Covering an enormous 84 million acres of the US and its territories abroad, national parks are filled with plenty of wildlife. From sweet and fluffy critters like pika and marmot to mighty brown bears and Florida panthers, there’s a treasure trove of beautiful animals to spot. What’s more, the landscapes in which they’re found are nothing short of spectacular.
With their fan-shaped antlers and rounded faces, you could be forgiven for calling moose cute. Yet these large herbivores frequently go head-to-head against some of the mightiest carnivores around, including grizzly bears, black bears and wolves – they’ve even been known to kill humans. Moose are found across national parks in northern America including Wyoming's Grand Teton and Yellowstone, Michigan’s Isle Royale and Alaska’s Denali National Park.
How can you tell an alligator from a crocodile? Just look at its teeth. While crocodiles have two large teeth that stick out while their mouths are closed, in alligators, these two teeth fit into a socket in the upper jaw, so they’re not visible when their mouths are closed. The best places to spot them in the wild are Florida’s Everglades National Park and other parts of southeastern America. After populations reached all-time lows in the 1950s, alligators were brought back from the brink of extinction thanks to state and federal protections, and today they number more than one million.
Known for, you guessed it, their large curled horns, bighorn sheep are found in Colorado's Rocky Mountain National Park. The species almost became extinct in the 19th century as a result of habitat loss, overhunting and disease, and in the 1950s there were just 150 left in the national park. Today, their numbers are slowly recovering, although there are still only around 300-400. When fighting, males can charge at each other at speeds of up to 20 miles (32km) an hour, and the sound of their locking horns can be heard for miles around.
Declared America’s national mammal by President Obama in 2016, the American bison is the largest land animal that roams the country, with some weighing more than a tonne (907kg). Native to the Great Plains, the species was once prolific across the US and was important to indigenous cultures. However, bison nearly went extinct in the 1880s due to hunting, habitat damage and disease. Currently, there are around 30,000, which can be spotted in national parks including Yellowstone, Theodore Roosevelt in North Dakota and Custer State Park in South Dakota.
Few animals have quite such iconic status as the bald eagle. The national emblem of the US since 1782, this recognisable yellow-beaked, white-headed bird is native to North America, and is found in many of the country’s national parks. Yet in the 1950s, it was nearly made extinct due to hunting and use of pesticides including DDT. The chemical, which enters waterways and is absorbed by eagles through the fish they eat, was banned in 1972, and since then eagle numbers have been on the rise.
It’s possible to spot hawksbill turtles in Hawaii’s Volcanoes National Park, although you’d be very lucky. Listed under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), there are thought to be just around 10 to 25 females that nest off the coast of Hawaii each year, while larger populations exist in Australia and the Solomon Islands. Hawksbills have been hunted for their spectacular shells ever since ancient Egyptian times, and while a ban on the tortoiseshell trade in 1993 has helped numbers recover, illegal hunting is still prevalent.
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The largest flying bird in North America with a wingspan of up to 10 feet (3m), California condors almost went extinct in the 1980s, when their numbers dwindled to just 22. Habitat loss, hunting and lead poisoning from ammunition were to blame for their decline. Conservationists collected female eggs and bred the birds in captivity, and today, there are thought to be around 300 in existence. In March 2021, condors hit headlines when it was reported they would be reintroduced to northern Carolina for the first time in more than a century, in a breeding programme run by the indigenous Yurok Tribe.
Originally known as American antelopes – a misnomer, since true antelopes are not found in North America – pronghorn are abundant in Yellowstone National Park. The strangest thing about them? Pronghorns shed and regrow the sheaths of their horns each year, making them the only mammal to do so this frequently. They’re also speedy runners, and can reach speeds of up to 40 miles (70km) per hour.
You’d be hard-pressed to find a cuter animal than this. Descended from Siberian ancestors, pika live in high-altitude terrain across western America, in parks including Yellowstone, Washington’s Cascades National Park and San Juan National Forest in Colorado. Yet the cuddly-looking critters are regarded as an indicator species for showing the impacts of climate change. As temperatures increase in lower-elevation zones, their total habitat is shrinking and pika numbers are diminishing, which prompted the creation of conservation group Pikas in Peril in 2010.
As well as breathtaking scenery at every turn, world-famous wildlife is one of the main draws of Alaska’s Denali National Park. Known as reindeer in Europe and caribou in Alaska and Canada, the Denali herd contained as many as 20,000 of these majestic creatures in the early 20th century. Since then, numbers have declined dramatically, reaching a low point of around 1,000 in the 1970s due to extremely cold winters and calves’ vulnerability to predators. The population has bounced back a little, numbering around 1,760 today.
Manatees munch on grasses and other aquatic plants, earning them the nickname “sea cows”. These friendly-looking herbivores are found in the southeastern US with around 6,300 currently in Florida, a huge increase on the 1,267 recorded in the state in 1991. Populations are flourishing thanks to a recovery plan started by the US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) which has included increased research, conservation and restrictions to help preserve manatee habitats. One of the best places for spotting them is the Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge.
Cuddly-looking as they may be, brown bears can be lethal. These furry predators can weigh up to 700 pounds (318kg), can run at speeds of up to 30 miles (48km) per hour, and have been known to attack or even kill humans if disturbed. In fact, the average encounter with a brown bear is 21 times more likely to result in injury than the average black bear encounter. One of the best places to spot them, if you dare, is Alaska’s Katmai National Park, which has a population of around 2,200.
Yellowstone is a haven for elk, which are among the most abundant large mammals in the national park. The reintroduction of wolves 25 years ago triggered fears that they would be killed off, but in fact the predators have had a positive impact: they’ve stabilised elk numbers and helped herds become more resilient. That’s because wolves kill off older, weaker males during years where food is limited, giving females a better chance to reproduce and keep numbers up. During the summer, there are between 10,000 and 20,000 elk in the park.
These famous dam-building rodents are prevalent in Wyoming’s Grand Teton National Park – so prevalent, in fact, they’ve been known to cause traffic jams on the park’s roads in busy periods. Which is not exactly the kind of blockage they’re known for. Often referred to as “ecosystem engineers” by scientists, the dams they make through gnawing trees can help control rivers’ flow, as well as creating habitats for birds and fish. Plus, the pulpy layer of wood beneath the bark, known as cambium, provides a highly nutritious food source for them.
Smaller and less ferocious than their brown-furred cousins, black bears typically weigh 200-600 pounds (90-270kg) and measure up to six feet (1.8m) tall. One of the best places to spot them is Yellowstone, where they’re so widespread that they’ve become synonymous with the national park for many people. Despite what you might think, only around half of black bears are actually black in colour, while the rest are grey, blonde, brown or cinnamon-hued.
Found in the lush forests of Washington state’s Olympic National Park, you may be surprised to learn that the barred owl isn’t actually native here. In fact, the species is thought to have migrated down from Canada. Some conservationists have raised the alarm that it could be competing aggressively for food with the native, very similar-looking, northern spotted owl, which is thought to be declining by around 3-4% per year. If you do spot a barred owl, it’s likely to be sleeping, as the species is largely nocturnal.
You might not associate polar bears with the US, but head far enough north and you could have a chance of spotting one. Found in the snowy wildernesses of Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Reserve, these powerful predators are the world’s largest carnivores. They feast on a diet of seals, walruses and beluga whales to feed their large frames, which can weigh up to 1,700 pounds (771kg). However, the mighty mammals are at serious risk of extinction due to climate change, since the Arctic ice which they rely on is melting fast.
Also known as killer whales, orcas are some of the deadliest predators on Earth. These enormous mammals, which can reach up to 26 feet (8m) in length and eight tonnes (7,257kg) in weight, tend to travel in packs of up to 40 when hunting their prey. They’re not fussy eaters either, feeding on everything from penguins and seals to fish and seabirds. Two main types, resident and transient, are most common in Alaska’s Kenai Fjords National Park – resident pods are generally noisier and easier to spot.
Florida’s Everglades National Park is the country’s largest subtropical wilderness and fosters a variety of endangered plant and animal species. One such species is the Florida panther. With less than 100 thought to remain in the wild, these striking creatures have been threatened by habitat loss – it’s estimated that just 2% of the original Everglades ecosystem remains. However, it’s not all bad news. A genetic restoration programme which began in 1995 has seen panther numbers increase roughly threefold, as well as making the animals more resilient.