List of mammals of Estonia

This is a list of Estonian mammals. The Estonian mammal fauna is somewhat impoverished compared to that of southern and central Europe due to the short period since the last ice age.

Native (usually synonymous with indigenous) species are considered to be species which are today present in the region in question, and have been continuously present in that region since a certain period. There are no endemic mammal species in Estonia (that is, there are no mammal species native to only this region).

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

EX Extinct Species is completely extinct
EW Extinct in the wild Known only to survive in captivity or as a naturalized populations well outside its previous range.
CR Critically Endangered The species is in imminent risk of extinction in the wild.
EN Endangered The species is facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild.
VU Vulnerable The species is facing a high risk of extinction in the wild.
NT Near Threatened The 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.
LC Least Concern There are no current identifiable risks to the species.
DD Data Deficient There is inadequate information to make an assessment of the risks to this species.

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:

LR/cd Lower risk/conservation dependent Species which were the focus of conservation programmes and may have moved into a higher risk category if that programme was discontinued.
LR/nt Lower risk/near threatened Species which are close to being classified as vulnerable but are not the subject of conservation programmes.
LR/lc Lower risk/least concern Species for which there are no identifiable risks.

Subclass: Theria

Infraclass: Eutheria

Order: Erinaceomorpha (hedgehogs and gymnures)

West European hedgehog

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

Order: Soricomorpha (shrews, moles, and solenodons)

Eurasian pygmy shrew

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

Order: Chiroptera (bats)

Daubenton's bat
Common noctule

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.

Order: Lagomorpha (lagomorphs)

European 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 twentieth 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: Rodentia (rodents)

Garden dormouse
Water vole
Striped field mouse

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 keep short by gnawing. Most rodents are small though the capybara can weigh up to 45 kg (100 lb).

Order: Carnivora (carnivorans)

Red fox
Least weasel
Grey seal

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

Order: Cetacea (whales)

Harbour porpoise

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: Artiodactyla (even-toed ungulates)

Roe deer

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.

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Regional Species Extinctions - Examples of regional species extinctions over the last 1000 years and more.
  2. ↑ Wieder Finnwal in der Ostsee
  3. ↑ Finnwal in der Ostsee gesichtet
  4. ↑ Angler filmt Wal in Ostsee-Bucht
  5. ↑ Minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) - MarLIN, The Marine Life Information Network
  6. ↑ Wieder Finnwal in der Ostsee
  7. ↑ Finnwal in der Ostsee gesichtet
  8. ↑ Angler filmt Wal in Ostsee-Bucht
  9. ↑ About the beluga - Russian Geographical Society
  10. ↑ Rare Sowerby's beaked whale spotted in the Baltic Sea - WDC
  11. ↑ Baltic dolphin sightings confirmed - National
  12. ↑ Orcinus orca (Killer Whale, Orca)

References

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 10/30/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.