Mammals
Media
![Photo of badger](/sites/default/files/styles/media_library/public/mo_nature/media/images/2009/12/2819/badgergc.jpg?itok=oPLncKD7)
Species Types
Scientific Name
Taxidea taxus
Description
An excellent digger, the American badger is a powerful predator of rodents in grasslands and other open areas. Note its brawny build, impressive digging claws, and the black and white facial pattern.
Media
![Image of a mountain lion](/sites/default/files/styles/media_library/public/mo_nature/media/images/2010/05/mountain_lion_0013.jpg?itok=uId0t_Iw)
Species Types
Scientific Name
Puma concolor
Description
Mountain lions hadn't been seen in Missouri since 1927 — but in 1994, conclusive physical evidence proved they are reappearing in our state. These animals probably are individuals dispersing from other states, and no breeding population seems to have been reestablished.
Media
![Photo of bobcat](/sites/default/files/styles/media_library/public/mo_nature/media/images/2009/11/2702/bob_cat_0025.jpg?itok=5BsVuaWM)
Species Types
Scientific Name
Lynx rufus
Description
The bobcat is a short-tailed wild cat with a distinctive streaked and spotted pattern, a wide face, and pointy ears often with black tufts.
Media
![Image of a swamp rabbit](/sites/default/files/styles/media_library/public/mo_nature/media/images/2010/05/swamp_rabbit.jpg?itok=59_S-RtR)
Species Types
Scientific Name
Sylvilagus aquaticus
Description
Larger and yellower than the eastern cottontail, the swamp rabbit is confined to swamps of Missouri’s Bootheel. As a wetland dweller, it’s a good swimmer and diver, but lack of swamp habitat is making this rabbit’s numbers decline.
Media
![Image of eastern cottontail](/sites/default/files/styles/media_library/public/mo_nature/media/images/2011/11/eastern_cottontail_11-15-11.jpg?itok=ZmMofNE-)
Species Types
Scientific Name
Sylvilagus floridanus
Description
The eastern cottontail is a rabbit with a perfect name. Its tail, when raised, has a conspicuously white undersurface, resembling a fluff of cotton.
Media
![Photo of a gray fox](/sites/default/files/styles/media_library/public/mo_nature/media/images/2010/05/gray_fox.jpg?itok=QtAFzVa9)
Species Types
Scientific Name
Urocyon cinereoargenteus
Description
There are two species of foxes in Missouri. The gray fox is more likely to be seen in the southern half of the state, climbs trees readily, and is less desired by both fox hunters and fur trappers.
Media
![photo of a red fox](/sites/default/files/styles/media_library/public/mo_nature/media/images/2010/07/red_fox_photo.jpg13.jpg?itok=sFIejNrp)
Species Types
Scientific Name
Vulpes vulpes
Description
The red fox is doglike, with a long, pointed muzzle; large, pointed ears that are usually held erect and forward; moderately long legs; and a long, bushy tail. It occurs statewide but is more common in the northern and western sections of Missouri.
Media
![Image of mink](/sites/default/files/styles/media_library/public/mo_nature/media/images/2011/11/mink_11-15-11.jpg?itok=z90HrvSI)
Species Types
Scientific Name
Neogale vison
Description
The American mink is a semiaquatic predator and a member of the weasel family. It is famous for its durable, soft, valuable fur.
Media
![Photo of long-tailed weasel](/sites/default/files/styles/media_library/public/mo_nature/media/images/2013/10/long-tailed_weasel_10-29-13.jpg?itok=8ITwgSm9)
Species Types
Scientific Name
Mustela frenata
Description
Long-tailed weasels are small but voracious predators. They are rare in our state but are most common in the south-central and southwestern portions. In summer, they are brown with yellow beneath. In winter their fur is paler or white. The tail has a black tip.
Media
![Photo of least weasel](/sites/default/files/styles/media_library/public/mo_nature/media/images/2013/10/least_weasel_10-29-13.jpg?itok=UM44d_Ru)
Species Types
Scientific Name
Mustela nivalis
Description
This mouse-sized weasel is found only in Missouri’s northern counties, and abundance varies locally and seasonally, depending on fluctuating rodent numbers — their favorite food.
See Also
About Mammals in Missouri
More than 70 species of wild mammals live in Missouri: opossums; shrews and moles; bats; rabbits; woodchuck, squirrels, beaver, mice, voles, and other rodents; coyote, foxes, bear, raccoon, weasels, otter, mink, skunks, bobcat, and other carnivores; deer and elk; and more. Most of us recognize mammals easily — they have fur, are warm-blooded, nurse their young, and breathe air.