Dozens of captive animal species have been found infected or proven able to be experimentally infected with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. The virus has also been found in over a dozen wild animal species.
Most animal species that can get the virus have not been proven to be able to spread it back to humans. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has stated that there is low risk that the virus would spread from animals to people but further studies are yet to be conducted.[1]
Animal | Date detected (or publicized) | Spread amongst themselves? | Spreads to humans? | Captive or wild infection? | References |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bank vole | April 2021 | No | Captive | [2] | |
Bat, Lesser horseshoe | (July 2021) (United Kingdom) | Wild | |||
Big hairy armadillo | March 2022 | Captive | [4] | ||
Binturong | October 2021 | Captive | [5] | ||
Black-tailed marmoset | January 2022 | Wild | [6] | ||
Bobcat | November 2022 | Wild | [7][8] | ||
Brown rat | (January 2023) | Wild | [8] | ||
Canada lynx | December 2021 | Captive | [9] | ||
Cat | April 2020 | Yes | Yes[10] | Captive | [11][12] |
Cattle | (December 2020) | Captive | [13] | ||
Common marmoset | December 2020 | Captive | [14][15] | ||
Civet | [16] | ||||
Cottontail rabbit | November 2022 | No | Wild | [17] | |
Cougar/Mountain Lion/Puma | July 2020 | Captive | [18] | ||
Crab-eating macaque | April 2020 | Captive | [19] | ||
Dog | March 2020 | No | Captive | [12][20] | |
Domestic rabbit | October 2020 | No | Captive | [21] | |
Eastern deer mouse | June 2021 | Yes | Captive and Wild | [22] | |
Eastern gray squirrel | November 2022 | Wild | [7][8] | ||
Eurasian Beaver | August 2021 | Captive | [23] | ||
Eurasian lynx | November 2021 | Captive | [24] | ||
European fallow deer | February 2022 | Wild | [25] | ||
Ferret | April 2020 | Yes | Captive | [11][26] | |
Fishing cat | October 2021 | Captive | [5] | ||
Fruit bat, Egyptian | September 2020 | Yes | Captive | [27] | |
Giant Anteater | (August 2022) | Captive | [4] | ||
Golden hamster | May 2020 | Yes | Yes[28] | Captive | [29] |
Gorilla | January 2021 | Captive | [30] | ||
Hamadryas baboon | December 2020 | Captive | [14][15] | ||
Hippopotamus | December 2021 | Captive | [31] | ||
Indian leopard | October 2021 | Wild | [32] | ||
Lion | October 2020 | Captive | [33][34][35] | ||
Tiger | April 2020 | Unconfirmed | Captive | [36][34] | |
Mandrill | August 2022 | Captive | [13] | ||
Mink | October 2020 | Yes | Yes[37][38] | Captive and Wild | [39] |
Monkey, African green | September 2020 | Captive | [40] | ||
Mouse, Western european house | (January 2022) | Captive (lab) | [41] | ||
Otter, Asian small-clawed | April 2021 | Captive | [42] | ||
Pangolin
(SARS-CoV2-Related Virus—as opposed to SARS-CoV2 specifically—antibodies detected; see "Wild or Captive infection" column) |
February – July 2020 (Thailand) | Wild
(Study concluded only that evidence of past infection with SARS-CoV2-Related Virus—as opposed to SARS-CoV2 specifically—was detected due to following findings: While Neutralizing Antibodies highly specific to SARS-CoV2 were found in small sample, it’s highly plausible that the antibodies were cross-reacting antibodies to other SARS-CoV2-Related Virus(es); Tested negative for virus) |
[43] | ||
Raccoon | November 2022 | Wild | [7][8] | ||
Raccoon dog | December 2020 | Yes | Captive | [44] | |
Red fox | November 2022 | Wild | [7][8] | ||
Rhesus macaque | May 2020 | Captive | [14][45] | ||
Ring-tailed coati | October 2021 | Captive | [46] | ||
Snow leopard | December 2020 | Captive | [18][47] | ||
Spotted hyena | November 2021 | Captive | [48] | ||
Squirrel monkey | July 2022 | Captive | [49] | ||
Striped skunk | November 2022 | Wild | [7][8] | ||
Swan | Summer 2022 | Undisclosed | [50] | ||
Virginia opossum | November 2022 | Wild | [7][8] | ||
West Indian manatee | (January 2022) | Captive | [4] | ||
White-footed mouse | November 2022 | Wild | [7][8] | ||
White-tailed deer | December 2020 | Yes | Yes[51][52] | Captive and Wild | [53][54] |
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