Mammals
Known to occur in Central and West
Bell County, Texas
Compiled by Harold E. Beaty
(1978)
| Family | Species | Class | Common Name |
|---|---|---|---|
| Didelphiidae | Didelphis viriniana (Kerr) | MARSUPIALIA - Pouched Mammals | Virginia opossum |
| Soricidae | Cryptotis parva (Say) | INSECTIVORA - Insect-eaters | least shrew |
| Talpidae | Scalopus aquaticus (Linnaeus) | " | eastern mole |
| Vespertilionidae | Myotis velifer (J.A. Allen) | CHIROPTERA - Bats | cave myotis |
| " | Lasionycteris noctivagans (LeConte) | " | silver-haired bat |
| " | Pipistrellus subflavus (F. Cuvier) | " | eastern pipistrel |
| " | Eptesicus fuscus (Beauvois) | " | big brown bat |
| " | Lasiurus borealis (Muller) | " | red bat |
| " | L. cinereus (Beauvois) | " | hoary bat |
| Molossidae | Tadarida brasiliensis (Saussure) | " | Brazilian or Mexican freetail bat |
| " | T. macrotis (Gray) | " | big freetail bat |
| Procyonidae | Procyon lotor (Linnaeus) | CARNIVORA - Flesh-eaters | raccoon |
| Brassariscidae | Bassarisus astulus (Lichtenstein) | " | ringtail |
| Mustelidae | Mustela frenata (Lichtenstein) | " | longtail weasel |
| " | M. vison (Schreber) | " | mink |
| " | Spilogale putorius (Linnaeus) | " | eastern spotted skunk |
| " | Mephitis mephitis (Schreber) | " | striped skunk |
| Canidae | Canis latrans (Say) | " | coyote |
| " | Vulpes fulva (Desmarest) | " | red fox |
| " | Urocyon cinereoargenteus (Schreber) | " | gray fox |
| Sciurdae | Citellus tridecemlineatus (Mitchill) | RODENTIA - Grawing Mammals | thirteen-lined ground squirrel |
| " | Sciurus niger (Linnaeus) | " | eastern fox squirrel |
| " | Geomys bursarius (Shaw) | " | plains pocket gopher |
| Heteromyidae | Perognathus hispidus (Baird) | " | hispid pocketmouse |
| Castoridae | Castor canadensis (Kuhl) | " | beaver |
| Cricetidae | Reithrodontomys montanus (Baird) | " | plains harvest mouse |
| " | R. fulvescens Allen | " | fulvous harvest mouse |
| " | Peromyscus leucopus (Rafinesque) | " | white-footed mouse |
| " | P. maniculatus (Wagner) | " | deer mouse |
| " | Baiomys taylori (Thomas) | " | pigmy mouse |
| " | Neotoma floridana (Ord) | " | eastern woodrat |
| " | N. micropus (Baird) | " | southern plains woodrat |
| " | Pitymys pinetorum (Leconte) | " | pine vole |
| " | Sigmodon hispidus (Say & Ord) | " | hispid cotton rat |
| Muridae | Rattus norvegicus (Berkenhout) | " | Norway rat |
| " | R. rattus (Linnaeus) | " | black (roof) rat |
| " | Mus musculus (Linnaeus) | " | house mouse |
| Capromyidae | Myocastor coypus (Molina) | " | nutria |
| Leporidae | Lepus californicus | LACOMORPHYA - Hares and Rabbits | Gray blacktail jackrabbit |
| " | Sylvilagus floridanus (Allen) | " | eastern cottontail |
| Ceridae | Axis axis (Erxleben)* | ARTIODACTYLA - Cloven-hoofed Mammals | Axis deer |
| " | Odocoileus virginianus | " | whitetail deer |
| Dasypodidae | Dasypus novemcinctus (Linnaeus) | " | nine-banded armadillo |
Historically, the following mammals have been reported to have existed in Bell County, Texas: couger (Felis concolor), buffalo (Bison bison), black-footed ferret (Mustela nigripes), black bear (Ursus americanus), and red wolf (Canis rufus).
Domesticated mammals are not included - e.g. cattle, horses, goats, sheep, donkeys, mules, dogs, house cats, hogs.
List compiled from reports, studies, surveys, and checklists of the mammals for Bell County and Central Texas and from observations and investigations by H.E. Beaty.
References: