The Common snapping turtle (Chelydra serpentina) is a species of large freshwater turtle. It is noted for its combative disposition when out of the water with its powerful beak-like jaws, and highly mobile head and neck (hence the specific epithet...
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 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 North American river otter (Lontra canadensis) is a semiaquatic mammal that lives along its waterways and coasts. It is the only river otter that is found north of Mexico. These animals live in burrows and like most predators, prey upon the most...
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 Smooth green snake (Opheodrys vernalis) is a North American nonvenomous snake in the family Colubridae. It is small to medium in size and gets its common name from its smooth dorsal scales. A non-aggressive snake, it seldom bites and usually...
The Eastern cottontail (Sylvilagus floridanus) is a New World cottontail rabbit, a member of the family Leporidae. It is the most common rabbit species in North America.
The spiny softshell turtle (Apalone spinifera ) is a species of softshell turtle, one of the largest freshwater turtle species in North America. Both the common name, spiny softshell, and the specific name, spinifera (spine-bearing), refer to the...
The Eastern meadow vole (Microtus pennsylvanicus) is a North American rodent. It is active year-round, usually at night. It also digs burrows, where it stores food for the winter and females give birth to their young.
The Speckled kingsnake (Lampropeltis holbrooki) is a nonvenomous snake which is native to the United States. Its common name is derived from its pattern and this snake is also known as the "salt-and-pepper snake".
The black-necked stilt (Himantopus mexicanus ) is a locally abundant shorebird of American wetlands and coastlines. It is found from the coastal areas of California through much of the interior western United States and along the Gulf of Mexico as...
The Rocky Mountain elk (Cervus canadensis nelsoni ) is a subspecies of elk found in the Rocky Mountains and adjacent ranges of Western North America.
The prairie vole (Microtus ochrogaster ) is a small vole found in central North America. The vole has long, coarse grayish-brown fur on the upper portion of the body and yellowish fur on the lower portion of the body. It has short ears and a short...
The meadow jumping mouse (Zapus hudsonius ) is the most widely distributed mouse in the family Zapodidae. Its range extends from the Atlantic coast in the east to the Great Plains west, and from the arctic tree lines in Canada and Alaska to the...
Gunnison's prairie dog (Cynomys gunnisoni ) is one of five species of the prairie dog. This species belongs to the squirrel family of rodents, and are predominantly related to the North American and Eurasian ground squirrels. Gunnison's prairie dogs...
The Mexican duck (Anas diazi, and see below) is a species of dabbling duck that breeds in Mexico and the southwestern United States. Most of the population is resident, but some northern birds migrate south to Mexico in winter. The species also...
The hispid cotton rat (Sigmodon hispidus ) is a rodent species long thought to occur in parts of South America, Central America, and southern North America. However, recent taxonomic revisions, based on mitochondrial DNA sequence data, have split...
The Plains leopard frog (Lithobates blairi ) is a spotted frog found in North America. It is sometimes referred to as Blair's leopard frog, named after the noted zoologist and University of Texas professor, Dr. W. Frank Blair.
The dwarf shrew (Sorex nanus ) is a species of mammal in the family Soricidae endemic to Arizona, Colorado, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming in the United States. The type locality is Estes Park (Larimer County),...
