A checklist of mammals of Tamil Nadu State is presented in this online version. Accepted English names, scientific binomen, prevalent vernacular names in Tamil, IUCN Red List conservation status, Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act schedules, the appendices in the CITES, endemism, the distribution of species in India, the Western Ghats & plains of Tamil Nadu, and the complete bibliography pertaining to the 132 species of mammals of Tamil Nadu are given.

The state of Tamil Nadu has 132 (108 terrestrial and 24 marine) species of mammals belonging to 12 orders and 37 families. Of the 108 terrestrial mammal species, 32 species are found only in the Western Ghats region of Tamil Nadu and the remaining species are found in the Western Ghats and the plains of Tamil Nadu. The order Chiroptera represents the maximum number of species (35 species) followed by Rodentia (28 species) and these two taxa jointly account for 47 percent of the total terrestrial mammalian fauna in Tamil Nadu. Of the 32 species of Indian marine mammals, 24 species are distributed within the international waters of Tamil Nadu State along the Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean. Out of the 51 known endemic species of mammals of India, 22 species are found in the Tamil Nadu; 14 of which are endemic to the Western Ghats. Elvira Rat Cremnomys elvira, a Critically Endangered species found in Tamil Nadu State until now is known only from its type locality of Kurumbapatti, Salem District, in the Eastern Ghats of Tamil Nadu. The genera Anathana, Latidens, and Nilgiritragus are monotypic and found only in the Tamil Nadu and the neighbouring states across the Western Ghats. The Nilgiri Tahr Nilgiritragus hylocrius, the only wild goat endemic to the southern Western Ghats in Kerala and Tamil Nadu, is the state animal (mammal) of Tamil Nadu.

Citation: Kamalakannan, M. & P.O. Nameer (2020). JoTT Checklist of the mammals of Tamil Nadu (v1.0), 10 February 2020. https://threatenedtaxa.org/index.php/JoTT/checklists/mammals/TamilNadu.

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	Family	Species	Authority
1	Elephantidae	Elephas maximus	Linnaeus, 1758
2	Tupaiidae	Anathana ellioti	(Waterhouse, 1850)
3	Lorisidae	Loris lydekkerianus	Cabrera, 1908
4	Cercopithecidae	Macaca radiata	(E. Geoffroy, 1812)
5	Cercopithecidae	Macaca silenus	(Linnaeus, 1758)
6	Cercopithecidae	Semnopithecus hypoleucos	Blyth, 1841
7	Cercopithecidae	Semnopithecus priam	Blyth, 1844
8	Cercopithecidae	Semnopithecus johnii	(J. Fischer, 1829)
9	Sciuridae	Ratufa indica	(Erxleben,1777)
10	Sciuridae	Ratufa macroura	Pennant,1769
11	Sciuridae	Petaurista philippensis	(Elliot, 1839)
12	Sciuridae	Petinomys fuscocapillus	(Jerdon, 1847)
13	Sciuridae	Funambulus palmarum	(Linnaeus, 1766)
14	Sciuridae	Funambulus sublineatus	(Waterhouse, 1838)
15	Sciuridae	Funambulus tristriatus	(Waterhouse, 1837)
16	Platacanthomyidae	Platacanthomys lasiurus	Blyth,1859
17	Muridae	Tatera indica	(Hardwicke, 1807)
18	Muridae	Bandicota bengalensis	(Gray,1835)
19	Muridae	Bandicota indica	(Bechstein,1800)
20	Muridae	Cremnomys cutchicus	Wroughton, 1912
21	Muridae	Cremnomys elvira	(Ellerman,1946)
22	Muridae	Golunda ellioti	Gray,1837
23	Muridae	Madromys blanfordi	(Thomas, 1881)
24	Muridae	Millardia meltada	(Gray,1837)
25	Muridae	Mus booduga	(Gray,1837)
26	Muridae	Mus cookii	Ryley,1914
27	Muridae	Mus famulus	Bonhote,1898
28	Muridae	Mus musculus	Linnaeus, 1758
29	Muridae	Mus phillipsi	Wroughton,1912
30	Muridae	Mus platythrix	Bennett,1832
31	Muridae	Mus saxicola	Elliot,1839
32	Muridae	Rattus rattus	(Linnaeus,1758)
33	Muridae	Rattus satarae	Hinton,1918
34	Muridae	Vandeleuria nilagirica	Jerdon, 1867
35	Muridae	Vandeleuria oleracea	(Bennett,1832)
36	Hystricidae	Hystrix indica	Kerr,1792
37	Leporidae	Lepus nigricollis	F. Cuvier, 1823
38	Erinaceidae	Paraechinus nudiventris	(Horsfield, 1851)
39	Soricidae	Feroculus feroculus	(Kelaart, 1850)
40	Soricidae	Suncus dayi	(Dobson, 1888)
41	Soricidae	Suncus niger	Horsfield, 1851
42	Soricidae	Suncus murinus	(Linnaeus, 1766)
43	Pteropodidae	Cynopterus brachyotis	(Müller, 1838)
44	Pteropodidae	Cynopterus sphinx	(Vahl, 1797)
45	Pteropodidae	Eonycteris spelaea	(Dobson, 1871)
46	Pteropodidae	Latidens salimalii	Thonglongya, 1972
47	Pteropodidae	Pteropus giganteus	(Brünnich, 1782)
48	Pteropodidae	Rousettus leschenaultii	(Desmarest, 1820)
49	Rhinolophidae	Rhinolophus lepidus	Blyth, 1844
50	Rhinolophidae	Rhinolophus rouxii	Temminck, 1835
51	Hipposideridae	Hipposideros ater	Templeton, 1848
52	Hipposideridae	Hipposideros fulvus	Gray, 1838
53	Hipposideridae	Hipposideros pomona	K. Andersen, 1918
54	Hipposideridae	Hipposideros speoris	(Schneider, 1800)
55	Megadermatidae	Megaderma lyra	É. Geoffroy, 1810
56	Megadermatidae	Megaderma spasma	(Linnaeus, 1758)
57	Emballonuridae	Taphozous longimanus	Hardwicke, 1825
58	Emballonuridae	Taphozous melanopogon	Temminck, 1841
59	Emballonuridae	Taphozous nudiventris	Cretzschmar, 1830
60	Molossidae	Chaerephon plicatus	(Buchannan, 1800)
61	Molossidae	Tadarida aegyptiaca	(E. Geoffroy, 1818)
62	Vespertilionidae	Hesperoptenus tickelli	(Blyth, 1851)
63	Vespertilionidae	Scotophilus heathii	(Horsfield, 1831)
64	Vespertilionidae	Scotophilus kuhlii	Leach, 1821
65	Vespertilionidae	Pipistrellus ceylonicus	(Kelaart, 1852)
66	Vespertilionidae	Pipistrellus coromandra	(Gray, 1838)
67	Vespertilionidae	Pipistrellus tenuis	(Temminck, 1840)
68	Vespertilionidae	Scotozous dormeri	Dobson, 1875
69	Vespertilionidae	Falsistrellus affinis	(Dobson, 1871)
70	Vespertilionidae	Myotis horsfieldii	(Temminck, 1840)
71	Vespertilionidae	Myotis montivagus	(Dobson, 1874)
72	Vespertilionidae	Miniopterus pusillus	Dobson, 1876
73	Vespertilionidae	Miniopterus schreibersii	(Kuhl, 1817)
74	Vespertilionidae	Harpiocephalus harpia	(Temminck, 1840)
75	Vespertilionidae	Murina cyclotis	Dobson, 1872
76	Vespertilionidae	Kerivoula lenis	Thomas, 1916
77	Vespertilionidae	Kerivoula picta	(Pallas, 1767)
78	Manidae	Manis crassicaudata	E. Geoffroy, 1803
79	Felidae	Felis chaus	Schreber, 1777
80	Felidae	Prionailurus bengalensis	(Kerr, 1792)
81	Felidae	Prionailurus rubiginosus	(I. Geoffroy Saint‐Hilaire, 1831)
82	Felidae	Panthera pardus	(Linnaeus, 1758)
83	Felidae	Panthera tigris	(Linnaeus, 1758)
84	Viverridae	Paradoxurus hermaphroditus	(Pallas, 1777)
85	Viverridae	Paradoxurus jerdoni	Blanford, 1885
86	Viverridae	Viverricula indica	(E. Geoffroy Saint‐Hilaire, 1803)
87	Herpestidae	Herpestes edwardsii	(É. Geoffroy Saint‐Hilaire, 1818)
88	Herpestidae	Herpestes fuscus	Waterhouse, 1838
89	Herpestidae	Herpestes smithii	Gray, 1837
90	Herpestidae	Herpestes vitticollis	Bennett, 1835
91	Hyaenidae	Hyaena hyaena	(Linnaeus, 1758)
92	Canidae	Canis aureus	Linnaeus, 1758
93	Canidae	Cuon alpinus	(Pallas, 1811)
94	Canidae	Vulpes bengalensis	(Shaw, 1800)
95	Ursidae	Melursus ursinus	(Shaw, 1791)
96	Mustelidae	Aonyx cinerea	(Illiger, 1815)
97	Mustelidae	Lutrogale perspicillata	(I. Geoffroy Saint‐Hilaire, 1826)
98	Mustelidae	Martes gwatkinsii	Horsfield, 1851
99	Mustelidae	Mellivora capensis	(Schreber, 1776)
100	Suidae	Sus scrofa	Linnaeus, 1758
101	Tragulidae	Moschiola indica	Gray, 1852
102	Cervidae	Axis axis	(Erxleben, 1777)
103	Cervidae	Muntiacus muntjak	(Zimmermann, 1780)
104	Cervidae	Rusa unicolor	(Kerr, 1792)
105	Bovidae	Antilope cervicapra	(Linnaeus, 1758)
106	Bovidae	Bos gaurus	C.H.Smith, 1827
107	Bovidae	Tetracerus quadricornis	(de Blainville, 1816)
108	Bovidae	Nilgiritragus hylocrius	(Ogilby, 1838)
109	Dugongidae	Dugong dugon	(Muller, 1776)
110	Delphinidae	Delphinus capensis	Gray, 1828
111	Delphinidae	Globicephala macrorhynchus	Gray, 1846
112	Delphinidae	Grampus griseus	(G Cuvier, 1812)
113	Delphinidae	Orcinus orca	(Linnaeus, 1758)
114	Delphinidae	Peponocephala electra	(Gray, 1846)
115	Delphinidae	Pseudorca crassidens	(Owen, 1846)
116	Delphinidae	Sousa chinensis	(Osbeck, 1765)
117	Delphinidae	Stenella attenuata	(Gray, 1846)
118	Delphinidae	Stenella coeruleoalba	(Meyen, 1833)
119	Delphinidae	Stenella longirostris	(Gray, 1828)
120	Delphinidae	Steno bredanensis	(G. Cuvier in Lesson, 1828)
121	Delphinidae	Tursiops aduncus	(Ehrenberg, 1833)
122	Phocoenidae	Neophocaena phocaenoides	(G Cuvier, 1829)
123	Physeteridae	Physeter macrocephalus	Linnaeus, 1758
124	Kogiidae	Kogia breviceps	(Blainville, 1838)
125	Kogiidae	Kogia sima	(Owen, 1866)
126	Ziphiidae	Ziphius cavirostris	G. Cuvier, 1823
127	Balaenopteridae	Balaenoptera acutorostrata	Lacépède, 1804
128	Balaenopteridae	Balaenoptera borealis	Lesson, 1828
129	Balaenopteridae	Balaenoptera edeni	Anderson, 1879
130	Balaenopteridae	Balaenoptera musculus	(Linnaeus, 1758)
131	Balaenopteridae	Balaenoptera physalus	(Linnaeus, 1758)
132	Balaenopteridae	Megaptera novaeangliae	(Borowski, 1781)