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Mammals in Massachusetts

List of mammals found in Massachusetts

Didelphimorphia

Didelphidae (New World Opossums)
Common Name	Scientific Name	Distribution
Virginia Opossum	Didelphis virginiana	Statewide except Dukes and Nantucket counties.

Sirenia

Trichechidae (Manatees and Dugongs)
Common Name	Scientific Name	Distribution
West Indian Manatee	Trichechus manatus	Accidental. Coastal Barnstable and Bristol counties, 2006, 2008, 2009, and 2016.

Rodentia

Sciuridae (Tree Squirrels and Marmots)
Common Name	Scientific Name	Distribution
Eastern Gray Squirrel	Sciurus carolinensis	Statewide. Recently introduced to Nantucket County.
Red Squirrel	Tamiasciurus hudsonicus	Statewide except Dukes and Nantucket counties.
Northern Flying Squirrel	Glaucomys sabrinus	Historically from northeastern, central, and western Massachusetts. No records since 1968.Most historical records are unverified or erroneous. Listed as a species of greatest conservation need.
Southern Flying Squirrel	Glaucomys volans	Statewide except Dukes and Nantucket counties.
Woodchuck	Marmota monax	Statewide except Dukes and Nantucket counties.
Eastern Chipmunk	Tamias striatus	Statewide except Nantucket County.

Castoridae (American Beaver)
Common Name	Scientific Name	Distribution
American Beaver	Castor canadensis	Northeastern, central, and western Massachusetts. Occasional in southeastern Massachusetts.

Dipodidae (Jumping Mice)
Common Name	Scientific Name	Distribution
Woodland Jumping Mouse	Napaeozapus insignis	Occurs west of a line from Mt. Watatic in western Middlesex County, through Mt. Wachusett in Worcester County, to the Holyoke Range in Hampshire/Hampden counties.
Meadow Jumping Mouse	Zapus hudsonius	Statewide.

Cricetidae (Mice, Voles, and Lemmings)
Common Name	Scientific Name	Distribution
Woodland Vole	Microtus pinetorum	Western, central, and northeastern Massachusetts. Records from the 3 southeastern mainland counties are suspicious until verified. Absent from Dukes and Nantucket counties.
Southern Red-backed Vole	Myodes gapperi	Statewide except Dukes and Nantucket counties.
Common Muskrat	Ondatra zibethicus	Statewide except Nantucket County.
Southern Bog Lemming*	Synaptomys cooperi	Reported from Franklin, Hampshire, Plymouth, and Worcester counties. Probably more widespread than presently known. Listed as a species of special concern.
Allegheny Woodrat	Neotoma magister	Extirpated; 1 specimen trapped in Berkshire County in 1958.
White-footed Deermouse	Peromyscus leucopus	Statewide.
North American Deermouse	Peromyscus maniculatus	Known with certainty from Berkshire, Franklin, and Hampshire counties. Easily confused with the white-footed deermouse. Specimens outside the above range need verification.
Meadow Vole	Microtus pennsylvanicus	Statewide.

Muridae (Old World Rats and Mice)
Common Name	Scientific Name	Distribution
House Mouse	Mus musculus	Introduced. Statewide except for Martha's Vineyard island, where it allegedly once occurred.
Brown Rat	Rattus norvegicus	Introduced. Statewide
Black Rat	Rattus rattus	Introduced, now eradicated; last records 1931 (Worcester County) and 1939 (Hampden County).

Erethizontidae (New World Porcupines)
Common Name	Scientific Name	Distribution
North American Porcupine	Erethizon dorsatum	Northeastern, central, and western Massachusetts. Records from Barnstable and Plymouth counties probably represent translocations.

Lagomorpha

Leporidae (Hares and Rabbits)
Common Name	Scientific Name	Distribution
Black-tailed Jackrabbit	Lepus californicus	Introduced, now eradicated; imported to Nantucket County on four occasions between 1889 and 1975. Several other short-lived introductions in Barnstable, Bristol, Dukes, Essex, and Plymouth counties between 1890s and 1940s failed.
Snowshoe Hare	Lepus americanus	Probably statewide historically, but largely replaced by many introductions from out of state since 1891. Now statewide in local habitat patches, but status in Dukes, Nantucket, and Suffolk counties is unclear.
European Hare	Lepus europaeus	Introduced to Berkshire County prior to 1930s. Apparently eradicated by the 1930s. Allegations that these hares were released on Martha’s Vineyard are based on a taxonomic misunderstanding.
European Rabbit	Oryctolagus cuniculus	Introduced between the 1920s and 1940s. Now eradicated. Many short-lived introductions of “San Juan rabbits” quickly failed. Last remaining feral populations existed on some Boston Harbor islands but disappeared by 2013.
Eastern Cottontail	Sylvilagus floridanus	Statewide. Introduced, primarily from the Midwest, between 1900 and 1940s, primarily Sylvilagus floridanus mallurus and Sylvilagus floridanus alacer (mearnsi).
New England Cottontail	Sylvilagus transitionalis	Formerly statewide, but now restricted to parts of Barnstable, Berkshire, Hampden, Nantucket, and Plymouth counties (also possible on Martha’s Vineyard). Extirpated from Dukes and Nantucket counties. Listed as a species of greatest conservation need.

Soricomorpha

Soricidae (Shrews)
Common Name	Scientific Name	Distribution
Northern Short-tailed Shrew	Blarina brevicauda	Statewide.
Cinereus (Masked) Shrew	Sorex cinereus	Statewide.
Long-tailed Shrew*	Sorex dispar	Berkshire County. Listed as a species of special concern.
Smoky Shrew	Sorex fumeus	Central and western Massachusetts.
American Pygmy Shrew	Sorex hoyi	Berkshire County (one specimen in 1991).
American Water Shrew*	Sorex palustris	Berkshire, Franklin, Hampden, Hampshire, and Worcester counties. Listed as a species of special concern.

Talpidae (Moles and Shrew-Moles)
Common Name	Scientific Name	Distribution
Star-nosed Mole	Condylura cristata	Statewide except Dukes and Nantucket counties.
Hairy-tailed Mole	Parascalops breweri	Northeastern, central, and western Massachusetts. Absent from the three southeastern mainland counties, and Dukes and Nantucket counties.
Eastern Mole	Scalopus aquaticus	Southern Connecticut River Valley; Barnstable, Dukes, and Nantucket and southern Plymouth counties.

Chiroptera

Vespertilionidae (Vesper Bats)
Common Name	Scientific Name	Distribution
Big Brown Bat	Eptesicus fuscus	Statewide.
Eastern Red Bat	Lasiurus borealis	Migratory. May occur statewide.
Hoary Bat	Lasiurus cinereus	Migratory. May occur statewide.
Tricolored Bat*	Pipistrellus subflavus	Statewide. Listed as endangered
Silver-haired Bat	Lasionycteris noctivagans	Migratory. May occur statewide.
Eastern Small-footed Bat*	Myotis leibii	Berkshire, Hampden, and Middlesex counties. May be overlooked elsewhere. Listed as endangered.
Little Brown Bat*	Myotis lucifugus	Statewide. Listed as endangered.
Northern Long-eared Bat*	Myotis septentrionalis	Statewide. Listed as endangered in Massachusetts and threatened at the federal level.
Indiana Bat*	Myotis sodalis	Last recorded in 1939 from Hampden county. Alleged records from Berkshire and Worcester counties lack credibility. Listed as endangered in Massachusetts and at the federal level.

Carnivora

Felidae (Cats)
Common Name	Scientific Name	Distribution
Domestic Cat	Felis catus	Statewide. Feral cats are often found in colonies subsidized by people.
Canadian Lynx	Lynx canadensis	Extirpated; 13 records between 1820 and 1937; the five most credible from Hampden, Hampshire, and Worcester counties. Two records in 1991 were wandering lynx from a New York released. Listed federally as threatened.
Bobcat	Lynx rufus	Northeastern, central, and western Massachusetts. Occasional in southeastern Massachusetts.
Cougar (Mountain Lion)	Puma concolor	Extirpated; six records from 1680 to 1858; last record 1858 from Hampshire County. Almost all recent records are misidentifications or spurious. One confirmed scat (1997) and trail of tracks (2011), both in Franklin County.

Canidae (Dogs, Foxes, and Wolves)
Common Name	Scientific Name	Distribution
Coyote	Canis latrans	Statewide including Elizabeth Islands, but absent from Nantucket County and Martha's Vineyard island. Two live coyotes were confirmed on Martha’s Vineyard in 2014 and 2019 but did not survive.
Gray Wolf	Canis lupus	Extirpated by 1840. A record from 1918 is undoubtedly an escaped captive. One record vagrant from Canada killed in Franklin County in 2007. Listed federally as endangered as Canis lupus lycaon. Endangered in Massachusetts by inclusion of the federal list.
Domestic Dog	Canis lupus familiaris	Statewide; now rarely feral although owned free-ranging dogs are somewhat common.
Gray Fox	Urocyon cinereoargenteus	Statewide except Dukes and Nantucket counties.
Red Fox	Vulpes vulpes	Statewide including the Elizabeth islands, but absent from Nantucket County and Martha's Vineyard island.

Ursidae (Bears)
Common Name	Scientific Name	Distribution
American Black Bear	Ursus americanus	Western, central, and northeastern Massachusetts. Occasional dispersers into southeastern Massachusetts, including one male which crossed the Cape Cod Canal in 2012, travelled to Provincetown and back to Wellfleet before being captured and transported to central Massachusetts.

Phocidae (Earless Seals)
Common Name	Scientific Name	Distribution
Hooded Seal	Cystophora cristata	Extremely rare in Massachusetts. Young-of-the-year are uncommon visitors from the far north. Adults are very rare. May occur in any coastal town.
Bearded Seal	Erignathus barbatus	Extremely rare in Massachusetts. One adult female in Gloucester, Essex County in 2002.
Grey Seal	Halichoerus grypus	All coastal counties, but especially Barnstable and Nantucket where pups are born.
Harp Seal	Pagophilus groenlandicus	All coastal counties. Young-of-the-year visiting from the far north are fairly common, adults are rare.
Harbor Seal	Phoca vitulina	All coastal counties. Year round.
Ringed Seal	Pusa hispida	Extremely rare in Massachusetts. Occasionally will enter Massachusetts waters from far north. Less than 10 records.

Mustelidae (Weasels, Minks, Martens, and Otters)
Common Name	Scientific Name	Distribution
North American River Otter	Lontra canadensis	Statewide except Nantucket and Suffolk counties.
Wolverine	Gulo gulo	Extirpated. One record from western Massachusetts prior to 1835.
American Marten	Martes americana	Extirpated. Occurred in western Massachusetts, east to central and northern Worcester County. Last record, 1880. One record in 1992 was a probable disperser from a Vermont release; another in 1993 was a probable escape from a fur farm.
Fisher	Martes pennanti	Statewide except Dukes and Nantucket counties.
Ermine	Mustela erminea	Possibly statewide except Dukes and Nantucket counties, but less common than the long-tailed weasel and records in southeastern Massachusetts require verification.
Long-tailed Weasel	Mustela frenata	Statewide except Dukes and Nantucket counties.
American Mink	Neovison vison	Statewide except Nantucket County. Recently rediscovered on Martha’s Vineyard.

Mephitidae (Skunks)
Common Name	Scientific Name	Distribution
Striped Skunk	Mephitis mephitis	Statewide except Nantucket County. Recently re-introduced on Martha’s Vineyard.

Procyonidae (Raccoons, Coatis, Ringtails)
Common Name	Scientific Name	Distribution
Raccoon	Procyon lotor	Statewide except Nantucket County.

Artiodactyla

Cervidae (Deer, Elk, and Moose)
Common Name	Scientific Name	Distribution
Moose	Alces americanus	Resident in northeastern, central, and western Massachusetts. Vagrants may occur in southeastern Massachusetts.
Elk	Cervus elaphus	Extirpated. The sole record of live elk was from Worcester County in 1732.
White-tailed Deer	Odocoileus virginianus	Statewide.
Fallow Deer	Dama dama	Introduced to Dukes County in 1932, 1938 and 1968. Last reported in mid-1970s; now eradicated.

Cetacea

Balaenidae (Right and Bowhead Whales)
Common Name	Scientific Name	Distribution
North Atlantic Right Whale*	Eubalaena glacialis	Particularly frequent in Cape Cod Bay and off Race Point, Provincetown in late winter through spring. Listed as endangered both in Massachusetts and at the federal level.
Bowhead Whale	Balaena mysticetus	One individual seen in Cape Cod Bay feeding with Northern Right Whales in March 2012 and April 2014. Listed as endangered at the federal level.

Balaenopteridae (Rorqual Whales)
Common Name	Scientific Name	Distribution
Minke Whale	Balaenoptera acutorostrata	Frequently seen off the coast of Essex, Barnstable, Dukes, and Nantucket counties in spring through mid-fall.
Sei Whale*	Balaenoptera borealis	Seen infrequently off the coast of Essex and Barnstable counties in spring through fall of some years. Listed as endangered both in Massachusetts and at the federal level.
Blue Whale*	Balaenoptera musculus	Rarely seen off Essex and Barnstable counties in summer through fall. Rarely ventures onto the continental shelf. Records in state waters are questionable. Listed as endangered both in Massachusetts and at the federal level.
Fin Whale*	Balaenoptera physalus	Seen mainly off the coast of Essex, Suffolk, Norfolk, and Barnstable counties in spring through late summer. Listed as endangered in both Massachusetts and at the federal level.
Humpback Whale*	Megaptera novaeangliae	The most common large whale along the coast, sometimes seen close to shore. Enters local feeding grounds in spring through fall. Listed as endangered.

Delphinidae (Dolphins and Pilot Whales)
Common Name	Scientific Name	Distribution
Short-beaked Common Dolphin	Delphinus delphis	Rarely seen near shore, mainly seen off the coast of Essex, Barnstable, and Nantucket counties, on Stellwagon Bank and Jeffries Ledge, and in Cape Cod Bay July through December.
Short-finned Pilot Whale	Globicephala macrorhynchus	Rarely seen, typically found farther south. Strandings in 1980, 2011, and 2019 in Plymouth, Barnstable, and Dukes counties.
Long-finned Pilot Whale	Globicephala melas	Rarely seen near shore, mainly off the coast of Essex, Barnstable, and Nantucket counties, or in Cape Cod Bay July through December.
Risso's Dolphin	Grampus griseus	Seen mainly off the coast of Essex, Barnstable, and Nantucket counties. Typically, in deep water along the edge of the continental shelf.
Atlantic White-sided Dolphin	Lagenorhynchus acutus	Rarely seen near shore, mainly seen off the coast of Essex, Barnstable, and Nantucket counties, on Stellwagon Bank and Jeffries Ledge, and sometimes in Cape Cod Bay.
White-beaked Dolphin	Lagenorhynchus albirostris	Typically found farther north. Less than 30 records, mainly off the coast of Essex and Barnstable counties.
Killer Whale	Orcinus orca	Typically found farther north. About 12 records, including five strandings, mostly in Barnstable, Nantucket, and Dukes counties.
False Killer Whale	Pseudorca crassidens	Two strandings; One in Provincetown before 1950, and the other in Barnstable in August 1997. Typically, farther south in deep water along the edge of the continental shelf.
Pantropical Spotted Dolphin	Stenella attenuata	One group of 3-5 stranded multiple time in Suffolk, Norfolk, and Barnstable counties in September 1979. Typically, farther south in deep water along the edge of the continental shelf.
Atlantic Spotted Dolphin	Stenella frontalis	One juvenile stranded in Barnstable County in 2003. A possible second animal had stranded earlier on Martha’s Vineyard. Typically, in deep water along the edge of the continental shelf.
Striped Dolphin	Stenella coeruleoalba	Rarely seen, mainly off the coast of Essex, Barnstable, and Nantucket counties. Rarely ventures onto the continental shelf. Typically, in deep water along the edge of the continental shelf.
Bottlenose Dolphin	Tursiops truncatus	About 75 records, nearly all of which represent the large offshore stock. Two, seen many times in Plymouth Harbor, Barnstable Harbor, and Cape Cod Bay (1990-1992) may have been from the southern coastal stock. Typically, in deep water along the edge of the continental shelf.

Monodontidae (Belugas and Narwhals)
Common Name	Scientific Name	Distribution
Beluga	Delphinapterus leucas	Typically found in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence, Canada and north. About 16 records, including 6 strandings.

Phocoenidae (Porpoises)
Common Name	Scientific Name	Distribution
Harbor Porpoise	Phocoena phocoena	May be seen anywhere along the coast, often near shore.

Physeteridae (Sperm and Pygmy Sperm Whales)
Common Name	Scientific Name	Distribution
Pygmy Sperm Whale	Kogia breviceps	Typically, in deep water at the edge of the continental shelf, and beyond. Just over 30 strandings, mainly in Essex, Barnstable, and Nantucket counties.
Dwarf Sperm Whale	Kogia sima	Typically found south of Massachusetts in deep water at the edge of the continental shelf, and beyond. Three strandings in 1991, 2009, and 2010.
Sperm Whale*	Physeter catodon	Typically, in deep water at the edge of the continental shelf, and beyond. At least 12 strandings. Listed as endangered both in Massachusetts and at the federal level.

Ziphiidae (Beaked Whales)
Common Name	Scientific Name	Distribution
Northern Bottlenose Whale	Hyperoodon ampullatus	Typically found north of Massachusetts in deep water at the edge of the continental shelf, and beyond. Three specimens from two strandings in 1869 and 1923 (2).
Sowerby's Beaked Whale	Mesoplodon bidens	Typically, in deep water at the edge of the continental shelf, and beyond. Five stranding records.
Blainville's Beaked Whale	Mesoplodon densirostris	Typically, in deep water at the edge of the continental shelf, and beyond. Two stranding records from 1898 and 1930.
Gervais' Beaked Whale	Mesoplodon europaeus	Typically, in deep water at the edge of the continental shelf, and beyond. Two strandings in 1997 and 2020.
Cuvier's Beaked Whale	Ziphius cavirostris	Typically, in deep water at the edge of the continental shelf, and beyond. Six stranding records.

Download the printable list of mammals found in Massachusetts here.

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