagner, 1843)	common; several unique types (see below)
Pallid beach mouse	P. p. decoloratus (A.H. Howell, 1939)	extinct; once only found in Ponce Park in Volusia County and Bulow in Flagler County
Anastasia Island beach mouse	P. p. phasma (Bangs, 1898)	only found in Anastasia Island in St. Augustine, Florida
Perdido Key beach mouse	P. p. trissyllepsis (Bowen, 1968)	only found in Perdido Key, Florida
Florida mouse	Podomys floridanus (Chapman, 1889)	rare; central peninsula, mostly in habitats along central ridges.
Hispid cotton rat	Sigmodon hispidus Say & Ord, 1825	common; statewide
Family Muridae: Murids
House mouse	Mus musculus Linnaeus, 1758	introduced; common; statewide
Brown rat	Rattus norvegicus (Berkenhout, 1769)	introduced; common; statewide
Black rat	Rattus rattus (Linnaeus, 1758)	introduced; common statewide
Family Nesomyidae: Nesomyids
Gambian pouched rat	Cricetomys gambianus Waterhouse, 1840	introduced; Keys
Family Myocastoridae: Nutrias
Nutria	Myocastor coypus (Molina, 1782)	introduced; Duval County and panhandle populations; possibly established statewide except Keys
Family Caviidae: Cavies
Patagonian mara	Dolichotis patagonum (Zimmermann, 1780)	introduced
Capybara	Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris (Linnaeus, 1766)	introduced; while no breeding population has been confirmed, sightings still occur. While it is considered an invasive species, some claim that it may serve as a proxy of the Pleistocene species.
Family Dasyproctidae: Agoutis and acouchis
Red-rumped agouti	Dasyprocta leporina (Linnaeus, 1766)	introduced; Miami-Dade County

Shrews and Moles

Four types of shrews (small, mouse-like mammals) are found across Florida. Two known types are the Homosassa shrew (Sorex longirostris eionis) and Sherman's short-tailed shrew (Blarina carolinensis shermanii). Cats are one of their main predators. Two types of moles also live in Florida.

Common name	Scientific name authority	ASM state status and native range
Family Soricidae: Shrews
Southern short-tailed shrew	Blarina carolinensis (Bachman, 1837)	common; statewide except for Keys
North American least shrew	Cryptotis parva (Say, 1823)	common; statewide except for Keys
Everglades short-tailed shrew	Blarina peninsulae (Merriam, 1895)	common; peninsular
Southeastern shrew	Sorex longirostris Bachman, 1837	uncommon; north, south through Central Florida
Family Talpidae: Moles
Star-nosed mole	Condylura cristata (Linnaeus, 1758)	rare; Okefenokee Swamp area and possibly in Leon County
Eastern mole	Scalopus aquaticus (Linnaeus, 1758)	common; statewide except for Keys

Sirenia: Manatees

West Indian manatee

The Trichechus manatus latirostris is one of two types of West Indian manatee. This plant-eating water mammal lives in rivers, springs, and shallow coastal waters. It was named Florida's state marine mammal in 1975 and is protected by laws. Manatees are threatened by losing their homes, getting tangled in fishing gear and crab traps, or being crushed by canal locks and flood gates. The most common reason manatees die is being hit by boats. This has caused a quarter of all manatee deaths recorded since 1974. In 2015, there were an estimated 6,063 manatees in Florida.

Common name	Scientific name authority	ASM state status and native range	Red List
Family Sirenia: Sea cows
West Indian manatee	Trichechus manatus (Linnaeus, 1758)	rare; coastal marine areas, but not usually north of the Suwannee River in the Gulf of Mexico; enters rivers and connected springs common; peninsula and northern Keys.

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List of mammals of Florida Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.