The wolf (Canis lupus), also known as the Gray wolf or Grey wolf, is a large canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of Canis lupus have been recognized, and gray wolves, as popularly understood, comprise wild...
The jaguar (Panthera onca) is a large cat species and the only living member of the genus Panthera native to the Americas. It is the largest cat species in the Americas and the third largest in the world. The jaguar has featured prominently in the...
The raccoon (Procyon lotor), sometimes called the common raccoon to distinguish it from other species, is a mammal native to North America. It is the largest of the procyonid family. Three of the raccoon's most distinctive features are its extremely...
The Bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) is a magnificent bird of prey found in North America. It is found near large bodies of open water with an abundant food supply and old-growth trees for nesting. It builds the largest nest of any North...
The Peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus) is a large cosmopolitan raptor in the family Falconidae. It is renowned for its speed during its characteristic hunting stoop (high-speed dive), making it the fastest bird in the world, as well as the fastest...
The American black bear (Ursus americanus) is a medium-sized bear endemic to North America. It is the continent's smallest and most widely distributed bear species. American black bears are omnivores, with their diets varying greatly depending on...
The osprey (Pandion haliaetus) is a diurnal, fish-eating bird of prey with a cosmopolitan range. The osprey tolerates a wide variety of habitats, nesting in any location near a body of water providing an adequate food supply. It is found on all...
The copperhead (Agkistrodon contortrix) is a venomous pit viper endemic to eastern North America; it is a member of the subfamily Crotalinae in the family Viperidae. As a common species within its range, it may be encountered by humans. Unlike other...
The mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) is a dabbling duck that breeds throughout the temperate and subtropical Americas, Eurasia, and North Africa. Mallards live in wetlands, eat water plants and small animals, and prefer to congregate in flocks of...
The Mourning dove (Zenaida macroura) is one of the most abundant and widespread of all North American birds. It is also one of the most popular gamebird, with more than 20 million birds (up to 70 million in some years) shot annually in the U.S.,...
The Canada goose (Branta canadensis) is a large wild goose native to the arctic and temperate regions of North America. Like most geese, the Canada goose is primarily herbivorous and normally migratory; often found on or close to fresh water. These...
The Pileated woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus) is a large woodpecker that live in forests of eastern North America. It is the largest extant woodpecker species in North America, with the possible exception of the Ivory-billed woodpecker, which the...
The Red-tailed hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) is a bird of prey that breeds throughout most of North America. It is one of the most common members within the genus of Buteo in North America or worldwide. The Red-tailed hawk is one of three species...
The Great horned owl (Bubo virginianus) is a large owl native to the Americas. It is an extremely adaptable bird with a vast range and is the most widely distributed true owl in the Americas. The Great horned owl is one of the earliest nesting birds...
The Northern cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) is a very populalr songbird in the genus Cardinalis found in North and Central Americas. Seven eastern states have it as their official state bird. The Northern cardinal was once prized as a pet, but its...
The White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) is a medium-sized deer native to the Americas where it is the most widely distributed wild ungulate. Texas is home to the most White-tailed deer of any U.S. state or Canadian province, with an estimated...
The leatherback sea turtle (Dermochelys coriacea ), sometimes called the lute turtle or leathery turtle or simply the luth, is the largest of all living turtles and the heaviest non-crocodilian reptile, reaching lengths of up to 1.8 metres and...
The American crocodile (Crocodylus acutus) is the most widespread of the four extant species of crocodiles from the Americas. It is also one of the largest crocodile species. Males can reach lengths of 6.1 m (20 ft 0 in), weighing up to 907 kg...
The Turkey vulture (Cathartes aura) is the most widespread of the New World vultures. Like all New World vultures, it is not closely related to the Old World vultures of Europe, Africa, and Asia. The Turkey vulture has very few natural predators and...
The Barn owl (Tyto alba) is the most widely distributed species of owl in the world and one of the most widespread of all species of birds. It is found almost everywhere in the world except for the polar and desert regions, Asia north of the...
The Muscovy duck (Cairina moschata) is a large duck native to the Americas. Although it is a tropical bird, it adapts well to cooler climates, thriving in weather as cold as −12 °C (10 °F) and able to survive even colder conditions.
The Red-eared slider (Trachemys scripta elegans ) is a subspecies of the Pond slider, a semiaquatic turtle. It is the most popular pet turtle in the United States, is also popular as a pet across the rest of the world, and is the most invasive...
The cane toad (Rhinella marina ), also known as the giant neotropical toad or marine toad, is a large, terrestrial true toad native to South and mainland Central America, but which has been introduced to various islands throughout Oceania and the...
The Sandhill crane (Antigone canadensis) is a species of large crane of North America and extreme northeastern Siberia. The common name of this bird refers to a habitat like that at the Platte River, on the edge of Nebraska's Sandhills on the...
The Red-winged blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) is a passerine bird found in North America and Central America. Claims have been made that it is the most abundant living land bird in North America; bird-counting censuses of wintering Red-winged...
The Great blue heron (Ardea herodias) is a tall and statuesque bird when wading in the water seeking its prey, and it is graceful and swift when flying with its slow deep wing beats. It is one of the most majestic wild birds in North America. This...
The common garter snake (Thamnophis sirtalis ) is a species of natricine snake, which is indigenous to North America and found widely across the continent. Most common garter snakes have a pattern of yellow stripes on a black, brown or green...
The Painted turtle (Chrysemys picta) is the most widespread native turtle of North America. Fossils show that the painted turtle existed 15 million years ago. In the traditional tales of Algonquian tribes, the colorful turtle played the part of a...
The Milk snake (Lampropeltis triangulum) is a species of kingsnake. The subspecies have strikingly different appearances, and many of them have their own common names. The Milk snake is not venomous to humans.
The Ring-necked snake (Diadophis punctatus) is a harmless snake found in North America. It is very secretive and is rarely seen during the daytime. It is slightly venomous, but its nonaggressive nature and small, rear-facing fangs pose little threat...
The Barred owl (Strix varia) is a North American large species of owl. These are large nocturnal birds probably best known for their unique vocalizations that carry well over 0.8 km (0.50 mi). They have typical nesting habits for a true owl and...
The loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta ), is a species of oceanic turtle distributed throughout the world. It is a marine reptile, belonging to the family Cheloniidae. The average loggerhead measures around 90 cm (35 in) in carapace length when...
The Barn swallow (Hirundo rustica) is the most widespread species of swallow in the world. In fact, it has the largest natural distribution of any of the world's passerines, ranging over 251 million square kilometers globally. In Anglophone Europe...
The Baltimore oriole (Icterus galbula) is a small colorful bird that received its name from the resemblance of the male's colors to those on the coat-of-arms of Lord Baltimore. It is the state bird of Maryland. It is also the namesake and mascot for...
The killdeer (Charadrius vociferus) is a large plover found in the Americas. It was described and given its current scientific name in 1758 by Carl Linnaeus in the 10th edition of his Systema Naturae. The common name of this species comes from its...
The Common grackle (Quiscalus quiscula) is a large New World blackbird found in large numbers through much of North America. It was first described in 1758 by Carl Linnaeus. Thee birds have a unique adaptation in the keel within their bill and along...
The Virginia opossum (Didelphis virginiana) is the only marsupial found in North America north of Mexico. In the United States, it is typically referred to simply as a possum. Virginia opossums are familiar to many North Americans as they are often...
The Mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) is one of the most iconic and beloved wildlife in the American West. It is so-named because of its large ears that look like a mule's ears.
The American bullfrog (Lithobates catesbeianus ), often simply known as the bullfrog in Canada and the United States, is a large true frog native to eastern North America. It typically inhabits large permanent water bodies such as swamps, ponds, and...
The Great egret (Ardea alba) is a large, widely distributed wading bird. Like all egrets, it is a member of the heron family, Ardeidae, and its close relatieves are pelicans. The Great egret is sometimes confused with the Great white heron of the...
The Cedar waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum) is a member of the family Bombycillidae or waxwing family of passerine birds. The genus name Bombycilla comes from the Ancient Greek bombux, "silk" and the Modern Latin cilla, "tail"; this is a direct...
The Eastern whip-poor-will (Antrostomus vociferus) is a medium-sized member of the nightjar family. It is found in North America and is commonly heard within its range, but less often seen because of its camouflage. It is named onomatopoeically...
