| ORDER / Family |
Common Name |
Species |
Status |
Distribution |
ASM Slide Library * |
Mammalian Species # |
Comments |
| MARSUPIALIA |
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| Didelphidae |
Virginia opossum |
Didelphis virginiana |
common |
statewide |
4(W), 630, 828(B), 829(B), 830(B) |
40 |
nocturnal marsupial |
| INSECTIVORA |
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| Soricidae |
Northern Short-tailed shrew |
Blarina brevicauda |
common |
north 3/4, south-central counties |
20, 644(S) |
261 |
venomous; most abundant mammal in forested areas |
| |
Southern short-tailed shrew |
Blarina carolinensis |
common |
south 1/5 |
|
|
smaller than B. brevicauda |
| |
Least shrew |
Cryptotis parva |
uncommon |
statewide |
957 |
43 |
active day and night |
| |
Pygmy shrew |
Microsorex hoyi |
uncommon |
NE and SE corners |
|
33 |
smallest mammal in the world |
| |
Masked shrew |
Sorex cinereus |
common |
north 1/3 |
|
|
active day and night |
| |
Southeastern Shrew |
Sorex longirostris |
common |
south 2/3 |
|
143 |
primarily diurnal |
| Talpidae |
Eastern mole |
Scalopus aquaticus |
common |
statewide |
647(C), 648(S) |
105 |
fossorial |
| CHIROPTERA |
|
|
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|
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| Molossidae |
Brazilian free-tailed bat |
Tadarida baziliensis |
accidental |
DeKalb and Jackson Counties |
729 |
331 |
one specimen from two counties; tail not enclosed by membrane |
| Vespertilionidae |
Big brown bat |
Eptesicus fuscus |
common |
statewide |
39(C) |
356 |
closely associated with man; roosts in barns, caves, mines, bridges & hollow trees |
| |
Silver-haired bat |
Lasionycteris noctivagans |
common |
statewide |
658 |
172 |
year-round resident in southern Illinois |
| |
Red bat |
Lasiurus borealis |
common |
statewide |
40, 655(C), 815(C) |
183 |
roosts in trees; interfemoral membrane is heavily furred |
| |
Hoary bat |
Lasiurus cinereus |
common-uncommon |
statewide (as migrants) |
41, 42, 656 |
185 |
roosts in trees; interfemoral membrane is heavily furred; generally present during migratory flights to the N or S. |
| |
Southeastern myotis |
Myotis austroriparius |
endangered |
southern tip |
|
332 |
hibernating individuals are easily disturbed |
| |
Gray myotis |
Myotis grisescens |
endangered |
southwest 1/4 |
228 |
|
wing membrane attached to ankle |
| |
Keen's myotis |
Myotis keenii |
common-uncommon |
statewide |
227 |
121 |
hibernates in caves, mines, and occasionally buildings |
| |
Little brown myotis |
Myotis lucifugus |
common |
statewide |
224, 225(G), 814(G) |
142 |
hibernates in caves |
| |
Indiana myotis |
Myotis sodalis |
endangered |
statewide |
391(P) |
163 |
90% of population occupies five caves in surrounding states |
| |
Evening bat |
Nycticeius humeralis |
uncommon |
statewide |
232 |
23 |
frequently found in man-made structures; does not hibernate in Illinois |
| |
Eastern pipistrelle |
Pipistrellus subflavus |
common |
statewide, although less common in northeast |
38, 654(C) |
228 |
males significantly outnumber females in hibernaculum |
| |
Rafinesque's big-eared bat |
Plecotus rafinesquii |
endangered |
southern 1/4 |
394(C) |
69 |
form small colonies in summer; smaller groups or solitary in winter |
| LAGOMORPHA |
|
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| Leporidae |
White-tailed jack rabbit |
Lepus townsendii |
uncommon |
northwesternmost corner |
1189, 1349 |
288 |
dark summer pelage; white winter pelage (ears black at tip) |
| |
Swamp rabbit |
Sylvilagus aquaticus |
rare |
southern 1/3 |
|
151 |
swamp habitat |
| |
Eastern cottontail |
Sylvilagus floridanus |
common |
statewide |
58, 953(Y) |
136 |
female may produce 20 to 25 young per breeding season |
| RODENTIA |
|
|
|
|
|
|
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| Castoridae |
Beaver |
Castor canadensis |
common-uncommon |
statewide |
247(H), 248(H), 408, 409(H), 410(H), 1239 |
120 |
largest rodent in North America |
| Muridae |
Prairie vole |
Microtus ochrogaster |
common |
statewide |
1160 |
355 |
build and maintain intricate network of runways |
| |
Meadow vole |
Microtus pennsylvanicus |
common |
northern 1/2 |
70 |
159 |
extending its range southward along habitat created by interstate highways |
| |
Woodland vole |
Microtus pinetorum |
common |
statewide |
|
147 |
woodland inhabitant |
| |
House mouse |
Mus musculus |
common |
statewide |
92, 754 |
|
from Europe; frequently associated with man made structures |
| |
Eastern woodrat |
Neotoma floridana |
endangered |
southern tip |
1016 |
139 |
"pack rat"; inhabits rugged terrain |
| |
Golden mouse |
Ochrotomys nuttalli |
threatened |
southwest 1/4 |
|
75 |
prepare characteristic nests in vines, bushes, and trees |
| |
Muskrat |
Ondatra zibethicus |
common |
statewide |
1162 |
141 |
tail flattened laterally |
| |
Marsh rice rat |
Oryzomys palustris |
threatened |
southern 1/5 |
252 |
176 |
live in wet, swampy fields and marshes |
| |
Cotton mouse |
Peromyscus gossypinus |
extirpated |
southern tip |
677, 678(C) |
70 |
last captured in Illinois in 1909 |
| |
White-footed mouse |
Peromyscus leucopus |
common |
statewide |
73, 1174 |
247 |
all terrestrial habitats in Illinois, but prefer wooded or brushy areas |
| |
Deer mouse |
Peromyscus maniculatus |
uncommon |
statewide |
251(A), 1175 |
|
occur in prairie or grassland habitat in Illinois |
| |
Norway rat |
Rattus norvegicus |
common |
statewide |
755(W), 756(G), 757(B), 758 |
|
from Europe; possibly the most destructive of all mammals |
| |
Black rat |
Rattus rattus |
rare |
Chicago and Cook Counties |
759, 760(B) |
|
from Europe; displaced by the Norway rat |
| |
Eastern harvest mouse |
Reithrodontomys humulis |
possible occurrence |
|
685 |
565 |
grooved upper incisor; occurs south of Ohio River |
| |
Western harvester mouse |
Reithrodontomys megalotis |
common-uncommon |
northern 1/2 |
1018 |
167 |
increasing their range to the south and east |
| |
Hispid cotton rat |
Sigmodon hispidus |
possible occurrence |
|
76, 1177 |
158 |
occurs south of Ohio River |
| |
Southern bog lemming |
Synaptomys cooperi |
common-uncommon |
statewide |
682 |
210 |
occur sporadically in Illinois; good swimmers |
| Erethizontidae |
Porcupine |
Erethizon dorsatum |
extirpated |
|
83, 870(Y) |
29 |
barbed quills; may have been extirpated before 1850 |
| Geomyidae |
Plains pocket gopher |
Geomys bursarius |
|
St. Clair and Madison Co., e. and s. of Illinois River to Junction with Kankakee river, s. to Indiana |
690 |
|
unique among mid-west populations, most individuals are black |
| Myocastoridae |
Nutria |
Myocastor coypus |
possible occurrence |
|
1019 |
398 |
this introduced animal has a round tail; may cause damage to agriculture and wildlife |
| Sciuridae |
Southern flying squirrel |
Glacomys volans |
common |
statewide |
1021, 1022(B) |
78 |
nocturnal; great gliders; common in hardwood forests |
| |
Woodchuck |
Marmota monax |
common |
statewide |
107 |
|
populations has been increasing since mid-1800's |
| |
Gray squirrel |
Sciurus carolinensis |
common |
statewide |
94, 95(P) |
480 |
populations have decreased in numbers with the reduction of forest |
| |
Fox squirrel |
Sciurus niger |
common |
statewide |
96, 880 |
479 |
woodland dweller, occupying forest edge habitat; largest tree squirrel in U.S. |
| |
Franklin's ground squirrel |
Spermophilus franklinii |
common-uncommon |
northern 2/3 |
104 |
|
may feed on bird eggs and small ground-dwelling birds |
| |
Thirteen-lined ground squirrel |
Spermophilus tridecemlineatus |
common |
northern 4/5 |
103, 573(C), |
103 |
nearly half the year may be spent in hibernation |
| |
Eastern chipmunk |
Tamias striatus |
common |
statewide |
110, 259(AB) |
168 |
live in wooded areas or those with much underbrush; internal cheek pouches |
| |
Red squirrel |
Tamiasciurus hudsonicus |
uncommon |
Kankakee River eastward, north to E. Will Co., south along Iroquois River |
111, 260, 826, 827(H) |
586 |
range reduced with destruction of forest land |
| Zapodidae |
Meadow jumping mouse |
Zapus hudsonius |
common-uncommon |
statewide |
|
11 |
routinely leaps up to one meter |
| CARNIVORA |
|
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|
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| Canidae |
Coyote |
Canis latrans |
common |
statewide |
256(C), 1126, 1267 |
79 |
population has been increasing rapidly since 1970's |
| |
Gray wolf |
Canis lupus |
extirpated |
|
581, 1038(P), 1128 |
37 |
federally endangered; was once widespread in Illinois |
| |
Gray fox |
Urocyon cinereoargenteus |
common-uncommon |
statewide |
584 |
189 |
commonly climbs trees |
| |
Red fox |
Vulpes vulpes |
common |
statewide |
435(W), 436(Y), 582 |
537 |
may have been introduced from Europe |
| Felidae |
Mountain lion |
Felis concolor |
extirpated |
|
275, 276, 586(C) |
200 |
largest range of any mammal in North America; extirpated by end of 1800's |
| |
Bobcat |
Lynx rufus |
threatened |
southern 1/3 |
819, 1293 |
563 |
short tufts of hair on ears; once occurred statewide |
| Mustelidae |
River otter |
Lontra canadensis |
endangered |
statewide |
802(AC), 859(G) |
587 |
was once widely distributed, now it is rarely encountered |
| |
Marten |
Martes americana |
extirpated |
|
|
289 |
extirpated after 1859; occupied north 1/4 |
| |
Fisher |
Martes pennanti |
extirpated |
|
590(C) |
156 |
extirpated after 1859 |
| |
Striped skunk |
Mephitis mephitis |
common |
statewide |
280 |
173 |
predominately feeds on insects (also known to eat other invertebrates, fruits, vegetables, small mammals, birds, grasses, amphibians, reptiles and carrion) |
| |
Ermine |
Mustela erminea |
possible occurrence |
|
588(P), 1051 |
195 |
may occasionally wander in from southern Wisconsin |
| |
Long-tailed weasel |
Mustela frenata |
uncommon |
statewide |
1348 |
570 |
this is the most likely encountered of the weasels |
| |
Least weasel |
Mustela nivalis |
uncommon |
northern 1/2 |
440(Y), 1214, 1350 |
454 |
smallest carnivore in the world |
| |
Mink |
Mustela vison |
common |
statewide |
1129 |
|
semi-aquatic |
| |
Eastern spotted skunk |
Spilogale putorius |
possible occurrence |
|
|
|
occur in eastern Iowa |
| |
Badger |
Taxidea taxus |
common-uncommon |
northern 4/5 |
701(C), 702(A), 703(H) |
26 |
tree removal has increased badger distribution throughout state |
| Procyonidae |
Raccoon |
Procyon lotor |
common |
statewide |
140, 709(S) |
119 |
does not wash food |
| Ursidae |
Black bear |
Ursus americanus |
extirpated |
|
142(C) |
|
occasionally wanders in from neighboring states |
| ARTIODACTYLA |
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| Bovidae |
Bison |
Bos bison |
extirpated |
|
167(M), 304(CM), 305(Y), 306(H), 719(W), 720, 1311(B) |
266 |
were once common-uncommon on Illinois prairies |
| Cervidae |
American elk (or wapiti) |
Cervus elaphus |
extirpated |
|
189(W), 190(G), 318(Y), 809(FM), 863(M), 864(F), 1077(F), 1278 |
|
ranged widely throughout state in early 1800's |
| |
White-tailed deer |
Odocoileus virginianus |
common |
statewide |
185(F), 186(A), 803(M), 1279 |
388 |
Illinois population was practically exterminated by late 1800's; they have since rebounded |
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| Reference |
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Hoffmeister, D. F. 1989. Mammals of Illinois. University of Illinois Press, Urbana, IL. |
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| * Slide symbols |
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| No symbol -- portrait |
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H -- habitat or sign of animals activity |
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| A -- anatomical specialization |
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M -- male, when sexes differ |
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| B -- specialized behavior |
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P -- unusual color phase |
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| C -- close-up of head region |
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S -- skull |
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| F -- female, when sexes differ |
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W -- female with young |
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| FM -- female(s) and male(s) shown when differences obvious |
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Y -- young, may be newborn |
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| G -- group |
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