Field Guide

Mammals

Showing 11 - 20 of 20 results
eastern mole
Eastern Mole
Scalopus aquaticus
Eastern moles are plush-furred, large-handed critters infamous for disfiguring lawns as they tunnel belowground hunting for grubs and cutworms — many of which are also dreaded by landscapers!
Short-tailed shrew pointing its head upward
Shrews
Sorex, Blarina, and Cryptotis spp.
Six species of shrews occur in Missouri. They are mouselike but do not have the chisel-like front teeth of rodents. Instead, they have sharp, spiky teeth for hunting prey.
Photo of white tailed buck
White-Tailed Deer
Odocoileus virginianus
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.
Image of a feral hog
Feral Hog (Feral Swine)
Sus scrofa
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.
Photo of a little brown myotis hanging from cave wall with lesions on its wrist.
Little Brown Myotis (Little Brown Bat)
Myotis lucifugus
The little brown myotis (little brown bat) is one of our most common bats, but populations are declining. White-nose syndrome has taken a heavy toll in northeastern states. This species is now listed as vulnerable across its range.
Silver-haired bat in flight.
Bats
About 14 species in Missouri
Bats are the only mammals capable of sustained flight. At least 14 species of bats occur in Missouri; they are all relatively small, and they eat insects. Many of them are declining.
Image of an armadillo
Nine-Banded Armadillo
Dasypus novemcinctus
There’s no other animal in Missouri that can be mistaken for an armadillo! In the 1950s, they were not considered residents, but now they are regularly found in the southern half of the state.
Photo of a deer mouse in its nest made of dry grasses
Deer Mouse
Peromyscus maniculatus
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.
Franklin's ground squirrel viewed from side in a grassland
Franklin's Ground Squirrel
Poliocitellus franklinii (formerly Spermophilus franklinii)
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.
coyote walking through grassland
Coyote
Canis latrans
The coyote is a much-maligned member of the dog family. It does a great service to the ecosystem by helping to hold populations of rabbits and mice in check. In addition, their yips and barks add to nature's music to rural nights.
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.