This list of mammals of Oregon includes all wild mammal species living in or recently extirpated from the U.S. state of Oregon or its coastal shores. This list includes all species from the lists published by the American Society of Mammalogists or found in the comprehensive text Land Mammals of Oregon published in 1998. Rare instances where these lists disagree are noted. Species are grouped by order and then listed in sortable tables by family. Subspecies present in the region are discussed in the notes. The IUCN Red List status for each species is presented. Images presented are from Oregon or adjacent states, as possible. Species found only in captivity are not listed.[1][2]
Oregon mammals by order
Table has not been updated for threatened species, thus all are listed "n/a".
Species are classified in nine groups, set through criteria such as rate of decline, population size, area of geographic distribution, degree of population and distribution fragmentation. The tables below reclassified results before 1994 to reflect the current rating system.
Carnivora (/kɑːrˈnɪvərə/ or /ˌkɑːrnɪˈvɔːrə/; from Latincarō (stem carn-) "flesh", + vorāre "to devour") is one of the most diverse of the mammalian orders. The gray wolf has recolonized Oregon especially in the northeast and is included in the list below. The grizzly bear was extirpated from the state in approximately 1940. Since it is included in Land Mammals of Oregon, it is included in the list below.[4]
Resettled in the state. Gray wolves in Oregon represent northwestern wolves (Canis lupus occidentalis) which migrated from neighboring Idaho; as of the end of 2013, there were a minimum 64 individuals with 4 breeding pairs.[7] Protected under the state Endangered Species Act and under the federal ESA west of highways.[8] The first confirmed wolf in the state since 1947 was OR-7(pictured), also known as Journey.
Found throughout the state; grizzle gray coloring; tail has black stripe on dorsal aspect; nocturnal and crepuscular; tree climber for resting, foraging or escape from predators (unique among North American canids)[10]
Southeast region of state; smallest canid in North America; brownish-gray dorsum, lightening through buff to white on abdomen; large ears; tip of tail is black.[10]
Found throughout state; red phase individuals are more predominant than silver or crossed; populations increased as wolf populations declined; subspecies Sierra Nevada red fox (Vulpes vulpes necator) observed on Mt Hood and Crater Lake in or after 2010.[13]
Extirpated; historically, they were broadly distributed throughout state except for arid eastern reaches. The last grizzly was killed in Oregon in 1931, according to some authorities.[15]
Extirpated; the last native sea otter in Oregon was killed in the early 20th century. In 1970 and 1971, 95 sea otters were reintroduced from Amchitka Island, Alaska, to the southern Oregon coast. However, the attempt failed and otters soon disappeared. Occasional sightings are most likely wanderers from neighboring states.
Extirpated; historically ranged through the Willamette Valley, the Cascade range, Steens Mountain, the Stinkingwater Mountains, the Blue Mountains and the Wallowa Mountains.[17] Under federal ESA protection since 2000 with critical habitat areas defined.[18]
The Oregon pronghorn subspecies (A. a. oregona Bailey) has been described, but taxonomic status may be in question. Found in sagebrush steppe in eastern regions of state. Fastest mammal on the continent: top speeds of 50 mph (80 km/h)[32] (Image taken in Catlow Valley, Oregon)
Historically native to the northern Oregon Cascades and the Wallowa and Blue mountains until extinction in the state in the 19th or 20th century; reintroduced to the Wallowa and Elkhorn mountains starting in the 20th century,[33] and recently introduced to Mount Jefferson in 2010 and 2012.[34]
Northeastern reaches, Wallowa County, small population of the subspecies Shiras moose (A. a. shirasi);[36] largest extant species in deer family; herbivorous.
The order Lagomorpha consists of two living families: the Leporidae (hares and rabbits) and the Ochotonidae (pikas). The name of the order is derived from the Greek lagos (λαγός, "hare") and morphē (μορφή, "form"). There are eight species in Oregon.[39]
Columbia River Gorge, western Cascades; common herbivore; lives in rocky areas/talus habitat near vegetation, meadows; lava flows, woodcuts, disturbed habitat.
Northern coast, south-central, and eastern reaches; shelters daytime; vegetation/groundcover; active crepuscular and at night; marshes, forests, dense vegetation habitats. Lepus americanus oregonus subspecies described (Orr)[42]
Eastern/central; fields, grasslands, meadows; sometimes sagebrush flats; primary activity nights; characteristic zigzag pattern with rapid bursts and leaps when pursued.
Eastern slopes of the Willamette Valley and the Cascades;[46] near forests, agricultural sites, prairies, wet lowlands, margins of hardwood forests; most common of genus in state; sleeps days, under vegetation; crepuscular to nocturnal.
East of the Cascades; near rivers/streams, rockier areas; found near spruce and ponderosa pine forests, some sagebrush flats; crepuscular; may climbs trees; eats cheatgrass.
Species range maps using extent points to develop:
Hall, E. Raymond & Kelson, Keith R. (1959). The Mammals of North America. Ronald Press Co., New York. 2 vols., xxx + 1162 pp.
Hall, E. R. (1981). The Mammals of North America. 2nd ed. John Wiley and Sons, New York
Species range maps that support current ranges developed were done by Thomas A. O'Neil and Margaret M. Shaughnessy by reviewing over 150,000 museum records and developing them in a GIS tied to wildlife-habitat types and elevation.
Csuti, B.; Kimmerling, J.; Shaughnessy, M. & Huso, M. (1997). Atlas of Oregon Wildlife. Oregon State Press. Corvallis, OR. 492 pp.
Csuti, B.; O'Neil, T. A. & Shaughnessy, M. M. (2001). Atlas of Oregon Wildlife (Second Edition, Revised and Expanded). Oregon State University Press, Corvallis, OR. 525 pp.