Mammals of San Franscisco Bay Area
Mountain Lion - Felis concolor |
Bobcat - Lynx rufus (south of Livermore) |
Black-tailed Jackrabbit - Lepus californicus (Brushy Peak) |
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Eastern Fox Squirrel - Sciurus niger (introduced, not native, San Francisco)
Ingrid Taylar / CC BY 2.0
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California Ground Squirrel - Spermophilus beecheyi (Alviso)
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American Beaver - Castor canadensis (Martinez)
by Heidi Perryman, Worth a Dam |
Common Muskrat - Ondatra zibethicus (Martinez)
from Worth a Dam |
North American River Otter - Lontra canadensis (Martinez)
by Cheryl Reynolds, Worth a Dam |
American Mink - Neovison vison (Martinez)
by Cheryl Reynolds, Worth a Dam |
Tule Elk - Cervus elaphus (Point Reyes)
Image Source: KQED QUEST - Some rights reserved. |
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Sea Otter - Enhydra lutris (Moss Landing) |
Northern Elephant Seal - Mirounga angustirostris (Ano Nuevo State Park) |
You can see quite a few mammals in the Bay Area, if you know what you are
looking for. Many are found in protected areas like State Parks but some, like raccoons and skunks, are
even found in suburban environments. Several marine mammals can be seen in the nearby coastal waters and the Harbor Seal can actually be seen in San Francisco Bay.
A special whale-watching page has been compiled for more information on marine mammals ...more .
Bay Area Land Mammals
- Virginia Opossum - Didelphis virginiana
- Ornate Shrew - Sorex ornatus
- Vagrant Shrew - Sorex vagrans
- Broad-footed Mole - Scapanus latimanus
- Desert Cottontail - Sylvilagus audubonii
- Black-tailed Jackrabbit - Lepus californicus
...track
- Brush Rabbit - Sylvilagus bachmani
...photo
- Western Gray Squirrel - Sciurus griseus
- California Ground Squirrel - Spermophilus beecheyi
- Eastern Fox Squirrel - Sciurus niger (introduced, not native)
- Sonoma Chipmunk - Neotamias sonomae
- Merriam's Chipmunk - Neotamias merriami
- Botta's Pocket Gopher - Thomomys bottae
- California Pocket Mouse - Chaetodipus californicus
- Heermann's Kangaroo Rat - Dipodomys heermanni
...photo
- House Mouse - Mus musculus
- California Vole - Microtus californicus
- Common Muskrat - Ondatra zibethicus
- Norway Rat - Rattus norvegicus
- Deer Mouse - Peromyscus maniculatus
- Black Rat - Rattus rattus
- California Mouse - Peromyscus californicus
- Pinyon Mouse - Peromyscus true
- Salt Marsh Harvest Mouse - Reithrodontomys raviventris
- Western Harvest Mouse - Reithrodontomys megalotis
- Dusky-footed Woodrat - Neotoma fuscipes
- California Vole - Microtus californicus
- Mountain Beaver - Aplodontia rufa
- American Beaver - Castor canadensis
- Gray Fox - Urocyon cinereoargenteus
- Kit Fox - Vulpes macrotis
- Coyote - Canis latrans
- Ringtail - Bassariscus astutus
- Northern Raccoon - Procyon lotor
- North American River Otter - Lontra canadensis
- Long-tailed Weasel - Mustela frenata
...photo
...track
- American Mink - Neovison vison
- American Badger - Taxidea taxus
...photo
- Western Spotted Skunk - Spilogale gracilis
- Striped Skunk - Mephitis mephitis
- Cougar (Mountain Lion) - Puma concolor
...sound
- Bobcat - Lynx rufus
- Wild Pig - Sus scrofa (Introduced)
- Elk - Cervus elaphus
- Black-tailed (Mule) Deer - Odocoileus hemionus
Bay Area Marine Mammals
- Northern Fur Seal - Callorhinus ursinus
- Northern Sea-lion - Eumetopias jubatus
- California Sea-lion - Zalophus californianus
- Northern Elephant Seal - Mirounga angustirostris
- Harbor Seal - Phoca vitulina
- Sea Otter - Enhydra lutris
- Gray Whale - Eschrichtius robustus
- Humpback Whale - Megaptera novaeangliae
- Blue Whale - Balaenoptera musculus
- Pacific White-sided Dolphin - Lagenorhynchus obliquidens
- Dall's Porpoise - Phocoenoides dalli
Bay Area Bats
- Townsend's Big-eared Bat - Pelcotus townsendii
- Hoary Bat - Lasiurus cinereus
- California Myotis - Myotis californicus
- Fringed Myotis - Myotis thysanodes
- Yuma Myotis - Myotis yumanensis
- Long-eared Myotis - Myotis evotis
- Little Brown Myotis - Myotis lucifugus
- Pallid Bat - Antrozous pallidus
- Brazilian (Mexican) Free-tailed Bat - Tadarida brasiliensis
- Silver-haired Bat - Lasionycteris noctivagans
- Big Brown Bat - Eptesicus fuscus
- Western Mastiff Bat - Eumops perotis
- Western Red Bat - Lasiurus blossevillii
- Western Pipistrelle - Pipistrellus hesperus
Mammals Articles and Links
- Mammals of Marin County - an online guide with photos.
...link
- Bay Area Puma Project - awesome research on the local Cougar (Mountain Lion) population in the Santa Cruz mountains.
...link
- Beavers in Martinez! A beaver family has taken up residence in downtown Martinez. Read about the efforts to save them by a local group - Worth a Dam. A good
overview article is available in Bay Nature.
...link
- The Mountain Beaver is found only in one location in the Bay Area - Point Reyes.
...link
- Another interesting mammal found in the Bay area is the American Badger. The Paula Lane Action Network, a grassroots group in Petaluma, is trying to arrange for the purchase of 11 acres of habitat in western Petaluma.
- A good overview of the Eastern Fox Squirrel that got introducted into California and is now displacing the native Western Gray Squirrel
...link
- The Bay area coast provides excellent opportunities for whale-watching. You can manage to see several species of whales, relatively easily. ...more
- If you happen to come across a stranded or injured marine mammal, please contact
Marine Mammal
Center ...link
- Bats of San Francisco - a blog post by Jennifer Krauel, with a link to her Master's thesis about an acoustic survey of San Francisco Bats.
...link
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