Aquatic mammal

This article does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (May 2009)

A North American Beaver (Castor canadensis).

A baby Amazonian Manatee (Trichechus inunguis).

Amazon River Dolphin (Inia geoffrensis) at Duisburg Zoo.

Eurasian otter (Lutra lutra) in Southwold, Suffolk, England.

A North American River Otter (Lontra canadensis) at the Oregon Zoo.

Capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris)

A Platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) at the Sydney Aquarium.

A partially submerged hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius) at the Memphis Zoo.

Aquatic and semi-aquatic mammals are a diverse group of mammals that dwell partly or entirely in bodies of water. They include the various marine mammals who dwell in oceans, as well as various freshwater species, such as the Platypus and the European Otter.

Groups

This list covers only mammals that live in freshwater. For a list of saltwater-living mammals, see Marine mammal.

• Order Sirenia: Sirenians
  • family Trichechidae: manatees (3 species, however, the West Indian manatee lives in saltwater)
    • Amazonian Manatee (Trichechus inunguis)
    • African Manatee (Trichechus senegalensis)
    • Dwarf Manatee (Trichechus "pygmaeus") (validity questionable)
• Order Cetacea: Cetaceans
  • Superfamily Platanistoidea
    • Family Platanistidae
      • Ganges and Indus River Dolphin, Platanista gangetica with two subspecies
      • Ganges River Dolphin (or Susu), Platanista gangetica gangetica
      • Indus River Dolphin (or Bhulan), Platanista gangetica minor
    • Family Iniidae
      • Amazon River Dolphin (or Boto), Inia geoffrensis
  • Family Lipotidae
    • Chinese River Dolphin (or Baiji), Lipotes vexillifer (functionally extinct, since December 2006)
  • Family Pontoporiidae
    • La Plata Dolphin (or Franciscana), Pontoporia blainvillei
• Order Carnivora
  • family Mustelidae
    • Genus Lutra
      • Eurasian otter (Lutra lutra)
      • Hairy-nosed otter (Lutra sumatrana)
    • Genus Hydrictis
      • Spotted-necked otter (Hydrictis maculicollis)
    • Genus Lutrogale
      • Smooth-coated otter (Lutrogale perspicillata)
    • Genus Lontra
      • North American River Otter (Lontra canadensis)
      • Southern river otter (Lontra provocax)
      • Neotropical river otter (Lontra longicaudis)
    • Genus Pteronura
      • Giant otter (Pteronura brasiliensis)
    • Genus Aonyx
      • African clawless otter (Aonyx capensis)
      • Oriental small-clawed otter (Aonyx cinerea)
  • family Phocidae
    • Genus Pusa
      • Baikal seal (Pusa sibirica)
      • Ladoga seal (Pusa hispida ladogensis)
      • Saimaa seal (Pusa hispida saimensis)
• Order Rodentia: Rodents
  • Suborder Hystricomorpha
    • Capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris)
  • Family Castoridae: Beavers
    • North American Beaver (Castor canadensis)
    • Eurasian beaver (Castor fiber)
  • Family Cricetidae
    • Muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus)
  • Family Myocastoridae
    • Coypu (Myocastor coypus)
  • Family Cricetidae
    • European Water Vole (Arvicola amphibius)
• Order Monotremata: Monotremes
  • Platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus)
• Order Artiodactyla: Even-toed ungulates
  • Family Hippopotamidae: Hippopotamuses
    • Hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius)
    • Pygmy hippopotamus (Choeropsis liberiensis)
• Order Afrosoricida
  • Giant Otter Shrew (Potamogale velox)
• Order Soricomorpha
  • Russian Desman (Desmana moschata)
• Order Didelphimorphia: Opossums
  • Family Didelphidae: Opossums
    • Yapok (Chironectes minimus)

See also

• Aquatic animal
• List of semiaquatic organisms
• Marine mammal

Aquatic ecosystems – general and freshwater components General Aquatic ecosystems Acoustic ecology Agent-based models Algal bloom Anoxic waters Aquatic adaptation Aquatic animals Aquatic biodiversity research Aquatic biomonitoring Aquatic insects Aquatic layers Aquatic mammals Aquatic plants Aquatic predation Aquatic respiration Aquatic science Aquatic toxicology Benthos Bioluminescence Biomass Cascade effect Colored dissolved organic matter Dead zone Ecohydrology Eutrophication Fisheries science Food chain Food web GIS and aquatic science Hydrobiology Hypoxia Isotope analysis Microbial ecology Microbial food web Microbial loop Nekton Neuston Particle Photic zone Phytoplankton Plankton Productivity Ramsar Convention Schooling Sediment trap Siltation Spawning Substrate Thermal pollution Trophic level Underwater camouflage and mimicry Water column Zooplankton More... Freshwater Freshwater ecosystems Brackish marsh Freshwater biology Freshwater biomes Freshwater fish Freshwater marsh Freshwater swamp forest Hyporheic zone Lake ecosystems Landscape limnology Limnology Lake stratification Macrophyte Pond Fish pond Rheotaxis River ecosystems Stream bed Stream pool Trophic state index Upland and lowland Water garden Wetland Environmental quality More... Ecoregions Freshwater ecoregions List of freshwater ecoregions Marine ecoregions List of marine ecoregions Ecology of the Everglades Ecology of the San Francisco Estuary Ecosystem of the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre Freshwater ecology of Maharashtra   Aquatic ecosystems – marine components Marine Marine ecosystem f-ratio Iron fertilization Iron Hypothesis Large marine ecosystem Marine biology Marine chemistry Marine snow Ocean nourishment Oceanic physical-biological process Ocean turbidity Photophore Thorson's rule Upwelling Whale fall More... Marine life forms Census of Marine Life Coastal fish Coral reef fish Deep sea communities Deep sea creature Deep sea fish Deep water corals Demersal fish Marine bacteriophage Marine invertebrates Marine larval ecology Marine mammal Marine reptile Marine vertebrate Paradox of the plankton Pelagic fish Seabird Seashore wildlife Wild fisheries Marine habitats Bay mud Black smokers Coastal biogeomorphology Cold seeps Coral reefs Davidson Seamount Estuaries Intertidal ecology Intertidal wetlands Kelp forests Hydrothermal vents Lagoons Mangroves Marine biomes Marine habitats Mudflats Rocky shores Salt marshes Seagrass meadows Sponge reefs Tide pools Issues Ecological values of mangrove Fisheries and climate change HERMIONE Marine conservation Marine conservation activism Marine pollution Marine Protected Area