Florida is home to at least 95 species of mammals (Class Mammalia), ten of which have been introduced or recently expanded their range into the state. Many nonnative species also have established breeding populations in the state. Mammals have several characteristics that set them apart from other vertebrates. Some of the most notable include mammary glands and hair. Except for the bats, mammals listed below have been documented to occur in NATL either by formal survey techniques or casual observations. Dr. Jackie Belwood provided the list of bats based on their expected occurrence in the air above NATL, either routinely or during their migrations.
= Time-expanded echolocating call; each sample lasts ten times longer than natural, and its frequency (“pitch”) is dropped to one-tenth of natural, to make the ultrasonic call audible to human ears.
Order MARSUPIALIA | Pouched Mammals |
Family Didelphidae | Opossums |
Didelphis virginiana | Virginia Opossum |
Order CHIROPTERA | Bats |
Family Vespertilionidae | Twilight Bats |
Eptesicus fuscus | Big Brown Bat |
Lasiurus borealis | Red Bat |
Lasiurus intermedius | Northern Yellow Bat |
Lasiurus seminolus | Seminole Bat (more) |
Myotis austroriparius | Southeastern Bat (more) |
Nycticeius humeralis | Evening Bat |
Pipistrellus subflavus | Eastern Pipistrelle |
Family Molossidae | Free-tailed Bats |
Tadarida brasiliensis cynocephala | Brazilian Free-tailed Bat (more) |
Order EDENTATA | Armadillos |
Family Dasypodidae | Armadillos | Dasypus novemcinctus | Nine-banded Armadillo |
Order RODENTIA | Rodents |
Family Sciuridae | Squirrels |
Sciurus carolinensis | Eastern Grey Squirrel |
Family Cricetidae | New World Rats, Mice, etc. |
Sigmodon hispidus | Hispid Cotton Rat |
Peromyscus gossypinus | Cotton Mouse (more) |
Order INSECTIVORA | Insectivores |
Family Talpidae | Moles |
Scalopus aquaticus | Eastern Mole (more) |
Order CARNIVORA | Flesh-eating Mammals |
Family Procyonidae | Raccoons |
Procyon lotor | Raccoon | Family Canidae | Dogs, Wolves, Foxes |
Urocyon cinereoargenteus | Gray Fox (more) | Family Felidae | Cats |
Felis domesticus | Feral Housecat |