132 Joshua Laerm, et al. 



Odocoileus virginianus (Zimmerman), White-tailed Deer. Common 

 in a wide variety of wooded habitats statewide. Three subspecies are 

 recognized as occurring in Georgia (Hall 1981). However, the near 

 extirpation of deer by the later 1800s (Jenkins 1953), and subsequent 

 restocking and interbreeding of individuals from various parts of the 

 species' range, make subspecific distinction unreliable. We can find no 

 records of recent introductions of deer onto Blackbeard Island, the type 

 locality for O. v. nigribarbis (Goldman and Kellogg). This subspecies 

 would appear to be the only recognizably distinct subspecies of deer 

 occurring in Georgia. 



DISCUSSION 



We recognize here 90 species and 118 subspecies of mammals 

 occurring in Georgia and its coastal waters. Of these, 74 species are 

 non-marine and 16 are marine. Not included in this list are four species 

 that recently ranged into Georgia but have been extirpated — Canis rufus 

 (Red Wolf), Canis lupus (Gray Wolf), Cervus elaphus (Elk), and Bison 

 bison (Bison). Three species and one subspecies listed herein are believed 

 extirpated from Georgia. They are Sylvilagus transitionalis (New Eng- 

 land Cottontail), Geomys pinetis fontanelus (Sherman's Pocket gopher), 

 Cystophora cristata (Hooded Seal), and Felis concolor (Mountain 

 Lion). 



The non-game mammals of Georgia are poorly known. At present 

 only very approximate distributional ranges for most species are availa- 

 ble. Certain areas of the state, such as Okefenokee Swamp, the extreme 

 northeastern counties, and the area immediately surrounding Athens, 

 Clarke County, and the barrier islands, have received considerable 

 attention, yet most parts of the state have not. There are glaring gaps in 

 the known ranges of even the most common forms (e.g., Peromyscus). 

 Many of the older collection records for several species (e.g., Sylvilagus 

 transitionalis and Cystophora cristata) probably do not reflect current 

 ranges. A large number of species listed above are known from a single, 

 or at best a few, records (e.g., several marine mammals, Sorex cinereus, 

 and Microsorex hoyi). Most of these species occur in Georgia at the 

 extreme periphery of their natural ranges. Several species (e.g., Sorex 

 dispar, Synaptomys cooperi, and Phoca vitulina) have known distribu- 

 tional ranges that very closely approach Georgia and appropriate habi- 

 tat for them appears to exist in the state. They may well occur in Georgia, 

 but as yet there are no records. 



There are a significant number of taxonomic problems (see above), 

 particularly with respect to characterization of subspecies. Attention to 

 these problems is crucial in our attempts to assess the status of Georgia's 

 mammal fauna (see Laerm et al., in press b). We hope that this checklist 

 may provide students of mammalogy a background for further study. 



