List of North American megafauna

Megafauna are large animals (for definitions, see Megafauna). This list includes extant and recently extinct (in the Pleistocene) native North American (north of Mexico) species with a body mass of 40 kg or greater, the minimal mass to be considered megafaunal.Defense of the Earth. [http://www.ukzn.ac.za/Biology/Uploads/69cd30f3-52c3-4f28-8c2c-3a99d006ab84/biol104lect6.pdf "Past consequences of climate change: Evolutionary history of the mammals".] ] Other definitions of megafaunal place use a higher threshold mass, up to 250 kg.Choquenot, D., & Bowman, D. M. J. S. (1998). Marsupial Megafauna, Aborigines and the Overkill Hypothesis: Application of Predator-Prey Models to the Question of Pleistocene Extinction in Australia. "Global Ecology and Biogeography Letters" 7 (3): 167-180.] Some species listed here do not qualify as megafaunal if a higher threshold is used. Maximum published mass (or estimated mass for extinct species) is provided where possible.

Class Mammalia

*Agriotherium†
*American Beaver ("Castor canadensis")
*American Bison ("Bison bison")
*American Black Bear ("Ursus americanus")
*American Cheetah † ("Miracinonyx trumani")
*American Horse † ("Equus scotti")
*American Lion † ("Panthera leo atrox")
*Wilmington’s Giant Ground Sloth † ("Eremotherium eomigrans")
*Gidley's Glyptodont † ("Glyptotherium arizonae")
*American Mastodon † ("Mammut americanum")
*American Mountain Deer † ("Navahoceros fricki")
*American Scimitar Cat † ("Homotherium serum")
*American Zebra † ("Equus simplicidens")
*Ancient Caribou † ("Torontoceros hypocaetus")
*Ancient Bison † ("Bison antiquus")
*Ancient Moose † ("Bretzia nebrascensis")
*Beautiful Armadillo † ("Dasypus bellus")
*Big-headed Llama † ("Hemiauchenia macrocephala")
*Bighorn sheep ("Ovis canadensis")
*Bobcat ("Lynx rufus")
*California tapir † ("Tapirus californicus")
*Caribou ("Rangifer tarandus")
*Columbian Mammoth † ("Mammuthus columbi")
*Cougar ("Puma concolor")
*Coyote ("Canis latrans")
*Dall's sheep ("Ovis dalli")
*Domestic Goat ("Capra hircus")
*Domestic Dog ("Canis familaris")
*Domestic Cattle ("Bos taurus")
*Domestic Horse ("Equss caballus")
*Domestic Pig ("Sus scrofa")
*Domestic Sheep ("Ovis aries")
*Dhole ("Cuon alpinus")
*Dire Wolf † ("Canis dirus")
*Donkey ("Equus asinus")
*Elk ("Cervus canadensis")
*Flat-headed Peccary † ("Platygonus" sp.)
*Giant Beaver † ("Castoroides ohioensis")
*North American Glyptodon † ("Glyptotherium texanum")
*Rusconi's Ground Sloth † ("Eremotherium rusconii")
*Gray Wolf ("Canis lupus")
*Grizzly bear (brown bear) ("Ursus arctos horribilis")
*Fugivite Deer † ("Sangamona fugitvi")
*Human being ("Homo sapiens")
*Simpson's Glyptodon † ("Glyptotherium floridanum")
*Jaguar ("Panthera onca augusta")
*Harlan's Ground Sloth † ("Paramylodon harlani")
*Harlan's muskox † ("Bootherium bombifrons")
*Harrington's Mountain Goat † ("Oreamnos harringtoni")
*Imperial Mammoth † ("Mammuthus imperator")
*Jefferson's Ground Sloth † ("Megalonyx jeffersoni")
*Jeffersonian Mammoth † ("Mammuthus jeffersonii")
*Laurillard's Ground Sloth † ("Eremotherium laurillardi")
*Long-nosed Peccary † ("Mylohyus nasutus")
*Longhorn Bison † ("Bison latifrons")
*Moose ("Alces alces gigas")
*Mountain goat ("Oreamnos americanus")
*Mule deer ("Odocoileus hemionus")
*Muskox ("Ovibos moschatus")
*Polar Bear ("Ursus maritimus")
*Pronghorn antelope ("Antilocapra americana")
*Pinckney's Capybara † ("Neochoerus pinckneyi")
*Pygmy Mammoth † ("Mammuthus exilis")
*Red Wolf ("Canis rufus")
*Running Hyena † ("Chasmaporthetes ossifragus")
*Giant Ground Sloth † ("Eremotherium" sp)
*Sabre-toothed cat † ("Smilodon fatalis")
*Shasta Ground Sloth † ("Nothrotheriops shastensis")
*Short-faced bears † ("Arctodus simus" and "A. pristinus")
*Shrub-ox † ("Euceratherium collium")
*Saiga Antelope † ("Saiga tatarica")
*Stag-moose † ("Cervacles scotti")
*Steppe horse † {"Equus steppis"}
*White-tailed deer ("Odocoileus virginianus")
*Woolly Mammoth † ("Mammuthus primigenius")
*Yesterday's Camel † ("Camelops hesternus")
*Yukon Wild Ass † ("Equus asinus lambei")

= Class Aves =

*American Flamingo ("Phoenicopterus ruber")
*American Black Vulture ("Coragyps atratus")
*American White Pelican ("Pelecanus erythrorhynchos")
*Asphalt Stork † ("Ciconia maltha")
*Bald Eagle ("Haliaeetus leucocephalus")
*Californian Condor ("Gymnopyps californius")
*Californian Turkey † ("Meleagris californica")
*Canadian Goose ("Branta canadensis")
*Diatryma † ("Diatryma gigantea")
*Common Turkey ("Meleagris gallapavo")
*Golden Eagle ("Aquila chrysaetos")
*Great Blue Heron ("Ardea herodias")
*Incredible Teratorn † ("Aiolornis incredibilis")
*Sandhill Crane ("Grus canadensis")
*Merriam's Teratorn † ("Teratornis merriami")
*Tundra Swan ("Cygnus columbianus")
*Trumpeter Swan ("Cyngus buccinator")
*Whooping Crane ("Grus americanus")

= Class Sauropsida =

*American Alligator ("Alligator mississippiensis")
*American Crocodile ("Crocodylus acutus")
*Gavialosuchus † ("Gavialosuchus americanus")

Class Actinopterygii

*Alligator gar ("Atractosteus spatula") (137.0 kg) [FishBase_species|genus=Atractosteus|species=spatula|year=2007|month=10]
*American paddlefish ("Polyodon spathula") (90.7 kg) [FishBase_species|genus=Polyodon|species=spathula|year=2007|month=10]
*Atlantic sturgeon ("Acipenser oxyrinchus oxyrinchus") (368.0 kg) [FishBase_species|genus=Acipenser|species=oxyrinchus oxyrinchus|year=2007|month=10]
*Blue catfish ("Ictalurus furcatus") (68.0 kg) [FishBase_species|genus=Ictalurus|species=furcatus|year=2007|month=10]
*Flathead catfish ("Pylodictis olivaris") (55.8 kg) [FishBase_species|genus=Pylodictis|species=olivaris|year=2007|month=10]
*Green sturgeon ("Acipenser medirostris") (159.0 kg) [FishBase_species|genus=Acipenser|species=medirostris|year=2007|month=10]
*Lake sturgeon ("Acipenser fulvescens") (125.0 kg) [FishBase_species|genus=Acipenser|species=fulvescens|year=2007|month=10]
*Pallid sturgeon ("Scaphirhynchus albus") (130.0 kg) [FishBase_species|genus=Scaphirhynchus|species=albus|year=2007|month=10]
*White sturgeon ("Acipenser transmontanus") (816.0 kg) [FishBase_species|genus=Acipenser|species=transmontanus|year=2007|month=10]

References

Gallery