Global Assessment of Wild Mammals Kept as Pets, 702 Species

A global dataset records over 702 mammal species kept as pets, including 300 threatened taxa. The data, compiled by Hyago Keslley Lucena Soares and last updated in May 2026, shows strong phylogenetic clustering within Primates, Carnivora, and Rodentia. It likely reflects research availability from at least 65 countries.

Use Cases

• Modeling the association between species traits (e.g., body mass, geographic range) and pet-keeping likelihood.
• Identifying phylogenetic patterns and clades disproportionately represented in the pet trade.
• Informing conservation policy and enforcement by highlighting threatened species in the pet trade.
• Raising public awareness about conservation risks using data on specific species kept as pets.

Strengths

• Records a specific count of 702 mammal species.
• Identifies 300 threatened taxa within the dataset.
• Analyzes associations with concrete species traits like body mass and geographic range.
• Explicitly notes data coverage from at least 65 countries.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• The 65-country coverage likely reflects research availability rather than the true global extent of the practice.

Provenance

Source

Hyago Keslley Lucena Soares via figshare

Collection Method

Research compilation; methodology described in the associated PDF.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-05-12 04:19:43; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Global, with records from at least 65 countries.