List of mammals of West Virginia
Wikimedia list article
The state of West Virginia is home to 72 wild mammal species. Four – the Virginia big-eared bat, the Indiana bat, the West Virginia northern flying squirrel and the extinct eastern cougar – are federally listed as endangered. Several additional species are rare in the state and warrant close monitoring.
Some mammals which have thrived despite human disturbance include the opossum, which is more abundant and more widely distributed due to human activities. Also doing well are mammals that prefer farm and early successional habitats. The coyote is expanding its range eastward in the United States and now occurs throughout the state.
Many examples of West Virginia's present and former megafauna are on display at the West Virginia State Wildlife Center, a small zoo featuring native animals.
List
The following letters indicate the likelihood of finding each animal in West Virginia:
In addition, the International Union for Conservation of Nature classifies one of these species as critically endangered (CR), two as endangered (EN), three as vulnerable (VU), and five as near-threatened (NT).
Order Didelphimorphia (opossums)
Family Didelphidae (opossums)
Virginia opossum (Didelphis virginiana) C
Order Eulipotyphla (shrews, moles and relatives)
Family Soricidae (shrews)
Northern short-tailed shrew (Blarina brevicauda) C
North American least shrew (Cryptotis parva) R
Cinereus shrew (Sorex cinereus) C
Long-tailed shrew (Sorex dispar) U
Smoky shrew (Sorex fumeus) U
American pygmy shrew (Sorex hoyi) U
Southeastern shrew (Sorex longirostris) U
American water shrew (Sorex palustris) R
Family Talpidae (moles)
Star-nosed mole (Condylura cristata) U
Hairy-tailed mole (Parascalops breweri) C
Eastern mole (Scalopus aquaticus) U
Order Chiroptera (bats)
Family Vespertilionidae (vesper bats)
Rafinesque's big-eared bat (Corynorhinus rafinesquii) R
Townsend's big-eared bat (Corynorhinus townsendii)
Virginia big-eared bat (C. t. virginianus) R, EN
Big brown bat (Eptesicus fuscus) C
Silver-haired bat (Lasionycteris noctivagans) U
Eastern red bat (Lasiurus borealis) C
Hoary bat (Lasiurus cinereus) U
Gray bat (Myotis grisescens) R, VU
Eastern small-footed myotis (Myotis leibii) R, EN
Little brown bat (Myotis lucifugus) C, EN
Northern long-eared bat (Myotis septentrionalis) U, NT
Indiana bat (Myotis sodalis) R, NT
Evening bat (Nycticeius humeralis) R
Tricolored bat (Perimyotis subflavus) C, VU
Order Rodentia (rodents)
Family Sciuridae (squirrels)
Northern flying squirrel (Glaucomys sabrinus) R
Virginia northern flying squirrel (G. s.
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