List of mammals of South Carolina facts for kids
South Carolina is a state in the southeastern United States. It's home to many different kinds of animals, including a wide variety of mammals! Mammals are warm-blooded animals that have fur or hair, and mothers feed their babies milk. This list shows the mammals that live in South Carolina now, or used to live there a long time ago.
Contents
- Amazing Mammals of South Carolina
- Whales and Dolphins
- Land Mammals
- Cattle, Goats, and Antelopes (Bovidae)
- Dogs, Wolves, and Foxes (Canidae)
- Deer (Cervidae)
- Armadillos (Dasypodidae)
- Opossums (Didelphimorphia)
- Cats (Felidae)
- Rabbits and Hares (Leporidae)
- Skunks (Mephitidae)
- Free-tailed Bats (Molossidae)
- Mice, Rats, and Voles (Muridae)
- Weasels, Otters, and Minks (Mustelidae)
- Raccoons (Procyonidae)
- Squirrels, Chipmunks, and Marmots (Sciuridae)
- Shrews (Soricidae)
- Pigs (Suidae)
- Moles (Talpidae)
- Bears (Ursidae)
- Common Bats (Vespertilionidae)
- Jumping Mice (Zapodidae)
- Marine Mammals (Seals and Manatees)
Amazing Mammals of South Carolina
This section lists the different types of mammals you can find in South Carolina. Some of these animals are still common, while others might have once lived here but are now gone.
Whales and Dolphins
These amazing mammals live in the ocean waters off the coast of South Carolina.
Baleen Whales (Balaenopteridae)
These are very large whales that filter their food using baleen plates instead of teeth.
- Minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata)
- Sei whale (Balaenoptera borealis)
- Bowhead whale (Balaena mysticetus)
- Fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus)
- Right whale (Eubalaena glacialis)
- Humpback whale (Megaptera novaengliae)
Oceanic Dolphins (Delphinidae)
These are intelligent, toothed whales, often called dolphins.
- Saddleback dolphin (Delphinus delphis)
- Short-finned pilot whale (Globicephala macrohyncha)
- Atlantic pilot whale (Globicephala melaena)
- Grampus (Grampus griseus)
- Dense-beaked whale (Mesoplodon densirostris)
- Antillean beaked whale (Mesoplodon europaeus)
- True's beaked whale (Mesoplodon mirus)
- False killer whale (Pseudorca crassidens)
- Pantropical spotted dolphin (Stenella attenuata)
- Striped dolphin (Stenella coeruleoalba)
- Atlantic spotted dolphin (Stenella frontails)
- Spinner dolphin (Stenella longirostris)
- Rough-toothed dolphin (Steno bredanensis)
- Common bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus)
Pygmy and Dwarf Sperm Whales (Kogiidae)
These are smaller relatives of the sperm whale.
- Pygmy sperm whale (Kogia breviceps)
- Dwarf sperm whale (Kogia simus)
Sperm Whales (Physeteridae)
The sperm whale is the largest toothed predator on Earth.
- Sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus)
Porpoises (Phocoenidae)
Porpoises are smaller than dolphins and have different shaped teeth.
- Harbor porpoise (Phocoena phocoena)
Beaked Whales (Ziphiidae)
These whales are known for their unique beaks.
- Goosebeaked whale (Ziphius carvirostris)
Land Mammals
South Carolina's forests, wetlands, and fields are home to many different land mammals.
Cattle, Goats, and Antelopes (Bovidae)
- American bison (Bison bison) - This animal used to live in South Carolina but is no longer found there in the wild. We say it is extirpated.
Dogs, Wolves, and Foxes (Canidae)
- Coyote (Canis latrans)
- Red wolf (Canis rufus) - This wolf used to live in South Carolina but is no longer found there in the wild (extirpated).
- Gray fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus)
- Red fox (Vulpes vulpes)
Deer (Cervidae)
- Elk (Cervus canadensis) - This animal doesn't usually live in South Carolina but sometimes visits. We call it a vagrant.
- Eastern elk (C. c. canadensis)
- Rocky Mountain elk (C. c. nelsoni) - This type of elk was brought to the area by humans (introduced) and sometimes visits (vagrant).
- White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus)
Armadillos (Dasypodidae)
- Nine-banded armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus)
Opossums (Didelphimorphia)
- Virginia opossum (Didelphis virginiana)
Cats (Felidae)
- Bobcat (Lynx rufus)
- Cougar (Puma concolor) - This large cat used to live in South Carolina but is no longer found there in the wild (extirpated).
- Eastern cougar, (P. c. couguar)
Rabbits and Hares (Leporidae)
- Swamp rabbit (Sylvilagus aquaticus)
- Eastern cottontail (Sylvilagus floridanus)
- Marsh rabbit (Sylvilagus palustris)
- Snowshoe hare (Lepus americanus) - This hare used to live in South Carolina but is no longer found there in the wild (extirpated).
Skunks (Mephitidae)
- Striped skunk (Mephitis mephitis)
- Spotted skunk (Spilogale putorius)
Free-tailed Bats (Molossidae)
- Brazilian free-tailed bat (Tadarida brasiliensis)
Mice, Rats, and Voles (Muridae)
- House mouse (Mus musculus) - This mouse was brought to the area by humans (introduced).
- Meadow vole (Microtus pennsylvanicus)
- Pine vole (Microtus pinetorum)
- Southern red-backed vole (Myodes gapperi)
- Eastern woodrat (Neotoma floridana)
- Golden mouse (Ochrotomys nuttalli)
- Muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus)
- Marsh rice rat (Oryzomys palustris)
- Cotton mouse (Peromyscus gossypinus)
- White-footed mouse (Peromyscus leucopus)
- Deer mouse (Peromyscus maniculatus)
- Oldfield mouse (Peromyscus polionotus)
- Black rat (Rattus rattus) - This rat was brought to the area by humans (introduced).
- Norway rat (Rattus norvegicus) - This rat was brought to the area by humans (introduced).
- Eastern harvest mouse (Reithrodontomys humulis)
- Hispid cotton rat (Sigmodon hispidus)
Weasels, Otters, and Minks (Mustelidae)
- North American river otter (Lontra canadensis)
- Least weasel (Mustela nivalis)
- Long-tailed weasel (Neogale frenata)
- American mink (Neogale vison)
Raccoons (Procyonidae)
- Raccoon (Procyon lotor)
Squirrels, Chipmunks, and Marmots (Sciuridae)
- Southern flying squirrel (Glaucomys volans)
- Groundhog (Marmota monax)
- Gray squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis)
- Fox squirrel (Sciurus niger)
- Eastern chipmunk (Tamias striatus)
- American red squirrel (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus)
Shrews (Soricidae)
- Northern short-tailed shrew (Blarina brevicauda)
- Southern short-tailed shrew (Blarina carolinensis)
- Least shrew (Cryptotis parva)
- Masked shrew (Sorex cinereus)
- Smoky shrew (Sorex fumeus)
- American pygmy shrew (Sorex hoyi)
- Southeastern shrew (Sorex longirostris)
Pigs (Suidae)
- Wild boar (Sus scrofa) - This animal was brought to the area by humans (introduced).
Moles (Talpidae)
- Star-nosed mole (Condylura cristata)
- Hairy-tailed mole (Parascalops breweri)
- Eastern mole (Scalopus aquaticus)
Bears (Ursidae)
- Black bear (Ursus americanus)
Common Bats (Vespertilionidae)
- Big brown bat (Eptesicus fuscus)
- Silver-haired bat (Lasionycteris noctivagans)
- Eastern red bat (Lasiurus borealis)
- Hoary bat (Lasiurus cinereus)
- Northern yellow bat (Lasiurus intermedius)
- Seminole bat (Lasiurus seminolus)
- Southeastern myotis (Myotis austroriparius)
- Eastern small-footed bat (Myotis leibii)
- Little brown bat (Myotis lucifugus)
- Northern long-eared bat (Myotis septentrionalis)
- Indiana bat (Myotis sodalis)
- Evening bat (Nycticeius humeralis)
- Tricolored bat (Perimyotis subflavus)
- Eastern pipistrelle (Pipistrellus subflavus)
- Rafinesque's big-eared bat (Plecotus rafinesqueii)
Jumping Mice (Zapodidae)
- Woodland jumping mouse (Napaeozapus insignis)
- Meadow jumping mouse (Zapus hudsonius)
Marine Mammals (Seals and Manatees)
Seals (Phocidae)
- Harbor seal (Phoca vitulina)
Manatees (Trichechidae)
- West Indian manatee (Trichechus manatus)
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List of mammals of South Carolina Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.