List of mammals of South Dakota facts for kids

The coyote is the state mammal of South Dakota

This list of mammals of South Dakota includes species native to the U.S. state of South Dakota. Three species that are extirpated from the state are the mountain goat, gray wolf, and grizzly bear. The state consists of 86 species that live and formerly inhabited South Dakota.

Order Didelphimorphia

Virginia opossum

Didelphidae

• Virginia opossum, Didelphis virginiana

Order Eulipotyphla

Soricidae (shrews)

Masked shrew

• Northern short-tailed shrew, Blarina brevicauda
• Least shrew, Cryptotis parva
• Arctic shrew, Sorex arcticus
• Masked shrew, Sorex cinereus
• American pygmy shrew, Sorex hoyi
• Dwarf shrew, Sorex nanus
• American water shrew, Sorex palustris

Talpidae (moles)

• Eastern mole, Scalopus aquaticus

Order Chiroptera

Vespertilionidae

Eastern red bat

• Big brown bat, Eptesicus fuscus
• Eastern red bat, Lasiurus borealis
• Hoary bat, Lasiurus cinereus
• Silver-haired bat, Lasionycteris noctivagans
• Keen's myotis, Myotis keenii
• Fringe-tailed bat, Myotis thysanodes
• Little brown bat, Myotis lucifugus
• Townsend's big-eared bat, Plecotus townsendii

Order Carnivora

Canidae

Swift fox

• Coyote, Canis latrans
• Gray wolf, Canis lupus (extirpated)
• Gray fox, Urocyon cineroeargenteus
• Swift fox, Vulpes velox
• Red fox, Vulpes vulpes

Felidae

Canada lynx

• Canada lynx, Lynx canadensis
• Bobcat, Lynx rufus
• Cougar, Puma concolor

Procyonidae

• Raccoon, Procyon lotor

Mephitidae

• Striped skunk, Mephitis mephitis
• Eastern spotted skunk, Spilogale putorius

Mustelidae

• North American river otter, Lontra canadensis
• Long-tailed weasel, Mustela frenata
• Black-footed ferret, Mustela nigripes reintroduced
• Least weasel, Mustela nivalis
• American mink, Neovison vison
• American badger, Taxidea taxus

Ursidae

• American black bear, Ursus americanus
• Brown bear, Ursus arctos
  • Grizzly bear, Ursus arctos horribilis (extirpated)

Order Artiodactyla

Pronghorn

Cervidae

• Moose, Alces alces (occasional vagrant)
• Elk, Cervus canadensis
• Mule deer, Odocoileus hemionus
• White-tailed deer, Odocoileus virginianus

Antilocapridae

• Pronghorn, Antilocapra americana

Bovidae

• American bison, Bison bison
• Bighorn sheep, Ovis canadensis
• Mountain goat, Oreamnos americanus (extirpated)

Order Lagomorpha

Eastern cottontail

Leporidae

• Black-tailed jackrabbit, Lepus californicus
• White-tailed jackrabbit, Lepus townsendii
• Desert cottontail, Sylvilagus audubonii
• Eastern cottontail, Sylvilagus floridanus
• Mountain cottontail, Sylvilagus nuttalii

Order Rodentia

Ord's kangaroo rat

Castoridae

• American beaver, Castor canadensis

Cricetidae

• Southern red-backed vole, Clethrionomys gapperi
• Sagebrush vole, Lagurus curtatus
• Long-tailed vole, Microtus longicaudus
• Prairie vole, Microtus ochrogaster
• Meadow vole, Microtus pennsylvanicus
• Bushy-tailed woodrat, Neotoma cinerea
• Muskrat, Ondatra zibethicus
• Northern grasshopper mouse, Onychomys leucogaster
• Deer mouse, Peromyscus maniculatus
• White-footed mouse, Peromyscus leucopus
• Western harvest mouse, Reithrodontomys megalotis
• Plains harvest mouse, Reithrodontomys montanus

Erethizontidae

• North American porcupine, Erethizon dorsatum

Geomyidae

• Plains pocket gopher, Geomys bursarius
• Northern pocket gopher, Thomomys talpoides

Heteromyidae

• Hispid pocket mouse, Chaetodipus hispidus
• Ord's kangaroo rat, Dipodomys ordii
• Olive-backed pocket mouse, Perognathus fasciatus
• Plains pocket mouse,Perognathus flavescens

Muridae

• House mouse, Mus musculus (introduced)
• Norway rat, Rattus norvegicus (introduced)

Sciuridae

• Least chipmunk, Eutamias minimus
• Black-tailed prairie dog, Cynomys ludovicianus
• Southern flying squirrel, Glaucomys volans
• Northern flying squirrel, Glaucomys sabrinus
• Yellow-bellied marmot, Marmota flaviventris
• Groundhog, Marmota monax
• Fox squirrel, Sciurus niger
• Franklin's ground squirrel, Spermophilus frankinii
• Richardson's ground squirrel, Spermophilus richardsonii
• Spotted ground squirrel, Spermophilus spilosoma
• Thirteen-lined ground squirrel, Spermophilus tridecemlineatus
• Eastern chipmunk, Tamias striatus
• American red squirrel, Tamiasciurus hudsonicus

Zapodidae

• Meadow jumping mouse, Zapus hudsonius
• Western jumping mouse, Zapus princeps