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List of mammals of the Balearic Islands

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All three land mammal species once endemic to the Balearic Islands, Spain (the Majorcan giant dormouse, the Balearic shrew and the goat-like ruminant Myotragus balearicus) are currently extinct,Bover, Pere; Alcover, Josep A.; Michaux, Jacques J.; Hautier, Lionel; Hutterer, Rainer (2010). Goswami, Anjali. ed. "Body Shape and Life Style of the Extinct Balearic Dormouse Hypnomys (Rodentia, Gliridae): New Evidence from the Study of Associated Skeletons". PLoS ONE 5 (12): e15817. {{doi|10.1371/journal.pone.0015817}}. {{PMC|3013122}}. {{PMID|21209820}}. while those presently found on the archipelago have been introduced voluntarily or accidentally by humans in colonization waves beginning in the Neolithic.Alcover, Josep Antoni (1980) "Note on the origin of the present mammalian fauna from the Balearic and Pityusic Islands". Misc. Zool., 6: 141-149The taxonomy and naming of the individual species is based on those used in existing Wikipedia articles as of 9 January 2013 and supplemented by the common names and taxonomy from the IUCN where no Wikipedia article was available.

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

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{{IUCN status|EX}}ExtinctNo reasonable doubt that the last individual has died.
{{IUCN status|EW}}Extinct in the wildKnown only to survive in captivity or as a naturalised population well outside its previous range.
{{IUCN status|CR}}Critically endangeredThe species is in imminent risk of extinction in the wild.
{{IUCN status|EN}}EndangeredThe species is facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild.
{{IUCN status|VU}}VulnerableThe species is facing a high risk of extinction in the wild.
{{IUCN status|NT}}Near threatenedThe species does not meet any of the criteria that would categorise it as risking extinction but it is likely to in the future.
{{IUCN status|LC}}Least concernThere are no current identifiable risks to the species.
{{IUCN status|DD}}Data deficientThere is inadequate information to make an assessment of the risks to this species.

Order: [[Rodent]]ia (rodents)

File:Eliomys quercinus01.jpg

File:Apodemus sylvaticus (Sardinia).jpg

Rodents make up the largest order of mammals, with over 40% of mammalian species. They have two incisors in the upper and lower jaw which grow continually and must be kept short by gnawing. Most rodents are small though the capybara can weigh up to {{convert|45|kg|abbr=on}}.

Order: [[Lagomorpha]] (lagomorphs)

File:Oryctolagus cuniculus_1a.JPG

The lagomorphs comprise two families, Leporidae (hares and rabbits), and Ochotonidae (pikas). Though they can resemble rodents, and were classified as a superfamily in that order until the early 20th century, they have since been considered a separate order. They differ from rodents in a number of physical characteristics, such as having four incisors in the upper jaw rather than two.

Order: [[Erinaceomorpha]] (hedgehogs and gymnures)

File:Atelerix algirus.jpg

The order Erinaceomorpha contains a single family, Erinaceidae, which comprise the hedgehogs and gymnures. The hedgehogs are easily recognised by their spines while gymnures look more like large rats.

Order: [[Soricomorpha]] (shrews, moles, and solenodons)

File:Gartenspitzmaus.jpg

The "shrew-forms" are insectivorous mammals. The shrews and solenodons closely resemble mice while the moles are stout bodied burrowers.

Order: [[Chiroptera]] (bats)

File:Tadarida Teniotis263.JPG

File:Bat(20070605).jpg

File:Myotis.jpg

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.

Order: [[Cetacea]] (whales)

File:Humpback Whale underwater shot.jpg

File:Delphinus delphis with calf.jpg

File:Mother and baby sperm whale.jpg

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.

Order: [[Carnivora]] (carnivorans)

File:Common Genet (Genetta genetta) (7076892781).jpg

There are over 260 species of carnivorans, the majority of which feed primarily on meat. They have a characteristic skull shape and dentition.

Order: [[Artiodactyla]] (even-toed ungulates)

File:Far_de_Formentor_Mallorca_msu_2018-4361.jpg

The even-toed ungulates are ungulates whose weight is borne about equally by the third and fourth toes, rather than mostly or entirely by the third as in perissodactyls. There are about 220 artiodactyl species, including many that are of great economic importance to humans.

Locally extinct

File:Το βλέμμα της φώκιας.jpg

The following species are locally extinct in the area but continue to exist elsewhere:

  • Mediterranean monk seal, Monachus monachusPalomo, L. J., Gisbert, J., & Blanco, J. C. (Eds.). (2007). Atlas y libro rojo de los mamíferos terrestres de España. Madrid: Organismo Autónomo de Parques Nacionales.

See also

Notes

{{Reflist}}

References

  • {{cite web

|url=http://www.magrama.gob.es/es/biodiversidad/temas/inventarios-nacionales/inventario-especies-terrestres/inventario-nacional-de-biodiversidad/index2010-11-12_21.31.20.7869.aspx

|title=Atlas y Libro Rojo de los mamíferos terrestres de España

|publisher=Gobierno de España - Ministerio de Agricultura, Alimentación y Medio Ambiente

|date=2012

|access-date = 2 Jan 2013

}}

  • Aulagnier, S. et al. (2008) Guide des mammifères d'Europe, d'Afrique du Nord et de Moyen-Orient. Delachaux et Niestlé, Paris
  • Purroy, F.J. and Varela, J.M. (2003) Guía de los Mamíferos de España. Península, Baleares y Canarias. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona.

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mammals

°Balearic Islands