Mammals
Media
![photo of a thirteen-lined ground squirrel](/sites/default/files/styles/media_library/public/mo_nature/media/images/2010/09/13-lined_ground_squirrel.jpg?itok=eCfY4zjm)
Species Types
Scientific Name
Ictidomys tridecemlineatus
Description
The thirteen-lined ground squirrel has 13 alternating brown and whitish lines (some may be broken into spots) along its back and sides, creating rows of whitish spots within dark lines. It stands upright to survey its surroundings and dives into its burrow when it senses danger.
Media
![Image of a gray squirrel](/sites/default/files/styles/media_library/public/mo_nature/media/images/2010/04/squirrel.jpg?itok=0ImCaPDK)
Species Types
Scientific Name
Sciurus carolinensis and Sciurus niger
Description
The eastern gray squirrel and eastern fox squirrel are both very common in Missouri. Their names describe their general coat color: the first is grayish, the other a foxy red.
Media
![Photo of two prairie voles in a nest made of dried grasses](/sites/default/files/styles/media_library/public/mo_nature/media/images/2013/12/prairie_voles_12-11-13.jpg?itok=ApegHrNY)
Species Types
Scientific Name
Microtus ochrogaster, M. pinetorum, and M. pennsylvanicus
Description
There are three species of voles in Missouri: prairie, meadow, and woodland voles. These mouselike rodents have rounded, blunt snouts, chisel-shaped front teeth, and short tails.
Media
![Photo of white tailed buck](/sites/default/files/styles/media_library/public/mo_nature/media/images/2009/11/2644/20091113-2.jpg?itok=lS9pA9gy)
Species Types
Scientific Name
Odocoileus virginianus
Description
In summer, white-tailed deer are reddish-brown to tan above; in winter, they are grayish. The throat and belly are white. This common Missouri deer is named for the bright white of its flaglike tail.
Media
![Photo of a deer mouse in its nest made of dry grasses](/sites/default/files/styles/media_library/public/mo_nature/media/field-guide/Deer_Mouse_P_maniculatus_7-16-18.jpg?itok=bAA5U19Y)
Species Types
Scientific Name
Peromyscus maniculatus
Description
The deer mouse is found statewide, usually in open habitats like fields and grasslands. It and our other three species of Peromyscus mice look a lot alike.
See Also
About Mammals in Missouri
More than 70 species of wild mammals live in Missouri: opossums; shrews and moles; bats; rabbits; woodchuck, squirrels, beaver, mice, voles, and other rodents; coyote, foxes, bear, raccoon, weasels, otter, mink, skunks, bobcat, and other carnivores; deer and elk; and more. Most of us recognize mammals easily — they have fur, are warm-blooded, nurse their young, and breathe air.