List of mammals in New Zealand

This is a list of the mammal species recorded in New Zealand.

Prior to human settlement New Zealand only had three land based mammals and a number of marine mammals. A number of mammals were brought to New Zealand by the Māori and European settlers and some are causing huge conservation problems due to predation on indigenous species.

Conservation status

There are 48 mammal species in New Zealand, of which none are critically endangered, three are endangered, five are vulnerable, and none are near-threatened. One of the species listed for New Zealand is considered to be extinct. [This list is derived from the IUCN Red List which lists species of mammals and includes those mammals that have recently been classified as extinct (since 1500 AD). The taxonomy and naming of the individual species is based on those used in existing Wikipedia articles as of 21 May 2007 and supplemented by the common names and taxonomy from the IUCN, Smithsonian Institute, or University of Michigan where no Wikipedia article was available.]

The Department of Conservation rank priorities for conservation with the New Zealand Threat Classification System.

The following tags are used to highlight each species' conservation status as assessed by the IUCN:

Some species were assessed using an earlier set of criteria. Species assessed using this system have the following instead of Near Threatened and Least Concern categories:

ubclass: Theria

Infraclass: Eutheria

Order: Rodentia (rodents)

-----Rodents make up the largest order of mammals, with over 40 percent 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 45 kg (100 lb).

*Suborder: Myomorpha
**Family: Muridae (mice, rats, gerbils, etc.)
***Subfamily: Murinae
****Genus: "Rattus"
***** Polynesian Rat "Rattus exulans" LR/lc

Order: Chiroptera (bats)

-----The bats' most distinguishing feature is that their forelimbs are developed as wings, making them the only mammals in the world naturally capable of flight. Bat species account for about 20% of all mammals.

*Family: Vespertilionidae
**Subfamily: Vespertilioninae
***Genus: "Chalinolobus"
**** New Zealand Long-tailed Bat "Chalinolobus tuberculatus" VU
*Family: Mystacinidae
**Genus: "Mystacina"
*** New Zealand Greater Short-tailed Bat "Mystacina robusta" EX
*** New Zealand Lesser Short-tailed Bat "Mystacina tuberculata" VU

Order: Cetacea (whales)

-----

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.

*Suborder: Mysticeti
**Family: Balaenidae
***Genus: "Eubalaena"
**** Southern Right Whale "Eubalaena australis" LR/cd
**Family: Balaenopteridae
***Subfamily: Balaenopterinae
****Genus: "Balaenoptera"
***** Minke Whale "Balaenoptera acutorostrata" LR/nt
***** Bryde's Whale "Balaenoptera edeni" DD
***** Blue Whale "Balaenoptera musculus" EN
***** Fin Whale "Balaenoptera physalus" EN
***Subfamily: Megapterinae
****Genus: "Megaptera"
***** Humpback Whale "Megaptera novaeangliae" VU
**Family: Neobalaenidae
***Genus: "Caperea"
**** Pygmy Right Whale "Caperea marginata" LR/lc
*Suborder: Odontoceti
**Superfamily: Platanistoidea
***Family: Phocoenidae
****Genus: "Phocoena"
***** Spectacled Porpoise "Phocoena dioptrica" DD
***Family: Physeteridae
****Genus: "Physeter"
***** Sperm Whale "Physeter macrocephalus" VU
***Family: Kogiidae
****Genus: "Kogia"
***** Pygmy Sperm Whale "Kogia breviceps" LR/lc
***** Dwarf Sperm Whale "Kogia sima" LR/lc
***Family: Ziphidae
****Genus: "Ziphius"
***** Cuvier's Beaked Whale "Ziphius cavirostris" DD
****Genus: "Berardius"
***** Giant beaked whale "Berardius arnuxii" LR/cd
****Genus: "Tasmacetus"
***** Shepherd's Beaked Whale "Tasmacetus shepherdi" DD
****Subfamily: Hyperoodontidae
*****Genus: "Hyperoodon"
****** Bottlenose whale "Hyperoodon planifrons" LR/cd
*****Genus: "Mesoplodon"
****** Andrews' Beaked Whale "Mesoplodon bowdoini" DD
****** Blainville's Beaked Whale "Mesoplodon densirostris" DD
****** Ginkgo-toothed Beaked Whale "Mesoplodon ginkgodens" DD
****** Gray's Beaked Whale "Mesoplodon grayi" DD
****** Hector's Beaked Whale "Mesoplodon hectori" DD
****** Layard's Beaked Whale "Mesoplodon layardii" DD
***Family: Delphinidae (marine dolphins)
****Genus: "Cephalorhynchus"
***** Hector's Dolphin "Cephalorhynchus hectori" EN
****Genus: "Steno"
***** Rough-toothed Dolphin "Steno bredanensis" DD
****Genus: "Stenella"
***** Pantropical Spotted Dolphin "Stenella attenuata" LR/cd
***** Striped Dolphin "Stenella coeruleoalba" LR/cd
***** Spinner Dolphin "Stenella longirostris" LR/cd
****Genus: "Delphinus"
***** Common dolphin "Delphinus capensis" LR/lc
***** Common dolphin "Delphinus delphis" LR/lc
****Genus: "Lagenorhynchus"
***** Hourglass Dolphin "Lagenorhynchus cruciger" LR/lc
***** Dusky Dolphin "Lagenorhynchus obscurus" DD
****Genus: "Lissodelphis"
***** Southern Right Whale Dolphin "Lissodelphis peronii" DD
****Genus: "Grampus"
***** Risso's Dolphin "Grampus griseus" DD
****Genus: "Pseudorca"
***** False Killer Whale "Pseudorca crassidens" LR/lc
****Genus: "Orcinus"
***** Orca "Orcinus orca" LR/cd
****Genus: "Globicephala"
***** Pilot whale "Globicephala macrorhynchus" LR/cd
***** Pilot whale "Globicephala melas" LR/lc

Order: Carnivora (carnivores)

-----The carnivores include over 260 species, the majority of which eat meat as their primary dietary item. Carnivores have a characteristic skull shape and dentition.

*Suborder: Caniformia
**Family: Otariidae (eared seals, sealions)
***Genus: "Arctocephalus"
**** New Zealand Fur Seal "Arctocephalus forsteri" LR/lc
**** Subantarctic Fur Seal "Arctocephalus tropicalis" LR/lc
***Genus: "Phocarctos"
**** New Zealand Sea Lion "Phocarctos hookeri" VU
**Family: Phocidae (earless seals)
***Genus: "Hydrurga"
**** Leopard Seal "Hydrurga leptonyx" LR/lc
***Genus: "Leptonychotes"
**** Weddell Seal "Leptonychotes weddellii" LR/lc
***Genus: "Lobodon"
**** Crabeater Seal "Lobodon carcinophaga" LR/lc
***Genus: "Mirounga"
**** Southern Elephant Seal "Mirounga leonina" LR/lc

Notes

References

*cite web
url=http://www.iucnredlist.org/search/search.php?kingname=ANIMALIA&phyname=CHORDATA&claname=MAMMALIA&freetext=&modifier=phrase&criteria=wholedb&taxa_species=1&redlistCategory%5B0%5D=all&redlistAssessyear%5B0%5D=all&country%5B0%5D=NZ&aquatic%5B0%5D=all&regions%5B0%5D=all&habitats%5B0%5D=all&threats%5B0%5D=all&Submit_x=34&Submit_y=9&extendedResults=0&terrestrial=0&marine=0&freshwater=0&offset=0&sortorder%5B0%5D=spcscientificname&sortorder%5B1%5D=genname&sortorder%5B2%5D=spcname&sortorder%5B3%5D=spcauthor&sortorder%5B4%5D=spcinfrarank&sortorder%5B5%5D=spcinfraepithet&sortorder%5B6%5D=spcinfrarankauthor&sortorder%5B7%5D=spcstockname&sortorder%5B8%5D=comname_comp&sortorder%5B9%5D=rlcabb&sortorder%5B10%5D=rlscriteria&sortorder%5B11%5D=poptrend_code&sortorder%5B12%5D=rlcatcrit2001&sortorder%5B13%5D=spcrecid&sortorder%5B14%5D=kingname&debug=0&taxa_subspc=0&taxa_stock=0&newsort=Genus
title=The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: Mammals of New Zealand
publisher=IUCN
date=2001
accessdaymonth = 22 May
accessyear=2007
*cite web
url=http://nmnhgoph.si.edu/msw/
title=Mammal Species of the World
publisher=Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History
date=2005
accessdaymonth = 22 May
accessyear=2007
*cite web
url=http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/index.html
title=Animal Diversity Web
publisher=University of Michigan Museum of Zoology
date=1995-2006
accessdaymonth = 22 May
accessyear=2007

ee also

*List of chordate orders
*List of regional mammals lists
*List of prehistoric mammals
*Mammal classification
*New mammal species