Banff National Park

Mammals

Banff National Park is home to 53 species of mammals. This incredible diversity of wildlife is a reflection of the wide range of habitats found in the park due to variations in elevation, climate, and plant communities.

Wildlife in the park can be separated into three main groups:

Small Mammals
Shrews
Bats
Pikas and Hares
Rodents 

Hooved Animals
Ungulates

Large Carnivores (meat eaters)
Dog Family
Bears
Weasel Family
Cat Family

SHREWS

Masked Shrew Sorex cinereus
Dusky Shrew Sorex monticolus
Northern Water Shrew Sorex palustris
Pygmy Shrew Sorex hoyi

BATS

Little Brown Bat Myotis lucifugus 
Long-eared Bat Myotis evotis
Long-legged Bat Myotis volans 
Silver-haired Bat Lasionycteris noctivagans 
Big Brown Bat Eptesicus fuscus
Hoary Bat Lasiurus cinereus

PIKAS AND HARES

Pika   Ochotona princeps
Snowshoe Hare Lepus americanus

RODENTS

Least Chipmunk Tamias minimus 
Yellow-pine Chipmunk Tamias amoenus
Hoary Marmot Marmota caligata 
Columbian Ground Squirrel Spermophilus columbianus
Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel Spermophilus lateralis
Red Squirrel Tamiasciurus hudsonicus
Northern Flying Squirrel Glaucomys sabrinus
Beaver Castor canadensis
Deer Mouse Peromyscus maniculatus
Bushy-tailed Wood Rat (packrat) Neotoma cinerea
Southern Red-backed Vole Clethrionomys gapperi
Heather Vole Phenacomys intermedius
Meadow Vole Microtus pennsylvanicus
Long-tailed Vole Microtus longicaudus
Water Vole Microtus richardsoni
Muskrat Ondatra zibethicus
Northern Bog Lemming Lemming Synaptomys borealis
Western Jumping Mouse Zapus princeps
Porcupine Erethizon dorsatum

DOG FAMILY

Coyote Canis latrans
Gray Wolf Canis lupus 
Red Fox Vulpes vulpes

BEARS

Black Bear Ursus americanus Pallas
Grizzly Bear Ursus arctos Linnaeus

WEASEL FAMILY

Marten Martes americana
Fisher Martes pennanti
Ermine Mustela erminea
Least Weasel Mustela nivalis
Long-tailed Weasel Mustela frenata
Mink Mustela vison 
Wolverine Gulo gulo 
Badger Taxidea taxus
Striped Skunk Mephitis mephitis 
River Otter Lontra canadensis

CAT FAMILY

Cougar Puma concolor
Canada Lynx  Lynx lynx

UNGULATES

Elk Cervus elaphus 
Mule Deer Odocoileus hemionus
White-tailed Deer Odocoileus virginianus
Moose Alces alces  
Woodland Caribou Rangifer tarandus 
Mountain Goat Oreamnos americanus
Bighorn Sheep Ovis canadensis 
Bison Bison bison

RELATED LINKS :

• Wildlife Watching Tips
• Wildlife Hazards
• Wildlife Viewing
• Stay Safe and Keep Carnivores Wild
• What to Look for When Identifying Carnivore Tracks
• Bear & People: A Guide to Safey & Conservation
• Sharing the Land with Grizzlies
• Bear Management in Yoho, Kootenay and Banff
• Canadian Wildlife Service (CWS)- Hinterland Who's Who