This is a list of the mammal species recorded in the Comoros. Of the mammal species in the Comoros, one is critically endangered, two are vulnerable, and one is near threatened.
The following tags are used to highlight each species' conservation status as assessed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature:
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:
Order: Sirenia (manatees and dugongs)
Sirenia is an order of fully aquatic, herbivorous mammals that inhabit rivers, estuaries, coastal marine waters, swamps, and marine wetlands. All four species are endangered.
The order Primates contains humans and their closest relatives: lemurs, lorisoids, tarsiers, monkeys, and apes.
Order: Soricomorpha (shrews, moles, and solenodons)
The "shrew-forms" are insectivorous mammals. The shrews and solenodons closely resemble mice while the moles are stout-bodied burrowers.
The bats' most distinguishing feature is that their forelimbs are developed as wings, making them the only mammals capable of flight. Bat species account for about 20% of all mammals.
Order: Cetacea (whales)
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.
- Suborder: Mysticeti
- Family: Balaenidae (right whales)
- Genus: Eubalaena
- Southern right whale, Eubalaena australis
- Family: Balaenopteridae (baleen whales)
- Genus: Balaenoptera
- Common minke whale, Balaenoptera acutorostrata
- Antarctic minke whale, Balaenoptera bonaerensis
- Sei whale, Balaenoptera borealis
- Bryde's whale, Balaenoptera brydei
- Blue whale, Balaenoptera musculus
- Genus: Megaptera
- Humpback whale, Megaptera novaeangliae
- Suborder: Odontoceti
- Superfamily: Platanistoidea
- Family: Delphinidae (marine dolphins)
- Genus: Feresa
- Pygmy killer whale, Feresa attenuata DD
- Genus: Globicephala
- Short-finned pilot whale, Globicephala macrorhyncus DD
- Genus: Lagenodelphis
- Fraser's dolphin, Lagenodelphis hosei DD
- Genus: Grampus
- Risso's dolphin, Grampus griseus DD
- Genus: Orcinus
- Killer whale, Orcinus orca DD
- Genus: Peponocephala
- Melon-headed whale, Peponocephala electra DD
- Genus: Sousa
- Indian humpback dolphin, Sousa plumbea DD
- Genus: Stenella
- Striped dolphin, Stenella coeruleoalba DD
- Spinner dolphin, Stenella longirostris DD
- Genus: Steno
- Rough-toothed dolphin, Steno bredanensis DD
- Genus: Tursiops
- Common bottlenose dolphin, Tursiops truncatus
- Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin, Tursiops aduncus
- Family: Physeteridae (sperm whales)
- Genus: Physeter
- Sperm whale, Physeter catodon DD
- Family: Kogiidae (dwarf sperm whales)
- Genus: Kogia
- Pygmy sperm whale, Kogia breviceps DD
- Dwarf sperm whale, Kogia sima DD
- Superfamily Ziphioidea
- Family: Ziphidae (beaked whales)
- Genus: Indopacetus
- Tropical bottlenose whale, Indopacetus pacificus DD
- Genus: Mesoplodon
- Gray's beaked whale, Mesoplodon grayi DD
- Hector's beaked whale, Mesoplodon hectori DD
- True's beaked whale, Mesoplodon mirus DD
- Pygmy beaked whale, Mesoplodon peruvianus DD
- Blainville's beaked whale, Mesoplodon densirostris DD
- Genus: Ziphius
- Cuvier's beaked whale, Ziphius cavirostris DD
Order: Carnivora (carnivorans)
There are over 260 species of carnivorans, the majority of which feed primarily on meat. They have a characteristic skull shape and dentition.
See also
Notes
References