Wildlife of North Carolina

Deer feeding at Roadside; Doe with fawns

This article seeks to serve as a field-guide, central repository, listing, and tour-guide for the flora and fauna of North Carolina and surrounding territories.

State ecology

The North Mills River in North Carolina

North Carolina's geography is usually divided into three biomes: Coastal, Piedmont, and the Appalachian Mountains.

North Carolina is the most ecologically unique state in the southeast because its borders contain sub-tropical, temperate, and boreal habitats. Although the state is at temperate latitudes, the Applachian mountains and the Gulf Stream influence climate and, hence, the vegetation (flora) and animals (fauna).

Coastal Region

Located in eastern North Carolina, the coastal region is much warmer and more humid.

• Climate: Humid Subtropical
• Geography: Flat coastal plain

Piedmont

This region includes the urban biomes of Raleigh and Durham, as well as a large area of semi-mountainous, rolling hills.

• Climate: Humid Subtropical
• Geography: Rolling, gentle hills and flat valleys. The Piedmont ranges from about 300–400 feet (90–120 m) elevation in the east to over 1,000 feet (300 m) in the west

Mountains

Turk's Cap Lily in mountainous western North Carolina

• Climate: Humid Continental
• Geography - The Appalachian Mountains with elevations between 1500 to more than 6000 feet.

Animal life

Birds

See also List of North Carolina birds

Turkey Vulture in Cary, North Carolina

North Carolina has a large number of birds, with 465 recorded within its boundaries.

• Canada Goose: The North Carolina coastal and Piedmont regions are the winter resting ground of the Canada Goose. However, habitat destruction, especially with respect to the proposed outlying landing field proposed by the U.S. Navy could cause population reductions.

  

  Canada geese in a pond.

Other birds include: Cardinal, Wild Turkey, Bald Eagles, Red-cockaded woodpeckers, Barred Owl Snow Goose,Ruffed Grouce, and Carolina Wren.

Mammals

mammals in North Carolina (not comprehensive):

• Black bear
• Banker horse
• Eastern Cottontail rabbit
• Gray Fox
• Gray squirrel
• House mouse
• Muskrat, Ondatra zibethicus
• Opossum
• Raccoon
• Red Fox
• White-footed mouse
• White-Tailed deer

Endangered, non-marine mammals in North Carolina:

• Gray bat
• Indiana bat
• Northern flying squirrel
• Red wolf
• Townsend's big-eared bat

In the mountains, there are small populations of bobcats and bears as well as re-introduced grey wolves and elk. (a comprehensive list of North Carolina mammals)

Reptiles

Alligator mississippiensis American alligator

Cemophora coccinea Northern scarlet snake)

Anolis carolinensis Carolina anole

Adult male Terrapene carolina carolina, NC's state reptile.

Crocodilians:

• Alligator mississippiensis (American alligator)

Snakes without dangerous venom:

• Coluber constrictor (Black racer)
• Elaphe obsoleta (Black rat snake)
• Elaphe guttata (Corn snake)
• Lampropeltis calligaster (Mole kingsnake)j,ghgfl,jf
• Lampropeltis getula (Eastern kingsnake)
• Lampropeltis triangulum (Scarlet kingsnake/milksnake)
• Nerodia sipedon (Northern water snake), often mistaken for venomous cottonmouths

Snakes with venom dangerous to humans:

• Crotalus horridus (Timber rattlesnake)
• Crotalus adamanteus (Eastern diamondback rattlesnake)
• Sistrurus miliarius (Pygmy rattlesnake)
• Agkistrodon contortrix (American copperhead)
• Agkistrodon piscivorus (Cottonmouth) (not to be confused with nonvenomous water snakes)
• Micrurus fulvius (Eastern Coral Snake)

Lizards: North Carolina is home to 11 native species of lizard, and one introduced species.

• Sceloporus undulatus (Eastern fence lizard)
• Ophisaurus ventralis (Eastern glass lizard)
• Ophisaurus attenuatus (Slender glass lizard)
• Anolis carolinensis (Green anole or Carolina anole)
• Ophisaurus mimicus (Mimic glass lizard)
• Phrynosoma cornutum (Texas horned lizard), an introduced species
• Cnemidophorus sexlineatus (Six-lined racerunner)
• Scincella lateralis (Ground skink)
• Eumeces fasciatus (Five-lined Skink)
• Eumeces inexpectatus (Southeastern five-lined skink)
• Eumeces laticeps (Broadhead Skink)
• Eumeces anthracinus (Coal Skink )

Turtles:

• Terrapene carolina carolina (Eastern box turtle)
• Trachemys scripta elegans (Red eared slider), an introduced subspecies
• Chrysemys picta (Painted Turtle)
• Chelydra serpentina (Common Snapping Turtle)

Amphibians

Frog, located in Cary, North Carolina

Frogs are common in the marshy and wet regions of the Piedmont. The frog pictured at left is a Cope's Gray Treefrog (Hyla chrysocelis) or gray treefrog (H. versicolor). These two species cannot be differentiated except by their call or genetic analysis. However, H. versicolor is rare in the state and likely to not be pictured here. They are most abundant in some northern Piedmont counties. Other frogs of North Carolina include Spring peepers, Pseudacris crucifer or Hyla crucifer. Common among North Carolina forests, this frog lives in high branches of trees, although it is also seen on the ground and commonly on roadways.

Some common amphibians in North Carolina: Two-toed Amphiuma, Common Mudpuppy, Dwarf Waterdog, Eastern Lesser Siren, Greater Siren, Red-spotted Newt, Mabee's Salamander, Spotted Salamander, Marbled Salamander, Mole Salamander, Eastern Tiger Salamander, Southern Dusky Salamander, Dwarf Salamander, Four-toed Salamander, Wehrle's Salamander, Eastern Spadefoot, Southern Toad, Pine Barrens Treefrog, Cope's Gray Treefrog, Green Treefrog, Squirrel Treefrog, Gray Treefrog, Little Grass Frog, Ornate Chorus Frog, Upland Chorus Frog, American Bullfrog, Bronze Frog, Pickerel Frog, Southern Leopard Frog, Wood Frog [1]

Fish

Freshwater: Bodie bass, Roanoke bass, largemouth bass, rock bass, smallmouth bass, spotted bass, striped bass, white bass, blue catfish, channel catfish, flathead catfish, white catfish, brown bullhead, white perch, yellow perch, chain pickerel, redfin pickerel, American shad, hickory shad, pumpkinseed, redgear, bluegill, flier, green sunfish, redbrest, warmouth, brook trout, rainbow trout, brown trout, longnose gar, bowfin, carp, crappie, freshwater drum, grass carp, kokanee salmon, muskellunge, tiger muskellunge, northern pike, sauger, smallmouth buffalo, walleye [2], the endemic Cape Fear Shiner

Saltwater: Albacore, Amberjack, Atlantic Bonito, Bank Sea Bass, Barracuda, Bigeye Tuna, Blackfin Tuna, Black Drum, Black Sea Bass, Blacktip Shark, Bluefish, Bluefin Tuna, Blue Marlin, Blueline Tilefish, Butterfish, Cobia, Croaker, Dolphin, Flounder, Gag, Gray Triggerfish, Gray Trout, Hammerhead, Hickory Shad, Hogfish, Jumping Mullet, King Mackerel, Knobbed Porgy, Lizardfish, Little Tunny, Mako Shark, Menhaden, Northern Puffer, Oyster Toadfish, Pigfish, Pinfish, Pompano, Red Drum, Red Grouper, Red Snapper, Sailfish, Scamp, Sea Mullet, Searobin, Sheepshead, Silver Perch, Silver Snapper, Skate, Skipjack Tuna, Spadefish, Spanish Mackerel, Speckled Hind, Spottail Pinfish, Spot, Speckled Trout, Stingray, Striped Bass, Swordfish, Tarpon, Tiger Shark, Vermillion Snapper, Wahoo, White Marlin, White Grunt, Yellowfin Tuna, Yellowedge Grouper, Yellowtail Snapper [3]

Invertebrates

Various jellyfish, millipedes, centipedes, freshwater crayfish, and freshwater mollusks [4]

Plant life

Mountain Laurel (Kalmia latifolia)

• Loblolly Pine (Carolina Pine)
• Longleaf_Pine
• American Sweetgum
• red spruce
• cherry trees
• fir trees
• rhododendron
• wild flowers
• beach grasses
• wax myrtle
• red cedar
• flame azalea
• dogwood and
• mountain laurel

External links

General interest:

• Carolina nature
• Jeff Pippen's nature pages

Reptiles and amphibians:

• Herps of NC
• the Savannah River Ecology Laboratory Herpetology Program
• checklist of North Carolina reptiles

Butterflies:

• Butterflies of North Carolina