List of mammals of Tasmania
Encyclopedia
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
n mammals are divided into three major groups based on reproductive techniques: egg laying mammals (the monotreme
Monotreme
Monotremes are mammals that lay eggs instead of giving birth to live young like marsupials and placental mammals...
s), pouched mammals (the marsupial
Marsupial
Marsupials are an infraclass of mammals, characterized by giving birth to relatively undeveloped young. Close to 70% of the 334 extant species occur in Australia, New Guinea, and nearby islands, with the remaining 100 found in the Americas, primarily in South America, but with thirteen in Central...
s), and placental mammals. This is a list of mammals of Tasmania:
Monotremata (monotremes)
Ornithorhynchidae
Ornithorhynchidae is one of the two extant families in the order Monotremata, and contains the Platypus and its extinct relatives. The other family is the Tachyglossidae, or echidnas...
- PlatypusPlatypusThe platypus is a semi-aquatic mammal endemic to eastern Australia, including Tasmania. Together with the four species of echidna, it is one of the five extant species of monotremes, the only mammals that lay eggs instead of giving birth to live young...
, Ornithorhynchus anatinus
Tachyglossidae
- Short-beaked EchidnaShort-beaked EchidnaThe short-beaked echidna , also known as the spiny anteater because of its diet of ants and termites, is one of four living species of echidna and the only member of the genus Tachyglossus...
, Tachyglossus aculeatus
DasyuromorphiaDasyuromorphiaThe order Dasyuromorphia comprises most of the Australian carnivorous marsupials, including quolls, dunnarts, the numbat, the Tasmanian devil, and the recently extinct thylacine...
(marsupial carnivores)
ThylacinidaeThylacinidae
The animals in the Thylacinidae family were all carnivorous marsupials from the order Dasyuromorphia. The only recent member was the Thylacine , which became extinct in 1936...
- ThylacineThylacineThe thylacine or ,also ;binomial name: Thylacinus cynocephalus, Greek for "dog-headed pouched one") was the largest known carnivorous marsupial of modern times. It is commonly known as the Tasmanian tiger or the Tasmanian wolf...
, Thylacinus cynocephalus (extinct)
Dasyuridae
Dasyuridae
Dasyuridae is a family of marsupials native to Australia and New Guinea, including 61 species divided into 15 genera. Many are small and mouse-like, giving them the misnomer marsupial mice, but the group also includes the cat-sized quolls, as well as the Tasmanian Devil...
- Swamp AntechinusSwamp AntechinusThe Swamp Antechinus , also known as the Little Tasmanian Marsupial Mouse, is a species of shrew-like marsupial of the Dasyuridae family and as such is related to dunnarts, quolls and the Tasmanian Devil.-Taxonomy:...
, Antechinus minimus - Dusky AntechinusDusky AntechinusThe Dusky Antechinus , also known as Swainson's Antechinus or the Dusky Marsupial Mouse, is a species of small marsupial carnivore, a member of the family Dasyuridae. It is found in Australia.-Taxonomy:...
, Antechinus swainsonii - Tiger QuollTiger QuollThe tiger quoll , also known as the spotted-tail quoll, the spotted quoll, the spotted-tailed dasyure or the tiger cat, is a carnivorous marsupial of the quoll genus Dasyurus native to Australia...
, Dasyurus maculatus - Eastern QuollEastern QuollThe Eastern Quoll , also known as the Eastern Native Cat, is a medium-sized carnivorous dasyurid marsupial native to Australia. They are now considered extinct on the mainland, but remain widespread and even locally common in Tasmania...
, Dasyurus viverrinus (endemic) - Tasmanian DevilTasmanian DevilThe Tasmanian devil is a carnivorous marsupial of the family Dasyuridae, now found in the wild only on the Australian island state of Tasmania. The size of a small dog, it became the largest carnivorous marsupial in the world following the extinction of the thylacine in 1936...
, Sarcophilus harrisii (endemic) - White-footed DunnartWhite-footed DunnartThe White Footed Dunnart is a marsupial that occurs of Tasmania and Australia. It occurs along the coast and in inner Gippsland and Alpine areas up to 400 metres near Narbethong...
, Sminthopsis leucopus
PeramelemorphiaPeramelemorphiaThe order Peramelemorphia includes the bandicoots and bilbies: it equates approximately to the mainstream of marsupial omnivores...
(bandicoots and bilbies)
PeramelidaePeramelidae
Peramelidae is the family of marsupials that contains all of the extant bandicoots. One known extinct species of bandicoot, the Pig-footed Bandicoot, was so different than the other species that it was recently moved into its own family. There are four described fossil Peramelids...
- Southern Brown BandicootSouthern Brown BandicootThe Southern Brown Bandicoot , also known as the Quenda from the local Noongar tongue from South Western Australia, is a short-nosed bandicoot found mostly in southern Australia....
, Isoodon obesulus - Eastern Barred BandicootEastern Barred BandicootThe Eastern Barred Bandicoot was once distributed across the Basalt Plains of south west Victoria, and in Tasmania. It is a small, rabbit sized marsupial weighing less than 1 kg with a short tail and three to four whitish bars across the rump. It lives for just two to three years and is not...
, Perameles gunnii
VombatiformesVombatiformesVombatiformes is one of the three suborders of the large marsupial order Diprotodontia. Five of the seven known families within this suborder are extinct; only the families Phascolarctidae, with the Koala, and Vombatidae, with three extant species of wombat, survive.Among the extinct families are...
(wombats and koalas)
Vombatidae
- Common WombatCommon WombatThe common wombat , also known as the coarse-haired wombat or bare-nosed wombat, is a marsupial, one of three species of wombats and the only one in the genus Vombatus. The common wombat grows to an average of long and a weight of .- Taxonomy :The common wombat was first described by George Shaw...
, Vombatus ursinus
Phalangeriformes (possums and gliders)
PhalangeridaePhalangeridae
Phalangeridae is a family of nocturnal marsupials native to Australia and New Guinea, including the cuscuses, brushtail possums, and their close relatives...
- Common Brushtail PossumCommon Brushtail PossumThe Common Brushtail Possum is a nocturnal, semi-arboreal marsupial of the family Phalangeridae, it is native to Australia, and the largest of the possums.Like most possums, the Common Brushtail is nocturnal...
, Trichosurus vulpecula
Burramyidae
- Tasmanian Pygmy PossumTasmanian Pygmy PossumThe Tasmanian pygmy possum , also known as the little pygmy possum, is the world's smallest possum. It was first described by Oldfield Thomas in 1888, after he identified that a museum specimen labelled as an eastern pygmy possum in fact represented a species then unknown to science...
, Cercartetus lepidus - Eastern Pygmy PossumEastern Pygmy PossumThe Eastern Pygmy Possum is a diprotodont marsupial of south-eastern Australia. Occurring from southern Queensland to eastern South Australia and also Tasmania, it is found in a range of habitats, including rainforest, sclerophyll forest, woodland and heath.This species is very small, weighing...
, Cercartetus nanus
Petauridae
Petauridae
The family Petauridae includes 11 medium-sized possum species: four striped possums, the six species wrist-winged gliders in genus Petaurus, and Leadbeater's Possum which has only vestigal gliding membranes...
- Sugar GliderSugar GliderThe sugar glider is a small gliding possum originating from the marsupial family.The sugar glider is native to eastern and northern mainland Australia and is also native to New Guinea and the Bismarck Archipelago.- Habitat :Sugar gliders can be found all throughout the northern and eastern parts of...
, Petaurus breviceps (introduced, Australian mainland native)
Pseudocheiridae
Pseudocheiridae
Pseudocheiridae is a family of arboreal marsupials containing 17 extant species of ringtailed possums and close relatives. They are found in forested areas and shrublands throughout Australia and New Guinea.-Characteristics:...
- Common Ringtail PossumCommon Ringtail PossumThe common ringtail possum is an Australian marsupial. It lives in a variety of habitats and eats a variety of leaves of both native and introduced plants, as well as flowers and fruits. These dietary factors have, over time, aided burgeoning introduced populations in New Zealand...
, Pseudocheirus peregrinus
MacropodiformesMacropodiformesMacropodiformes is one of the three suborders of the large marsupial order Diprotodontia. Kangaroos, wallabies and allies, bettongs, potaroos and rat kangaroos are all members of this suborder.- Classification :...
(kangaroos and wallabies)
Potoroidae
The marsupial family Potoroidae includes the bettongs, potoroos, and two of the rat-kangaroos. All are rabbit-sized, brown, jumping marsupials and resemble a large rodent or a very small wallaby.- Characteristics :...
- Southern Bettong, Bettongia gaimardi (endemic)
- Long-nosed PotorooLong-nosed PotorooThe Long-nosed Potoroo is a species of Australian potoroo. It is listed as Endangered in Victoria , Vulnerable in Queensland and nationally , although the IUCN lists it as Lower Risk.At first glance the Long-nosed Potoroo with its...
, Potorous tridactylus
Macropodidae
- Red-necked WallabyRed-necked WallabyThe Red-necked Wallaby is a medium-sized marsupial macropod, common in the more temperate and fertile parts of eastern Australia, including Tasmania.- Description :...
, Macropus rufogriseus - Eastern Grey KangarooEastern Grey KangarooThe Eastern Grey Kangaroo is a marsupial found in southern and eastern Australia, with a population of several million. It is also known as the Great Grey Kangaroo and the Forester Kangaroo...
, Macropus giganteus - Tasmanian PademelonTasmanian PademelonThe Tasmanian Pademelon , also known as the Rufous-bellied Pademelon or Red-bellied Pademelon, is the sole endemic species of pademelon found in Tasmania, and formerly throughout south-eastern Australia...
, Thylogale billardierii (endemic)
Artiodactyla (even-toed ungulates)
Bovidae (cloven-hooved ungulates)- GoatGoatThe domestic goat is a subspecies of goat domesticated from the wild goat of southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the Bovidae family and is closely related to the sheep as both are in the goat-antelope subfamily Caprinae. There are over three hundred distinct breeds of...
, Capra aegagrus hircus (introduced)
Cervidae (deer)
- Fallow DeerFallow DeerThe Fallow Deer is a ruminant mammal belonging to the family Cervidae. This common species is native to western Eurasia, but has been introduced widely elsewhere. It often includes the rarer Persian Fallow Deer as a subspecies , while others treat it as an entirely different species The Fallow...
, Dama dama (introduced)
Suidae
Suidae
Suidae is the biological family to which pigs belong. In addition to numerous fossil species, up to sixteen extant species are currently recognized, classified into between four and eight genera...
(pigs)
- BoarBoarWild boar, also wild pig, is a species of the pig genus Sus, part of the biological family Suidae. The species includes many subspecies. It is the wild ancestor of the domestic pig, an animal with which it freely hybridises...
, Sus scrofa (introduced)
CarnivoraCarnivoraThe diverse order Carnivora |Latin]] carō "flesh", + vorāre "to devour") includes over 260 species of placental mammals. Its members are formally referred to as carnivorans, while the word "carnivore" can refer to any meat-eating animal...
CanidaeCanidae
Canidae is the biological family of carnivorous and omnivorous mammals that includes wolves, foxes, jackals, coyotes, and domestic dogs. A member of this family is called a canid . The Canidae family is divided into two tribes: Canini and Vulpini...
(dogs)
- DogDogThe domestic dog is a domesticated form of the gray wolf, a member of the Canidae family of the order Carnivora. The term is used for both feral and pet varieties. The dog may have been the first animal to be domesticated, and has been the most widely kept working, hunting, and companion animal in...
, Canis lupus familiaris (introduced) - FoxFoxFox is a common name for many species of omnivorous mammals belonging to the Canidae family. Foxes are small to medium-sized canids , characterized by possessing a long narrow snout, and a bushy tail .Members of about 37 species are referred to as foxes, of which only 12 species actually belong to...
, Vulpes vulpes (introduced)
Felidae
Felidae
Felidae is the biological family of the cats; a member of this family is called a felid. Felids are the strictest carnivores of the thirteen terrestrial families in the order Carnivora, although the three families of marine mammals comprising the superfamily pinnipedia are as carnivorous as the...
(cats)
- CatCatThe cat , also known as the domestic cat or housecat to distinguish it from other felids and felines, is a small, usually furry, domesticated, carnivorous mammal that is valued by humans for its companionship and for its ability to hunt vermin and household pests...
, Felis catus (introduced)
Mustelidae
Mustelidae
Mustelidae , commonly referred to as the weasel family, are a family of carnivorous mammals. Mustelids are diverse and the largest family in the order Carnivora, at least partly because in the past it has been a catch-all category for many early or poorly differentiated taxa...
(ferrets)
- FerretFerretThe ferret is a domesticated mammal of the type Mustela putorius furo. Ferrets are sexually dimorphic predators with males being substantially larger than females. They typically have brown, black, white, or mixed fur...
, Mustela putorius furo (introduced)
Chiroptera (bats)
Vespertilionidae- Little Forest BatLittle Forest BatThe Little Forest Bat is a species of vesper bat in the Vespertilionidae family.It is found only in South-eastern Australia including Tasmania....
, Vespadelus vulturnus - Southern Forest BatSouthern Forest BatThe Southern Forest Bat is a species of vesper bat in the Vespertilionidae family.It is found only in Australia. It is endemic to the southern parts of Australia and is found roosting in tree hollows and sometimes in buildings. It is found in wet to dry sclerophyll forests and low shrub woodlands...
, Vespadelus regulus - Large Forest BatLarge Forest BatThe Large Forest Bat is a species of vesper bat in the Vespertilionidae family.It is found only in Australia.-References:* Chiroptera Specialist Group 1996. . Downloaded on 19 July 2007....
, Vespadelus darlingtoni - Chocolate Wattled BatChocolate Wattled BatThe Chocolate Wattled Bat is a species of vesper bat in the Vespertilionidae family.It is found only in Australia.-References:* Chiroptera Specialist Group 1996. . Downloaded on 19 July 2007....
, Chalinolobus morio - Gould's Wattled BatGould's Wattled BatGould's Wattled Bat is a species of Australian wattled bat named after the English naturalist John Gould.-Range:C. gouldii is known throughout mainland Australia as well as Tasmania, New Caledonia, and Norfolk Island.-Appearance:C...
, Chalinolobus gouldii - Lesser Long-eared BatLesser Long-eared BatThe Lesser Long-Eared Bat is a species of vesper bat in the Vespertilionidae family.It is found only in Australia.-Classification:...
, Nyctophilus geoffroyi - Greater Long-eared BatGreater Long-eared BatThe Greater Long-Eared Bat is a species of vesper bat in the Vespertilionidae family.It is found in the following countries: Australia, Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea.-Source:...
, Nyctophilus timoriensis - Eastern False PipistrelleEastern False PipistrelleThe Eastern False Pipistrelle is a species of vesper bat in the Vespertilionidae family.It is found only in Australia.-References:* Chiroptera Specialist Group 1996. . Downloaded on 19 July 2007....
, Falsistrellus tasmaniensis
LagomorphaLagomorphaThe lagomorphs are the members of the taxonomic order Lagomorpha, of which there are two living families, the Leporidae , and the Ochotonidae...
LeporidaeLeporidae
Leporids are the approximately 50 species of rabbits and hares which form the family Leporidae. The leporids, together with the pikas, constitute the mammalian order Lagomorpha. Leporids differ from pikas in having short furry tails, and elongated ears and hind legs...
(rabbits and hares)
- European RabbitEuropean RabbitThe European Rabbit or Common Rabbit is a species of rabbit native to south west Europe and north west Africa . It has been widely introduced elsewhere often with devastating effects on local biodiversity...
, Oryctolagus cuniculus (introduced) - Brown Hare, Lepus capensis (introduced)
RodentRodentRodentia is an order of mammals also known as rodents, characterised by two continuously growing incisors in the upper and lower jaws which must be kept short by gnawing....
ia (rats and mice)
MuridaeMuridae
Muridae is the largest family of mammals. It contains over 600 species found naturally throughout Eurasia, Africa, and Australia. They have been introduced worldwide. The group includes true mice and rats, gerbils, and relatives....
- Rakali, Hydromys chrysogaster
- House MouseHouse mouseThe house mouse is a small rodent, a mouse, one of the most numerous species of the genus Mus.As a wild animal the house mouse mainly lives associated with humans, causing damage to crops and stored food....
, Mus musculus (introduced) - Long-tailed MouseLong-tailed MouseThe long-tailed mouse is a native Australian rodent found only on the island of Tasmania. The long-tailed mouse is an omnivore that feeds on insects and a range of plants. It is found in forested areas, particularly in sub-alpine scree, and may live in burrows.The species reaches a weight of about...
, Pseudomys higginsi (endemic) - New Holland MouseNew Holland MouseThe New Holland Mouse is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It was first described by George Waterhouse in 1843. It vanished from view for over a century before its rediscovery in Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park north of Sydney in 1967...
, Pseudomys novaehollandiae - Broad-toothed MouseBroad-toothed MouseThe Broad-toothed Mouse is a species of rodent in the family Muridae.-Distribution and habitat:It is found only in South-eastern Australia. In Victoria live specimens were caught in the Snowfields, Great Dividing Range to Barrington Tops in New South Wales, Gippsland Highlands, Otway Rangers and...
, Pseudomys fuscus - Swamp RatSwamp RatSwamp Rat may refer to several unrelated rodents:*Andean Swamp Rat, Neotomys ebriosus*Australian Swamp Rat, Rattus lutreolus*Scapteromys, two species from southeastern South America:**Scapteromys aquaticus, the Argentine Swamp Rat...
, Rattus lutreolus - Black RatBlack RatThe black rat is a common long-tailed rodent of the genus Rattus in the subfamily Murinae . The species originated in tropical Asia and spread through the Near East in Roman times before reaching Europe by the 1st century and spreading with Europeans across the world.-Taxonomy:The black rat was...
, Rattus rattus (introduced) - Brown RatBrown RatThe brown rat, common rat, sewer rat, Hanover rat, Norway rat, Brown Norway rat, Norwegian rat, or wharf rat is one of the best known and most common rats....
, Rattus norvegicus (introduced)
Pinnipedia (seals)
Otariidae (eared seals)- Cape Fur SealCape Fur SealThe brown fur seal , also known as the Cape fur seal, South African fur seal and the Australian fur seal is a species of fur seal.-Description:...
, Arctocephalus pusillus - New Zealand Fur SealNew Zealand Fur SealThe Australian fur seal , or New Zealand fur seal or southern fur seal, is a species of fur seal found around the south coast of Australia, the coast of the South Island of New Zealand, and some of the small islands to the south and east of there...
, Arctocephalus fosteri
Phocidae (true seals)
- Southern Elephant SealSouthern Elephant SealThe Southern Elephant Seal is one of the two extant species of elephant seal. It is both the most massive pinniped and member of the order Carnivora living today...
, Mirounga leonina - Leopard SealLeopard SealThe leopard seal , also referred to as the sea leopard, is the second largest species of seal in the Antarctic...
, Hydrurga leptonyx
CetaceaCetaceaThe order Cetacea includes the marine mammals commonly known as whales, dolphins, and porpoises. Cetus is Latin and is used in biological names to mean "whale"; its original meaning, "large sea animal", was more general. It comes from Ancient Greek , meaning "whale" or "any huge fish or sea...
(whales and dolphins)
Delphinidae (dolphins)
- Long-finned Pilot WhaleLong-finned Pilot WhaleThe long-finned pilot whale is one of the two species of cetacean in the genus Globicephala. It belongs to the oceanic dolphin family , though its behavior is closer to that of the larger whales.-Description:...
, Globicephala melaena - Killer Whale, Orcinus orca
- False Killer WhaleFalse Killer WhaleThe False Killer Whale is a cetacean, and the third largest member of the oceanic dolphin family . It lives in temperate and tropical waters throughout the world. As its name implies, the False Killer Whale shares characteristics, such as appearance, with the more widely known Orca...
, Pseudorca crassidens - Common DolphinCommon dolphinThe common dolphin is the name given to two species of dolphin making up the genus Delphinus.Prior to the mid-1990s, most taxonomists only recognised one species in this genus, the common dolphin Delphinus delphis...
, Delphinus delphis - Bottlenose DolphinBottlenose DolphinBottlenose dolphins, the genus Tursiops, are the most common and well-known members of the family Delphinidae, the family of oceanic dolphins. Recent molecular studies show the genus contains two species, the common bottlenose dolphin and the Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin , instead of one...
, Tursiops truncatus
Physeteridae (sperm whales)
- Sperm WhaleSperm WhaleThe sperm whale, Physeter macrocephalus, is a marine mammal species, order Cetacea, a toothed whale having the largest brain of any animal. The name comes from the milky-white waxy substance, spermaceti, found in the animal's head. The sperm whale is the only living member of genus Physeter...
, Physeter catodon
Balaenidae
Balaenidae
Balaenidae is a family of mysticete whales that contains two living genera. Commonly called the right whales as it contains mainly right whale species...
(right whales)
- Southern Right WhaleSouthern Right WhaleThe southern right whale is a baleen whale, one of three species classified as right whales belonging to the genus Eubalaena. Like other right whales, the southern right whale is readily distinguished from others by the callosities on its head, a broad back without a dorsal fin, and a long arching...
, Eubalaena australis - Pygmy Right WhalePygmy Right WhaleThe pygmy right whale is a baleen whale, the sole member of the family Neobalaenidae. First described by John Edward Gray in 1846, it is the smallest of the baleen whales, ranging between and in length and 3,000 and 3,500 kg in mass...
, Caperea marginata - HumpbackHumpbackHumpback may refer to:* Humpback whale* Humpback dolphin* Humpback salmon* Humpback bridge* Humpback, a variant of hunchback...
, Megaptera novaeangliae