List of mammals of the Cook Islands
# List of mammals of the Cook Islands

This is a list of the mammal species recorded in the Cook Islands. There are seven mammal species in the Cook Islands, of which one is labelled as being a vulnerable species.

The following tags are used to highlight each species' conservation status as assessed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature:

| EX | Extinct | No reasonable doubt that the last individual has died. |
| - | - | - |
| EW | Extinct in the wild | Known only to survive in captivity or as a naturalized populations well outside its previous range. |
| CR | Critically endangered | The species is in imminent risk of extinction in the wild. |
| EN | Endangered | The species is facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild. |
| VU | Vulnerable | The species is facing a high risk of extinction in the wild. |
| NT | Near threatened | The species does not meet any of the criteria that would categorise it as risking extinction but it is likely to do so in the future. |
| LC | Least concern | There are no current identifiable risks to the species. |
| DD | Data deficient | There is inadequate information to make an assessment of the risks to this species. |

## Order: Chiroptera (bats)

The bats' most distinguishing feature is that their forelimbs are developed as wings, making them the only mammals capable of flight. Bat species account for about 20% of all mammals.

* Family: Pteropodidae (flying foxes, Old World fruit bats)
   * Subfamily: Pteropodinae
      * Genus: Pteropus
         * Insular flying-fox, Pteropus tonganus LR/lc

## Order: Cetacea (whales)

The order Cetacea includes whales, dolphins and porpoises. They are the mammals most fully adapted to aquatic life with a spindle-shaped nearly hairless body, protected by a thick layer of blubber, and forelimbs and tail modified to provide propulsion underwater.

* Suborder: Mysticeti
   * Family: Balaenopteridae
      * Subfamily: Megapterinae
         * Genus: Megaptera
            * Humpback whale, Megaptera novaeangliae VU
* Suborder: Odontoceti
   * Superfamily: Platanistoidea
      * Family: Ziphidae
         * Subfamily: Hyperoodontinae
            * Genus: Mesoplodon
               * Ginkgo-toothed beaked whale, Mesoplodon ginkgodens DD
      * Family: Delphinidae (marine dolphins)
         * Genus: Stenella
            * Spinner dolphin, Stenella longirostris LR/cd
         * Genus: Lagenodelphis
            * Fraser's dolphin, Lagenodelphis hosei DD
         * Genus: Feresa
            * Pygmy killer whale, Feresa attenuata DD

## Order: Carnivora (carnivorans)

There are over 260 species of carnivorans, the majority of which feed primarily on meat. They have a characteristic skull shape and dentition.

* Suborder: Caniformia
   * Family: Phocidae (earless seals)
      * Genus: Hydrurga
         * Leopard seal, Hydrurga leptonyx LR/lc
