Reptiles
Alligator snapping turtle
Macrochelys temminckii
The alligator snapping turtle is North America's largest freshwater turtle. Facts on its ridged shell, worm-like tongue lure, size, lifespan, range and threats.
Region · 173 species
Animals of North America
Animals of North America, including Central America and the Caribbean: bison, bald eagles, alligators, grizzly bears and more.
Species profiles
Reptiles
American alligator
Alligator mississippiensis
The American alligator is a large crocodilian of southeastern US wetlands. Facts on its size, diet, nesting, gator holes and its comeback from near extinction.
Mammals
American bison
Bison bison
The American bison is North America's heaviest land animal, a grazing giant of prairies and Yellowstone. Size, hump, herds, diet, near extinction and recovery.
Mammals
American black bear
Ursus americanus
The American black bear is North America's most common bear, a tree-climbing omnivore of forests from Alaska to Mexico. Size, colors, diet, denning and cubs.
Amphibians
American bullfrog
Lithobates catesbeianus
The American bullfrog is North America's largest true frog, up to 20 cm long and 500 g. Its size, deep call, diet, tadpoles, range and spread as an invasive.
Reptiles
American crocodile
Crocodylus acutus
The American crocodile lives in coastal mangroves from south Florida to Peru and Venezuela. Facts on its size, salt tolerance, nesting and Florida recovery.
Birds
American crow
Corvus brachyrhynchos
The American crow is a glossy black, highly intelligent bird found across North America. Facts on its size, calls, diet, family life, roosts and lifespan.
Birds
American flamingo
Phoenicopterus ruber
The American flamingo is the brightest pink flamingo, a filter feeder of Caribbean lagoons. Facts on its size, color, diet, mud nests, range and lifespan.
Birds
American goldfinch
Spinus tristis
The American goldfinch is a small North American finch that molts twice a year and eats almost only seeds. Facts on its size, colors, diet, nesting and range.
Crustaceans
American lobster
Homarus americanus
The American lobster is a big-clawed crustacean of the northwest Atlantic and the heaviest on record. Its claws, size, diet, molting, colors and long life.
Birds
American robin
Turdus migratorius
The American robin is North America's most widespread thrush, known for its orange breast and blue eggs. Facts on its size, diet, nests, song and range.
Amphibians
American toad
Anaxyrus americanus
The American toad is the common warty toad of eastern North America: its size, colors, long musical trill, garden and woodland habitat, breeding and lifespan.
Mammals
Arctic fox
Vulpes lagopus
The Arctic fox is a small fox of the Arctic tundra with some of the warmest fur of any mammal. Facts on its size, color morphs, range, diet, cubs and lifespan.
Birds
Arctic tern
Sterna paradisaea
The Arctic tern is a small gray-and-white seabird that flies from the Arctic to Antarctica and back each year. Facts on its size, diet, colonies and lifespan.
Arachnids
Arizona bark scorpion
Centruroides sculpturatus
The Arizona bark scorpion is a small, pale scorpion of the Sonoran Desert and the most venomous in the US. Size, climbing habits, young, venom and real risk.
Crustaceans
Atlantic blue crab
Callinectes sapidus
The Atlantic blue crab is a swimming crab of Chesapeake Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, with blue claws and paddle legs. Its size, diet, molting and life cycle.
Fish
Atlantic bluefin tuna
Thunnus thynnus
The Atlantic bluefin tuna is a giant, warm-bodied ocean fish of up to 679 kg (1,496 lb). Its size, migrations, spawning, diet and recovery from overfishing.
Other Invertebrates
Atlantic horseshoe crab
Limulus polyphemus
The Atlantic horseshoe crab is an ancient arthropod closer to spiders than crabs. Facts on its shell, blue blood, Delaware Bay spawning and Vulnerable status.
Birds
Atlantic puffin
Fratercula arctica
The Atlantic puffin is a small North Atlantic seabird with a bright breeding bill. Facts on its size, burrows, fish diet, chick, lifespan and Vulnerable status.
Fish
Atlantic salmon
Salmo salar
The Atlantic salmon hatches in cold rivers, grows up at sea and leaps home to spawn. Its life cycle, size, diet, ocean journeys, threats and current status.
Amphibians
Axolotl
Ambystoma mexicanum
The axolotl is a Mexican salamander that keeps its gills and lives in water for life. Facts on its size, colors, diet, regeneration and endangered status.
Birds
Bald eagle
Haliaeetus leucocephalus
The bald eagle is North America's sea eagle and the US national bird. Facts on its size, white head, fish diet, giant nests, range, lifespan and DDT recovery.
Birds
Barn swallow
Hirundo rustica
The barn swallow is the world's most widespread swallow: a fork-tailed insect hunter that nests in barns and migrates between continents. Size, diet, lifespan.
Mammals
Beluga whale
Delphinapterus leucas
The beluga is a white Arctic whale with a bulging melon, a bendy neck and a huge range of calls. Its size, color change, diet, range, lifespan and threats.
Mammals
Bighorn sheep
Ovis canadensis
The bighorn sheep is a wild mountain sheep of western North America, famous for the huge curled horns of its rams. Size, climbing, rut, range and recovery.
Birds
Black-capped chickadee
Poecile atricapillus
The black-capped chickadee is a tiny, bold North American songbird with a black cap and bib, noted for its alarm calls, food caching and surviving hard winters.
Reptiles
Boa constrictor
Boa constrictor
The boa constrictor is a large, nonvenomous snake of tropical America, usually 1.8–3 m long. Facts on its size, red tail, habitat, diet, birth and taxonomy.
Mammals
Brown bear
Ursus arctos
The brown bear is the most widespread bear, found across North America, Europe and Asia, and includes grizzly and Kodiak bears. Size, diet, dens, life, status.
Birds
Brown pelican
Pelecanus occidentalis
The brown pelican is the smallest pelican and the only one that plunge-dives for fish. Facts on its size, pouch, colonies, range and recovery from DDT.
Arachnids
Brown recluse
Loxosceles reclusa
The brown recluse is a shy, six-eyed spider of the south-central US with a violin mark and tissue-damaging venom. Its real range, habits, life cycle and bites.
Mammals
Brown-throated sloth
Bradypus variegatus
The brown-throated sloth is the most common three-toed sloth of Central and South America. Facts on its size, leaf diet, green fur, slow life and lifespan.
Fish
Bull shark
Carcharhinus leucas
The bull shark is a stocky coastal shark that can swim far up rivers into fresh water. Its size, diet, river nurseries, risk to people and Vulnerable status.
Reptiles
Burmese python
Python bivittatus
The Burmese python is a giant constrictor of Southeast Asia that can top 5 m. Facts on size, ambush hunting, egg brooding and its invasion of the Everglades.
Birds
California condor
Gymnogyps californianus
The California condor is North America's largest flying land bird, a bald-headed scavenger saved from extinction by captive breeding. Size, diet and threats.
Mammals
California sea lion
Zalophus californianus
The California sea lion is a clever, noisy eared seal of the Pacific coast. Its size, diet, breeding, barking, toxic algae threats and Least Concern status.
Birds
Canada goose
Branta canadensis
The Canada goose is a large black-necked goose native to North America and introduced to Europe. Facts on size, migration, diet, nesting, lifespan and status.
Mammals
Canada lynx
Lynx canadensis
The Canada lynx is a long-legged wild cat of northern forests with huge snowshoe paws and black ear tufts. Facts on size, range, hare diet, kittens and status.
Amphibians
Cane toad
Rhinella marina
The cane toad is a huge, toxic toad native to the Americas that became a notorious invader in Australia, Florida and Pacific islands. Size, toxins, life cycle.
Arachnids
Carolina wolf spider
Hogna carolinensis
The Carolina wolf spider is North America's largest wolf spider, a burrowing night hunter with no web. Its size, range, eyeshine, egg sacs and real bite risk.
Other Invertebrates
Common earthworm
Lumbricus terrestris
The common earthworm, or nightcrawler, is a large European worm that digs burrows up to 2 m deep. Facts on its body, ten hearts, diet, mating and role in soil.
Insects
Common eastern firefly
Photinus pyralis
The common eastern firefly is North America's best-known lightning bug, a beetle that draws J-shaped flashes at dusk. Facts on its light, larvae and lifespan.
Reptiles
Common garter snake
Thamnophis sirtalis
The common garter snake is a striped, harmless snake found across most of North America. Facts on its size, color forms, diet, live birth and winter dens.
Insects
Common green darner
Anax junius
The common green darner is a large North American dragonfly with a green thorax and blue abdomen. Its size, hunting, nymphs and multigeneration migration.
Arachnids
Common harvestman
Phalangium opilio
The common harvestman is a long-legged arachnid, not a spider: one-piece body, two eyes, no silk, no venom. Size, diet, range, life cycle and detachable legs.
Birds
Common loon
Gavia immer
The common loon, or great northern diver, is a large diving bird of northern lakes famous for its haunting calls. Size, diving, nesting, range and lifespan.
Crustaceans
Common pill bug
Armadillidium vulgare
The common pill bug is a land crustacean, not an insect, that rolls into a ball and eats dead leaves. Facts on its looks, range, diet, breeding and lifespan.
Birds
Common raven
Corvus corax
The common raven is a huge all-black songbird of the Northern Hemisphere, famous for deep croaks, play and problem-solving. Size, diet, nests, lifespan, myths.
Reptiles
Common snapping turtle
Chelydra serpentina
The common snapping turtle is a big, rough-shelled freshwater turtle of North America. Facts on its size, powerful bite, diet, nesting, lifespan and range.
Mammals
Common vampire bat
Desmodus rotundus
The common vampire bat is a small Latin American bat that feeds only on blood, mostly from livestock. Facts on its size, heat-sensing nose, range and colonies.
Reptiles
Copperhead
Agkistrodon contortrix
The copperhead is a camouflaged pit viper of the eastern US. How to identify its hourglass bands, plus its size, range, diet, live young and real bite risk.
Reptiles
Corn snake
Pantherophis guttatus
The corn snake is a harmless orange-red rat snake of the southeastern US, usually 0.6–1.2 m long. Facts on its colors, range, habitat, diet, eggs and lifespan.
Reptiles
Cottonmouth
Agkistrodon piscivorus
The cottonmouth, or water moccasin, is a venomous semi-aquatic pit viper of the southeastern US. Its size, white-mouth display, fish diet, live young and range.
Reptiles
Eastern box turtle
Terrapene carolina
The eastern box turtle is a small land turtle of eastern US woods that can shut its hinged shell tight and may live 100 years. Size, diet, range and threats.
Mammals
Eastern chipmunk
Tamias striatus
The eastern chipmunk is a small striped ground squirrel of eastern North America that hoards seeds in its burrow. Size, diet, pouches, winter torpor and calls.
Reptiles
Eastern coral snake
Micrurus fulvius
The eastern coral snake is a shy, venomous elapid of the southeastern US. Its red, yellow and black rings, size, range, snake-eating diet, eggs and real risk.
Mammals
Eastern cottontail
Sylvilagus floridanus
The eastern cottontail is North America's most common wild rabbit. Facts on its cotton-ball tail, size, diet, grass nests, fast breeding, lifespan and enemies.
Reptiles
Eastern diamondback rattlesnake
Crotalus adamanteus
The eastern diamondback is the largest rattlesnake: a heavy pit viper of southeastern US pine forests. Size, diamond pattern, diet, birth, venom and decline.
Mammals
Eastern gray squirrel
Sciurus carolinensis
The eastern gray squirrel is the familiar park squirrel of eastern North America, invasive in Britain and Italy. Size, diet, nut caching, nests and lifespan.
Insects
Eastern subterranean termite
Reticulitermes flavipes
The eastern subterranean termite is North America's most widespread termite. Facts on its castes, swarmers, king and queen, colonies and its gut microbes.
Arachnids
European garden spider
Araneus diadematus
The European garden spider is a harmless orb weaver with a white cross on its back. Its size, webs, silk, autumn peak, risky courtship and life cycle explained.
Mammals
European hare
Lepus europaeus
The European or brown hare is a fast, long-eared hare of open farmland. Facts on its size, speed, spring boxing, leverets, diet, lifespan and status.
Insects
European hornet
Vespa crabro
The European hornet is Europe's largest social wasp, up to 35 mm long. Facts on its colors, hollow-tree nests, insect hunting, night flights and sting risk.
Mammals
European rabbit
Oryctolagus cuniculus
The European rabbit is the wild ancestor of every domestic rabbit breed. Facts on its size, warrens, diet, breeding, lifespan and Endangered status in Iberia.
Birds
European starling
Sturnus vulgaris
The European starling is a glossy, speckled songbird famous for mimicry and huge murmurations. Facts on its size, diet, nests, lifespan and spread to America.
Mollusks
Garden snail
Cornu aspersum
The garden snail is a brown land snail from the Mediterranean and western Europe, now found worldwide. Facts on its shell, diet, slime, mating and lifespan.
Mammals
Giant anteater
Myrmecophaga tridactyla
The giant anteater is a toothless, ant-eating mammal of Central and South America. Facts on its size, long tongue, huge claws, babies, range and its status.
Arachnids
Giant house spider
Eratigena atrica
The giant house spider is a big, fast but harmless funnel weaver of European homes, also found in Canada and the US Northwest. Size, webs, speed and lifespan.
Mollusks
Giant Pacific octopus
Enteroctopus dofleini
The giant Pacific octopus is the world's largest octopus, a clever North Pacific mollusk. Its size, range, dens, diet, brooding mothers and 3 to 5 year life.
Reptiles
Gila monster
Heloderma suspectum
The Gila monster is a slow, venomous lizard of the US Southwest and Mexico with beaded pink and black skin. Size, venom, diet, habitat, lifespan and protection.
Birds
Golden eagle
Aquila chrysaetos
The golden eagle is the most widespread eagle in the world, a dark brown hunter of hares and ground squirrels with 2 m wings. Size, range, diet and threats.
Mammals
Gray whale
Eschrichtius robustus
The gray whale is a mottled North Pacific baleen whale that sucks prey from the seafloor and migrates between Arctic seas and Mexico. Size, diet and threats.
Birds
Great blue heron
Ardea herodias
The great blue heron is North America's largest heron. Facts on its size, slow flight, fish diet, treetop colonies, the white Florida form, migration and range.
Fish
Great hammerhead
Sphyrna mokarran
The great hammerhead is the biggest hammerhead shark, up to 6 m (20 ft) long. Its T-shaped head, stingray diet, warm-sea range and Critically Endangered status.
Birds
Great horned owl
Bubo virginianus
The great horned owl is a big, tufted owl found from Alaska to Central America. Facts on its size, deep hoots, strong grip, skunk-eating diet and winter nests.
Birds
Greater roadrunner
Geococcyx californianus
The greater roadrunner is a fast-running ground cuckoo of the US Southwest and Mexico. Facts on its speed, size, diet of lizards and snakes, nesting and status.
Reptiles
Green iguana
Iguana iguana
The green iguana is a large, plant-eating tree lizard of Central and South America that can top 1.5 m. Size, colors, diet, swimming, nesting and lifespan.
Fish
Green moray
Gymnothorax funebris
The green moray is the largest moray eel of the tropical Atlantic, up to 2.5 m long. Why it looks green, how it breathes and hunts, and how dangerous it is.
Fish
Greenland shark
Somniosus microcephalus
The Greenland shark is a slow, cold-water giant of the Arctic and North Atlantic that may live for centuries. Its size, diet, eye parasites, range and threats.
Mammals
Harbor porpoise
Phocoena phocoena
The harbor porpoise is a small, shy toothed whale of cool coastal seas. Its size, clicks, diet, North Sea and Baltic range, short lifespan and bycatch threats.
Mammals
Harbor seal
Phoca vitulina
The harbor seal is a spotted true seal of northern coasts in Europe, North America and Asia. Its size, fish diet, pups, diving, threats and conservation status.
Birds
Harpy eagle
Harpia harpyja
The harpy eagle is a huge rainforest eagle of Central and South America that hunts sloths and monkeys. Facts on its size, talons, diet, breeding and status.
Amphibians
Hellbender
Cryptobranchus alleganiensis
The hellbender is North America's largest salamander: a flat, wrinkly, fully aquatic amphibian of clean, rocky Appalachian and Ozark streams, now Vulnerable.
Insects
Hercules beetle
Dynastes hercules
The Hercules beetle is the world's longest beetle, with males up to about 17 cm (7 in) including the horn. Facts on its horns, fights, color change and larvae.
Mammals
Hoffmann's two-toed sloth
Choloepus hoffmanni
Hoffmann's two-toed sloth is a nocturnal, tree-dwelling sloth of Central and South America. Facts on its size, claws, diet, babies, lifespan and how it lives.
Other Invertebrates
House centipede
Scutigera coleoptrata
The house centipede has 15 pairs of long legs, runs about 0.4 m (1.3 ft) per second and hunts insects in homes. Its size, eyes, venom, range and lifespan.
Insects
House cricket
Acheta domesticus
The house cricket is a small brown cricket that lives around homes worldwide. Facts on how males chirp, ears on the legs, diet, life cycle and farming as food.
Birds
House sparrow
Passer domesticus
The house sparrow is a small, chirpy seed-eater that lives alongside people on every inhabited continent. Facts on its size, plumage, diet, nesting and decline.
Birds
Indian peafowl
Pavo cristatus
The Indian peafowl is the peacock of India and Sri Lanka, famous for the male's eyespot train. Facts on its size, calls, diet, breeding, lifespan and range.
Insects
Leafcutter ant
Atta cephalotes
The leafcutter ant Atta cephalotes farms fungus on chewed leaves in giant underground nests. Facts on its castes, colonies, range, fungus gardens and role.
Mammals
Least weasel
Mustela nivalis
The least weasel is the world's smallest carnivoran, weighing as little as 25 g. Its size, vole hunting, white winter coat, breeding, range and status.
Mollusks
Leopard slug
Limax maximus
The leopard slug is a large spotted land slug of Europe, now also in North America. Facts on its size, hidden shell, diet, mating on a slime rope and lifespan.
Fish
Lined seahorse
Hippocampus erectus
The lined seahorse is a western Atlantic seahorse found from Nova Scotia to Brazil. Its size, armor, upright swimming, diet, courtship, pregnancy and threats.
Mammals
Little brown bat
Myotis lucifugus
The little brown bat is a small North American insect-eating bat that can live over 30 years. Size, echolocation, colonies, hibernation and white-nose syndrome.
Arachnids
Mexican red-knee tarantula
Brachypelma hamorii
The Mexican red-knee tarantula is a burrowing spider of Mexico's Pacific slopes: its orange knees, slow growth, decades-long female lifespan and protection.
Insects
Monarch butterfly
Danaus plexippus
The monarch is an orange-and-black milkweed butterfly famous for flying up to 4,800 km to winter in Mexico. Its looks, size, life cycle, toxins and status.
Other Invertebrates
Moon jellyfish
Aurelia aurita
The moon jellyfish is a clear, saucer-shaped jelly with four ring-shaped gonads and a very mild sting. Its size, diet, life cycle, blooms and where it lives.
Birds
Mourning dove
Zenaida macroura
The mourning dove is a slender gray-brown North American dove known for its soft, sad cooing and whistling wings. Facts on size, diet, nests and lifespan.
Mammals
Nine-banded armadillo
Dasypus novemcinctus
The nine-banded armadillo is an armored, insect-eating mammal and the only armadillo in the US. Its shell, size, diet, quadruplet births and spread north.
Mammals
North American beaver
Castor canadensis
The North American beaver is the largest rodent in North America, a dam-building wetland engineer. Its size, teeth, lodges, bark diet, family life and comeback.
Mammals
North American porcupine
Erethizon dorsatum
The North American porcupine is a large, tree-climbing rodent covered in about 30,000 barbed quills. Its size, bark diet, salt cravings, predators and range.
Mammals
North American river otter
Lontra canadensis
The North American river otter is a playful, fish-eating otter of rivers, lakes and coasts in Canada and the US. Its size, fur, diet, family life and comeback.
Mammals
North Atlantic right whale
Eubalaena glacialis
The North Atlantic right whale is a rare baleen whale of the western Atlantic with no dorsal fin. Its size, copepod diet, calving, threats and survival odds.
Birds
Northern cardinal
Cardinalis cardinalis
The northern cardinal is a crested red songbird of eastern North America and the state bird of seven US states. Facts on its size, song, diet, nests and range.
Mammals
Northern elephant seal
Mirounga angustirostris
The northern elephant seal is a giant true seal of the eastern Pacific. Its size, trunk-like nose, harems, record dives, molt and comeback from near extinction.
Birds
Northern mockingbird
Mimus polyglottos
The northern mockingbird is a gray songbird famous for copying other sounds. Facts on its size, songs, night singing, nest defense, range and lifespan.
Insects
Northern walkingstick
Diapheromera femorata
The northern walkingstick is a wingless stick insect of eastern North American woods. Its twig camouflage, leaf diet, falling eggs, outbreaks and giant kin.
Reptiles
Northern water snake
Nerodia sipedon
The northern water snake is a harmless banded snake of ponds and streams in eastern North America. Its size, range, fish diet, live young and cottonmouth ID.
Other Invertebrates
Ochre sea star
Pisaster ochraceus
The ochre sea star is the purple or orange starfish of North America's Pacific shores. Facts on its size, mussel diet, keystone role, lifespan and disease.
Insects
Painted lady
Vanessa cardui
The painted lady is the most widespread butterfly on Earth, found on every continent except Antarctica. Its looks, host plants, life cycle and migration.
Birds
Peregrine falcon
Falco peregrinus
The peregrine falcon is the fastest animal on Earth, diving at over 300 km/h. Facts on its size, bird diet, worldwide range, city nests and recovery from DDT.
Insects
Periodical cicada
Magicicada septendecim
Magicicada septendecim, the 17-year periodical cicada, lives underground for 17 years, then emerges by the millions in the eastern US. Broods, song, life cycle.
Birds
Pileated woodpecker
Dryocopus pileatus
The pileated woodpecker is North America's largest common woodpecker, a crow-sized bird with a red crest. Facts on its size, carpenter ant diet, nests, range.
Mammals
Polar bear
Ursus maritimus
The polar bear is the largest land carnivore, a marine mammal that hunts seals from Arctic sea ice. Size, fur and black skin, dens, range, threats and status.
Insects
Praying mantis
Mantis religiosa
The praying mantis is a green or brown ambush hunter 5–8 cm long with spiny grasping forelegs. How it hunts, sees in 3D, mates and survives winter as an egg.
Other Invertebrates
Purple sea urchin
Strongylocentrotus purpuratus
The purple sea urchin is a spiny grazer of Pacific kelp forests and tide pools. Facts on its size, teeth, rock burrows, lifespan, predators and urchin barrens.
Fish
Red lionfish
Pterois volitans
The red lionfish is a striped, venomous reef fish of the Indo-Pacific that now invades Atlantic and Caribbean reefs. Its size, hunting, breeding and impact.
Amphibians
Red-eyed tree frog
Agalychnis callidryas
The red-eyed tree frog is a small nocturnal frog of Central American rainforests. Its size, colors, startle display, diet, eggs on leaves, lifespan and status.
Birds
Red-tailed hawk
Buteo jamaicensis
The red-tailed hawk is North America's most common large hawk. How to identify it, plus facts on its size, rodent diet, nests, migration, scream and lifespan.
Birds
Rock pigeon
Columba livia
The rock pigeon is the wild cliff bird behind every city pigeon and homing pigeon. Facts on its size, range, nests, crop milk, intelligence and history.
Birds
Ruby-throated hummingbird
Archilochus colubris
The ruby-throated hummingbird is the only hummingbird that breeds in eastern North America. Facts on its size, wingbeats, diet, nest, migration and lifespan.
Birds
Sandhill crane
Antigone canadensis
The sandhill crane is the most numerous crane on Earth: a tall gray bird with a red crown and bugling call. Facts on its size, dances, diet, migration and life.
Birds
Scarlet macaw
Ara macao
The scarlet macaw is a large red, yellow and blue parrot of tropical American forests. Facts on its size, diet, clay licks, nesting, lifespan and conservation.
Insects
Seven-spot ladybug
Coccinella septempunctata
The seven-spot ladybug is a red beetle 5–8 mm long with seven black spots that hunts aphids. Its life cycle, defenses, winter clusters and spread to America.
Arachnids
Southern black widow
Latrodectus mactans
The southern black widow is a shy, glossy black spider of the southeastern US with a red hourglass and potent venom. Its size, web, life cycle and real risk.
Fish
Southern stingray
Hypanus americanus
The southern stingray is a diamond-shaped ray of the warm western Atlantic. Its size, sand-burying habits, buried prey, tail barb, Stingray City and status.
Other Invertebrates
Staghorn coral
Acropora cervicornis
Staghorn coral is a fast-growing, antler-shaped reef builder of Florida and the Caribbean. How it feeds, grows and spawns, and why it is Critically Endangered.
Amphibians
Strawberry poison dart frog
Oophaga pumilio
The strawberry poison dart frog is a tiny red-and-blue frog of Central American rainforests. Facts on its color morphs, toxins, calls and tadpole care.
Mammals
Striped skunk
Mephitis mephitis
The striped skunk is North America's familiar black-and-white skunk. Facts on its warning display, spray, size, omnivorous diet, dens, predators and lifespan.
Reptiles
Timber rattlesnake
Crotalus horridus
The timber rattlesnake is a large, calm pit viper of eastern US forests. Facts on its color phases, size, range, winter dens, slow breeding and protection.
Birds
Turkey vulture
Cathartes aura
The turkey vulture is the most widespread vulture in the Americas. Facts on its bare red head, wobbly soaring, keen sense of smell, diet, range and lifespan.
Reptiles
Veiled chameleon
Chamaeleo calyptratus
The veiled chameleon is a large, casque-headed chameleon from Yemen and Saudi Arabia. Facts on its casque, colors, tongue, eyes, eggs, lifespan and range.
Mammals
Virginia opossum
Didelphis virginiana
The Virginia opossum is North America's only marsupial north of Mexico. Size, 50 teeth, prehensile tail, playing possum, diet, babies on the back and lifespan.
Mammals
West Indian manatee
Trichechus manatus
The West Indian manatee is a gentle, plant-eating sea cow of Florida and the Caribbean. Size, diet, warm-water needs, breeding, threats and Vulnerable status.
Reptiles
Western diamondback rattlesnake
Crotalus atrox
The western diamondback is the big coon-tailed rattlesnake of the US Southwest and Mexico. Size, ID, desert habitat, rodent diet, dens, behavior and venom.
Insects
Western honey bee
Apis mellifera
The western honey bee is a social bee that lives in colonies of up to 80,000. Facts on its queen, workers and drones, comb, waggle dance, honey and spread.
Fish
White-spotted puffer
Arothron hispidus
The white-spotted puffer is a common Indo-Pacific pufferfish that inflates with water, has a beak of fused teeth and carries tetrodotoxin. Size, diet and range.
Mammals
White-tailed deer
Odocoileus virginianus
The white-tailed deer is the most widespread deer in the Americas, named for the white tail it flashes when alarmed. Size, antlers, fawns, diet, rut and range.
Birds
Wild turkey
Meleagris gallopavo
The wild turkey is North America's largest game bird and ancestor of the farm turkey. Facts on its size, snood and beard, gobbling, flight, diet and comeback.
Amphibians
Wood frog
Lithobates sylvaticus
The wood frog is a masked brown frog of North American forests that survives winter frozen. Its size, range to Alaska, vernal pool breeding, calls and life.
Arachnids
Zebra jumping spider
Salticus scenicus
The zebra jumping spider is a small black-and-white hunter of sunny walls in Europe and North America, with big eyes, sharp vision and accurate leaps.
Lists, guides and comparisons
Wildlife guide
Venomous Snakes in the US: Every Type and Where It Lives
Wildlife guide
Snakes in Texas: Venomous and Harmless Species Guide
Wildlife guide
Snakes in California: Rattlesnakes and Harmless Species
Wildlife guide
Sharks in Florida: Common Species, Seasons and Real Risk
Wildlife guide
Lizards in Texas: Horned Lizards, Anoles and More
Wildlife guide
Lizards in Florida: Native and Invasive Species Guide
Wildlife guide
Everglades Wildlife: Animals of Florida's River of Grass
Wildlife guide
Backyard Birds of Texas: Common Species Across the State
Wildlife guide
Backyard Birds of Ohio: 25 Common Species to Know
Wildlife guide
Backyard Birds of Michigan: Common Species by Season
Wildlife guide