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Wild Animals in the United States

1,575 species are recorded more often in the United States than anywhere else — from the much-photographed Mallard to the seldom-seen Black-footed Ferret. Every one is backed by research-grade iNaturalist sightings.

  • 535 birds
  • 388 ray-finned fish
  • 247 mammals
  • 206 reptiles
  • 168 amphibians
  • 24 cartilaginous fish
  • 7 cephalopods

All 1,575 species recorded in the United States

Ordered by how often people have recorded them. Tap any animal for its full field-guide entry.

Wild animals in the United States: 17 questions answered

Answered from this page’s 1,575-species slice of the guide. Counts describe the guide, not a national checklist.

What wild animals live in the United States?

This field guide lists 1,575 wild animals whose research-grade iNaturalist sightings are concentrated in the United States: 535 birds, 388 ray-finned fish, 247 mammals, 206 reptiles and 3 other groups. The most frequently recorded are Mallard, House Sparrow and Canada Goose. Every species below has its own page with a photo, its scientific name, its conservation status and where it is most observed.

How many wild animal species are listed for the United States?

1,575 — the species in the Tracks field guide for which the United States holds the most verified sightings. This is not a complete national checklist: a species recorded even more often in a neighbouring country appears on that country's page instead, and the Tracks app itself catalogues 40,286 species worldwide. Between them these 1,575 species account for 24,914,957 research-grade observations.

What is the most commonly seen wild animal in the United States?

Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos), with 662,661 research-grade observations on iNaturalist — more than any other species on this page. Next most recorded are House Sparrow and Canada Goose. "Most recorded" means most often photographed and verified by people, which is a good proxy for what a visitor is likely to actually see.

What is the rarest animal in the United States?

On the Tracks rarity scale the rarest species on this page is Black-footed Ferret (Epic tier), with 63 recorded sightings. Tracks rarity is based on how often a species is actually encountered rather than on its conservation status, so a rare card is a hard animal to find, not necessarily a threatened one.

What wild mammals live in the United States?

This guide lists 247 mammals for the United States, most-recorded first: Eastern Gray Squirrel, White-tailed Deer, Mule Deer, Common Raccoon, Eastern Cottontail and Fox Squirrel, plus 241 more on this page.

What birds can you see in the United States?

535 bird species are listed for the United States. The most frequently recorded are Mallard, House Sparrow, Canada Goose, American Robin, Great Blue Heron and Great Egret, plus 529 more on this page.

Are there reptiles and amphibians in the United States?

Yes — 206 reptiles and 168 amphibians are listed for the United States. They include Pond Slider, Western Fence Lizard, Common Garter Snake, Painted Turtle, Green Anole and Brown Anole, plus 368 more on this page. Reptiles and amphibians are under-recorded almost everywhere relative to birds and mammals, so treat these counts as a floor.

Are there dangerous wild animals in the United States?

40 of the species on this page belong to the groups behind most wildlife injuries — large carnivores, crocodilians, sharks, venomous snakes and big herbivores. They are American Alligator, American Black Bear, Elk, Wild Boar, Bobcat and Western Rattlesnake, plus 34 more on this page. Nearly all of them avoid people given the chance. The practical rules are the same everywhere: never approach, corner or feed a wild animal, keep dogs leashed, store food securely, and give any animal with young a wide berth.

Are there venomous snakes in the United States?

Yes. 20 of the snakes listed for the United States belong to venomous groups: Western Rattlesnake, Western Diamondback Rattlesnake, Eastern Copperhead, Northern Cottonmouth, Timber Rattlesnake and Prairie Rattlesnake, plus 14 more on this page. Snake bites are overwhelmingly a result of handling or trying to kill the animal. Treat every snake you can't identify as venomous, back away, and let it leave.

What marine and coastal animals live around the United States?

47 marine or coastal species are listed for the United States, including Harbor Seal, California Sea Lion, Humpback Whale, Bottlenose Dolphin, Northern Elephant Seal and West Indian Manatee, plus 41 more on this page.

Which animals in the United States are endangered?

84 of the species on this page are IUCN-listed as Vulnerable or worse: California Condor (Critically Endangered), Agassiz’s Desert Tortoise (Critically Endangered), North Atlantic Right Whale (Critically Endangered), Red Wolf (Critically Endangered), Sea Otter (Endangered) and Red-crowned Parrot (Endangered), plus 78 more. Conservation status is shown on every species page.

What insects and spiders live in the United States?

No insects or arachnids appear on this page — the guide's United States list is mostly birds and ray-finned fish. A species is shown on the page of whichever country records it most, so any insects or arachnids recorded in the United States either sit on another country's page or fall outside the guide's 1,575-species slice.

When is the best time to see wild animals in the United States?

Dawn and the hour before dusk, almost everywhere and for almost every species: most mammals are crepuscular, and birds are loudest and most active in the first hours of daylight. Weather matters as much as season — overcast, still mornings after rain are productive, and hot midday hours are the worst time to be out looking. Each species page links to its iNaturalist record, where the observation dates show when people in the United States actually recorded it.

Where can you see wild animals in the United States?

National parks, nature reserves and protected wetlands concentrate both animals and the people recording them, but the edges are often better than the core: hedgerows, riverbanks, coastal paths, and the scrubby margins between habitats. Cities count too — a large share of the sightings behind this page were logged in parks, gardens and suburbs. Because every species here is backed by iNaturalist records, its species page links straight to the map of where it has actually been observed.

How do I identify a wild animal I saw in the United States?

Photograph it if you safely can, and note the size, habitat and behaviour. The Tracks app scans the area you're standing in and shows the animals people have actually recorded there, which narrows an identification far faster than searching a national list. If the animal you saw isn't in Tracks yet, add it on iNaturalist: its community will help you put a name to it, and because Tracks is built from iNaturalist's research-grade observations, a sighting verified there feeds back into the data behind pages like this one.

Can I feed wild animals in the United States?

No — and in many places it is also illegal. Feeding is the fastest way to ruin a wild animal. It teaches them to associate people with food, so they lose their wariness and start working car parks, campsites and picnic tables; a habituated animal that begins grabbing food gets labelled a nuisance and is usually destroyed or hit by a road vehicle. Human food is the wrong food too: bread and processed snacks cause malnutrition and wing deformities in birds and gut damage in mammals. And artificial feeding concentrates animals at densities they would never reach naturally, which is how disease spreads through a local population. If you want wildlife closer to you in the United States, do it by habitat — native planting, a clean water dish, leaving dead wood and leaf litter alone — which supports animals without teaching them to approach people.

Is it safe to approach wild animals in the United States?

No. Keep your distance from every wild animal, however calm it looks — a good rule of thumb is that if the animal changes its behaviour because of you, you are already too close. Don't handle snakes or reptiles, keep dogs leashed near wildlife, and if you find an animal that is injured or appears orphaned, contact a local wildlife rescue or the relevant authority rather than picking it up.

Wild animals in other countries

All 113 countries