Wildlife Around Las Vegas
Although some people might say it looks like a wasteland out there, some 70 species of mammals make their home in the deserts and mountains around Las Vegas. Listed below are most of those species. Being a desert, most of the local mammal species conserve water and energy by hiding in cool places or underground during the day and becoming active at night. This makes it hard to see most species and might give a false impression that mammals are rare in the desert.
| Photo | Taxonomy | Species |
|---|---|---|
 |
Order Insectivora: Insectivores Family Soricidae: Shrews |
Desert Shrew (Notiosorex crawfordi) Merriam’s Shrew (Sorex merriami) Inyo Shrew (Sorex tenellus) |
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Order Chiroptera: Bats |
Mexican Free-tailed Bat (Tadarida brasiliensis) |
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Order Lagomorpha |
Desert cottontail (Sylvilagus audubonii) Species not around Las Vegas: Brush Rabbit (Sylvilagus bachmani) |
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Order Lagomorpha Family Leporidae, Hares |
Black-tailed Jack Rabbit (Lepus californicus) |
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Order Lagomorpha Family Ochotonidae, Pika |
American Pika (Ochotona princeps) |
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Order Rodentia: Rodents Family Castoridae: Beaver |
Beaver (Castor canadensis) |
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Order Rodentia: Rodents Family Geomyidae, Pocket Gophers | Valley pocket gopher (Thomomys bottae) |
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Order Rodentia: Rodents Family Heteromyidae, Pocket Mice |
Long-tailed Pocket Mouse (Chaetodipus formosus) Desert Pocket Mouse (Chaetodipus penicillatus) Spiny Pocket Mouse (Chaetodipus spinatus) Little Pocket Mouse (Perognathus longimembris) Great Basin Pocket Mouse (Perognathus mollipilosus) |
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Order Rodentia: Rodents Family Heteromyidae, Kangaroo Rats, Kangaroo Mice |
Merriam's Kangaroo Rat (Dipodomys merriami) |
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Order Rodentia: Rodents Family Muridae Subfamily Sigmodontinae, Grasshopper Mice |
Southern Grasshopper Mouse (Onychomys torridus) |
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Order Rodentia: Rodents Family Muridae Subfamily Sigmodontinae, Harvest Mice |
Western Harvest Mouse (Reithrodontomys megalotis) |
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Order Rodentia: Rodents Family Muridae Subfamily Sigmodontinae, Deer Mice and related species |
Deer Mice (Peromyscus spp.) Species not around Las Vegas: Hispid Cotton Rat (Sigmodon hispidus) |
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Order Rodentia: Rodents Family Muridae Subfamily Sigmodontinae, Woodrats |
Desert Woodrat (Neotoma lepida) |
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Order Rodentia: Rodents Family Muridae Subfamily Arvicolinae, Voles |
Sagebrush Vole (Lemmiscus curtatus) |
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Order Rodentia: Rodents Family Myocastoridae, Nutria |
Species not around Las Vegas: Coypu or Nutria (Myocastor coypus) |
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Order Rodentia: Rodents Family Muridae Subfamily Murinae, Old-world Mice and Rats |
Black Rat (Rattus rattus) Norway rat (Rattus norvegicus) House mouse (Mus musculus) |
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Order Rodentia: Rodents Family Sciuridae: Squirrels, Ground Squirrels |
Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel (Callospermophilus lateralis) Species not around Las Vegas: California Ground Squirrel (Otospermophilus beecheyi) |
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Order Rodentia: Rodents Family Sciuridae: Squirrels, Antelope Squirrels |
White-tailed Antelope Squirrel (Ammospermophilus leucurus) |
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Order Rodentia: Rodents Family Sciuridae: Squirrels, Chipmunks |
Charleston Mountain Chipmunk (Neotamias palmeri) Species not around Las Vegas: Alpine Chipmunk (Neotamias alpinus) |
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Order Rodentia: Rodents Family Sciuridae: Squirrels, |
Red Squirrel or Chickaree (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus) Species not around Las Vegas: Abert's Squirrel (Sciurus aberti) |
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Order Rodentia: Rodents Family Erethizontidae, North American Porcupines | North American Porcupine (Erethizon dorsata) |
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Order Carnivora: Carnivores Family Canidae, Dogs | Coyote (Canis latrans) Species not around Las Vegas: Gray Wolf (Canis lupus) |
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Order Carnivora: Carnivores Family Procyonidae, Raccoons |
Northern Raccoon (Procyon lotor) Species not around Las Vegas: White-nosed Coati (Nasua narica) |
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Order Carnivora: Carnivores Family Mustelidae, Weasels |
American Badger (Taxidea taxus) Species not around Las Vegas: |
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Order Carnivora: Carnivores Family Mustelidae, Skunks |
Western Spotted Skunk (Spilogale gracilis) Striped Skunk (Mephitis mephitis) |
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Order Carnivora: Carnivores Family Felidae, Cats |
Bobcat (Lynx rufus) Species not around Las Vegas: Ocelot (Leopardus pardalis) |
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Order Carnivora: Carnivores Family Ursidae (Bears) |
Species not around Las Vegas: Grizzly Bear (Ursus arctos horribilis) |
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Order Carnivora: Carnivores Family Phocidae (Hair Seals, or Earless Seals) |
Species not around Las Vegas: Harbor Seal (Phoca vitulina) |
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Order Carnivora: Carnivores Family Otariidae (Eared Seals) |
Species not around Las Vegas: California Sea Lion (Zalophus californicus) |
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Order: Sirenia Family: Trichechidae (dugong and manatee) |
Species not around Las Vegas: West Indian Manatee (Trichechus manatus) |
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Order: Cingulata |
Species not around Las Vegas: Nine-banded Armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus) |
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Order Perissodactyla Family Equidae Odd-toed Ungulates, Horses |
Feral Horse (Equus caballus) Feral ass (Equus asinus) |
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Order Artiodactyla Family Tayassuidae (Peccary) |
Collared Peccary, Javelina (Pecari tajacu) |
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Order Artiodactyla Family Cervidae Even-toed Ungulates, Deer |
Elk (Wapiti) (Cervus elaphus) Species not around Las Vegas: White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginiana) |
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Order Artiodactyla Family Antilocapridae Even-toed Ungulates, Pronghorn |
Pronghorn (Antilocapra americana) |
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Order Artiodactyla Family Bovidae Even-toed Ungulates, Sheep |
Desert Bighorn Sheep (Ovis canadensis) Species not around Las Vegas: Dall's Sheep (Ovis dalli) |
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