Mammals & Other Wildlife
(land & marine)

during FONT tours in 
North America

1991 thru 2007

List compiled by Armas Hill 


Codes:

AK: in Alaska
AZ: in Arizona
BC: in British Colombia, Canada
CA: in California (inc. offshore)
CO: in Colorado
DE: in Delaware (inc. offshore, some in MD waters) 
FL: in Florida
KN: in Kansas
NB: in Nebraska
NC: in North Carolina
NJ: in New Jersey (inc. offshore, some in NY waters)
NF; in Newfoundland, Canada
NM: in New Mexico
TX: in Texas 
WA: in Washington State (inc. offshore)
WY: in Wyoming

(p): seen pelagically



          AMERICAN OPOSSUMS 
          (in the Order Didelphimorphia (formerly Marsupialia), Family Didelphidae)

1. Virginia Opossum ______ CA,DE
   Didelphis virginiana
   
   
   ARMADILLOS (in the Order Xenarthra (formerly Edentata)
   ("Edentates" means "those without teeth". However, this term is more appropriate for the xenarthrans that truly are toothless, the Old World pangolins.)
   (Family Dasypodidae)
   
   
2. Nine-banded (Long-nosed) Armadillo ______ FL,TX
   Dasypus novemcinctus
   (of the 20 New World armadillos, the only one that inhabits the United States)  
   
   
   SHREWS & MOLES (in the Order Insectivores "insect eaters" - this group, throughout much of the world, includes shrews, moles, hedgehogs, moonrats, and tenrecs.
   Family Soricidae) 
   
   
3. Montane (formerly Dusky) Shrew ______ WA  
   Sorex monticolus 
   
   
4. Pribilof Island Shrew ______ AK  (endangered)
   Sorex pribilofensis
   
   
   BATS  (Order Chiroptera - with about 950 species worldwide, the diversity of bats is second only to that of rodents)
   
   
5. North American Long-nosed Bat ______ AZ 
   Leptonycteris yerbabuenae  (formerly conspecific with what's now the Mexican Lon-nosed Bat, L. nivalis)
   (population in Arizona was formerly considered by some a distinct species, the Sanborn's Long-nosed Bat, L. sanborni) 
   
   
6. Mexican Long-tongued Bat ______ AZ
   Choeronycteris mexicana  (the single member of its genus)
   
   
7. Mexican (or Brazilian) Free-tailed Bat ______ NM
   Tadarida brasiliensis
   (many at Carlsbad Caverns)
   
   
8. Big Free-tailed Bat ______ NM
   Nyctinomops macrotis
   
   
9. Silver-haired Bat ______ NJ (p)  (IN PHOTO ABOVE, at beginning of list) 
   Lasionycteris noctivagans  (the single member of its genus)
   (came onboard a FONT pelagic trip, 70 miles offshore from New Jersey, September 12, 2004) 
   
   
10. Eastern Red Bat ______ NJ (p)
    Lasiurus borealis (Eastern Red Bat & Western Red Bat recently split)  
    
    
11. Seminole Bat ______ NC
    Lasiurus seminolus
    
    
12. California Myotis ______ CA  
    Myotis californicus
    
    
13. Yuma Myotis ______ TX
    Myotis (formerly Leuconoe) yumanensis
    
    
14. Little Brown Myotis ______ CO,NC
    Myotis (formerly Leuconoe) lucifugus
    
    
15. Big Brown Bat ______ CA,WA
    Eptesicus fuscus
    
    
16. Eastern Pipistrelle ______ NC
    Pipistrellus (formerly Perimyotis) subflavus
    
    
17. Western Pipistrelle ______ TX
    Pipistrellus (formerly Hypsugo) hesperus
    
    
    CARNIVORES  (Order Carnivora)
    Families include:
    Canines: Dogs & Foxes (Canidae)
    Felines: Cats (Felidae) 
    Bears: (Ursidae)
    Procyonids: Raccoons & allies (Procyonidae)
    Mustelids: Weasels, Skunks & allies (Mustelidae)
    
    CANINES:
    
    
18. Coyote ______ AZ,CA,CO,KN,TX,WA  
    Canis latrans
    
    
19. Red Wolf ______ NC(i)  (critically endangered)
    Canis rufus (Some contend this to be a "historical hybrid" between the Gray Wolf, Canis lupus, and the Coyote, Canis latrans.) (The "Red Wolf" was introduced into eastern North Carolina from the Southwest US.) 
    
    
20. Gray Fox ______ AZ,CA,CO,TX,WA  
    Urocyon cinereoargenteus  (would be monotypic were it not for the Island Gray Fox of the Channel Is. of California, Urocyon littoralis) 
    
    
21. Red Fox _____ AK,CA,CO,WA  
    Vulpes fulva  (the North American animal considered by some as conspecific with the Old World Red Fox, Vulpes vulpes)
    
    
22. Swift Fox ______ CO
    Vulpes velox
    
    
23. Kit Fox ______ TX
    Vulpes macrotis
    
    
24. Arctic Fox ______ AK
    Vulpes (formerly Alopex) lagopus
    
    
    FELINES:
    
    
25. Bobcat ______ CA,NC,TX  
    Felis (formerly Lynx) rufa
    
    
    BEARS:
    
    
26. American Black Bear ______ AK,AZ,NC
    Urus (formerly Euarctos) americanus
    (Up to 18 subspecies are recognized.)
    (Note: Not all "Black Bears" are black. Some coastal populations of British Columbia and Alaska are creamy white, the "Kermode Bear". Others are bluish gray, the "Glacier Bear". Another population in the Northwest US is light reddish-brown, the "Cinnamon Bear". Most in the eastern US are black.)   
    
    
27. Brown (or Grizzly) Bear ______ AK
    Ursus arctos (has also been Ursus horribilis)
    (The larger "Big Brown (or Kodiak) Bear" of Alaska & northwest Canada has been considered a distinct species, U. middendorffi, but generally now considered conspecific with U. arctos)
    (The Brown Bear of North America, Europe, and Asia is now by most considered as a single species.)     
    
    
    PROCYONIDS:
    
    
28. Northern Raccoon ______ CO,DE,FL,NB,NC,TX,WA  
    Procyon lotor
    
    
29. Ringtail ______ TX
    Bassariscus astutus
    
    
30. White-nosed Coati ______ AZ
    Nasua narica
    
    
    AQUATIC MUSTELIDS 
    
    
31. American Mink ______ DE,NC
    Mustela vison
    (Note: There formerly was a "Sea Mink", larger and redder, Mustela v. macrodon, along the North Atlantic coast. It was trapped to extinction by the 1860's. Some say it was a full species.)  
    
    
32. Northern River Otter ______ CA,NC,WA  
    Lutra (formerly Lontra) canadensis
    (Up to 5 feet in length; up to 22 pounds in weight.) 
    
    
33. Sea Otter ______ AK,CA  
    Enhydra lutris  (the single member of its genus)
    
    
    OTHER MUSTELIDS:
    
    
34. American Badger ______ CO
    Taxidea taxus  (the single member of its genus)
    
    
35. Western Spotted Skunk ______ CO
    Spilogale gracilis
    
    
36. Hooded Skunk ______ AZ
    Mephitis macroura
    
    
37. Striped Skunk ______ AZ,CO,TX
    Mephitis mephitis
    
    
    MARINE MAMMALS I - SEALS & SEA LIONS  (Order Pinnidedia, "fin-footed")
    
    EARED SEALS, including SEA LIONS & FUR SEALS  (Family Otariidae)
    
    
38. California Sea Lion ______ CA (the Galapagos Sea Lion is a race of this species, there is another rare subspecies in Japan)
    Zalophus californiannus  (the single member of its genus)
    (Males are about 6.5 feet in length, and weigh up to almost 600 pounds; females about 5.9 feet in length, and weighing up to 198 pounds.)  
    
    
39. Steller's (or Northern) Sea Lion ______ AK,WA 
    Eumetopias jubatus  (the single member of its genus)
    (Males are nearly 10 feet long, and can weigh up to 2,200 pounds; females up 6.6 feet in length, and weighing up to 660 pounds.)
    (The smallest adult Steller's Sea Lion is larger than the largest California Sea Lion)
    
    
40. Northern Fur Seal ______ AK,CA,WA 
    Callorbinnus ursinus  (the single member of its genus)
    
    
    HAIR, including PHOCID, SEALS  (Family Phocidae) 
    
    
41. Harbor Seal ______ AK,CA,WA  
    Phoca vitulina
    (range from 3.9 to 5.9 feet in length, weigh from 99 to 230 pounds) 
    
    
42. Ringed Seal ______ AK
    Phoca hispida 
    
    
43. Bearded Seal ______ AK
    Erignathus barbatus  (the single member of its genus)
    
    
44. Northern Elephant Seal ______ CA  
    Mirounga angustirostris
    (Males can be over 16 feet in length, and weigh up to 4,400 pounds; females weigh up to 1,760 pounds.) 
    
    
    WALRUS  (Family Odobenidae)
    
    
45. Walrus ______ AK
    Odobenus rosmarus  (the single member of its genus)
    
    
    RODENTS: gnawing mammals  (Order Rodentia - the largest order of mammals with nearly 2,000 species worldwide)
    Families include:
    Squirrels (Sciuridae)
    Pocket Gophers (Geomyidae)
    Kangaroo Rats & Pocket Mice (Heteromyidae)
    Mice & Rats (Muridae), New World Mice & Rats (subfamily Sigmodontinae)
    New World Porcupines (Erethizontidae)  
    
    
46. Hoary Marmot ______ AK,WA  (has also been called "Whistler")
    Marmota caligata
    
    
47. Yellow-bellied Marmot ______ CO  (has also been called Rockchuck)
    Marmota flaviventris 
    
    
48. Woodchuck ______ AK,DE  (has also been called "Groundhog")
    Marmota monax
    (The subspecies in Alaska, M. m. ochracea, is reddish cinnamon in color.)
    
    
49. Black-tailed Prairie-Dog ______ CO,KN,NB
    Cynomys ludovicianus
    
    
50. White-tailed Prairie-Dog ______ CO
    Cynomys leucurus
    
    
51. Gunnison Prairie-Dog  ______ CO
    Cynomys gunnisoni
    
    
52. Harris's Antelope Squirrel ______ AZ (has also been called Yuma Antelope Squirrel)
    Ammospermophilus harrisii
    
    
53. Texas Antelope Squirrel ______ TX
    Ammospermophilus interpres
    
    
54. California Ground Squirrel ______ CA
    Spermophilus (formerly Otospermophilus) beecheyi
    
    
55. Arctic Ground Squirrel ______ AK
    Spermophilus (formerly Urocitellus) parryii
    
    
56. Thirteen-lined Ground Squirrel ______ CO,WY
    Spermophilus (formerly Ictidomys) tridecemlineatus
    
    
57. Mexican Ground Squirrel ______ NM,TX
    Spermophilus (formerly Ictidomys) mexicanus 
    
    
58. Wyoming Ground Squirrel ______ CO,WY (formerly conspecific with Richardson's Ground Squirrel, Spermphilus richardsonii)
    Spermophilus elegans
    
    
59. Washington Ground Squirrel ______ WA
    Spermophilus washingtoni
    
    
60. Belding's Ground Squirrel ______ WA (seen in eastern Washington State, slightly north of boundary in range maps)
    Spermophilus beldingi 
    
    
61. Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel ______ CO
    Spermophilus (formerly Callospermophilus or Citellus) lateralis 
    
    
62. Cascade Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel ______ WA (a recent "split" from the Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel, Spermophilus lateralis)
    Spermophilus (formerly Callospermophilus) saturatus
    
    
63. Townsend's Ground Squirrel ______ WA 
    Spermophilus townsendii 
    
    
64. Round-tailed Ground Squirrel ______ AZ
    Spermophilus (formerly Urocitellus) tereticaudus
    
    
65. Variegated Ground Squirrel (or Rock Squirrel) ______ AZ,CO,NM,TX
    Spermophilus (formerly Otospermophilus) variegatus
    
    
66. Townsend's Chipmunk ______ WA 
    Tamias (formerly Neotamias) townsendii
    
    
67. Yellow-pine Chipmunk ______ WA  
    Tamias (formerly Neotamias) amoenus
    
    
68. Merriam's Chipmunk ______ CA  
    Tamias (formerly Neotamias) merriami
    
    
69. Least Chipmunk ______ CO,WA,WY
    Tamias (formerly Neotamias) minimus
    
    
70. Panamint Chipmunk ______ CA 
    Tamias (formerly Neotamias) panamintinus
    
    
71. Colorado Chipmunk ______ CO
    Tamias (formerly Neotamias) quadrivittatus
    
    
72. Cliff Chipmunk ______ AZ
    Tamias (formerly Neotamias) dorsalis
    
    
73. Eastern Chipmunk ______ DE
    Tamias striatus
    
    
74. Eastern Gray Squirrel (i/wNA) ______  BC,DE,NC,WA  
    Sciurus carolinensis
    
    
75. Western Gray Squirrel ______ CA,WA  
    Sciurus (formerly Hesperosciurus) griseus
    
    
76. Arizona Gray Squirrel ______ AZ
    Sciurus arizonensis
    
    
77. Eastern Fox Squirrel ______ CO,NB,NC,TX
    Sciurus niger
    (northern form in Colorado & Nebraska; in Nebraska the black morph)
    (in North Carolina, a dark southeastern form, but with white nose and ears) 
    
    
78. Mexican Fox Squirrel ______ AZ  (has been called Apache Fox Squirrel, Sciurus apache) 
    Sciurus nayaritensis 
    
    
79. Tassel-eared (or Abert's) Squirrel ______ AZ,CO
    Sciurus (formerly Otosciurus)  aberti
    
    
80. American Red (or Spruce) Squirrel ______ AK,CO,WA  
    Tamiasciurus hudsonicus
    
    
81. Douglas' Squirrel ______ WA  (also called "Chickaree") (Note, however, that the Red Squirrel is also referred to as "Chickaree" in the Rocky Mtns)
    Tamiasciurus douglasii
    
    
    
    POCKET GOPHERS (Family Geomyidae)
    
    
82. Yellow-faced Pocket Gopher ______ TX
    Pappogeomys (formerly Cratogeomys) castanops
    
    
    MICE & RATS
    
    
83. North American Deermouse ______ AZ,WA  
    Peromyscus maniculatus
    
    
84. Northwestern Deermouse ______ WA
    Peromyscus keeni 
    
    
85. Chihuahan Pocket Mouse ______ TX
    Chaetodipus eremicus
    
    
86. Olive-backed Pocket Mouse ______ CO
    Perognathus fasciatus
    
    
87. Plains Pocket Mouse ______ KN
    Perognathus flavescens
    
    
88. Plains Harvest Mouse ______ CO
    Reithrodontomys montanus
    
    
89. White-throated Woodrat ______ AZ
    Neotoma albigula
    
    
90. Hispid Cotton Rat ______ NC,TX
    Sigmodon hispidus
    
    
91. Singing (formerly called Alaska) Vole ______ AK
    Microtus (formerly Stenocranius) miurus
    
    
92. Tiaga (formerly called Yellow-cheeked) Vole ______ AK
    Microtus (formerly Aulacomys) xanthognathus
    
    
    
    NEW WORLD PORCUPINES (Family Erethizontidae)
    
    
93. North American Porcupine ______ AK,CO,WA  
    Erethizon dorsatum
    
    
    
    AQUATIC RODENTS
    
    
94. American Beaver ______  AK,CO,NB,WY
    Castor canadensis
    
    
95. Muskrat ______ AK,CO,DE,NB,WA,WY  
    Ondatra zibethicus  (the single member of its genus)
    
    
96. Nutria (or Coypu) (i) ______ NC,TX,WA
    Myocastor coypus  (the single member of its genus)
    (native to South America)
    
    
    PIKAS, RABBITS & HARES  (Order Lagomorpha)
    
    PIKA  (Family Ochotonidae) 
    
    
97. American Pika (or Cony) ______ AK,CO
    Ochotona princeps
    
    
    RABBITS & HARES  (Family Leporidae)
    
    
98. European Rabbit (i) ______  WA  
    Oryctolagus cuniculus  (the single member of its genus)
    
    
99. Mountain Cottontail ______  CO,WA,WY  (has also been called Nuttall's Cottontail)
    Sylvilagus nuttallii
    
    
100. Desert Cottontail ______  AZ,CA,CO,NM,TX 
     Sylvilagus audubonii
     
     
101. Eastern Cottontail ______  AZ,CO,DE,FL,KN,NB,NC,TX,WA 
     Sylvilagus floridanus 
     (a western population in central-east Washington State) 
     
     
102. Marsh Rabbit ______  FL,NC
     Sylvilagus (formerly Tapeti) palistris
     
     
103. Brush Rabbit ______  CA  
     Sylvilagus (formerly Microlagus) bachmani
     
     
104. Black-tailed Jackrabbit ______  AZ,CA,CO,KN,NM,TX 
     Lepus californicus
     
     
105. White-tailed Jackrabbit ______  CO,KN
     Lepus townsendii
     
     
106. Antelope Jackrabbit ______ AZ
     Lepus alleni
     
     
107. Snowshoe (or Varying) Hare ______  AK,CO,WY
     Lepus americanus
     
     
     EVEN-TOED UNGULATES (Order Artiodactyla)
     (This order worldwide is diverse, including: pigs, hippopotamuses, camels, deer, antelope, and cattle.)
     
     SHEEP, GOATS, BISON, & MUSKOX  (Family Bovidae)
     
     
108. Bighorn Sheep ______ CO,WA
     Ovis canadensis
     ("Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep" in Colorado, O. c. canadensis)
     ("Desert Bighorn Sheep" in Washington)
     
     
     A Bighorn Sheep, Ovis canadensis, in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado.
     (photo by Rick Greenspun, during the April 1005 FONT tour in Colorado & nearby states)
     
     
109. Dall's Sheep ______ AK
     Orvis dalli
     
     
110. Mountain Goat ______ AK
     Ocramnos americanus  (the single member of its genus) 
     
     
111. (Plains) American Bison (or Buffalo) ______ CO (today domesticated)
     Bison b. bison
     
     
112. Muskox ______ AK 
     Ovibus moschatus  (the single member of its genus)
     (nearly extinct at the end of the 19th Century, now reestablished in parts of Alaska) 
     
     
     PRONGHORN ANTELOPE (Family Antilocapridae)
     (There is only one living species in this exclusively American family.) 
     
     
113. Pronghorn ______ AZ,CO,KN,TX,WY
     Antilocapra americana  (the single member of its genus)
     (the fastest North American mammal; has been clocked at 60 mph)
     
     
     Pronghorn
     
     
     NEW WORLD PIGS OR PECCARIES - 2 species, 1 of which north of Mexico  (Family Tayassuidae)
     (Note: the Old World Swine (Boars, introduced various places in North America) are in the Family Suidae) 
     
     
114. Collared Peccary ______ AZ,TX  (also called Javelina)
     Dicotyles (formerly Pecari) tajacu (was at one time Pecari angulatus)
     
     
     DEER (Family Cervidae: hoofed animals with antlers shed each year)
     
     
115. "American" Elk (or Wapiti) ______ CO,WA,WY  
     Cervus elaphus canadensis  (another, slightly smaller, subspecies in Europe is called there the  Red Deer) 
     
     
116. "Tule" Elk ______ CA
     Cervus elaphus nannodes  (a subspecies of the Elk in California)  
     
     
117. Moose ______ AK,CO (in Europe called Elk)
     Alces alces  (the single member of its genus)
     
     
118. Mule Deer ______ AZ,CA,CO,KN,NM,TX,WA,WY (subspecies west of the Cascades called Blacktail Deer, O. h. columbianus) 
     Odocoileus hemionus
     
     
119. White-tailed Deer ______ AZ,CO,DE,FL,KN,NB,NC,TX,WA
     Odocoileus virginianus
     (including "Columbian White-tailed Deer" in the Pacific Northwest)
     (including "Coue's White-tailed Deer" in Arizona)
     (including "Sierra del Carmen White-tailed Deer" in the Chisos Mtns of west Texas)
     (including "Key White-tailed Deer" in the Florida Keys)
     (This mammal occurs in all 48 states of the lower mainland US.)
     
     
120. (Common) Fallow Deer (i) ______ CA  (feral at Point Reyes, CA; originally in the Mediterranean region of the Old World)  
     Dama dama   
     
     
121. (Barren Ground) Caribou ______ AK
     Rangifer tarandus  (the single member of its genus)
     
     
122. "Reindeer" (i) ______ AK
     (either from domesticated stock or from European Caribou) 
     Rangifer tarandus
     
     
     SIRENIANS  (Order Sirenia)
     
     MANATEES  (Family Trichechidae)
     (There are 3 species of manatees in the world.) 
     
     
123. West Indian Manatee ______ FL  (has also been called "Sea Cow")
     Trichechus manatus 
      
     
     MARINE MAMMALS II - PORPOISES, DOLPHINS, & WHALES  (Order Cetacea)
     
     TOOTHED WHALES (Suborder Odontoceti) include: Dolphins & Porpoises, the Beaked Whales, Sperm Whales, the Beluga and Narwhal. 
     
     OCEAN DOLPHINS  (Family Delphinidae)
     
      
124. Short-beaked Common Dolphin ______ CA,DE,NJ (p)  (also called "Saddleback Dolphin")  
     Delphinus delphis
     
     
125. Common Bottle-nosed Dolphin 
     inshore population ______ DE,NC,
     offshore population ______ DE,NJ (p)
     Tursiops truncatus
     (in the Atlantic, called "Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphin")
     
     
126. Atlantic Spotted Dolphin ______ NC (p)
     Stenella frontalis
     
     
127. Clymene (or Short-snouted Spinner) Dolphin ______ NC (p)
     Stenella clymene
     
     
128. Northern Right Whale Dolphin ______ CA,WA (p)
     Lissodelphis borealis
     
     
129. Atlantic White-sided Dolphin ______  NJ (p)
     Lagenorhynchus acutus
     
     
130. Pacific White-sided Dolphin ______ CA (p)  
     Lagenorhynchus obliquidens
     (Up to just over 7 feet in length; up to about 200 pounds in weight.)  
     
     
131. Risso's Dolphin ______ CA,DE,NC,NJ (p)  (also called Gray Grampus) 
     Grampus griseus  (the single member of its genus)
     (Up to nearly 12 feet in length; up to 900 pounds in weight.)
     
     
132. Orca ______ AK,CA,WA (p)  (has also been called Killer Whale or "Sea Wolf")
     Orcinus orca  (the single member of its genus)
     (Males up to 30 feet in length, females up to 27 feet; males weigh up to 5 tons, females up to 3 tons. The male's dorsal fin can be 6 feet high; that of the female about 2 feet in height) 
     (One of the fastest swimming whales, with a maximum recorded speed of 30 knots maintained for 20 minutes.) 
     
     
133. False Killer Whale ______ NC (p)
     Pseudorca crassidens  (the single member of its genus)
     
     
134. Dall's Porpoise ______ AK,CA,WA (p)
     Phocoenoides dalli  (the single member of its genus) 
     (Up to 6.6 feet in length; up to 330 pounds in weight.)
     
     
135. Long-finned Pilot Whale ______ NJ (p)  (has also been called "Blackfish")
     Globicephala melas
     
     
136. Short-finned Pilot Whale ______ CA,NC (p) (has also been called "Blackfish")
     Globicephala macrorhynchus
     (Males up to over 22 feet in length; females up to over 16 feet long. Males weigh to to 2,640 pounds; females up to 1,760 pounds.)
     
     
     BEAKED WHALES  (Family Ziphiidae)
     (Pelagic in habitat, most are poorly known)
     
     
137. Cuvier's Beaked Whale ______ NC (p)  (has also been called Goosebeak Whale)
     Ziphius cavirostris  (the single member of its genus)
     
     
138. Blainville's Beaked Whale ______ NC (p)
     Mesoplodon densirostris
     
     
139. True's Beaked Whale ______ NC (p)
     Mesoplodon mirus
     
     
140. Baird's Beaked Whale ______ CA (p)
     Berardius bairdii
     
     
     SPERM WHALES  (Family Physeteridae)
     (2 smaller species, the Pygmy Sperm Whale and the Dwarf Sperm Whale, are sometimes placed in a different family, Kogiidae; they appear to be distantly related to the Great Sperm Whale.)
     (Note: Both the Great Sperm Whale and the Dwarf Sperm Whale has been seen during FONT pelagic trips in the Caribbean.)
     
     
141. (Great) Sperm Whale ______ NC (p)  (has also been called Cachalot)
     Physeter catodon
     
     
     BALEEN WHALES - whales without teeth (Suborder Mysticeti)
     
     GRAY WHALE  (Family Eschrichtiidae)
     
     
142. (California) Gray Whale ______  AK,CA,WA (p)  (Other names: "Mussel-digger", "Scrag Whale") 
     Eschrichtius robustus  (the single member of its genus)
     (Females are larger than males: females up to over 46 feet long, males up to over 42 feet long; the animal's weight can be up to 33 tons) 
     (During a FONT tour near Nome, AK, seen from shore)
     (Has a 12,000 mile round-trip migration between its southern breeding grounds in Baja California and its northern feeding grounds in the Bering, Chukchi, and western Beaufort seas)
     (Gray Whales formerly occurred in the North Atlantic, where they were hunted to extinction by the 17th or 18th Century. In the western Pacific, a population off Korea, may now be extinct. The eastern Pacific population was reduced to only a few hundred or thousand in the early 1900's.Protection came in 1946, and that population has now recovered.)  
     
     
     RORQUAL (or FINBACK) WHALES (Family Balaenopteridae)
     
     
143. Humpback Whale ______ AK,CA,NJ,WA (p)
     Megaptera novaeanliae  (the single member of its genus)
     (up to over 52 feet in length, weighing up to 44 tons)
     
     
144. Northern Minke Whale ______ NC,NJ,WA (p) (has also been called Piked Whale or Lesser Rorqual) 
     Balacnoptera acutorostrata
     (formerly, until 1998, considered conspecific with southern population, now Antarctic Minke Whale, B. bonaerensis)
     (up to about 30 feet in length, weighing up to nearly 10 tons)
     
     
145. Fin Whale ______ DE,NJ (p)  (has also been called Common Rorqual) (endangered)
     Balaenoptera physalus
     
     
146. Blue Whale ______ CA (p)  (has also been called "Sulphurbottom") (endangered)
     Balaenoptera musculus
     (the largest of all mammals)
     
     Note: RIGHT & BOWHEAD WHALES in Family Balaenidae
     
     
     

References for the above mammal-list include:

the new book: "Mammals of North America" by Roland W. Kays & Don E. Wilson, published by Princeton Univ Press, 2002. 

also new, "Mammals of the World - A Checklist", by Andrew Duff & Ann Lawson, 2004

"A Field Guide to the Mammals (of North America north of Mexico), by William H. Burt & Richard P. Grossenheider

"Mammals of the Pacific Northwest", by James R. Christensen & Earl J. Larrison, 1982 

"Marine Birds and Mammals of Puget Sound", by Tony Angell & Kenneth C. Balcomb, 1982

"Eyewitness Handbook: Whales, Dolphins & Porpoises - a Visual Guide to the World's Cetaceans", by Mark Carwardine, illustrated by Martin Camm, 1995  

"World Guide to Mammals" by Nicole Duplaix & Noel Simon, 1976

"The Encyclopedia of Mammals", edited by Dr. David Macdonald, 1984

"A Field Guide to the Mammals of Central America & Southeast Mexico", by Fiona A. Reid, 1997

 Other Wildlife (marine):


       MARINE, or SEA, TURTLES 

1. Leatherback (Sea) Turtle ______ CA,DE,NC,NJ (p)
   Dermochelys coriacea
   (the world's largest turtle, can weigh half a ton; a deep diver, can go to a depth of about 5,000 feet)
   
   
2. Loggerhead (Sea) Turtle ______ DE,NC,NJ (p)
   Caretta caretta 
   
   
3. Kemp's Ridley (Sea) Turtle ______ DE (p)
   Lepidochelys kempii
   (the world's rarest sea turtle, listed as "endangered')
   
   PLANKTON-FEEDING SHARKS & RAYS
   
   
4. Basking Shark ______ NJ (p)
   Cetorhinus maximus
   (the world's second largest fish, can be over 30 feet long and weigh more than 4 tons; can jump completely out of the water)
   
   
5. Manta Ray ______ NJ (p)
   Manta birostris
   
   REQUIEM SHARKS (Family Carcharhinidae) 
   
   
6. Blue Shark ______ CA,NJ (p)
   Prionace glauca
   
   
   THRESHER SHARKS  (Family Alopiidae)
   
   
7. Thresher Shark ______ CA (p)
   Alopias vulpinus
   
   SWORDFISH  (Family Xiphiidae)
   
   
8. Swordfish ______ NJ (p)
   Xiphias gladius
   
   OCEAN SUNFISHES (Family Molidae)
   (Large fish with disc-like bodies, lacking a tail.) 
   
   
9. Ocean Sunfish ______ DE,NC,NJ (p)
   Mola mola
   (can weigh up to 2 tons)
   
   FROGFISHES  (Family Antennariidae)
   
   
10. Sargassum Fish ______ NC (p)
    Histrio histrio
    
    TUNAS & MACKERELS  (Family Scombridae)
    
    
11. Yellowfin Tuna ______ NC,NJ (p)
    Thunnus albacares
    
    
12. Skipjack Tuna ______ DE,NJ (p)
    Katsuwonus pelamis
    
    
13. Atlantic Mackerel ______ NJ (p)
    Scomber scombrus
    
    
14. Wahoo ______ NC (p)
    Acanthocybium solandri
    
    DOLPHIN FISHES  (Family Coryphaenidae)
    
    
15. Dorado / Dolphin ______ NC (p)
    Coryphaena hippurus
    
    BILLFISHES  (Family Xiphiidae)
    
    
16. Atlantic Sailfish ______ NC (p)
    Istiophorus albicans
    
    
17. Longbill Spearfish ______ NC (p)
    Tetrapturus pfluegeri
    
    
18. Atlantic White Marlin ______ NC (p)
    Tetrapturus albidus
    
    
19. Atlantic Blue Marlin ______ NC (p)
    Makaira nigricans
    
    SALMONS  (Family Salmonidae)
    
    
20. Chinook (also called King Salmon) ______ WA
    Oncorhynchus tshawytscha
    
    SEAHORSES  (in Family Syngnathidae, along with Pipefishes)
    
    
21. Common Seahorse ______ NC (p)
    Hippocampus ramulosus
    
    OPEN-OCEAN INVERTEBRATES
    
    
    JELLYFISH  (Class Scyphozoa)
    
    
22. Moon Jelly ______ CA,DE,NJ (p)
    Aurelia aurita
    
    HYDROIDS  (Class Hydrozoa, Order Siphonophora: not true jellyfish)
    
    
23. Portuguese Man-of-war ______ NC,NJ (p)
    Physalia physalis
    
    

References include:

"Sea Life - A Complete Guide to the Marine Environment", edited by Geoffrey Waller, with principal contributors Marc Dando & Michael Burchett, 1996.

"Nature in the Northwest - An Introduction to the Natural History and Ecology of the Northwestern United States from the Rockies to the Pacific",  by Susan Schwartz, 1983.