Mammals of Louisiana

54 established wild species in Louisiana. Plus 12 range-listed species with few or no digitized records.

All species A-Z →

Alleghanian spotted skunk foraging among rocks and pine needles in daylight

Alleghanian Spotted Skunk

Spilogale putorius

Occasional in Louisiana 13 sightings
Size 32 cm12.6 in Weight 583 g1.3 lb active by night forest edge

Sightings by month

Beaver swimming low in murky green pond water with only its wet head and back above the surface

American Beaver

Castor canadensis

Common in Louisiana 160 sightings
Size 60–90 cm2–3 ft Weight 11–32 kg24.3–70.5 lb active day & night river

Sightings by month

Oso negro (Ursus americanus), Parque natural provincial Tatshenshini-Alsek, Yukón, Canadá, 2017-08-25, DD 85

American Black Bear

Ursus americanus

Common in Louisiana 93 sightings
Size 1.2–2 m3.9–6.6 ft Weight 40–250 kg88.2–551.2 lb active by night conifer forest

Sightings by month

Norka amerykańska (neovison vison)

American Mink

Neogale vison

Common in Louisiana 198 sightings
Size 33–45.7 cm13–18 in Weight 0.5–1.4 kg1–3 lb active day & night lake

Sightings by month

GeomysBreviceps

Baird's Pocket Gopher

Geomys breviceps

Occasional in Louisiana 31 sightings
Size 17.7 cm7 in Weight 177 g6.2 oz active by night coastal

Sightings by month

Big Brown Bats (Eptesicus fuscus)

Big Brown Bat

Eptesicus fuscus

Occasional in Louisiana 18 sightings
Size 7.5 cm3 in Weight 17 g0.6 oz active by night agricultural

Sightings by month

Live black rat climbing through branches

Black Rat

Rattus rattus

Occasional in Louisiana 78 sightings
Size 16–24 cm6.3–9.4 in Weight 75–230 g2.6–8.1 oz active by night agricultural

Sightings by month

Bobcat (Lynx rufus)

Bobcat

Lynx rufus

Common in Louisiana 180 sightings
Size 30–60 cm11.8–23.6 in Weight 4–18 kg8.8–39.7 lb active by night forest edge

Sightings by month

Common Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops truncatus)

Common Bottlenose Dolphin

Tursiops truncatus

Common in Louisiana 245 sightings
Size 2–4 m6.6–13.1 ft Weight 150–650 kg330.7–1433 lb active by day coastal

Sightings by month

Common Raccoon in Hugh Taylor Birch State Park

Common Raccoon

Procyon lotor

Common in Louisiana 1,819 sightings
Size 40–70 cm1.3–2.3 ft Weight 3.5–9 kg7.7–19.8 lb active by night mixed forest

Sightings by month

Hisbid Cotton Mouse Mission TX 2018-03-12 08-18-23 (27112942988)

Cotton Mouse

Peromyscus gossypinus

Occasional in Louisiana 39 sightings
Size 10.3 cm4.1 in Weight 34–51 g1.2–1.8 oz active by night woodland

Sightings by month

Mother Coyote Sitting, Watching Over Den, Photo 1 of 2 (47924154788)

Coyote

Canis latrans

Common in Louisiana 360 sightings
Size 0.8–1 m2.5–3.3 ft Weight 7–21 kg15.4–46.3 lb active day & night urban

Sightings by month

Coypus

Coypu

Myocastor coypus

Common in Louisiana 750 sightings
Size 40–60 cm15.7–23.6 in Weight 4–10 kg8.8–22 lb active by night river

Sightings by month

Eastern Chipmunk (Tamias striatus)

Eastern Chipmunk

Tamias striatus

Common in Louisiana 90 sightings
Size 16.6 cm6.5 in Weight 93 g3.3 oz active by day urban

Sightings by month

Blacklick Woods - Eastern cottontail feeding 1

Eastern Cottontail

Sylvilagus floridanus

Common in Louisiana 250 sightings
Size 36–43 cm14.2–16.9 in Weight 0.8–1.5 kg1.8–3.3 lb active day & night lake

Sightings by month

Grey squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) 01

Eastern Gray Squirrel

Sciurus carolinensis

Common in Louisiana 3,151 sightings
Size 23–30 cm9.1–11.8 in Weight 400–710 g0.9–1.6 lb active by day wetland

Sightings by month

Eastern harvest mouse moving through grass and herb stems

Eastern Harvest Mouse

Reithrodontomys humulis

Common in Louisiana 89 sightings
Size 7.1 cm2.8 in Weight 9 g0.3 oz active by night grassland

Sightings by month

Eastern Mole (Scalopus aquaticus)

Eastern Mole

Scalopus aquaticus

Occasional in Louisiana 40 sightings
Size 14.8 cm5.8 in Weight 75 g2.6 oz active day & night river

Sightings by month

Eastern red bat roosting among green leaves, disguised as a dead leaf

Eastern Red Bat

Lasiurus borealis

Occasional in Louisiana 29 sightings
Size 9.3–11.7 cm3.7–4.6 in Weight 7–13 g0.2–0.5 oz active by night desert

Sightings by month

Eastern woodrat climbing in a shrub

Eastern Woodrat

Neotoma floridana

Occasional in Louisiana 17 sightings
Size 21.4 cm8.4 in Weight 208 g7.3 oz active by night coastal

Sightings by month

AI-generated image: Elliot's Short-tailed Shrew in side profile on leaf litter soil. No public-domain photograph of this species exists. This image was generated with AI from verified reference material and reviewed by our editorial team for accuracy

Elliot's Short-tailed Shrew

Blarina hylophaga

Range-listed · no digitized records yet
Size 9–12 cm3.5–4.7 in Weight 15 g0.5 oz active day & night grassland
European rabbit feeding in dry vegetation

European Rabbit

Oryctolagus cuniculus

Occasional in Louisiana 14 sightings
Size 34–50 cm13.4–19.7 in Weight 1–2.5 kg2.2–5.5 lb active by night grassland

Sightings by month

Evening bat resting, brown fur and dark ears and wings visible, not restrained

Evening Bat

Nycticeius humeralis

Occasional in Louisiana 41 sightings
Size 5 cm2 in Weight 7–15 g0.2–0.5 oz active by night agricultural

Sightings by month

Sciurus niger

Fox Squirrel

Sciurus niger

Common in Louisiana 873 sightings
Size 25.4–38.1 cm10–15 in Weight 804 g1.8 lb active by day river

Sightings by month

Fulvous harvest mouse climbing through dry seed heads at night

Fulvous harvest mouse

Reithrodontomys fulvescens

Rarely seen in Louisiana 3 sightings
Size 8.1 cm3.2 in Weight 13 g0.5 oz active by night desert

Sightings by month

Golden Mouse (Ochrotomys nuttalli)

Golden Mouse

Ochrotomys nuttalli

Common in Louisiana 307 sightings
Size 9.7 cm3.8 in Weight 22 g0.8 oz active dawn & dusk woodland

Sightings by month

Gray fox standing in dappled woodland

Gray Fox

Urocyon cinereoargenteus

Common in Louisiana 92 sightings
Size 0.8–1.1 m2.5–3.7 ft Weight 3–9 kg6.6–19.8 lb active day & night brushy woodland

Sightings by month

Silver-gray wolf walking along a gravel bank in Alaska

Gray Wolf

Canis lupus

Occasional in Louisiana 56 sightings
Size 1.1–1.6 m3.4–5.2 ft Weight 23–80 kg50.7–176.4 lb active day & night cave

Sightings by month

Hispid cotton rat moving through short green grass

Hispid cotton rat

Sigmodon hispidus

Common in Louisiana 164 sightings
Size 18.5 cm7.3 in Weight 160 g5.6 oz active day & night river

Sightings by month

Hispid pocket mouse standing on pale rocky ground at night

Hispid Pocket Mouse

Chaetodipus hispidus

Rarely seen in Louisiana 10 sightings
Size 17–23 cm6.7–9.1 in Weight 30–47 g1.1–1.7 oz active by night river

Sightings by month

House mouse in dry plant litter

House Mouse

Mus musculus

Occasional in Louisiana 32 sightings
Size 5–10 cm2–3.9 in Weight 12–30 g0.4–1.1 oz active by night agricultural

Sightings by month

Long-tailed weasel standing alert in grass with its black-tipped tail curled behind it, Sonoma County, California

Long-tailed Weasel

Neogale frenata

Rarely seen in Louisiana 5 sightings
Size 24.8 cm9.8 in Weight 170 g6 oz active day & night wetland

Sightings by month

Marsh Rabbit

Marsh Rabbit

Sylvilagus palustris

Marginal occurrence · 1 record
Size 40.6 cm16 in Weight 1.2 kg2.7 lb active by night coastal
Peponocephala electra Mayotte

Melon-headed Whale

Peponocephala electra

Marginal occurrence · 2 records
Size 2.8 m9.2 ft Weight 206 kg454.2 lb active day & night coastal
Tadarida brasiliensis - Bahamas - Long Island (sic) - Cartwright Cave - March 2006 - 2

Mexican Free-tailed Bat

Tadarida brasiliensis

Occasional in Louisiana 41 sightings
Size 3.1–4.1 cm1.2–1.6 in Weight 7–12 g0.2–0.4 oz active by night cave

Sightings by month

Mountain Lion (Puma concolor)

Mountain Lion

Puma concolor

Marginal occurrence · 4 records
Size 1–1.5 m3.3–5.1 ft Weight 36–120 kg79.4–264.6 lb active day & night montane forest

Sightings by month

Muskrats resting on a floating log in open water

Muskrat

Ondatra zibethicus

Occasional in Louisiana 14 sightings
Size 25–36 cm9.8–14.2 in Weight 0.6–2 kg1.3–4.4 lb active day & night wetland

Sightings by month

Nine-banded Armadillo

Nine-banded Armadillo

Dasypus mexicanus

Common in Louisiana 844 sightings
Size 60–90 cm2–3 ft Weight 3–8 kg6.6–17.6 lb active by night forest

Sightings by month

Deer Mouse (Peromyscus maniculatus) (9310532204)

North American Deermouse

Peromyscus maniculatus

Marginal occurrence · 1 record
Size 8–10 cm3.1–3.9 in Weight 21 g0.7 oz active by night river
North American least shrew moving through short grass

North American Least Shrew

Cryptotis parvus

Occasional in Louisiana 18 sightings
Size 5–8 cm2–3.1 in Weight 6 g0.2 oz active by night grassland

Sightings by month

River Otter (Lontra canadensis)

North American River Otter

Lontra canadensis

Common in Louisiana 236 sightings
Size 0.7–1.1 m2.2–3.5 ft Weight 5–15 kg11–33.1 lb active day & night river

Sightings by month

Live northeastern marsh rice rat peering out from dense dry grass and green shoots

Northeastern Marsh Rice Rat

Oryzomys palustris

Marginal occurrence · 1,328 records
Size 14.2 cm5.6 in Weight 50 g1.8 oz active day & night wetland
Hoary bat in flight against blue sky, wings spread to show its yellow throat patch and heavily frosted fur

Northern Hoary Bat

Lasiurus cinereus

Occasional in Louisiana 12 sightings
Size 13–15 cm5.1–5.9 in Weight 26 g0.9 oz active by night cave

Sightings by month

Northern myotis hanging head-down from a rock ceiling, long ears and tan fur visible

Northern Myotis

Myotis septentrionalis

Marginal occurrence · 1 record
Size 8.6 cm3.4 in Weight 6 g0.2 oz active by night coniferous forest
AI-generated image: northern yellow bat hanging head-down among dead palm fronds. No public-domain photograph of this species exists. This image was generated with AI from verified reference material and reviewed by our editorial team for accuracy

Northern Yellow Bat

Lasiurus intermedius

Rarely seen in Louisiana 4 sightings
Size 8.9 cm3.5 in Weight 20 g0.7 oz active by night coastal

Sightings by month

Northwestern marsh rice rat on a bare soil bank, unrestrained

Northwestern Marsh Rice Rat

Oryzomys texensis

Rarely seen in Louisiana 9 sightings
Size 22.6–30.5 cm8.9–12 in Weight 40–80 g1.4–2.8 oz active by night wetland

Sightings by month

Live Norway rat beside shallow water

Norway Rat

Rattus norvegicus

Occasional in Louisiana 17 sightings
Size 15–28 cm5.9–11 in Weight 140–500 g0.3–1.1 lb active by night urban

Sightings by month

Plains spotted skunk walking through rocky leaf litter in Texas

Plains Spotted Skunk

Spilogale interrupta

Range-listed · no digitized records yet
Size 35–55 cm13.8–21.7 in Weight 583 g1.3 lb active by night wetland
AI-generated image: Prairie Vole alert in a grassy meadow, stocky grizzled brown-gray body and short tail. No public-domain photograph of this species exists. This image was generated with AI from verified reference material and reviewed by our editorial team for accuracy

Prairie Vole

Microtus ochrogaster

Marginal occurrence · 1 record
Size 12.4 cm4.9 in Weight 47 g1.7 oz active day & night grassland
Rafinesques big-eared bat (5494435840)

Rafinesque's Big-eared Bat

Corynorhinus rafinesquii

Occasional in Louisiana 38 sightings
Size 10.5 cm4.1 in Weight 9–11 g0.3–0.4 oz active by night cave

Sightings by month

Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes)

Red Fox

Vulpes vulpes

Common in Louisiana 188 sightings
Size 43 cm16.9 in Weight 5–10 kg11–22 lb active day & night desert

Sightings by month

Rice's whale close to surface

Rice's whale

Balaenoptera ricei

Range-listed · no digitized records yet
Size 12.7 m41.5 ft Weight 27200 kg59965.8 lb coastal
Seminole bat resting on leaf litter at night with wings partly folded

Seminole Bat

Lasiurus seminolus

Rarely seen in Louisiana 11 sightings
Size 10.8–11.4 cm4.3–4.5 in Weight 13 g0.5 oz active by night coastal

Sightings by month

Silver-haired bat tucked into loose bark

Silver-haired Bat

Lasionycteris noctivagans

Marginal occurrence · 2 records
Size 9.5–11.5 cm3.7–4.5 in Weight 11 g0.4 oz active by night river
Southeastern Myotis (Myotis austroriparius)

Southeastern Myotis

Myotis austroriparius

Rarely seen in Louisiana 7 sightings
Size 7.7–8.9 cm3–3.5 in Weight 6–7 g0.2 oz active by night coastal

Sightings by month

Southern Flying Squirrel-27527-1

Southern Flying Squirrel

Glaucomys volans

Occasional in Louisiana 85 sightings
Size 17.1 cm6.7 in Weight 65 g2.3 oz active by night deciduous forest

Sightings by month

Southern short-tailed shrew walking through moss and leaf litter beside green plant shoots

Southern Short-tailed Shrew

Blarina carolinensis

Occasional in Louisiana 63 sightings
Size 10.2 cm4 in Weight 20 g0.7 oz active day & night agricultural

Sightings by month

Mephitis mephitis in Dierenpark Zie-ZOO

Striped Skunk

Mephitis mephitis

Common in Louisiana 127 sightings
Size 46.5–81.5 cm1.5–2.7 ft Weight 0.6–6.3 kg1.3–13.9 lb active by night grassland

Sightings by month

Sylvilagus aquaticus - Sumpfkaninchen 193808230

Swamp Rabbit

Sylvilagus aquaticus

Common in Louisiana 1,009 sightings
Size 40–55 cm15.7–21.7 in Weight 1.5–2.7 kg3.3–6 lb active day & night wetland

Sightings by month

Tricolored Bat hibernating on a limestone mine wall

Tricolored Bat

Perimyotis subflavus

Occasional in Louisiana 17 sightings
Size 7.7–8.9 cm3–3.5 in Weight 5–8 g0.2–0.3 oz active by night cave

Sightings by month

Virginia Opossum clinging to a tree branch in a snowy winter woodland

Virginia Opossum

Didelphis virginiana

Common in Louisiana 955 sightings
Size 40.8 cm16.1 in Weight 1.1–1.6 kg2.5–3.6 lb active by night river

Sightings by month

Manatee with calf.PD - colour corrected

West Indian Manatee

Trichechus manatus

Marginal occurrence · 8 records
Size 4 m13.1 ft Weight 387.5 kg854.3 lb active day & night coastal
White-footed mouse on a fallen log in leaf litter

White-footed Mouse

Peromyscus leucopus

Occasional in Louisiana 54 sightings
Size 10.1 cm4 in Weight 20–30 g0.7–1.1 oz active by night urban

Sightings by month

White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus)

White-tailed Deer

Odocoileus virginianus

Common in Louisiana 1,024 sightings
Size 0.9–2.2 m3.1–7.2 ft Weight 68–136 kg149.9–299.8 lb active day & night mixed forest

Sightings by month

Adult wild boar foraging in grass

Wild Boar

Sus scrofa

Common in Louisiana 367 sightings
Size 85–90 cm2.8–3 ft Weight 40–50 kg88.2–110.2 lb active day & night lake

Sightings by month

Microtus pinetorum - crlevy - 550023152

Woodland Vole

Microtus pinetorum

Rarely seen in Louisiana 6 sightings
Size 10.3 cm4.1 in Weight 26 g0.9 oz active day & night woodland

Sightings by month