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Mammals of Houston, Texas

The mammals most often spotted near Houston, ranked by recent research-grade observations.

18,367
recent observations
50
species listed
50
mammals

Naturalists have logged 18,367 research-grade observations across the 50 most-recorded species near Houston. The most frequently seen is the Eastern Gray Squirrel, with 4,638 recorded sightings.

Rarer finds confirmed near Houston include Bobcat, Axis Deer and Capybara - uncommon enough that a sighting is worth logging.

BobcatAxis DeerCapybara

Most-observed mammals near Houston

Eastern Gray Squirrel
Sciurus carolinensis
4,638 observations
Eastern Fox Squirrel
Sciurus niger
3,022 observations
Virginia Opossum
Didelphis virginiana
1,593 observations
White-tailed Deer
Odocoileus virginianus
1,515 observations
Mexican Long-nosed Armadillo
Dasypus mexicanus
1,241 observations
Swamp Rabbit
Sylvilagus aquaticus
1,124 observations
Common Raccoon
Procyon lotor
1,018 observations
Eastern Cottontail
Sylvilagus floridanus
901 observations
Coypu
Myocastor coypus
894 observations
Domestic Cat
Felis catus
424 observations
Coyote
Canis latrans
303 observations
Striped Skunk
Mephitis mephitis
276 observations
Wild Boar
Sus scrofa
247 observations · iNaturalist
Mexican Free-tailed Bat
Tadarida brasiliensis
197 observations
American Beaver
Castor canadensis
191 observations
North American River Otter
Lontra canadensis
142 observations
Bobcat
Lynx rufus
112 observations
Black Rat
Rattus rattus
112 observations
Hispid Cotton Rat
Sigmodon hispidus
73 observations
Domestic Dog
Canis familiaris
44 observations · iNaturalist
European Rabbit
Oryctolagus cuniculus
39 observations
Southern Flying Squirrel
Glaucomys volans
39 observations
North American Least Shrew
Cryptotis parvus
30 observations · iNaturalist
House Mouse
Mus musculus
28 observations
Brown Rat
Rattus norvegicus
24 observations
Evening Bat
Nycticeius humeralis
23 observations
Gray Fox
Urocyon cinereoargenteus
15 observations
Eastern Mole
Scalopus aquaticus
15 observations
Red Fox
Vulpes vulpes
14 observations
Northern Yellow Bat
Lasiurus intermedius
10 observations
Baird's Pocket Gopher
Geomys breviceps
9 observations
Common Bottlenose Dolphin
Tursiops truncatus
7 observations
American Mink
Neogale vison
6 observations
Eastern Woodrat
Neotoma floridana
5 observations
Eastern Red Bat
Lasiurus borealis
4 observations
Black-tailed Jackrabbit
Lepus californicus
4 observations
Southern Short-tailed Shrew
Blarina carolinensis
4 observations
Big Brown Bat
Eptesicus fuscus
3 observations
Seminole Bat
Lasiurus seminolus
3 observations
Northern Hoary Bat
Lasiurus cinereus
3 observations
Ringtail
Bassariscus astutus
3 observations
Fulvous Harvest Mouse
Reithrodontomys fulvescens
2 observations
Northern Pygmy Mouse
Baiomys taylori
2 observations
Tri-coloured Bat
Perimyotis subflavus
2 observations
Collared Peccary
Pecari tajacu
1 observation
Chital
Axis axis
1 observation
White-footed Mouse
Peromyscus leucopus
1 observation
Muskrat
Ondatra zibethicus
1 observation
Black-tailed Prairie Dog
Cynomys ludovicianus
1 observation
Capybara
Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris
1 observation

Built from recent research-grade iNaturalist observations. Identifications are community-sourced and may occasionally be wrong, and the ranking reflects where people record and photograph wildlife, so a species seen often here is not necessarily rare elsewhere. Some plants and animals are only out in certain seasons. Treat this as a lively snapshot of what people are finding, not a formal checklist.

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