There are at least 18 large mammal and 103 small
mammalspecies known to occur in
Wyoming.[1]
Species are listed by common name, scientific name, typical habitat and occurrence. The common and scientific names come from the
American Society of Mammalogists' Wyoming Mammal List.[2]
The American black bear (Ursus americanus) is North America's smallest and most common species of
bear. It is a generalist animal, being able to exploit numerous different habitats and foodstuffs. The American black bear is listed by the
IUCN as being of
least concern, due to the species widespread distribution and a large global population estimated to be twice that of all other bear species combined.[3][4]
The bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis)[5] is a species of sheep in North America[6] with large horns. The horns can weigh up to 30 pounds (14 kg), while the sheep themselves weigh up to 300 pounds (140 kg).[7]
The American bison (Bison bison) is a North American species of
bison, also commonly known as the American buffalo. These bison once roamed the
grasslands of North America in massive
herds; their range roughly formed a triangle between the
Great Bear Lake in Canada's far northwest, south to the Mexican states of
Durango and
Nuevo León, and east along the western boundary of the
Appalachian Mountains.[8][9] Today these bison are much fewer in number, and travel only in small herds.
In 1985, the American bison was declared the state mammal of Wyoming.[10]
The bobcat (Lynx rufus) is a North American mammal of the cat family,
Felidae. With twelve recognized
subspecies, it ranges from southern Canada to northern Mexico, including most of the
continental United States. The bobcat is an adaptable
predator that inhabits wooded areas, as well as semi-desert, urban edge, forest edges and swampland environments. It persists in much of its original range and populations are healthy.[11]
The coyote (/ˈkaɪ.oʊt/ or /kaɪˈoʊtiː/)[12] (Canis latrans), also known as the American
jackal or the prairie wolf,[13] is a species of
canid found throughout North and
Central America, ranging from
Panama in the south, north through Mexico, the United States and Canada. It occurs as far north as
Alaska and all but the northernmost portions of Canada.[14][15]
The elk or wapiti (Cervus canadensis) is one of the largest species of
deer in the world and one of the largest mammals in North America and eastern Asia. In the deer family (
Cervidae), only the
moose, Alces alces (called an "elk" in Europe), is larger, and Cervus unicolor (the sambar deer) can rival the C. canadensis elk in size. Elk range in forest and forest-edge habitat, feeding on grasses, plants, leaves, and bark.[16]
The gray fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus) ranges throughout most of the southern half of North America from southern Canada to the northern part of South America (
Venezuela and
Colombia).[17][18]
The gray wolf (Canis lupus), often known simply as the wolf, is the largest wild member of the family
Canidae. It is an
ice age survivor originating during the
Late Pleistocene around 300,000 years ago.[19]DNA sequencing and
genetic drift studies reaffirm that the gray wolf shares a common ancestry with the
domestic dog (Canis lupus familiaris).[20] Although certain aspects of this conclusion have been questioned, the main body of evidence confirms it. A number of other gray wolf subspecies have been identified, though the actual number of subspecies is still open to discussion. Gray wolves are typically
apex predators in the
ecosystems they occupy.[21]
The Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis) is a North American mammal of the cat family,
Felidae. It is a close relative of the
Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx). Some authorities regard both as
conspecific. However, in some characteristics the Canadian lynx is more like the
bobcat (Lynx rufus) than the Eurasian lynx. With the recognized subspecies, it ranges across Canada and into Alaska as well as some parts of the northern United States.[22]
Occurrence: Coniferous forests, lakes, slow streams, marshy areas
The moose (North America) or common European elk (Europe) (Alces alces) is the largest
extant species in the
deerfamily. Moose are distinguished by the palmate
antlers of the males; other members of the family have antlers with a "twig-like" configuration. Moose typically inhabit
boreal and
mixed deciduous forests of the
Northern Hemisphere in
temperate to
subarctic climates.[23]
The mountain goat (Oreamnos americanus), also known as the Rocky Mountain goat, is a large-hoofed mammal found only in North America. Despite its vernacular name, it is not a member of Capra, the genus of true goats. It resides at high elevations and is a sure-footed climber, often resting on rocky cliffs that predators cannot reach.[24] It has been introduced.
The cougar (Puma concolor), also known as puma, mountain lion, mountain cat, catamount or panther, depending on the region, is a mammal of the family
Felidae, native to the
Americas. This large, solitary cat has the greatest
range of any large wild terrestrial mammal in the Western Hemisphere, extending from
Yukon in Canada to the southern
Andes of South America. An adaptable,
generalist species, the cougar is found in every major American
habitat type. It is the second heaviest cat in the American continents after the
jaguar. Although large, the cougar is most closely related to smaller felines.[25]
Occurrence: Open forests, meadows, often at high elevations
The mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) is a
deer whose habitat is in the western half of North America. It gets its name from its large
mule-like ears. Adult male mule deer are called bucks, adult females are called does, and young of both sexes are called fawns. The
black-tailed deer is considered by some a distinct species though it is classified as a subspecies of the mule deer. Unlike its cousin, the
white-tailed deer, mule deer are generally more associated with the land west of the
Missouri River. The most noticeable differences between whitetails and mule deer are the color of their tails and configuration of their antlers. The mule deer's tail is black tipped.[26]
Occurrence: Basin-prairie and mountain-foothills, shrublands, eastern great plains and great basin-foothills grasslands, sagebrush-grasslands
The pronghorn (Antilocapra americana), is a species of
artiodactyl mammal native to interior western and central North America. Though not a
true antelope, it is often known colloquially in North America as the prong buck, pronghorn antelope or simply antelope,[27] as it closely resembles the true antelopes of the
Old World and fills a similar ecological niche due to
convergent evolution.[28] It is the only surviving member of the family
Antilocapridae.[29][30]
The red fox (Vulpes vulpes) is a small
canid native to much of North America and
Eurasia, as well as northern Africa. It is the most recognizable species of
fox and in many areas it is referred to simply as "the fox". As its name suggests, its fur is predominantly reddish brown, but there is a naturally occurring gray morph known as the "silver" fox. The red fox is by far the most widespread and abundant species of
fox, found in almost every single habitat in the Northern Hemisphere, from the
coastal marshes of United States, to the
alpine tundras of
Tibetan Plateau.[31]
The swift fox (Vulpes velox) is a small light orange-tan
fox around the size of a
domestic cat found in the western grasslands of North America, such as
Colorado,
New Mexico and
Texas.[32] It also lives in
Manitoba,
Saskatchewan and
Alberta in Canada, where it was previously
extirpated.[33] It is closely related to the
kit fox and the two species are sometimes known as subspecies of Vulpes velox because hybrids of the two species occur naturally where their ranges overlap.
The swift fox lives primarily in short-grass prairies and deserts. Due to predator control programs in the 1930s, it was considered extinct in Canada for some time, but reintroduction programs have been successful in reintroducing the species. Due to stable populations elsewhere, the species is considered by the
IUCN to be of least concern.[33][34]
Occurrence: Coniferous forests, meadows, creek and river bottoms
The white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), also known as the Virginia deer, or simply as the whitetail, is a medium-sized
deer native to the United States (all but five of the states), Canada, Mexico,
Central America, and in South America as far south as
Peru. The species is most common east of the
Rocky Mountains, and is absent from much of the
western United States, including
Nevada,
Utah,
California,
Hawaii, and
Alaska (though its close relatives, the
mule deer and
black-tailed deer, can be found there). It does, however, survive in
aspen parklands and deciduous river bottomlands within the central and northern
Great Plains, and in mixed
deciduousriparian corridors, river valley bottomlands, and lower foothills of the northern
Rocky Mountain regions from Wyoming to southeastern
British Columbia.[35]
Small mammals
Procyonids
From the Atlas of Birds, Mammals, Amphibians, and Reptiles in Wyoming:[36]