Field Guide

Mammals

Showing 1 - 5 of 5 results
Media
Photo of two bears
Species Types
Scientific Name
Ursus americanus
Description
One of the largest wild mammals in Missouri, the American black bear is unmistakable with its black fur and powerful bearing.
Media
Image of southern flying squirrel
Species Types
Scientific Name
Glaucomys volans
Description
Flying squirrels don’t actually fly, but they are expert hang gliders. Instead of running around on the ground, they climb to the top of a tall tree, launch into the air, glide downward to the bottom of another tree and repeat the process to get where they’re going.
Media
photo of a thirteen-lined ground squirrel
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 feral hog
Species Types
Scientific Name
Sus scrofa
Description
Feral hogs cause millions of dollars in agricultural, environmental, and property damage. As they root and wallow, they plow the soil to depths of 2–8 inches — sometimes for many acres! And this is just the beginning of the trouble they can cause to humans, livestock, and the environment.
Media
Franklin's ground squirrel viewed from side in a grassland
Species Types
Scientific Name
Poliocitellus franklinii (formerly Spermophilus franklinii)
Description
Franklin’s ground squirrel is brownish gray speckled with black, looking a little like an eastern gray squirrel but with a less bushy tail and smaller ears. It occurs in and near grasslands in the northern quarter of Missouri.
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.