Mammals of the Bay Area
Mountain Lion - Felis concolor |
Bobcat - Lynx rufus (south of Livermore) |
Black-tailed Jackrabbit - Lepus californicus (Brushy Peak) |
Coyote - Canis latrans (Morgan Territory) |
Eastern Fox Squirrel - Sciurus niger (introduced, not native, San Francisco)
Ingrid Taylar / CC BY 2.0
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California Ground Squirrel - Spermophilus beecheyi (Alviso)
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American Beaver - Castor canadensis (Martinez)
by Heidi Perryman, Worth a Dam |
Common Muskrat - Ondatra zibethicus (Martinez)
from Worth a Dam |
North American River Otter - Lontra canadensis (Martinez)
by Cheryl Reynolds, Worth a Dam |
American Mink - Neovison vison (Martinez)
by Cheryl Reynolds, Worth a Dam |
American Badger - Taxidea taxus (West Petaluma)
by Andy LaCasse courtesy of Paula Lane Action Network |
Tule Elk - Cervus elaphus (Point Reyes)
Image Source: KQED QUEST - Some rights reserved. |
Sea Otter - Enhydra lutris (Moss Landing) |
Northern Elephant Seal - Mirounga angustirostris (Ano Nuevo State Park) |
You can see quite a few mammals in the San Francisco Bay Area, if you know what you are
looking for. Many are found in protected areas like State Parks but some, like raccoons and skunks, are
even found in suburban environments. Several marine mammals can be seen in the nearby coastal waters and the Harbor Seal can actually be seen in San Francisco Bay.
A special whale-watching page has been compiled for more information on marine mammals ...more .
Bay Area Land Mammals
- Virginia Opossum - Didelphis virginiana
- Ornate Shrew - Sorex ornatus
- Vagrant Shrew - Sorex vagrans
- Fog Shrew - Sorex sonomae
- Trowbridge's Shrew - Sorex trowbridgii
- American Shrew-mole - Neurotrichus gibbsii
- Broad-footed Mole - Scapanus latimanus
- Desert Cottontail - Sylvilagus audubonii
- Brush Rabbit - Sylvilagus bachmani
...photo
- Black-tailed Jackrabbit - Lepus californicus
...track
- Mountain Beaver - Aplodontia rufa
- California Ground Squirrel - Spermophilus beecheyi
- Sonoma Chipmunk - Neotamias sonomae
- Merriam's Chipmunk - Neotamias merriami
- Western Gray Squirrel - Sciurus griseus
- Eastern Fox Squirrel - Sciurus niger (introduced, not native)
- Botta's Pocket Gopher - Thomomys bottae
- California Pocket Mouse - Chaetodipus californicus
- Deer Mouse - Peromyscus maniculatus
- California Mouse - Peromyscus californicus
- Pinyon Mouse - Peromyscus true
- Salt Marsh Harvest Mouse - Reithrodontomys raviventris
- Western Harvest Mouse - Reithrodontomys megalotis
- Dusky-footed Woodrat - Neotoma fuscipes
- California Vole - Microtus californicus
- Common Muskrat - Ondatra zibethicus
- Norway Rat - Rattus norvegicus
- Black Rat - Rattus rattus
- House Mouse - Mus musculus
- Pacific Jumping Mouse - Zapus trinotatus
- Heermann's Kangaroo Rat - Dipodomys heermanni
...photo
- American Beaver - Castor canadensis
- Porcupine - Erithizon dorsatum
- Coyote - Canis latrans
- Gray Fox - Urocyon cinereoargenteus
- Kit Fox - Vulpes macrotis
- Red Fox - Vulpes vulpes (introduced)
- Ringtail - Bassariscus astutus
- Northern Raccoon - Procyon lotor
- Short-tailed Weasel - Mustela erminea
- Long-tailed Weasel - Mustela frenata
...photo
...track
- American Mink - Neovison vison
- American Badger - Taxidea taxus
...photo
- Western Spotted Skunk - Spilogale gracilis
- Striped Skunk - Mephitis mephitis
- North American River Otter - Lontra canadensis
- Puma (Cougar, Mountain Lion) - Puma concolor
...sound
- Bobcat - Lynx rufus
- Wild Pig - Sus scrofa (Introduced)
- Tule Elk - Cervus elaphus
- Black-tailed (Mule) Deer - Odocoileus hemionus
Common Bay Area Marine Mammals
- California Sea-lion - Zalophus californianus
- Northern Elephant Seal - Mirounga angustirostris
- Harbor Seal - Phoca vitulina
- Sea Otter - Enhydra lutris
- Gray Whale - Eschrichtius robustus
- Humpback Whale - Megaptera novaeangliae
- Blue Whale - Balaenoptera musculus
- Pacific White-sided Dolphin - Lagenorhynchus obliquidens
- Dall's Porpoise - Phocoenoides dalli
Extensive list of Bay Area marine mammals
Bay Area Bats
- Little Brown Myotis - Myotis lucifugus
- Yuma Myotis - Myotis yumanensis
- Long-eared Myotis - Myotis evotis
- Fringed Myotis - Myotis thysanodes
- Long-legged Myotis - Myotis volans
- California Myotis - Myotis californicus
- Silver-haired Bat - Lasionycteris noctivagans
- Big Brown Bat - Eptesicus fuscus
- Western Mastiff Bat - Eumops perotis
- Western Red Bat - Lasiurus blossevillii
- Hoary Bat - Lasiurus cinereus
- Townsend's Big-eared Bat - Pelcotus townsendii
- Pallid Bat - Antrozous pallidus
- Brazilian (Mexican) Free-tailed Bat - Tadarida brasiliensis
- Western Pipistrelle - Pipistrellus hesperus
Video
- Bats in the San Francisco area, especially Fort Funston. Dr. Gary Fellers of the U.S. Geological Survey explains vocalizations and other behaviors of local bats.
...link
Mammals Articles and Links
- Bay Area Puma Project - awesome research on the local Puma (Cougar/Mountain Lion) population in the Santa Cruz mountains.
...link1
...link2
- The River Otter Ecology Project - focused on River Otters in the Bay area
...link2
- Video and photos of animals captured by camera traps throughout the Santa Cruz Mountains by Yiwei Wang.
...link
- Beavers in Martinez! A beaver family has taken up residence in downtown Martinez. Read about the efforts to save them by a local group - Worth a Dam. A good
overview article is available in Bay Nature.
...link
- The Mountain Beaver is found only in one location in the Bay Area - Point Reyes.
...link
- Series of camera-trap photos of San Francisco Dusky-footed Woodrats with wonderful commentary by randomtruth
...link
- A good overview of the Eastern Fox Squirrel that got introducted into California and is now displacing the native Western Gray Squirrel
...link
- The Incredible, Edible Ground Squirrel by Kathleen Wong, Bay Nature, January 2008. The California Ground Squirrel is an important part of the web of life in the Bay area and affects the lives of many other species.
...link
- The Bay area coast provides excellent opportunities for whale-watching. You can manage to see several species of whales, relatively easily. ...more
- If you happen to come across a stranded or injured marine mammal, please contact
Marine Mammal
Center ...link
- Bats of San Francisco - a blog post by Jennifer Krauel, with a link to her Master's thesis about an acoustic survey of San Francisco Bats.
...link
American Badger
- The status of the American Badger in the San Francisco Bay Area" (2008), Master's Theses by Chris Lay
...link
- The Paula Lane Action Network, a grassroots group in Petaluma, is trying to arrange for the purchase of 11 acres of habitat in western Petaluma.
- Video of a Badger in Sonoma County.
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