One of the most alluring aspects of our national parks is the wildlife habitats that thrive inside each of them. Captured in this section are some of our favorite wildlife moments during our year on the road.
Mammals: White-tailed deer, raccoons, mongoose, red squirrel, tri-colored bat, red bat, elk, chipmunk, javelina, jackrabbit, burro, mule, big horn sheep, billy goat, black-tailed deer, mule deer, cottontail rabbit, grey fox, marmot, porcupine, red fox, bighorn sheep, mountain lion, coyote, black bear, moose, coastal brown bear, grizzly bear, wood bison, American bison, grey wolf, caribou, moose, Arctic ground squirrel, vole, lynx, fruit bat, prairie dog.
Fish, crustaceans, and other sea life: Yellow and blue tang, clown fish, sergeant major, puffer fish, spear fish, barracuda (yikes!), sea turtle, sting ray, octopus, conch, hermit crab, sand crab, "bait fish", sea fan soft coral, stingray, manta ray, Death Valley pupfish, lake trout, jelly, sea stars, anemone, Dolly Varden, King salmon, Chum salmon, Coho salmon, Silver salmon, grayling, blue-fin travelli, tang fish, corals, sea anemone, mussels, land crab, coconut crab.
Aquatic mammals: Manatees, Atlantic dolphins, river otter, sea otter, Stellar sea lion, humpback whale, porpoise, orca, harbor seal, American beaver, black tip shark.
Reptiles: Alligator, tree lizard, leopard lizard, iguana, gecko, chuckwalla, rattlesnake (eek!), King snake, gardner snake, black lizards on American Samoa (no idea what they're called!)
Birds: Osprey (go Seahawks!, #12s), roseate spoonbill, great blue heron, white heron, American white seagull, brown seagull, white and brown pelican, magnificent egrets, cardinal, wild turkey, sooty tern, crow, swallows, robin redbreast, great roadrunner, raven, California condor, hummingbird, ducks, canary, peregrine falcon, bald eagle, magpie, oyster catcher, cormorants, puffin, ptarmigan, bald eagle, golden eagle, spruce grouse, harlequin ducks, mallards, brown booby, imperial pigeon, king fisher, starling.
Bugs: Scorpion, banana spider, *other spiders, mosquito, crickets, eyeless beetle, lady bug, red ant, caterpillar, wasp, honeybee, bumble bee, tick, mosquito-eater (what are those called?!), white sox, deer tick, moose tick, gnats, centipede, fire ants, roaches, butterflies, moths.
Mollusks: Banana slug, sea slug, sea cucumber.
*This list excludes countless species of unnamable birds, bugs, and fish.