List of mammals of Minnesota facts for kids
This article is a list of the amazing mammals that live in Minnesota. It also tells you if they are doing well in the wild or if they need help. Minnesota is home to 81 types of mammals that naturally live here, plus 5 kinds that were brought in by people. Some animals, like the American bison, caribou, and wolverines, used to live here but are now gone from the state. This means they are extirpated – they don't live in Minnesota anymore, but they might still exist in other places.
Minnesota doesn't have an official state mammal, but people have suggested a few! The northern white-tailed deer has been suggested eight times, and the eastern wolf six times. The American black bear and the thirteen-lined ground squirrel were each suggested once.
The table below uses special tags to show how safe each animal species is from disappearing. These tags come from the International Union for Conservation of Nature, which is a group that studies animals around the world.
| EX | Extinct | This means the last animal of that kind has died. It's gone forever. | |
| EW | Extinct in the wild | These animals only live in zoos or special protected places, not in their natural homes. | |
| CR | Critically endangered | These animals are in very serious danger of disappearing from the wild soon. | |
| EN | Endangered | These animals are facing a very high risk of disappearing from the wild. | |
| VU | Vulnerable | These animals are at a high risk of disappearing from the wild. | |
| NT | Near threatened | These animals are not in immediate danger, but they might be in the future. | |
| LC | Least concern | These animals are not currently at risk of disappearing from the wild. | |
| DD | Data deficient | We don't have enough information to know if these animals are at risk. | |
| NE | Not evaluated | The safety status of these animals has not been studied yet. |
Opossums
- Virginia opossum, Didelphis virginiana
Rodents
Squirrels and Chipmunks
- Northern flying squirrel, Glaucomys sabrinus
- Southern flying squirrel, Glaucomys volans
- Woodchuck, Marmota monax
- Least chipmunk, Neotamias minimus
- Eastern gray squirrel, Sciurus carolinensis
- Fox squirrel, Sciurus niger
- Franklin's ground squirrel, Spermophilus franklinii
- Richardson's ground squirrel, Spermophilus richardsonii
- Thirteen-lined ground squirrel, Spermophilus tridecemlineatus
- Eastern chipmunk, Tamias striatus
- American red squirrel, Tamiasciurus hudsonicus
- Black-tailed prairie dog, Cynomys ludovicianus introduced
Beavers
- American beaver, Castor canadensis
Gophers
- Plains pocket gopher, Geomys bursarius
- Northern pocket gopher, Thomomys talpoides
Pocket Mice
- Plains pocket mouse, Perognathus flavescens
Mice, Voles, and Lemmings
- Eastern deer mouse, Peromyscus maniculatus
- White-footed mouse, Peromyscus leucopus
- Western deer mouse, Peromyscus sonoriensis
- Western harvest mouse, Reithrodontomys megalotis
- Northern grasshopper mouse, Onychomys leucogaster
- Northern bog lemming, Synaptomys borealis
- Southern bog lemming, Synaptomys cooperi
- Rock vole, Microtus chrotorrhinus
- Prairie vole, Microtus ochrogaster
- Woodland vole, Microtus pinetorum
- Meadow vole, Microtus pennsylvanicus
- Eastern heather vole, Phenacomys ungava
- Southern red-backed vole, Myodes gapperi
- Muskrat, Ondatra zibethicus
Introduced Rats and Mice
- House mouse, Mus musculus introduced
- Brown rat, Rattus norvegicus introduced
Jumping Mice
- Meadow jumping mouse, Zapus hudsonius
- Woodland jumping mouse, Napaeozapus insignis
Porcupines
- North American porcupine, Erethizon dorsatum
Rabbits and Hares
Hares
- Snowshoe hare, Lepus americanus
- White-tailed jackrabbit, Lepus townsendii
Cottontail Rabbits
- Eastern cottontail, Sylvilagus floridanus
Shrews and Moles
Shrews
- Northern short-tailed shrew, Blarina brevicauda
- North American least shrew, Cryptotis parva
- Arctic shrew, Sorex arcticus
- Masked shrew, Sorex cinereus
- American pygmy shrew, Sorex hoyi
- American water shrew, Sorex palustris
Moles
- Star-nosed mole, Condylura cristata
- Eastern mole, Scalopus aquaticus
Bats
Evening Bats
- Big brown bat, Eptesicus fuscus
- Silver-haired bat, Lasionycteris noctivagans
- Hoary bat, Lasiurus cinereus
- Eastern red bat, Lasiurus borealis
- Little brown bat, Myotis lucifugus
- Northern long-eared myotis, Myotis septentrionalis
- Eastern pipistrelle, Pipistrellus subflavus
Carnivores
Raccoons
- Common raccoon, Procyon lotor
Weasels, Otters, and Badgers
- Wolverine, Gulo gulo extirpated
- Northern river otter, Lontra canadensis
- American marten, Martes americana
- Least weasel, Mustela nivalis
- American ermine, Mustela richardsonii
- Beringian ermine or stoat, Mustela erminea
- Long-tailed weasel, Neogale frenata
- American mink, Neogale vison
- Fisher, Pekania pennanti
- American badger, Taxidea taxus
Skunks
- Striped skunk, Mephitis mephitis
- Eastern spotted skunk, Spilogale putorius
Wild Dogs and Foxes
- Coyote, Canis latrans
- Gray wolf, Canis lupus
- Eastern wolf, Canis lycaon
- Gray fox, Urocyon cinereoargenteus
- Swift fox, Vulpes velox vagrant
- Red fox, Vulpes vulpes
Wild Cats
- Canada lynx, Lynx canadensis
- Bobcat, Lynx rufus
- Cougar, Puma concolor vagrant
Bears
- American black bear, Ursus americanus
Hoofed Mammals
Deer Family
- Moose, Alces alces
- Elk, Cervus canadensis
- White-tailed deer, Odocoileus virginianus
- Caribou, Rangifer tarandus extirpated
- Mule deer, Odocoileus hemionus
- Sika deer, Cervus nippon introduced
Pronghorn
- Pronghorn, Antilocapra americana vagrant
Bison
- American bison, Bison bison extirpated
Wild Pigs
- Wild boar, Sus scrofa introduced
All content from Kiddle encyclopedia articles (including the article images and facts) can be freely used under Attribution-ShareAlike license, unless stated otherwise. Cite this article:
List of mammals of Minnesota Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.