This is a list of the mammal species recorded in Canada. The Wild Species 2020 report, the most recent national assessment of the general status of species in Canada, records 223 known mammal species in the country. Canada's large territorial size, which spans fifteen terrestrial and five marine ecozones ranging from oceanic coasts to mountains, plains and urban areas, means that it can harbour a great variety of species, including a large share of the world's cetaceans. The largest marine ecozone is the Arctic Archipelago whereas the terrestrial ecozone is the Boreal Shield. The most well represented order is that of the rodents, and the smallest that of the Didelphimorphia (common opossums).
Mammals occurring in Canada are also assessed by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC), which evaluates species, subspecies and geographically or genetically distinct populations, collectively termed wildlife species. As of the May 2025 assessment period, 86 mammal wildlife species had been placed in COSEWIC's risk categories: one extirpated, 35 endangered, 15 threatened and 30 of special concern. A further five were assessed as extinct, 46 as not at risk and seven as data deficient. Because COSEWIC assesses units below the species level, these counts are not directly comparable to a count of species.
Studies of mammals in Canada hearken back to the 1795 northern explorations of Samuel Hearne, whose account is considered surprisingly accurate. The first seminal work on Canadian mammals, however, was John Richardson's 1829 Fauna Boreali-Americana. Joseph Burr Tyrrell was the first to attempt to produce, in 1888, a comprehensive list of Canadian mammalian species. Ernest Thompson Seton and Charles-Eusèbe Dionne's work were also important. Modern Canadian publications with interest in mammalogy include The Canadian Field-Naturalist, the Canadian Journal of Zoology and the French-language Le Naturaliste Canadien.
Several species of mammal have particular symbolism. The Canadian horse and North American beaver are official symbols of Canada, and several provinces have designated native species as symbols.
(IUCN statuses in the tables below were taken from Red List version 2013.2 and are current as of March 5, 2014.)
Native mammals
Bats
Bats' most distinguishing feature is that their forelimbs are developed as wings, making them the only mammals capable of flight. Bat species account for about 20% of all mammals.
Common name (French name) Species (authority) Preferred habitat Native range Status Family Vespertilionidae: vesper batsPallid bat (Chauve-souris blonde)Antrozous pallidus(LeConte, 1856)Dry plainsBritish ColumbiaTownsend's big-eared bat (Oreillard de Townsend)Corynorhinus townsendii(Cooper, 1837)Open woodlandsSouthern British ColumbiaBig brown bat
(Grande chauve-souris brune)Eptesicus fuscus(Palisot de Beauvois, 1796)Varied, including citiesBritish Columbia to southern Quebec and New BrunswickSpotted bat
(Oreillard maculé)Euderma maculatum(J. A. Allen, 1891)Near waterwaysInner British ColumbiaSilver-haired bat (Chauve-souris argentée)Lasionycteris noctivagans(La Conte, 1831)Deciduous forest lakesAll of southern Canada except Gaspesia and northern MaritimesWestern red bat
(Chauve-souris rousse de l'Ouest)Lasiurus blossevilliiThis species is often treated as a subspecies of L. borealis(Lesson and Garnot, 1826)Open spaces and citiesSouthwestern British ColumbiaEastern red bat (Chauve-souris rousse de l'Est)Lasiurus borealis(Müller, 1776)Open spaces and citiesAlberta to southern MaritimesHoary bat (Chauve-souris cendré)Lasiurus cinereus(Palisot de Beauvois, 1796)ForestsBritish Columbia to northern Hudson Bay and MaritimesCalifornia myotis (Chauve-souris de Californie)Myotis californicus(Audubon & Bachman, 1842)West Coast forestWest Coast and Okanagan ValleyWestern small-footed myotis
(Chauve-souris pygmée de l'Ouest)Myotis ciliolabrum(Merriam, 1886)Dry areasSouthern Alberta and SaskatchewanLong-eared myotis
(Chauve-souris à longues oreilles)Myotis evotisSometimes considered a subspecies of M. leibii(H. Allen, 1864)VariedSouthern British Columbia, Alberta and SaskatchewanKeen's myotis
(Chauve-souris de Keen)Myotis keenii(Merriam, 1895)ForestsWest CoastEastern small-footed myotis
(Chauve-souris pygmée de l'Est)Myotis leibii(Audubon & Bachman, 1842)Montane forestSouthern and south-central Ontario, southwestern QuebecLittle brown bat (Petite chauve-souris brune)Myotis lucifugus(La Conte, 1831)Varied, including citiesYukon to Atlantic CanadaNorthern long-eared myotis (Vespertilion nordique or Chauve-souris nordique)Myotis septentrionalisSometimes considered a subspecies of M. keenii(Trouessart, 1897)ForestsCentral to Eastern CanadaFringed myotis
(Chauve-souris à queue frangée)Myotis thysanodes(Miller, 1897)White pine forestSouthcentral British ColumbiaLong-legged myotis (Chauve-souris à longues pattes)Myotis volans(H. Allen, 1866)VariedBritish Columbia and AlbertaYuma myotis
(Chauve-souris de Yuma)Myotis yumanensis(H. Allen, 1864)Open areasWest Coast and Okanagan ValleyTri-colored bat formerly eastern pipistrelle
(Pipistrelle de l'Est)Pipistrellus subflavus(F. Cuvier, 1832)Forest, fields and waterwaysSouthern Ontario, Quebec and Maritimes
Carnivorans Carnivorans include over 260 species, the majority of which eat meat as their primary dietary item. They have a characteristic skull shape and dentition.
Common name(French name) Species(authority) Preferred habitat Native range Status Family Felidae: felinesCanada lynx (Lynx du Canada)Formerly Loup-cervierLynx canadensis(Kerr, 1792)ForestsMost of CanadaBobcat (Lynx roux)Lynx rufus(Schreber, 1777)VariedSouthern CanadaCougar (Puma)Puma concolor(Linnaeus, 1771)Mountain, marshes, dense forestMountainous regions of Alberta, British Columbia, and the Yukon Family Canidae: caninesCoyote (Coyote)Canis latrans(Say, 1823)VariedRocky Mountains, southern Prairies, southern Ontario, Quebec, and Maritime provinces Grey wolf (Loup)"Loup gris" is used when contrast with C. l. rufus ("Loup rouge") is neededCanis lupus(Linnaeus, 1758)VariedAll of Canada, except Anticosti and Prince Edward Island. Extirpated in several areas. Population of the Arctic subspecies resides in Northern Canada.Eastern wolf
(Loup oriental)Canis lycaon (Schreber, 1775)VariedGreat Lakes region in southeastern Canada (Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec)Red wolf
(Loup rouge)Canis rufus (Audubon & Bachman, 1851)VariedOnce ranged into Ontario; extirpated.Arctic fox (Renard arctique or polaire)"Renard polaire" is preferred in Europe, while "renard arctique" is more common in Quebec.Vulpes lagopus(Linnaeus, 1758)TundraNorthern CanadaThe species is occasionally reported as far south as Central Ontario and Cape Breton Island, and is known to travel south on floes.Swift fox (Renard véloce)Vulpes velox(Say, 1823)Desert and dry prairieSouthern Prairie ProvincesRed fox (Renard roux)Vulpes vulpes(Linnaeus, 1758)VariedAll of Canada except part of the Arctic Islands and West Coast Family Ursidae: bearsBlack bear (Ours noir)Ursus americanus(Pallas, 1780)Varied, mostly forested areasMost of Canada except Arctic and Prince Edward IslandGrizzly bear (Ours brun)Ursus arctos horribilis(Linnaeus, 1758)Open spaces, mostly alpine and Arctic tundraYukon, most of British Columbia except Vancouver Island, Rocky Mountains, mainland Northwest Territory and NunavutThe Prairies population has been extirpated as has the population in central British Columbia and the lower mainland.Polar bear (Ours blanc or polaire)Ursus maritimus(Phipps, 1774)Edge of ice fieldsArctic Sea and coasts Family Procyonidae: raccoons and alliesRaccoon (Raton laveur)If distinction from other Procyon species is needed, "raton laveur commun" is used.Procyon lotor(Linnaeus, 1758)Riparian forestSouthern Canada except Rockies Family Mustelidae: mustelidsSea otter
(Loutre de mer)Enhydra lutris(Linnaeus, 1758)Sea and coastVancouver and Goose Island coastNorthern river otter
(Loutre de rivière)Lontra canadensis(Schreber, 1777)Rivers, lakes and swampsMost of Canada except part of the Arctic and southern PrairiesWolverine
(Carcajou)Gulo gulo(Linnaeus, 1758)Boreal forest, Arctic tundraLargely extinct in southern Canada west of the Rockies - found in much of continental Canada and the Arctic islandsAmerican marten
(Martre d'Amérique)Martes americana(Turton, 1806)Coniferous and mixed forestsRockies to Labrador and Newfoundland, except Prairies - extinct in several parts of Eastern CanadaPacific marten
(Martre du Pacifique)Martes caurina (Merriam, 1890)Coniferous and mixed forestsWest coast up to Yukon down to British Columbia and the Rockies I: not evaluatedBeringian ermine (Hermine béringienne)Mustela erminea(Linnaeus, 1758)Boreal forest, Arctic tundraMost of Arctic Canada aside from parts of eastern Nunavut and Baffin IslandHaida ermine (Hermine Haïda)Mustela haidarum(Preble, 1898)Temperate rainforestHaida Gwaii archipelagoBlack-footed ferret (Putois à pieds noirs)Mustela nigripes(Audubon and Bachman, 1851)Prairies and grasslandsExtirpated; once inhabited southern Alberta and southern SaskatchewanLeast weasel (Belette pygmée)Frequently just "belette", or "belette d'Europe" if distinction from other Mustela species is needed.Mustela nivalis(Linnaeus, 1766)VariedYukon to Labrador, except southern Quebec and OntarioAmerican ermine (Hermine américaine)Mustela richardsonii(Bonaparte, 1838)VariedAlmost all of Canada south of the Arctic, except part of southern Prairies and Anticosti Island.Long-tailed weasel (Belette à longue queue)Neogale frenata(Lichtenstein, 1831)Open areasSouthern Rockies to western Ontario, southern Ontario to western Nova ScotiaMink (Vison d'Amérique)Neogale vison(Schreber, 1777)Wetlands and riversMost of Canada, except the Arctic, part of the Prairies and Anticosti Island - introduced to NewfoundlandFisher
(Pékan)Pekania pennanti(Erxleben, 1777)Coniferous and mixed forests near riversBritish Columbia to central Quebec, reintroduced in parts of the MaritimesBadger
(Blaireau d'Amérique)Taxidea taxus(Schreber, 1777)FieldsSouthern Prairies, south-central British Columbia and southernmost Ontario Family Mephitidae: skunksStriped skunk
(Moufette rayée)Mephitis mephitis(Schreber, 1776)Forests, cultivated areas, valleysRockies to the Maritimes - introduced in Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia in the 19th centuryWestern spotted skunk(Moufette tachetée occidentale)Spilogale gracilis(Merriam, 1890)This species is often considered a subspecies of the eastern spotted skunk, S. putorius, which is otherwise not found in Canada.Thickets and bushesSouthwestern British Columbia Superfamily Pinnipedia: pinnipeds Family Otariidae: eared sealsNorthern fur seal
(Otarie à fourrure)If distinction is needed with Arctocephalus fosteri, the southern or New Zealand fur seal, "otarie à fourrure du Nord" is used.Callorhinus ursinus(Linnaeus, 1758)SeaOff the coast of British Columbia; appreciates rocky outcrops - occasionally reported from the ArcticSteller sea lion
(Otarie de Steller)Also "lion de mer de Steller"Eumetopias jubatus(Schreber, 1776)Coast watersBritish Columbia; appreciates rocky outcropsWalrus
(Morse)Odobenus rosmarus(Linnaeus, 1758)Arctic shallowsJames Bay to Greenland - extinct in the Western Arctic and the Magdalen IslandsCalifornia sea lion
(Otarie de Californie)Zalophus californianus((Lesson, 1828))Coast watersNear Vancouver Island Family Phocidae: earless sealsHooded seal
(Phoque à capuchon)Cystophora cristata(Erxleben, 1777)SeaAtlantic from Gulf of the Saint Lawrence to northern Baffin IslandBearded seal
(Phoque barbu)Erignathus barbatus(Erxleben, 1777)SeaArctic OceanGrey seal
(Phoque gris)Halichoerus grypus(Erxleben, 1777)Sea rocks, and reefsEast CoastNorthern elephant seal
(Éléphant de mer du Nord)Mirounga angustirostris(Gill, 1866)Tropical and temperate sea watersOccasional in British ColumbiaHarp seal