List of mammals of Italy

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

There are 102 mammal species in Italy, of which one is critically endangered, two are endangered, nine are vulnerable, and four are near threatened. One of the species listed for Italy is considered to be extinct.

Italian wolf pack in the Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise National Park. It features prominently in Latin and Italian cultures, such as the She-Wolf in the legendary founding of Rome.[1] For this reason it is unofficially considered the national animal of Italy.[2][3]

The following tags are used to highlight each species' IUCN Red List status as published by the International Union for Conservation of Nature:

EXExtinctNo reasonable doubt that the last individual has died.
EWExtinct in the wildKnown only to survive in captivity or as a naturalized populations well outside its previous range.
CRCritically endangeredThe species is in imminent risk of extinction in the wild.
ENEndangeredThe species is facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild.
VUVulnerableThe species is facing a high risk of extinction in the wild.
NTNear threatenedThe species does not meet any of the criteria that would categorise it as risking extinction but it is likely to do so in the future.
LCLeast concernThere are no current identifiable risks to the species.
DDData deficientThere is inadequate information to make an assessment of the risks to this species.

Order: Rodentia (rodents)

Alpine marmot
Crested porcupine
Common vole
European edible dormouse
Yellow-necked mouse
Eurasian harvest mouse

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.

Order: Lagomorpha (lagomorphs)

Corsican hare
Mountain hare

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: Eulipotyphla (shrews, hedgehogs, gymnures, moles and solenodons)

West European hedgehog
European mole
Lesser white-toothed shrew
Eurasian pygmy shrew

Eulipotyphlans are insectivorous mammals. Shrews and solenodons resemble mice, hedgehogs carry spines, gymnures look more like large rats, while moles are stout-bodied burrowers.

Order: Chiroptera (bats)

Serotine bat
Lesser noctule
Nathusius' pipistrelle
Brown long-eared bat

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)

Risso's dolphin

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)

Wolf
Golden jackal
Brown bear
Mediterranean monk seal
Least weasel
European polecat

There are over 260 species of carnivorans, the majority of which eat meat as their primary dietary item. They have a characteristic skull shape and dentition.

Order: Artiodactyla (even-toed ungulates)

Pyrenean chamois

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

The following species are locally extinct in the country:

See also

References

External links

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