Watchable Wildlife Species
New York's state mammal spends most of its time in or under the water.
The black bear is New York's second largest mammal.
The coyote adapts well to living near people and has been seen in urban areas.
New York's most abundant seal.
Little Brown Bat
The only mammal that can fly.
The North American River Otter is the only species of otter that lives in New York State.
To protect it from detection by predators, a fawn has almost no scent.
Since 1972, New York's bald eagle population has gone from near zero to booming.
A magnificent breeding bird of New York's Adirondacks.
Once considered rare, the number of bluebirds is increasing thanks to an active nesting box program.
Great Blue Heron
The largest and most common heron in North America.
Great Horned Owl
A fierce hunter with an appetite for skunks.
New York's main breeding populations of osprey are in Long Island and the Adirondack mountains.
Peregrines nest on every Hudson River bridge from Albany south.
New York's current wild turkey population are descended from Pennsylvania turkeys, introduced here in the 1950s.
See a complete list of New York State Birds.
Reptiles and Amphibians:
Bullfrogs are the largest frogs in North America.
New York's only brackish water turtle.
Eastern (Red-Spotted) Newt
A small creature with a potent toxin.
Snapping turtles continue to grow all their lives.
Karner Blue Butterfly
The Karner blue lives only in places where the blue lupine grows.
Monarchs travel 50 to 200 miles per day during their fall migration.
Praying and Chinese Mantises
These hungry predators were introduced to help control other insect pests.
These fish can reach 20 inches or more in length.
Coho and Chinook Salmon
DEC annually stocks thousands of Coho and Chinook salmon into lakes Ontario and Erie.
The Walleye is the largest member of the perch family and a voracious predator.
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