List of mammals of Madeira

This is a list of indigenous mammals of the Portuguese archipelago of Madeira in the North Atlantic ocean. Besides the mammals on the islands, the coastal waters are host to at least nine species of dolphins and ten species of migrating cetaceans. These are protected in the 430,000 km² Madeiran Marine Mammal Sanctuary.

Conservation status listing and ranking system

The following tags are used to highlight each species' conservation status as assessed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature:

Order: Chiroptera (bats)

The 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.

• Family: Vespertilionidae
  • Genus: Pipistrellus
    • Madeira pipistrelle, P. maderensis VU
  • Genus: Nyctalus
    • Lesser noctule, Nyctalus leisleri verrucosus LC
  • Genus: Plecotus
    • Grey long-eared bat, Plecotus austriacus LC

Order: Carnivora (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.

• Suborder: Pinnipedia
  • Family: Phocidae
    • Genus: Monachus
      • Mediterranean monk seal, M. monachus EN

Order: Cetacea (whales)

The order Cetacea includes whales, dolphins and porpoises. They are the mammals most fully adapted to aquatic life with a spindle-shaped nearly hairless body, protected by a thick layer of blubber, and forelimbs and tail modified to provide propulsion underwater.

• Suborder: Mysticeti
  • Family: Balaenidae
    • Genus: Eubalaena
      • North Atlantic right whale, Eubalaena glacialis CR
  • Family: Balaenopteridae
    • Subfamily: Balaenopterinae
      • Genus: Balaenoptera
        • Blue whale, Balaenoptera musculus EN
        • Fin whale, Balaenoptera physalus VU
        • Sei whale, Balaenoptera borealis EN
        • Minke whale, Balaenoptera acutorostrata LC
    • Subfamily: Megapterinae
      • Genus: Megaptera
        • Humpback whale, Megaptera novaeangliae LC
• Suborder: Odontoceti
  • Superfamily: Platanistoidea
    • Family: Physeteridae
      • Genus: Physeter
        • Sperm whale, Physeter macrocephalus VU
    • Family: Kogiidae
      • Genus: Kogia
        • Pygmy sperm whale, Kogia breviceps DD>
  • Superfamily: Delphinoidea
    • Family: Delphinidae (marine dolphins)
      • Genus: Tursiops
        • Common bottlenose dolphin, Tursiops truncatus LC
      • Genus: Steno
        • Rough-toothed dolphin, Steno bredanensis LC

See also

• Lists of mammals by region

References

Further reading

William L. R. Oliver, ed. (1993). Pigs, peccaries and hippos: status survey and conservation action plan. IUCN. p. 53. ISBN 2-8317-0141-4.

Teixeira, Sérgio; Jesus, José (2009). "Echolocation Calls of Bats from Madeira Island: Acoustic Characterization and Implications for Surveys". Acta Chiropterologica. 11 (1): 183–190. doi:10.3161/150811009X465802.