An official website of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Skip to main content
This page, Rare Mammal Conservation , is offered by

Rare Mammal Conservation

Several species of mammals are listed under the Massachusetts Endangered Species Act.

There are several species of mammals protected under MESA. This includes whales, bats, shrews, and rodents. These species face a variety of different threats. The conservation challenges vary greatly between the groups. While the shrews and rodents occupy appropriate habitat patches in Massachusetts, some of the rare bats leave for the winter to hibernate in nearby states. Additionally, the whales move over hundreds, and even thousands, of miles of the Western Atlantic Ocean.

What would you like to do?

Top tasks

Report Rare Species   Request Rare Species Information  

What you need to know

Whales  Bats  Shrews and Rodents  List of Endangered, Threatened, and Special Concern species 
Image credits:  Breaching Humpback Whale, Megaptera novaeangliae (Bill Byrne, MassWildlife)
Feedback