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Animals of North America

North America has a wide variety of wildlife adapted to environments ranging from Arctic tundra to deserts and dense forests.

Which animals live in North America?

Familiar examples include grizzly bears, bison, pumas, coyotes and bald eagles. Different species use forests, mountains, plains and wetlands.

A

alligator

AlligatorAlligator

alpaca

AlpacaVicugna pacos

Black-furred American black bear walking among moss-covered rocks

American black bearUrsus americanus

anteater

AnteaterVermilingua

antelope

AntelopeBovidae (antelope groups)

A green aphid with long antennae on a flower petal

AphidsAphidoidea

Blue-and-yellow macaw in flight with spread wings and a black bill

arctic fox

Arctic foxVulpes lagopus

arctic hare

Arctic hareLepus arcticus

arctic wolf

Arctic wolfCanis lupus arctos

armadillo

ArmadilloCingulata

Black Asian tiger mosquito with white stripes on its legs and body biting human skin

Asian tiger mosquitoAedes albopictus

Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) swimming in an aquarium

Atlantic salmonSalmo salar

axolotl

AxolotlAmbystoma mexicanum

B

badger

BadgerMeles; Taxidea; Mellivora

Adult bald eagle with a white head, hooked yellow bill and dark brown plumage

Bald eagleHaliaeetus leucocephalus

bat

bear

beaver

BeaverCastor fiber; Castor canadensis

Beluga whale facing the camera underwater, showing its rounded forehead and pectoral flippers

Beluga whaleDelphinapterus leucas

bison

BisonBison bison; Bison bonasus

Glossy black widow spider with a red hourglass mark on its abdomen

Black widow spiderLatrodectus

boa

BoaBoa constrictor

brown bear

Brown bearUrsus arctos

Brown shield-shaped stink bug with white-banded antennae on a green leaf

Brown marmorated stink bugHalyomorpha halys

bumblebee

BumblebeeBombus

C

Grey-olive caiman resting on a riverbank

CaimanCaimaninae

Capuchin monkey with brown fur and a black cap holding food in its hands

Capuchin monkeyCebinae

caterpillar

CaterpillarLepidoptera (caterpillar larval stage)

chameleon

ChameleonChamaeleonidae

Nasua nasua coati with its long snout near the ground and ringed tail raised

Yellow Colorado potato beetle with black lengthwise stripes on a green stem

Colorado potato beetleLeptinotarsa decemlineata

Common carp showing its large scales and barbels beside the mouth

Common carpCyprinus carpio

Tiny yellowish-brown fruit fly with bright red eyes on the edge of a leaf

Common fruit flyDrosophila melanogaster

Common silverfish with an elongated body, antennae and three terminal filaments

Common silverfishLepisma saccharinum

Common starling perched on a mossy branch, showing a pointed yellow bill, pink feet and green-violet iridescent feathers

Common starlingSturnus vulgaris

cormorant

CormorantPhalacrocoracidae

Orange corn snake with black-edged red blotches coiled on moss

Corn snakePantherophis guttatus

cougar

CougarPuma concolor

coyote

CoyoteCanis latrans

coypu

CoypuMyocastor coypus

Field cricket viewed from above at an angle, showing long antennae, six legs, folded wings and paired rear cerci

CricketsGryllidae

crocodile

CrocodileCrocodylidae

crow

D

deer

dragonfly

DragonflyAnisoptera (within Odonata)

E

A brown eagle with golden nape feathers perched on a rock

EaglesSeveral genera in Accipitridae

Segmented adult earthworm representing Lumbricus terrestris, showing the head end, clitellum and tapering rear end on soil

EarthwormsCrassiclitellata

earwig

EarwigForficula auricularia

Male elephant seal with a large inflated nose raised on a beach near females and pups

Elephant sealMirounga

Eurasian collared dove with pale grey-beige plumage and a black half-collar

Eurasian collared doveStreptopelia decaocto

Large European hornet with a yellow-red head, big eyes and a brown and yellow body on a plank

European hornetVespa crabro

Green European mantis with a triangular head and folded forelegs

European mantisMantis religiosa

F

Unverified RO bird image; identity review pending

FalconFalco spp.

firefly

FireflyLampyridae

flamingo

FlamingoPhoenicopteridae

fly

FlyDiptera; Musca domestica is the house fly

Grey flying squirrel with large dark eyes on a piece of wood

Flying squirrelPteromyini

frog

G

grasshopper

GrasshopperCaelifera

Grey partridge with an orange face, grey breast and chestnut bars along its sides

Grey partridgePerdix perdix

gull

GullLaridae (gulls in several genera)

Male guppy with blue-green markings and a patterned yellow tail among aquatic plants

GuppyPoecilia reticulata

H

Grey harbour porpoise with a short snout and small triangular dorsal fin swimming in greenish water

Harbour porpoisePhocoena phocoena

hawk

HawkAccipitridae; includes Accipiter and Astur

Magnified head louse among hairs, showing six legs with gripping claws

Head lousePediculus humanus capitis

Tabanus bromius horse fly with large iridescent eyes and transparent wings, viewed from the side

Horse flyTabanidae

Pale Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus dust mites seen through a microscope on dark fibres

House dust mitesDermatophagoides spp.

German cockroach (Blattella germanica) viewed from above

Household cockroachesBlattodea (specii sinantrope)

Male marmalade hoverfly, Episyrphus balteatus, photographed by Sandy Rae

HoverfliesSyrphidae

Black-furred howler monkey walking along a branch among leaves

Howler monkeyAlouatta

hummingbird

HummingbirdTrochilidae

I

iguana

IguanaIguanidae; Iguana for green and Lesser Antillean iguanas

J

jaguar

JaguarPanthera onca

K

Green Tettigonia viridissima katydid with long wings and slender legs on vegetation

KatydidTettigoniidae

kit fox

Kit foxVulpes macrotis

L

Black and yellow-brown Norway lemming crouching on a lichen-covered rock

White little egret with a black bill and yellow toes perched on a trunk

Little egretEgretta garzetta

lizard

LizardSquamata (lizards)

llama

LlamaLama glama

Long-eared owl with orange eyes and streaked plumage among branches and leaves

Long-eared owlAsio otus

lynx

M

manatee

ManateeTrichechus spp.

marmot

MarmotMarmota spp.

marten

MartenMartes spp.

Dark-shelled Mediterranean mussels clustered on an underwater rock

Mediterranean musselMytilus galloprovincialis

Long, segmented black millipede with many pairs of legs on dry leaves

MillipedeDiplopoda

mink

MinkMustela lutreola (European mink); Neogale vison (American mink)

mole

molluscs

MolluscsMollusca

Grey, finely spotted mollies swimming among green aquatic plants

MollyPoecilia sphenops

Monarch butterfly with orange wings, black veins and white dots on a purple and white flower

Monarch butterflyDanaus plexippus

monkey

Monkeys and apesSimiiformes (monkeys and apes)

moose

MooseAlces alces

mosquito

MosquitoCulicidae

moth

MothLepidoptera (moths from several families)

mouflon

MouflonOvis gmelinii complex; European mouflon naming varies between taxonomic treatments

mouse

MouseMus spp.; Mus musculus is the house mouse

Male muskox with long shaggy hair and heavy horns in Dovrefjell, Norway

MuskoxOvibos moschatus

N

narwhal

NarwhalMonodon monoceros

Northern pike (Esox lucius), showing its elongated snout and pale body markings.

Northern pikeEsox lucius

O

Ocelot with elongated black-bordered spots and rounded ears

OcelotLeopardus pardalis

opossum

OpossumDidelphimorphia; Didelphis virginiana is one species

otter

OtterLutrinae; Lutra lutra is the Eurasian otter, Lontra canadensis the North American river otter

owl

OwlStrigiformes

P

parrot

ParrotPsittaciformes

peacock

PeacockPavo spp.; Afropavo congensis is the Congo peafowl

pelican

PelicanPelecanus spp.

pheasant

PheasantPhasianus colchicus

Blue poison dart frog with black spots on the ground

Poison dart frogDendrobatidae

polar bear

Polar bearUrsus maritimus

polecat

PolecatMustela (polecats and related ferrets)

Black-tailed prairie dog at a burrow entrance, holding food with its front paws

Prairie dogCynomys

Prussian carp seen from the side underwater

Prussian carpCarassius gibelio

python

PythonPythonidae

Q

quetzal

QuetzalPharomachrus spp.; Pharomachrus mocinno is the resplendent quetzal

R

rabbit

RabbitOryctolagus cuniculus

raccoon

RaccoonProcyon lotor

A brown rat, Rattus norvegicus, with whiskers and a scaly tail curved on the ground

rattlesnake

RattlesnakeCrotalus and Sistrurus spp.

raven

RavenCorvus corax

red fox

Red foxVulpes vulpes

Water turtle with yellow stripes and a red patch behind the eye on a rock

Red-eared sliderTrachemys scripta elegans

reindeer

ReindeerRangifer tarandus

S

salamander

SalamanderCaudata (also called Urodela)

Scolopendra cingulata with a yellow-brown segmented body, yellow legs and reddish antennae

Scolopendra centipedeScolopendra

scorpion

ScorpionScorpiones

sea lion

Sea lionOtariidae (sea lions; family also includes fur seals)

Sea otter with thick brown fur and a pale head floating on its back in the water

Sea otterEnhydra lutris

seal

skunk

SkunkMephitidae

sloth

Spotted Limax maximus with extended tentacles on moss

SlugGastropoda — terrestrial slugs

Fossil Smilodon skull with two very long, curved upper canines

Smilodon (saber-toothed cat)Smilodon

snail

SnailGastropoda

snake

White snowy owl with black flecks and yellow eyes perched on a branch

Snowy owlBubo scandiacus

Yellow platy with red tones, a red head and black-edged fins on a dark background

Southern platyfishXiphophorus maculatus

sparrow

SparrowPasser domesticus (house sparrow); other sparrow species are also discussed

European garden spider, Araneus diadematus, viewed from above on its web, showing white abdominal spots and eight walking legs

squirrel

SquirrelSciuridae (squirrels)

Long, thin brown stick insect with twig-like legs among fern leaves

Stick insectPhasmatodea

Stoat (Mustela erminea) with a black tail tip among vegetation

StoatMustela erminea

Sterlet (Acipenser ruthenus), a sturgeon with a pointed snout and bony scutes

SturgeonAcipenseridae

swan

SwanCygnus spp.

swift fox

Swift foxVulpes velox

T

tarantula

TarantulaTheraphosidae

termite

TermiteIsoptera (Blattodea)

AI illustration of a toco toucan with an orange bill and white throat

ToucanRamphastidae

true bug

True bugHeteroptera (within Hemiptera); includes Cimex and stink bugs

turtle

TurtleTestudines

V

A pale-necked brown vulture perched on a rock

VulturesSeveral species: Accipitridae and Cathartidae

W

Yellow-and-black wasp on a twig

WaspHymenoptera: several wasp families, including Vespidae

weasel

WeaselMustela nivalis

wild boar

Wild boarSus scrofa

wolf

WolfCanis lupus

Brown wolverine sitting in grass, showing rounded ears and a bushy tail

WolverineGulo gulo

woodpecker

WoodpeckerPicidae

Life-size model of a woolly mammoth with long brown fur and large curved tusks

Woolly mammothMammuthus