Plenty of other Tyrannosauroids in other areas that were once part of Laurasia. I'm pretty sure the entire lineage evolved after the complete separation of the former Pangaea, and they weren't great at swimming, so no surprise you don't find anything similar in, say, Australia or South America. Within that clade, there's evidence of some migration when what would become Western North America comes in contact with what would become Eastern Asia - the Chinese tyrannosaurids appear to be closer to those of Laramidia than to those of Europe. The Tyrannosaurus genus shows up after what would become North America had become an island continent, with only a small land bridge connecting the western part (where all Tyrannosaurus spp fossils are known) to the other two sections. T. rex has a relatively late origin within the family, and probably evolved after Laramidia became an isolated island. That island would remain isolated until the K–Pg. At present, only, what, six confirmed T. rex fossils have been found that aren't from the Hell creek formation? Plus one that is Tyrannosaurus, but not T. rex (the NM fossil).
So it has a known range that's basically a huge number of specimens in Montana, with a handful of specimens in the Dakotas, one in Utah, one in Alberta, on in Saskatchewan, two in Wyoming, and a close relative in New Mexico.
We don't see a lot of evidence of them further South; the majority of the Montana fossils are from what were floodplains, and there weren't as many of those in the Southern range. So, there's the NM fossil, and some other Tyrannosaurids...
Wow! lol I just looked all that up yesterday and learned about the ones in China that were related but not really the same. I think it’s so cool we have the T. rex here (and Canada)! I love but am also terrified of dinosaurs! It all started from Jurassic Park and went from there. Have you seen the indie horror games that are based on dinosaurs? They are so creepy!
Honestly, not really. I did see the first two Jurassic Park films in theaters (and I read the first novel before that), but a) I was (barely) an adult when they came out, b) I was fairly familiar with the history and practice of fossil hunting and paleoarchaeology long before that. One of my formative memories was the exhibits at the Smithsonian - notable because without that memory, I wouldn't even know I had traveled to the US East Coast as a child.
My grandfather was an archaeologist (Native American specialized, with a focus on Western US range around 6000 years ago, but he had done a lot of different things earlier in his career) and he had taken me to that exhibit, and later hooked me up with a couple of paleontologist buddies for a dig when I was 5-6. I've been interested in that side (more than the dinosaurs themselves) ever since. I also have a background in genetics (my actual degrees are in physics, math, and materials science, and I design and implement software for a living, but I did some graduate courses in the then nascent field of nuclease coupled editing (the precursor to CRISPR/CAS-9) and did a bit of field work, including some of the early analytical software for protein modeling and transcription analysis, which has led me to follow developments in genomic cladistics very closely.
Really, much of my interest in dinosaurs is specific to attempts to model the emergence of birds within the theropods, and maybe determine the divergence of the different surviving lineages before the K-Pg extinction. So, of course, the recent emerging evidence that tyrannosauroids had extensive birdlike features has captured my attention. The fact that T. rex was more closely related to chickens than to, e.g., the ceratopsians makes me smile a bit. To put it into perspective, though, the ancestors of theropods likely diverged from the ancestors of ornithischians somewhere around 240 million years ago (according to known fossils; genetic comparisons of birds and crocodiles likely put it closer to 270myo), and within the theropods, the ancestors of aves likely diverged from the ancestors of tyrannasauroids between 155 and 165 million years ago. They're both coelurosaurs, the group that includes all known feathered dinosaurs. Note that this also means tyrannosaurs are more closely related to birds than they are to carnosaurs. Minus the divergences of time, but definitely more closely related to the birds alive at that time. Those additional 66 million years of mutations and selection do add up, that's something that people often forget when talking about how closely related groups from different eras are. But still, even adding them in, 175 million years of divergence from triceratops vs 155-165 million years from chickens (counting the time since extinction as divergence).
One thing that's worth contemplating is, we think of "the age of dinosaurs", but dinosaurs existed for a long, long time - 180 million years, all told, based on the oldest known fossils that could be, conclusively, determined to be a dinosaur, and excluding the post-K-Pa birds. Some of the famous genera (like Tyrannosaurus) were only around for 10-15 million years, at most. And it's only been 66 million years since an asteroid (and maybe also some subsequent vulcanism) wiped out almost every large land animal, and a bunch of marine animals to boot. And since the atmosphere got a lot thinner, lower in oxygen, and cooler. We're living on a planet that would be pretty much unsurvivable for most dinosaurs. At least, for now. So climate change? It's making the planet more similar to the one they lived on...
Roadrunners! They are an iconic part of my home state, New Mexico. They are beautifully colored birds . They are smart, they eat vermin, and they do indeed run down the road. They are just so great in so many ways.
Opossums (commonly called possums). They are the only marsupial found in North America. They are adorable little guys. I love seeing the mamas carrying their full brood on their backs. We had a black bear around our yard last year and an injured possum came up on my porch seeking shelter. I let her in my house and tended her little foot (he had a splinter I removed). Se stayed for a full day before heading out and finding herself a safe spot under my porch that the bear won't be able to reach. I see her often with her brood.
We have a little dude living in our shed. He's a great neighbor; quiet, eats pests in my garden, doesn't dig up the yard or knock over the garbage can. He certainly doesn't break into my attic and shit all over the place like those trashy raccoons.
I can’t say they are my favorite, but I don’t mind them. They are hard to tell apart. A family lives under my house and share the cat food. Our joke is we call the bigs ones Regis or Regina, little ones are called Reggie. The babies are cute.
Ehh, I've had some rats that just were not photogenic, one had a ring around his neck because he couldnt quite keep it clean but he was too mean to keep with a companion no matter cage size.
The moms carrying their babies on their back is one of the coolest things ever. I saw it once in my backyard and we got a good laugh. I remember my mom saying, “why does its back look so weird” and it took us a minute realize that there were about five mini opossums hanging onto her lol
When I was in college there was a juvenile opossum (Hank) that made his home near me. I’m guessing something happened to his mom as he seemed a little young to be on his own. I fed him cat food and we became buddies over the next 2+ years. He was never particularly cuddly but he did get pretty excited when I came home and fed him.
I ended up staying in the apartment longer than I wanted or expected because I was worried about Hank. A cold snap was the end of Hank but he had a good 2+ year run.
I once heard screaming outside my window in the middle of the night. I opened it up and it was 2 opossums mating. It was the most violent thing ever. And it lasted like an hour.
This is kinda incorrect. The American Opossum was colloquially known as the "possum" well before the discovery of the Australian Possum, which is named after it's American counterpart.
Basically it's alright to call the American opossum a Possum, and people need to stop correcting others.
Yeah, if hear someone in the US casually calling them opossums (as in, not emphasizing the O in a joking way) I would assume they’ve only ever read about them or that they’re really pedantic. But there is definitely a distinction between opossums and Australian possums, the O is important for anything besides casual conversation. Personally I usually use opossum in writing and almost always use possum when speaking.
Verbally, I pronounce the "o" as sort of a voiceless "oe", so it comes out "uh-POH-sum". Sometimes all it gets is a gentle exhale before the "P" sound.
What’s funny is that in Spanish they are “tlacuaches” but they’re commonly called “tacuaches” so, like the English word, they leave out one letter cause it’s easier to say.
I love the Virginia Opossum. They are North America's only marsupial, and are great little backyard pest control. Their body temperature is too low for the Rabies virus to survive. They eat insects, grubs, seeds, berries, and pretty much anything that doesn't eat them first. They "play dead" as a defense mechanism; they go rigid and fall over, baring their teeth just in case. They will often shit at the same time to make themselves even less appealing to predators. Plus they have cute little beady eyes and weird little pink hands.
A litter of baby opossums is called a "passel!" Once they come out of Mom's pouch, they ride on her back until they get too big and fall off. Then they're on their own.
The only thing that sucks about them is that their lifespan is only 1-2 years in the wild, maybe 3 in captivity.
I’m from the desert and I’m a fan of an animal that’s entirely unique to the deserts of N America as far as I know. It’s called the Gila Monster. It’s a fat lizard with a really cool black and orange coating that you’ll occasionally see waddling across the desert floor whose bite will even fuck up snakes. It’s the largest lizard in North America and one of only two venomous lizards in North America.
Because they’re so rare it feels like a real treat to come across one. I’ve hiked through the same area for almost four years and have only spotted one.
They have this prehistoric look to them, like something out of the ice age, I think that's part of the fascination. Definitely look up more videos on them.
When we lived in Wyoming sometimes we’d find a herd and very gently drive amongst them, roll down the windows, turn off the engine, and just sit and listen to them until they grazed off the other direction. It was a wonderful experience.
I’ve Eaton muskox before when I was living in Alaska, and it was the best cut of meat I ever had. It was like eating filet mignon. I would imagine that they probably taste similar.
They’re so majestic! I was in Yellowstone in a random little picnic area and a herd of them surrounded my car for an hour and my daughter and I just sat there and watched and listened to them in awe. I’ve seen them tons of times, but never that close! They make the cutest munching sounds when they graze 🥹
I agree with everyone who said there are too many wonderful native animals to choose just one. But since you are forcing me, I will go with orcas, since they have been my favorite animal since I was a kid (before I understood anything about native/nonnative) and now I live where they live, so I occasionally get to see them from land.
We don't have those on the west coast, but I had grown up reading about them in books. I was SO excited the first time I saw them, on a trip through Ohio. They are just a magical as I imagined!
They are! Nothing more magical then seeing them light up as the sun sets while carefully following them around and gently catching then releasing them and watch them after dark. The best in late summer!!
We see them sometimes in and around Puget Sound. During COVID, a public pool in a park right on the sound (it gets filled with seawater) was closed, and the Seattle Parks Department posted these fun pics of otters using the pool.
I was dating a girl who was obsessed by otters and wanted to see them in the wild (I’m in Missouri), and we went on lots of adventures to see if we could find them. Eventually we did.
They are adorable! Caught one on our security camera once, playing around the car after we got buried in a snow storm. I didn't even realize we had river otters until I caught that footage. There's only a little stream next to the yard, with a larger river about a quarter mile downstream. I guess he was just having fun and exploring on a snow day!
I frequently see their tracks and the crime scenes they sometimes leave behind on the shore, but in 40+ years of spending lots of time in the North Maine Woods, I've only ever seen a couple of actual otters.
Armadillos are in the US. I worked at a place in Missouri and saw armadillos in the parking lot and got really excited. Nobody I worked with wanted to go see the armadillos. Bunch of shit heads I worked with. They werent even doing anything. Who doesnt want to see armadillos?
Oh I know! They’re constantly digging up my garden. Dopey little guys. I see them hiking all the time and they just don’t give a rip about humans. (But think they expanded to the US from Central and S. America so I didn’t know how strict to consider “native animal.”)
Correct. The nine-banded armadillo has been steadily expanding northward, with evidence of spreading through Northern Mexico about 1,500 years ago, and only showing up North of the Rio Grande in the 1800s, presumably transported by humans.
But there were armadillos (more closely related to most of the other living species than to the group that includes the nine-banded and seven-banded armadillos) in the US as recently as 15,000 years ago, maybe even 12,000 years ago. See my response to /u/thegmoc above.
So, in a way, this is just their cousins moving back in.
I'm pretty sure that their native habitat (meaning, the range of established populations) had not yet expanded to include anything currently in the United States at the time that the United States was established as a nation. Notably, they were documented as having a range bounded in the North by the Rio Grande in the 1800s.
But, in a way, they (armadillos) are just finally making their way back to their historical range. Glyptotherium fossils from 20,000 - 15,000 years ago have been found in Texas, Florida, and Oklahoma, clearly establishing the historical presence of (really big) armadillos here.
My parents have a nesting colony of nēnē in a bamboo stand right outside their kitchen window. They're the most adorable birds. It's hard to believe they're descended from a group of Canada geese that got blown off course...
A large, mostly ground dwelling game bird, which may be one of nature's stupidest animals. I love watching them, particularly when they clumsily launch themselves out of the trees they roost in at night. Half the flock will make it to the ground without incident. The other half will launch themselves, fail to spread wing, bounce, and careen off nearby trees before landing in a pile on the ground, only to act like it's the most normal thing in the world, get up.
Yeah. I've had that experience. I also had the experience of walking down an access road in the local designated gamelands and rounding a corner into a small flock who were completely unaware of my presence while in line of sight. Most boring hunting day ever. Filled my tag with zero effort. No calls, no sitting and waiting, etc. I've also had a big tom attack me on a hunting trail. They're not so silly and stupid when they're all fluffed up and pissed.
They really are stupid. But the domesticated turkey is even worse. My in laws raised some and they would just stand outside and drown themselves looking up at the sky when it rained with their mouths open.
Once I was watching a flock of them that lives in my mom’s neighborhood settle for the night in some big old white pine trees, and one big guy biffed the landing onto the branch he was aiming for and kind of flop/fell onto the one below it. Nature is so graceful.
Between the Plains Bison and Bald Eagles for me. Grew up near a bison farm in Indiana and every time I'd bike, run or drive past them, I was awestruck at their massive size and how beautiful and unique they look. Bald Eagles are hard to top though. When you see one floating through the air above you or sitting in a tree, it's hard to pay attention to anything else
My great-uncle had over named Marvin who lived in the house for 3-4 years. Before my time, but everyone used to laugh about it. I don't think he ever bit anybody. Wouldn't recommend it though
I recently had a mama raccoon break into my attic to have her babies and I gotta say I love them a lot more outside my house than inside it.
That being said, it seems like they're almost always seen in a suburban/urban environment, but getting to see them out in their own natural environment is a treat and a half.
Blue Jays! 1st, I'm 💯 sure they are from N.America. I feed them every day, they are a blast to watch. They are smaller, but they team up, and NOBODY bothers them. Not ,Mr hawk or Mr Eagle!
They are always like a spectacle! If you want to get a big visit, throw out some peanuts in the shell. They loveeee them and shelling them takes a min so you can get a good look!
Last summer, I had a pair nesting somewhere near my yard. One day, I look out my windows and see 5 flying around. I think mom and dad were teaching the young ones the way of the world in my backyard. It was fun to see.
I heard something on my porch at 2 am . I looked out the bathroom window and a smelly black bear was out there twirling my locked trash can around like a circus bear. It was hilarious 😆. He saw me and that mouth opened with a growl. I stuck my head right back inside lol.
A distant relative of mine that lives in Connecticut woke up with one IN HER BEDROOM in the middle of the night. I don't know how she managed to just stay quiet and lay there, but she did, and eventually it made its way back out of her house. I would've shit the bed lmao.
I was in the Smoky Mountains one time years ago, and a bear (I was to say it was an adolescent) tried to get into our car while we were in it. At the time it was scary, but it also reminded me very much of a St Bernard or Newfie begging for food.
Adolescent black bears can be the most dangerous, because they’re usually not great at finding enough food yet, so they are extra motivated by hunger. But they sure are adorable anyway :)
I used to work at a restaurant near a ski resort in Colorado. We did everything humanly possible to keep the bears out of the dumpster, but those crafty bastards always found a way in. I went out one night to take out the trash, and it was common protocol to make a lot of noise on your way to the dumpster to alert the bears that a human is coming. We had about 10 different chains wrapped around this thing, and as I come around the corner, I see a little head poke out the top door. He looked at me for a few seconds, I looked back, then he just squeezes his fat ass through the door that would only partially open and casually strolls off back in to the woods. Love those silly creatures.
Plus, though they can be dangerous and you shouldn’t ever approach them, most adults could capably fight one off if needed. This is not true of grizzly bears.
Yeah, until you're trying to sleep and people are banging on pots and pans as the bears are trying to steal food at night(this was at Tuolumne Meadows in Yosemite national park). That was a long 5 days
We used to have a few in my old neighborhood that would come up on the porch and eat the cat food that we put out for the community cats. They used to let me pet them 🥹 Made my heart burst every time!
Aldo Leopold wrote something very eloquent about feeling an animal's touch on the land, even if you never see it. (I think he was talking about grizzlies, but it been my experience with wolves.)
My favorite animal lives right here in the Good Ol' USA and thats our version of the Leaf Sheep Sea slug, Costasiella ocelifera.
These guys look like "Shawn the sheep" and have a superpower in that they can steal the chloroplasts from the algae they eat and use it to PHOTOSYTHESIZE. This is cool because photosynthesis generally produces a bunch of free radicals that bounce around a fuck up DNA but these guys keep on keepin on.
Pika (I grew up watching them scurry through the scree fields, but you almost never see or hear them any more)
American stoat (because their weasel war dance is amazing and they’re always down to play or murder or both)
howler mouse (they hunt animals bigger than themselves and howl like little, adorable lycanthrope murder machines)
They’re also harmless and just kinda exist. Scientists regularly harvest their blood from them and then just drop them off where they got them and they act like nothing even happened
Hm, I’ve been rather partial to the wolves that once roamed the northeast. I went to a timber wolf sanctuary when I was in middle school and got to see these majestic animals up close. The one thing that surprised me was how big they were.
The Bison. Tatonka (thanks Dances with Wolves!). They are strong and steady, beautiful creatures with expressive eyes. When they run, the earth quakes and there's nothing more awe inspiring than a bison running. They are Magnificent.
Rattlesnakes. They are cool, dangerous, but polite enough to let you know they are there. Not like those bitch-ass copperheads that hide in leaves waiting for you to make a wrong step.
Fuck, man, there's so many good ones. Bison, raccoons, opossums as somebody else mentioned, of course moose, elk, American alligator, white-tailed deer. Probably my favorite overall would be the mountain lion because they're just so cool
Red-tailed hawks because they look and sound badass.
Also an honorable mention to nine-banded armadillos just for being goofy. They can and will jump 4 feet in the air when frightened, no idea how, and sometimes they’ll roll up into balls.
ALIGATOOOOOR if you have not , I recommend spending time with them (from a safe distance ) they’re actually so chill and kinda silly. For me personally, they give me the feeling people say therapy dogs provide. If I’m chillin, and a gator comes and chills too I feel immediately better. Go to gatorland and feed them. Your worries will melt away.
Please do not approach gators and please do not feed wild gators.
American Alligators. Obviously they're vicious predators but they're also dopey swamp puppies, way funnier than crocodile. I love mountain lions too, they're really cute.
How did he make us all feel more connected to LA? I remember visiting the Natural History Museum my first year here and going down to the basement where they have the local wildlife exhibit; I think he was featured in it at the time.
Anyway, he made me learn more about Griffith Park and get emotionally invested in the big cats in this state. The animal crossing over the 101 is going to be done soon, which is remarkable.
They have zero fear. We were camping one Spring, and kept hearing rustlings just beyond the campfire, so shone a flashlight right at 'em. The just stood there, like 'What? We're walkin' here!'. Didn't back down at all, and acted like we should have been grateful to them for deigning to share our graham crackers.
I love coyotes, even though I'm pretty sure I've lost a barn cat or two, besides several chickens, to them. They're just so wicked clever, and have endless stores of pure swagger. In Houston, a female coyote raised 2 litters of cubs in Hermann Park -- somewhere between the zoo, the japanese garden, and the golf course. It took them 2 and a half years to finally trap and remove her out of the city. Respect!
It's hard to choose, but limiting it to species that I've seen in the wild, I'll say whooping cranes. They're genuinely majestic, which isnt a word I use often, and the story of their recovery is really interesting.
Honorable mentions to ornate box turtle, rough-legged hawk, American pine marten, and American avocet.
Finding one in the wild is on my bucket list. I currently live a few hours north of the Ozark Hellbender's natural habitat (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis bishopi, one of the rarest subspecies of amphibian in the world with fewer than 1,000 remaining) and have been keeping my eyes open whenever I go to the southern half of the state, especially since it's usually to spend time in the water.
Chipmunks. Close second would be flying squirrels. Because they are very cute, completely harmless, and important food source for lots of other critters.
We have chipmunks and red squirrels in VT. I can't decide which are cuter, but we only get to see the chippies during the warmer months, so it seems like more of a treat.
We rarely get to see a red squirrel here in southern Appalachians, but if you hike far enough up the mountainsides, you might get lucky. Meanwhile the grey squirrels drive me nuts.
It's the weirdest thing, I NEVER see chipmunks in my area. Been here three years and spend a ton of time outdoors including on nature trails. I see tree squirrels (grey and fox), groundhogs, moles, mice, even the occasional beaver, but never chipmunks. My mom lives about 45 minutes south of me and I see them ALL the time in her yard.
While I llime them and agree they're cute, they're far from harmless. They love to eat the insulation on electrical wiring. They've cost me hundreds of dollars fixing my cars and have been implicated in many house fire. Just last spring, one severed the wiring harness connecting to my alternator, which I didn't discover until my power steering cut out on me while going around a curve.
80% of their diet is insects. If you hate mosquitoes, plant native flowers that attract hummingbirds: monarda didyma (scarlet beebalm), lobelia cardinalis (cardinal flower), pickerelweed, Asclepius tuberosa (butterfly weed), Red buckeye….
If I read about a hummingbird in a SciFi novel, I'd say "well that's too unrealistic, even for fiction." Hummingbirds have INSANE biology. Clint's Reptiles recently did a video on them that dove deeper into hummingbirds than I had ever heard before and it's wild
Mountain lions. I saw one once on a mountain creek a little ways from my house. My friend and I went to check out the creek and there was a juvenile the size of a large dog alone on the other side, about 30 yards downstream, drinking from it. We all watched each other for about a minute until they finished. It was like seeing a unicorn. Neither we or they were scared. We all just sorta said hey what's up and went on our way.
I love wild cats, so mountain lions are a favorite. Odd though this may be, I also find skunks kind of endearing. I get a kick out of how they waddle along and their bold, fluffy tails. I have no interest in being on the receiving end of a warning shot from one, though, of course.
For birds, California scrub jays are high on my list. They have tons of personality and are pretty damn smart.
Mountain lion, cougar, puma, whatever you want to call them. Followed second by the mustang. Then the northern saw whet owl. I love every single animal here tho.
I’ve only ever seen two in my life. One was randomly in my garage, the other was crossing the street near a bunch of historic wood cabins. When I bring them up, most people are unaware they even exist.
Raccoons. Opossums. American alligators. Moose, Americas only megafauna. Cougars, a cat that holds the record for the most amount of names with 40 just in English. Atlantic horseshoe crabs.
Bumblebees. They are fat, gravity defying bees with disproportionate bodies that look ridiculous. They also get full and take naps in the flowers.
Lightning bugs. During the summer, they light up the backyard like it's the night sky. Unfortunately, they are getting harder to find thanks to urban sprawl and light pollution.
Hawk Moths. They are large moth versions of humming birds.
I had a bunch last summer! It was so much fun letting them land on my finger! I also had the biggest bumble bee I’ve ever seen in my life too! And the bee would stay around in my yard for like a week!! He/she kept coming back! Then there was two! They were some chunkers too!
Sorry, but I can't pick just one. I'm a bird lady, but I have favorites of other types of animal, too.
Birds: Red-tailed hawk, golden eagle, American kestrel (any bird of prey, really), turkey vulture, western meadowlark, western tanager, blue jay, steller's jay, cardinal, mockingbird, hummingbird, sandhill crane
Mammals: bison, grizzly bear, black bear, opossum, coyotes, wolves
Reptiles: American alligator, garter snake, turtles in general
Fish: I think trout are really beautiful
Amphibian: Not sure what my favorite is, but I think frogs are pretty cute
Insects and spiders: Bees (esp. bumblebees), moths, butterflies, anything that helps with my gardens, jumping spiders, orb weaver spiders
I have lots of favorites but this time of year it must be Spring Peepers! Adorable little frogs that make a very loud peep sound. During mating season in the spring you’ll hear a chorus of hundreds and hundreds outside at night if you’re anywhere near fresh water. More officially they’re a type of chorus frog, both names are very apt. It’s incredibly relaxing to sit outside and watch the sunset and listen to the peepers for a while.
I love falling to sleep to the peepers! During cold weather, I loop a recording of peepers all night, as white noise to help me sleep. In the Summer, I just have to open the window. Love them!
Yeah just because our native Americans killed all the megafauna predators. Thanks to those industrious people we don’t have to worry about dire wolves and saber toothed tigers.
Moose! They're so ugly, they're cute! Saw one walking up the road last Summer, all casual like. I was weeding the garden and thought someone was riding by on a horse when I caught him in my peripheral vision. I stood up to say Hi and it took a moment to register what I was looking at. He was so close! He looked at me and it took him a moment as well, to decide what to do. He walked away slowly and stopped a couple of times to turn around to see if I was tracking him. He walked slowly up the road about a hundred yards and took three steps into the woods and disappeared. Amazing creatures!
I always love to see a California Scrub Jay. We have some nesting in the trees around the parking lot of my office. One of my coworkers named it Charlie (not sure if it’s the same bird or several birds. They all look the same) and has been feeding it peanuts
You ask why? I fail to see how one could even ask that question. As it is plainly obvious that they are inherently superior to all other inferior animals which should only exist to serve their glorious and serene betters.
Bunnies! Buns are the best. They are cute. I see them in my yard and I use to have some as pets. They learned how to open a raison container. A bunny I babysay also would wrestle my cat.
Second is the fox that lives down the road. She doesnt know it but we are best friends. I sometimes throw moldy bread around where she lives. She has two kits but I've only seen one since they went independent. It led to an awkward exchange with some neighbors after I followed it down their driveway
There's a pair of bald eagles that's been nesting in the cliffs near my house every summer for the past two years. They should be showing back up basically any day now and I've been keeping my eye out. You used to never see them in Missouri, now I see a couple every year it seems. It's nice seeing their comeback.
I was going to say river otters, then opossums, then blue-tailed skinks (bless them for being where Lyme disease goes to die), but I am going to have to say delicious blue crabs.
American Alligator. I grew up as a dinosaur fanatic. I still love reptiles. So, that's probably why. But, they're truly an incredible animal that is such an impressive species.
Extant Carnivore: Mountain Lion (Jaguar would be technically correct since it's native range goes to Texas, but I'm not counting it for obvious reasons.)
Well, where I’m from in Ohio, we have black squirrels. I remember when we first moved here thinking….. did we just see a black squirrel?! I forget they’re not everywhere now.
The Loon. I grew up in Minnesota, so I have a soft spot for them. Super pretty water birds that carry their babies around on their backs. Their calls are also very beautiful and creepy at the same time.
Musk Oxen. Their method of protecting their young is pretty interesting; the adults of the group form a ring around the calves and move together as the threat (such as a pack of wolves) moves around them. Apparently they'll do this when approached by a helicopter, too
Moose. I've seen thousands of moose, but I still stop and watch when I see one. How something can be so majestic and so dopey at the same time (seriously, watch one run) is amazing.
Also, they're bigger than people think. I used to do some guiding in the woods. The reaction to someone's first moose sighting is almost always some variation of "Holy shit, that's huge."
Raccoons are funny. They've always been my 5 year old's favorite. I don't want to get too close and have one scratch or bite though. I found that they can be super bold trying to get your food while camping. You can't scare them by walking toward them or by making any kind of noise. They only respond to being sprayed with a water hose.
Black bears and mountain lions are among the coolest. The fact that we have large, adaptable predators roaming around is something that reminds me that North America is still wild.
I've been living in Europe for the last few years, and I never thought I'd miss the loud, beady-eyed, HEB parking lot flocks. And yet, I do. Whenever I visit, I can't help but be happy to see those piles of iridescent feathers and audacity strutting around. Almost makes me want to give them some fresh tortilla
Hummingbirds are my favorite animals. Whenever I see one, I will always stop to look. It's unbelievable that a bird can flap its wings that fast and yet still be so graceful. And the vrooming sound they make as they swoop by is so adorable.
Black bears. I get so excited when I see one of the little fellas (black bears in South eastern Virginia are small, like 5 feet standing up) I was really confused the first time I saw one.
River otters. So much bigger than you would expect!! And so cute, I love the hump way that they hop.
For extra credit: I'm terrified of moose. I have nightmares about them. I worry when I drive down a road with woods on both sides that a moose will come out.
I do not, and never have, lived or been anywhere with moose. I live in VIRGINIA, ffs. Still so scared of them that this is a regular concern of mine
TallyTruthz@reddit
Mountain Lions probably have to be my favorite. They’re absolutely beautiful. I also love Opossums and Raccoons. Pronghorns are also really cool!
big_benz@reddit
Beaver, they’re so goddamn ridiculous. Just giant river rats who’s sole purpose in life is to stop to water from running.
curry_man56@reddit
And it’s a Dam Proud purpose. Go Beavs!
HistoryGirl23@reddit
I love beavers! I grew up on the Northern border and enjoy seeing them in the fall.
Foxfyre25@reddit
I just recently learned that they are hella petty. Which i can relate to.
Beaver Pettiness
Professional_Mood823@reddit
That is why hunters prized their pelt.
Agile_Property9943@reddit
Since everyone already said mine here are some lesser known ones I like
Greater Prairie Chicken Greater Prairie Chicken
Hawaiian Monk Seal Hawaiian Monk Seal
Appaloosa Horses Appaloosa
Mourning Doves- basically a lot of people’s childhoods 😂😂 Mourning Doves Call
Maine Coons
T rexes 😬
brand_x@reddit
Yay, monk seal acknowledgement!
I voted for the nēnē and the monk seal.
Agile_Property9943@reddit
Yees! Hawaii visibility!! I tried to get them and Alaska lol
brand_x@reddit
Plenty of other Tyrannosauroids in other areas that were once part of Laurasia. I'm pretty sure the entire lineage evolved after the complete separation of the former Pangaea, and they weren't great at swimming, so no surprise you don't find anything similar in, say, Australia or South America. Within that clade, there's evidence of some migration when what would become Western North America comes in contact with what would become Eastern Asia - the Chinese tyrannosaurids appear to be closer to those of Laramidia than to those of Europe. The Tyrannosaurus genus shows up after what would become North America had become an island continent, with only a small land bridge connecting the western part (where all Tyrannosaurus spp fossils are known) to the other two sections. T. rex has a relatively late origin within the family, and probably evolved after Laramidia became an isolated island. That island would remain isolated until the K–Pg. At present, only, what, six confirmed T. rex fossils have been found that aren't from the Hell creek formation? Plus one that is Tyrannosaurus, but not T. rex (the NM fossil).
So it has a known range that's basically a huge number of specimens in Montana, with a handful of specimens in the Dakotas, one in Utah, one in Alberta, on in Saskatchewan, two in Wyoming, and a close relative in New Mexico.
We don't see a lot of evidence of them further South; the majority of the Montana fossils are from what were floodplains, and there weren't as many of those in the Southern range. So, there's the NM fossil, and some other Tyrannosaurids...
So... not really weird?
Agile_Property9943@reddit
Wow! lol I just looked all that up yesterday and learned about the ones in China that were related but not really the same. I think it’s so cool we have the T. rex here (and Canada)! I love but am also terrified of dinosaurs! It all started from Jurassic Park and went from there. Have you seen the indie horror games that are based on dinosaurs? They are so creepy!
brand_x@reddit
Honestly, not really. I did see the first two Jurassic Park films in theaters (and I read the first novel before that), but a) I was (barely) an adult when they came out, b) I was fairly familiar with the history and practice of fossil hunting and paleoarchaeology long before that. One of my formative memories was the exhibits at the Smithsonian - notable because without that memory, I wouldn't even know I had traveled to the US East Coast as a child.
My grandfather was an archaeologist (Native American specialized, with a focus on Western US range around 6000 years ago, but he had done a lot of different things earlier in his career) and he had taken me to that exhibit, and later hooked me up with a couple of paleontologist buddies for a dig when I was 5-6. I've been interested in that side (more than the dinosaurs themselves) ever since. I also have a background in genetics (my actual degrees are in physics, math, and materials science, and I design and implement software for a living, but I did some graduate courses in the then nascent field of nuclease coupled editing (the precursor to CRISPR/CAS-9) and did a bit of field work, including some of the early analytical software for protein modeling and transcription analysis, which has led me to follow developments in genomic cladistics very closely.
Really, much of my interest in dinosaurs is specific to attempts to model the emergence of birds within the theropods, and maybe determine the divergence of the different surviving lineages before the K-Pg extinction. So, of course, the recent emerging evidence that tyrannosauroids had extensive birdlike features has captured my attention. The fact that T. rex was more closely related to chickens than to, e.g., the ceratopsians makes me smile a bit. To put it into perspective, though, the ancestors of theropods likely diverged from the ancestors of ornithischians somewhere around 240 million years ago (according to known fossils; genetic comparisons of birds and crocodiles likely put it closer to 270myo), and within the theropods, the ancestors of aves likely diverged from the ancestors of tyrannasauroids between 155 and 165 million years ago. They're both coelurosaurs, the group that includes all known feathered dinosaurs. Note that this also means tyrannosaurs are more closely related to birds than they are to carnosaurs. Minus the divergences of time, but definitely more closely related to the birds alive at that time. Those additional 66 million years of mutations and selection do add up, that's something that people often forget when talking about how closely related groups from different eras are. But still, even adding them in, 175 million years of divergence from triceratops vs 155-165 million years from chickens (counting the time since extinction as divergence).
One thing that's worth contemplating is, we think of "the age of dinosaurs", but dinosaurs existed for a long, long time - 180 million years, all told, based on the oldest known fossils that could be, conclusively, determined to be a dinosaur, and excluding the post-K-Pa birds. Some of the famous genera (like Tyrannosaurus) were only around for 10-15 million years, at most. And it's only been 66 million years since an asteroid (and maybe also some subsequent vulcanism) wiped out almost every large land animal, and a bunch of marine animals to boot. And since the atmosphere got a lot thinner, lower in oxygen, and cooler. We're living on a planet that would be pretty much unsurvivable for most dinosaurs. At least, for now. So climate change? It's making the planet more similar to the one they lived on...
luckydragon8888@reddit (OP)
I really didn’t realise the breadth of types of animals in the US.
Agile_Property9943@reddit
Yep there’s a lot that most people don’t know about! It’s very interesting!
Kit Fox Kit Fox
Musk Ox Musk Ox
Mountain Goats sooo cute! Mountain Goats
California CondorsCalifornia Condors
RobinFarmwoman@reddit
Roadrunners! They are an iconic part of my home state, New Mexico. They are beautifully colored birds . They are smart, they eat vermin, and they do indeed run down the road. They are just so great in so many ways.
Elegant_Bluebird_460@reddit
Opossums (commonly called possums). They are the only marsupial found in North America. They are adorable little guys. I love seeing the mamas carrying their full brood on their backs. We had a black bear around our yard last year and an injured possum came up on my porch seeking shelter. I let her in my house and tended her little foot (he had a splinter I removed). Se stayed for a full day before heading out and finding herself a safe spot under my porch that the bear won't be able to reach. I see her often with her brood.
ca77ywumpus@reddit
We have a little dude living in our shed. He's a great neighbor; quiet, eats pests in my garden, doesn't dig up the yard or knock over the garbage can. He certainly doesn't break into my attic and shit all over the place like those trashy raccoons.
Professional-Mix9774@reddit
I can’t say they are my favorite, but I don’t mind them. They are hard to tell apart. A family lives under my house and share the cat food. Our joke is we call the bigs ones Regis or Regina, little ones are called Reggie. The babies are cute.
RupeThereItIs@reddit
They are widely known for being fuggly nocturnal critters.
I'd say most people wouldn't call them 'adorable'.
Persis-@reddit
They are terrifying when they hiss. Otherwise, they are just vaguely rat-like. Which people have strong feelings about.
Thunderclapsasquatch@reddit
Yeah, if the rat looked perpetually confused at the state of existence around it
thegmoc@reddit
And were scraggly and 3 times the size
League-Ill@reddit
And had wonderful pink noses
Thunderclapsasquatch@reddit
Ehh, I've had some rats that just were not photogenic, one had a ring around his neck because he couldnt quite keep it clean but he was too mean to keep with a companion no matter cage size.
CookbooksRUs@reddit
Eh, they hiss and then play dead. Had one do that just the other day.
CookbooksRUs@reddit
I would.
syrioforrealsies@reddit
Okay, well most people are haters. Opossums are very cute
catherine_tudesca@reddit
They're ugly cute, like pugs. Not for everybody. But I think it's the extreme derpiness of possums that makes them cute
League-Ill@reddit
Same. And I appreciate that they eat up all the ticks to help keep us safe.
tarheel_204@reddit
The moms carrying their babies on their back is one of the coolest things ever. I saw it once in my backyard and we got a good laugh. I remember my mom saying, “why does its back look so weird” and it took us a minute realize that there were about five mini opossums hanging onto her lol
paleolith1138@reddit
Opossums and possums are 2 different animals. But most of the time we just say possum
paleolith1138@reddit
Also they can't get rabies
textilefactoryno17@reddit
First animal that came to mind.
uhbkodazbg@reddit
When I was in college there was a juvenile opossum (Hank) that made his home near me. I’m guessing something happened to his mom as he seemed a little young to be on his own. I fed him cat food and we became buddies over the next 2+ years. He was never particularly cuddly but he did get pretty excited when I came home and fed him.
I ended up staying in the apartment longer than I wanted or expected because I was worried about Hank. A cold snap was the end of Hank but he had a good 2+ year run.
4myolive@reddit
They only live about 3 years if something doesn't get them.
uhbkodazbg@reddit
Yeah, he was already near the end of his life when he finally went. He was looking and acting like an old man. Life as an opossum is pretty tough.
Photon6626@reddit
I once heard screaming outside my window in the middle of the night. I opened it up and it was 2 opossums mating. It was the most violent thing ever. And it lasted like an hour.
free-toe-pie@reddit
There’s a very fluffy and cute one is see in our yard sometimes. I don’t know why people think they are ugly.
Foreign_Plate_4372@reddit
So they are safe and won't eat you while you are sleeping?
Elegant_Bluebird_460@reddit
lol no. They are opportunists. They don't hunt.
Upper_Command1390@reddit
You have guts. I would be too afraid to let any wild animal inside my house.
Elegant_Bluebird_460@reddit
I have rehabilitated several wild animals. I have a little sunroom where I keep them so my kids and cat don't interact with them.
proscriptus@reddit
They're all hiss,* no bite. I mean, they are wild animals, they will bite, but you really have to work to get bitten by one.
They come up onto my deck to eat bird seed at night, I got to pet one last fall that decided to freeze on the railing when I came out. So soft!
*Also stink, when threatened.
Odd-Help-4293@reddit
Yeah, I'd put a bowl of water on the patio, but not let it in my place!
SnooChipmunks2079@reddit
A year or two after I cooked some chicken on the grill I found one licking the grease off the spatula. Such cute little guys.
-MerlinMonroe-@reddit
Opossums are American marcupials, possums are Australian. Related, but distinct. Colloquially, most Americans drop the O from opossum, though.
hidefinitionpissjugs@reddit
nobody is gonna say O possum
randomname5478@reddit
We say O possum. But kinda sarcastically with extra emphasis on the O.
Mr_Salty87@reddit
I’m saying this in an exaggerated Baltimore accent and giggling my ass off.
Prof_Acorn@reddit
I do that with the l in salmon. Sallllmon.
episcoqueer37@reddit
Or "Ohhhhhh-possum" like the song from "Oklahoma!"
cephalophile32@reddit
Exactly lol. We have one in our yard we named Openny the Opossom
HazelEBaumgartner@reddit
The Irish-American ones are O'Possum.
filkerdave@reddit
O possum! My possum!
Yeah-NO_FORSURE@reddit
That's the only way to say it lOl
jephph_@reddit
Not when you spell it incorrectly as well 💡
ZannY@reddit
This is kinda incorrect. The American Opossum was colloquially known as the "possum" well before the discovery of the Australian Possum, which is named after it's American counterpart.
Basically it's alright to call the American opossum a Possum, and people need to stop correcting others.
criticalvibecheck@reddit
Yeah, if hear someone in the US casually calling them opossums (as in, not emphasizing the O in a joking way) I would assume they’ve only ever read about them or that they’re really pedantic. But there is definitely a distinction between opossums and Australian possums, the O is important for anything besides casual conversation. Personally I usually use opossum in writing and almost always use possum when speaking.
Prof_Acorn@reddit
Yeah but Australian magpies aren't magpies but they still call them that. I'll call a possum an opossum when they call their magpies butcher birds.
HazelEBaumgartner@reddit
Verbally, I pronounce the "o" as sort of a voiceless "oe", so it comes out "uh-POH-sum". Sometimes all it gets is a gentle exhale before the "P" sound.
proscriptus@reddit
I got opossums up the wazoo and I use possum and opossum interchangeably.
syrioforrealsies@reddit
The fact that possum is an American colloquial term is why the Australian animal is called a possum
HoratioHotplate@reddit
Ours are the Irish O’Possums.
mule111@reddit
And they ear disease ridden ticks! Great creatures
JakeVonFurth@reddit
AND they're immune to rabies!
CookbooksRUs@reddit
And they’re immune to snake bites!
nicearthur32@reddit
What’s funny is that in Spanish they are “tlacuaches” but they’re commonly called “tacuaches” so, like the English word, they leave out one letter cause it’s easier to say.
EstelSnape@reddit
My dad went to an elementary school called Possum Elementary. Their mascot was a possum.
Professional_Mood823@reddit
I will always believe that the North American possum was accidentally switched with the Australian possum.
BoldBoimlerIsMyHero@reddit
A young one got k to our house one night when we had the back door open and my kids freaked out thinking it was a very large rat.
ca77ywumpus@reddit
I love the Virginia Opossum. They are North America's only marsupial, and are great little backyard pest control. Their body temperature is too low for the Rabies virus to survive. They eat insects, grubs, seeds, berries, and pretty much anything that doesn't eat them first. They "play dead" as a defense mechanism; they go rigid and fall over, baring their teeth just in case. They will often shit at the same time to make themselves even less appealing to predators. Plus they have cute little beady eyes and weird little pink hands. A litter of baby opossums is called a "passel!" Once they come out of Mom's pouch, they ride on her back until they get too big and fall off. Then they're on their own. The only thing that sucks about them is that their lifespan is only 1-2 years in the wild, maybe 3 in captivity.
Tristinmathemusician@reddit
I’m from the desert and I’m a fan of an animal that’s entirely unique to the deserts of N America as far as I know. It’s called the Gila Monster. It’s a fat lizard with a really cool black and orange coating that you’ll occasionally see waddling across the desert floor whose bite will even fuck up snakes. It’s the largest lizard in North America and one of only two venomous lizards in North America.
Because they’re so rare it feels like a real treat to come across one. I’ve hiked through the same area for almost four years and have only spotted one.
MattWolf96@reddit
Wolves because they are cute
spaceyfacer@reddit
Bison or loons. I've never seen bison outside of a farm, but I'm from MN so I've heard loon calls in the wild, it's really cool.
luckydragon8888@reddit (OP)
I have to admit I’m surprised by their popularity. They are clearly loved and revered. I will need to look up a documentary 🦬🦬🦬
spaceyfacer@reddit
They have this prehistoric look to them, like something out of the ice age, I think that's part of the fascination. Definitely look up more videos on them.
BelleMakaiHawaii@reddit
Green sea turtles
twincitiessurveyor@reddit
The (common) Loon.
SicTim@reddit
There's something extra-special about being near a lake covered in mist and hearing a loon call off in the distance.
Of course, I live in Minnesota, so we have a plethora of both lakes and loons.
spaceyfacer@reddit
I'm also from MN, but mostly a city dweller. The times I have been far enough out to hear a loon it's been so cool.
velociraptorfarmer@reddit
Suck at walking, okay at flying, absurdly good swimmers
redheadMInerd2@reddit
Not so Common Loon. Adore these masters of yodeling.
Comfortable-Owl-5929@reddit
Bison
fixmystreet@reddit
When we lived in Wyoming sometimes we’d find a herd and very gently drive amongst them, roll down the windows, turn off the engine, and just sit and listen to them until they grazed off the other direction. It was a wonderful experience.
spaceyfacer@reddit
That sounds amazing
Comfortable-Owl-5929@reddit
So cool to experience that!
JakeVonFurth@reddit
Plus they taste amazing, and their leather is twice as strong as bovine, while being twice as soft. (at the same thickness)
I wish they were properly domesticatable.
Milehighcarson@reddit
Are they not domesticated? I feel like there are a number of Bison ranches around me in Colorado?
GenXrules69@reddit
Those are Beefalo
Comfortable-Owl-5929@reddit
I’ve Eaton muskox before when I was living in Alaska, and it was the best cut of meat I ever had. It was like eating filet mignon. I would imagine that they probably taste similar.
djninjacat11649@reddit
When I’ve eaten it, it tastes almost like a rarer steak when cooked to the same amount
HistoryGirl23@reddit
They are very cool, and massive.
orangeunrhymed@reddit
They’re so majestic! I was in Yellowstone in a random little picnic area and a herd of them surrounded my car for an hour and my daughter and I just sat there and watched and listened to them in awe. I’ve seen them tons of times, but never that close! They make the cutest munching sounds when they graze 🥹
TieDye_Raptor@reddit
God, I love Yellowstone.
Th3MiteeyLambo@reddit
Yep, huge powerful creatures
Btw for all you non-great plains people out there, it's not
Bice-uhnit'sBye-ZuhnCautious_General_177@reddit
Unless you mess with one. Then it’s “Bye, son”
Yourecringe2@reddit
God’s dog. Coyote. What doesn’t kill them makes them stronger.
theextraolive@reddit
Opossum
Fillmore_the_Puppy@reddit
I agree with everyone who said there are too many wonderful native animals to choose just one. But since you are forcing me, I will go with orcas, since they have been my favorite animal since I was a kid (before I understood anything about native/nonnative) and now I live where they live, so I occasionally get to see them from land.
WindyWindona@reddit
Fireflies. They're really pretty, utterly harmless, and you can just hold one in your cupped hands. They're the best thing about summer.
Fillmore_the_Puppy@reddit
We don't have those on the west coast, but I had grown up reading about them in books. I was SO excited the first time I saw them, on a trip through Ohio. They are just a magical as I imagined!
Agile_Property9943@reddit
They are! Nothing more magical then seeing them light up as the sun sets while carefully following them around and gently catching then releasing them and watch them after dark. The best in late summer!!
BoldBoimlerIsMyHero@reddit
North American river otter. I love otters. They’re adorable killers.
Fillmore_the_Puppy@reddit
We see them sometimes in and around Puget Sound. During COVID, a public pool in a park right on the sound (it gets filled with seawater) was closed, and the Seattle Parks Department posted these fun pics of otters using the pool.
msabeln@reddit
I was dating a girl who was obsessed by otters and wanted to see them in the wild (I’m in Missouri), and we went on lots of adventures to see if we could find them. Eventually we did.
hermitzen@reddit
They are adorable! Caught one on our security camera once, playing around the car after we got buried in a snow storm. I didn't even realize we had river otters until I caught that footage. There's only a little stream next to the yard, with a larger river about a quarter mile downstream. I guess he was just having fun and exploring on a snow day!
Figgler@reddit
I’ve been told we have those on the river here but I’ve never seen anyone think they’re pretty reclusive in Colorado.
proscriptus@reddit
I live in the Northeast, I haven't seen one in decades, although I know they are still around.
shbd12@reddit
I've seen them in NJ, of all places. They said "Da fuq you looking at?" flipped me the bird, and swam off.
Rogers_Razor@reddit
I frequently see their tracks and the crime scenes they sometimes leave behind on the shore, but in 40+ years of spending lots of time in the North Maine Woods, I've only ever seen a couple of actual otters.
mgodave@reddit
I’ve seen them in RMNP during the Spring.
MrsBeauregardless@reddit
Came here to say the same thing. So stinking CUTE!
Devious_Bastard@reddit
Red Winged Blackbirds because their call reminds me of home.
Bluegills because they are a lot of fun to catch for pan fish and taste delicious.
473713@reddit
Red wings will drive you away while you are trying to catch bluegills too near their nests, doubling your fun for the day
annaoze94@reddit
Theyre so mean though
Devious_Bastard@reddit
Another reason I like them. They are not afraid to chase off hawks/eagles 20 times their size.
Out0fit@reddit
My neighbor is alright I guess.
LoveSaidNo@reddit
Bobcats. They’re so cute. One had kittens in our yard and the babies used to climb up on our roof to wrestle and take naps on our porch.
I don’t think they’re technically native to the US, but I would also pick armadillos. They’re just silly.
jesuspoopmonster@reddit
Armadillos are in the US. I worked at a place in Missouri and saw armadillos in the parking lot and got really excited. Nobody I worked with wanted to go see the armadillos. Bunch of shit heads I worked with. They werent even doing anything. Who doesnt want to see armadillos?
LoveSaidNo@reddit
Oh I know! They’re constantly digging up my garden. Dopey little guys. I see them hiking all the time and they just don’t give a rip about humans. (But think they expanded to the US from Central and S. America so I didn’t know how strict to consider “native animal.”)
brand_x@reddit
Correct. The nine-banded armadillo has been steadily expanding northward, with evidence of spreading through Northern Mexico about 1,500 years ago, and only showing up North of the Rio Grande in the 1800s, presumably transported by humans.
But there were armadillos (more closely related to most of the other living species than to the group that includes the nine-banded and seven-banded armadillos) in the US as recently as 15,000 years ago, maybe even 12,000 years ago. See my response to /u/thegmoc above.
So, in a way, this is just their cousins moving back in.
thegmoc@reddit
They definitely are, their native habitat ranges from Southern Canada to Mexico
brand_x@reddit
I'm pretty sure that their native habitat (meaning, the range of established populations) had not yet expanded to include anything currently in the United States at the time that the United States was established as a nation. Notably, they were documented as having a range bounded in the North by the Rio Grande in the 1800s.
But, in a way, they (armadillos) are just finally making their way back to their historical range. Glyptotherium fossils from 20,000 - 15,000 years ago have been found in Texas, Florida, and Oklahoma, clearly establishing the historical presence of (really big) armadillos here.
brand_x@reddit
What, any US native?
The nēnē. Followed by the monk seal.
My parents have a nesting colony of nēnē in a bamboo stand right outside their kitchen window. They're the most adorable birds. It's hard to believe they're descended from a group of Canada geese that got blown off course...
husky_whisperer@reddit
The Duck-billed Influencer
Taanistat@reddit
The Wild Turkey
A large, mostly ground dwelling game bird, which may be one of nature's stupidest animals. I love watching them, particularly when they clumsily launch themselves out of the trees they roost in at night. Half the flock will make it to the ground without incident. The other half will launch themselves, fail to spread wing, bounce, and careen off nearby trees before landing in a pile on the ground, only to act like it's the most normal thing in the world, get up.
Also, they're delicious.
EatLard@reddit
They’re stupid until you’re sneaking through the woods dressed like a camo ninja and accidentally step on a twig.
Taanistat@reddit
Yeah. I've had that experience. I also had the experience of walking down an access road in the local designated gamelands and rounding a corner into a small flock who were completely unaware of my presence while in line of sight. Most boring hunting day ever. Filled my tag with zero effort. No calls, no sitting and waiting, etc. I've also had a big tom attack me on a hunting trail. They're not so silly and stupid when they're all fluffed up and pissed.
EatLard@reddit
That tom’s velociraptor ancestors would be proud of him.
Elegant_Bluebird_460@reddit
They really are stupid. But the domesticated turkey is even worse. My in laws raised some and they would just stand outside and drown themselves looking up at the sky when it rained with their mouths open.
Team503@reddit
Mmmmmm smoked turkey
opheliainwaders@reddit
Once I was watching a flock of them that lives in my mom’s neighborhood settle for the night in some big old white pine trees, and one big guy biffed the landing onto the branch he was aiming for and kind of flop/fell onto the one below it. Nature is so graceful.
Remote_Leadership_53@reddit
Between the Plains Bison and Bald Eagles for me. Grew up near a bison farm in Indiana and every time I'd bike, run or drive past them, I was awestruck at their massive size and how beautiful and unique they look. Bald Eagles are hard to top though. When you see one floating through the air above you or sitting in a tree, it's hard to pay attention to anything else
Content_Talk_6581@reddit
Opossum. The only naturally occurring marsupial in North America. They are the best!!
JustGoodSense@reddit
Groundhogs/Woodchucks/Marmots/Whistle pigs. Why? LOOK AT 'EM!
blue_eyed_magic@reddit
Raccoon
JustGoodSense@reddit
I love 'em, but if I find one anywhere in my vicinity, I'm terrified I'm gonna get a brain parasite.
Ceorl_Lounge@reddit
Trash Pandas are my homies. I REALLY wish they made for decent pets.
Ulysses502@reddit
My great-uncle had over named Marvin who lived in the house for 3-4 years. Before my time, but everyone used to laugh about it. I don't think he ever bit anybody. Wouldn't recommend it though
HazelEBaumgartner@reddit
I recently had a mama raccoon break into my attic to have her babies and I gotta say I love them a lot more outside my house than inside it.
That being said, it seems like they're almost always seen in a suburban/urban environment, but getting to see them out in their own natural environment is a treat and a half.
MomRaccoon@reddit
I had to scroll way too far for this response! Raccoons are so cute and smart and cuddly!
OkAdvantage6764@reddit
Bluebirds. I really never noticed or saw one until I was @50. A nearby park put up the specific houses for them, so I've seen many since then.
spring13@reddit
Chipmunk! They're cute and unique looking.
That-Bluejay3533@reddit
Blue Jays! 1st, I'm 💯 sure they are from N.America. I feed them every day, they are a blast to watch. They are smaller, but they team up, and NOBODY bothers them. Not ,Mr hawk or Mr Eagle!
fardaw@reddit
I'd say the Stellar Jay is right up there with the Blue Jay. Both are amazing to watch.
BitterestLily@reddit
I agree with you! My local version is the scrub jay. They have so much personality!
hermitzen@reddit
I feed the birds in the Winter and it's always a party when the blue jays show up!
That-Bluejay3533@reddit
So much fun, I'm a total bird nerd, and my handle was a pure coincidence 😅🐦🐦
RosietheMaker@reddit
I have a couple of blue jays that visit my yard, and it has made me so goddamn happy.
That-Bluejay3533@reddit
They are always like a spectacle! If you want to get a big visit, throw out some peanuts in the shell. They loveeee them and shelling them takes a min so you can get a good look!
RosietheMaker@reddit
I heard! I definitely need to do that because I love them
That-Bluejay3533@reddit
They will def come! Post some pics!
Iwantaschmoo@reddit
Last summer, I had a pair nesting somewhere near my yard. One day, I look out my windows and see 5 flying around. I think mom and dad were teaching the young ones the way of the world in my backyard. It was fun to see.
MrsBeauregardless@reddit
My favorite corvid!
Rubijou@reddit
Raccoons because they are so smart and crafty! Opposable digits, cool tails.. so cute!
shamalonight@reddit
Gila monster.
Their venom introduced a whole new class of diabetes medications: exenetides.
Bright_Ices@reddit
Black bears. They’re just so cute and hilarious (from a distance). I love all bears, but black bears are my favorites.
Ok-Resist7858@reddit
I heard something on my porch at 2 am . I looked out the bathroom window and a smelly black bear was out there twirling my locked trash can around like a circus bear. It was hilarious 😆. He saw me and that mouth opened with a growl. I stuck my head right back inside lol.
SpiritualPeanut@reddit
A distant relative of mine that lives in Connecticut woke up with one IN HER BEDROOM in the middle of the night. I don't know how she managed to just stay quiet and lay there, but she did, and eventually it made its way back out of her house. I would've shit the bed lmao.
bell37@reddit
Black bears are just raccoons that are unaware of how big they are. Still pretty dangerous but they spook rather easily.
Odd-Help-4293@reddit
I was in the Smoky Mountains one time years ago, and a bear (I was to say it was an adolescent) tried to get into our car while we were in it. At the time it was scary, but it also reminded me very much of a St Bernard or Newfie begging for food.
Bright_Ices@reddit
Adolescent black bears can be the most dangerous, because they’re usually not great at finding enough food yet, so they are extra motivated by hunger. But they sure are adorable anyway :)
farva_06@reddit
I used to work at a restaurant near a ski resort in Colorado. We did everything humanly possible to keep the bears out of the dumpster, but those crafty bastards always found a way in. I went out one night to take out the trash, and it was common protocol to make a lot of noise on your way to the dumpster to alert the bears that a human is coming. We had about 10 different chains wrapped around this thing, and as I come around the corner, I see a little head poke out the top door. He looked at me for a few seconds, I looked back, then he just squeezes his fat ass through the door that would only partially open and casually strolls off back in to the woods. Love those silly creatures.
jesuspoopmonster@reddit
One of the first dates my parents went on was to go to the dump and watch the bears
_oscar_goldman_@reddit
Question: what kind of bear is best?
False. Black bear.
Hot_Aside_4637@reddit
Bears, beets, Battlestar Galactica
luckydragon8888@reddit (OP)
Those bears look so clever when they figure out ways to get into campsites and houses 😬
KJHagen@reddit
They stripped all our apples from the tree the last two years.
Bright_Ices@reddit
They’re great!
Plus, though they can be dangerous and you shouldn’t ever approach them, most adults could capably fight one off if needed. This is not true of grizzly bears.
OkPerformance2221@reddit
This. Just let them pee on your car tires and go on about their bear business.
Kingsolomanhere@reddit
Yeah, until you're trying to sleep and people are banging on pots and pans as the bears are trying to steal food at night(this was at Tuolumne Meadows in Yosemite national park). That was a long 5 days
PhysicsEagle@reddit
“Why friend-shaped if not friend?”
whyvalue@reddit
Horses
Rollingforest757@reddit
Wolf.
WalkingOnSunshine83@reddit
Skunks because they’re both cute and badass.
mrmonster459@reddit
Alligator
common_grounder@reddit
Whitetailed deer, because they're serene and beautiful.
BradleyFerdBerfel@reddit
Little Brown Bats,......because, reasons.
Luckypenny4683@reddit
Skunks are so freaking cute and you can’t convince me otherwise
trinite0@reddit
They really are. Adorable lil' puff balls. We have a bunch of them in my neighborhood, which occasionally leads to problems.
Luckypenny4683@reddit
We used to have a few in my old neighborhood that would come up on the porch and eat the cat food that we put out for the community cats. They used to let me pet them 🥹 Made my heart burst every time!
HavBoWilTrvl@reddit
They're so adorable from a reasonable distance! Let's hear it for the fart squirrels!
Don't want 'em under my house, though. Been there, done that. 🤢
stevebobeeve@reddit
I just saw one crossing the road yesterday!❤️
Luckypenny4683@reddit
An angel in disguise
fowmart@reddit
The most correct answer in this thread!
BionicGimpster@reddit
Wolves. There is nothing like the haunting sound of a solo howl, followed by the responding howl of the pack. It touches your soul.
Professional_Mood823@reddit
Wolves can change the course of rivers.
luckydragon8888@reddit (OP)
Wow is there a doco I can see about that?
Professional_Mood823@reddit
https://youtu.be/ysa5OBhXz-Q?si=ae0L4yiV39rxpxcG
NYVines@reddit
5 minute PBS version
I think there’s a bigger version out there somewhere.
Raineythereader@reddit
Aldo Leopold wrote something very eloquent about feeling an animal's touch on the land, even if you never see it. (I think he was talking about grizzlies, but it been my experience with wolves.)
river-running@reddit
Mountain lion. They're beautiful, powerful, and mysterious.
jvc1011@reddit
Same. They’re gorgeous and their cubs are so darned cute.
BigScoops96@reddit
Moose, even if it’s more Canadian
Sharkhottub@reddit
My favorite animal lives right here in the Good Ol' USA and thats our version of the Leaf Sheep Sea slug, Costasiella ocelifera.
These guys look like "Shawn the sheep" and have a superpower in that they can steal the chloroplasts from the algae they eat and use it to PHOTOSYTHESIZE. This is cool because photosynthesis generally produces a bunch of free radicals that bounce around a fuck up DNA but these guys keep on keepin on.
Impressive-Crew-5745@reddit
Pika (I grew up watching them scurry through the scree fields, but you almost never see or hear them any more) American stoat (because their weasel war dance is amazing and they’re always down to play or murder or both) howler mouse (they hunt animals bigger than themselves and howl like little, adorable lycanthrope murder machines)
alwaysboopthesnoot@reddit
Mountain lions, aka, cougars. They scare me but they’re also so very beautiful.
AugustaSpeech@reddit
I love squirrels and think they are underrated because they are so common. They are not just cute, but highly entertaining!
dmbgreen@reddit
Eastern Box Turtle, beautiful little guys that do no harm.
theniwokesoftly@reddit
Black tailed Prairie Dogs are SO CUTE. When I lived in Colorado I was constantly delighted by seeing them in the “wild” in freaking suburbs.
TheYeast1@reddit
Barred Owls because they sound like monkeys
rawbface@reddit
Horseshoe Crab.
Not really a horseshoe, not really a crab.
Just a 250 million year old sea bug with blue blood.
TheYeast1@reddit
They’re also harmless and just kinda exist. Scientists regularly harvest their blood from them and then just drop them off where they got them and they act like nothing even happened
CarpeNoctem1031@reddit
Gators. They are tasty.
Rancor_Keeper@reddit
Hm, I’ve been rather partial to the wolves that once roamed the northeast. I went to a timber wolf sanctuary when I was in middle school and got to see these majestic animals up close. The one thing that surprised me was how big they were.
Space_Case_Stace@reddit
The Bison. Tatonka (thanks Dances with Wolves!). They are strong and steady, beautiful creatures with expressive eyes. When they run, the earth quakes and there's nothing more awe inspiring than a bison running. They are Magnificent.
GSilky@reddit
Rattlesnakes. They are cool, dangerous, but polite enough to let you know they are there. Not like those bitch-ass copperheads that hide in leaves waiting for you to make a wrong step.
MeadowsSugarGliders4@reddit
Deer, wolves, bison and our bird life.
jefferson497@reddit
North American porcupine
FrenchFreedom888@reddit
Fuck, man, there's so many good ones. Bison, raccoons, opossums as somebody else mentioned, of course moose, elk, American alligator, white-tailed deer. Probably my favorite overall would be the mountain lion because they're just so cool
luckydragon8888@reddit (OP)
I did not realise the huge variety of native animals there are in the US. I just looked up coyotes and wolves howling. Incredible.
Comfortable-Study-69@reddit
Red-tailed hawks because they look and sound badass.
Also an honorable mention to nine-banded armadillos just for being goofy. They can and will jump 4 feet in the air when frightened, no idea how, and sometimes they’ll roll up into balls.
HotTopicMallRat@reddit
ALIGATOOOOOR if you have not , I recommend spending time with them (from a safe distance ) they’re actually so chill and kinda silly. For me personally, they give me the feeling people say therapy dogs provide. If I’m chillin, and a gator comes and chills too I feel immediately better. Go to gatorland and feed them. Your worries will melt away.
Please do not approach gators and please do not feed wild gators.
Magical_Olive@reddit
American Alligators. Obviously they're vicious predators but they're also dopey swamp puppies, way funnier than crocodile. I love mountain lions too, they're really cute.
SecretaryBubbly9411@reddit
American Crocodiles are better.
okiewxchaser@reddit
They can’t even survive north of Orlando, better my ass
JakeVonFurth@reddit
To be fair, Alligators can't even survive pretty much anywhere south of Texas.
okiewxchaser@reddit
They actually live in Oklahoma!
SciGuy013@reddit
Right, that’s north of Texas
einsteinGO@reddit
Rest in peace, P-22 ♥️
nicearthur32@reddit
Poor P-22
I went to his benefit concert at the Greek
einsteinGO@reddit
That’s awesome ♥️
How did he make us all feel more connected to LA? I remember visiting the Natural History Museum my first year here and going down to the basement where they have the local wildlife exhibit; I think he was featured in it at the time.
Anyway, he made me learn more about Griffith Park and get emotionally invested in the big cats in this state. The animal crossing over the 101 is going to be done soon, which is remarkable.
brian11e3@reddit
Danger logs.
Raynafur@reddit
Gators are also the best parents out of all the reptiles!
RupeThereItIs@reddit
How is there no love for the humble trash panda in here?
Racoons are adorable, mischievous & terrifyingly violent if cornered.
They are like feral cats with thumbs & little bandit masks.
VLA_58@reddit
They have zero fear. We were camping one Spring, and kept hearing rustlings just beyond the campfire, so shone a flashlight right at 'em. The just stood there, like 'What? We're walkin' here!'. Didn't back down at all, and acted like we should have been grateful to them for deigning to share our graham crackers.
SecretaryBubbly9411@reddit
Racoons are great, my little sister was scared when they were coming up through the floor vents lol.
VLA_58@reddit
I love coyotes, even though I'm pretty sure I've lost a barn cat or two, besides several chickens, to them. They're just so wicked clever, and have endless stores of pure swagger. In Houston, a female coyote raised 2 litters of cubs in Hermann Park -- somewhere between the zoo, the japanese garden, and the golf course. It took them 2 and a half years to finally trap and remove her out of the city. Respect!
Raineythereader@reddit
It's hard to choose, but limiting it to species that I've seen in the wild, I'll say whooping cranes. They're genuinely majestic, which isnt a word I use often, and the story of their recovery is really interesting.
Honorable mentions to ornate box turtle, rough-legged hawk, American pine marten, and American avocet.
Cledus_Snow@reddit
Hellbender
Ahgoobwa@reddit
The Eastern hellbender is also Pennsylvania's state amphibian, which I love so much.
HazelEBaumgartner@reddit
Finding one in the wild is on my bucket list. I currently live a few hours north of the Ozark Hellbender's natural habitat (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis bishopi, one of the rarest subspecies of amphibian in the world with fewer than 1,000 remaining) and have been keeping my eyes open whenever I go to the southern half of the state, especially since it's usually to spend time in the water.
herehaveaname2@reddit
Ah, snot otters.
susannahstar2000@reddit
Dolphins and otters!
GracieNoodle@reddit
Chipmunks. Close second would be flying squirrels. Because they are very cute, completely harmless, and important food source for lots of other critters.
hermitzen@reddit
We have chipmunks and red squirrels in VT. I can't decide which are cuter, but we only get to see the chippies during the warmer months, so it seems like more of a treat.
GracieNoodle@reddit
We rarely get to see a red squirrel here in southern Appalachians, but if you hike far enough up the mountainsides, you might get lucky. Meanwhile the grey squirrels drive me nuts.
HazelEBaumgartner@reddit
It's the weirdest thing, I NEVER see chipmunks in my area. Been here three years and spend a ton of time outdoors including on nature trails. I see tree squirrels (grey and fox), groundhogs, moles, mice, even the occasional beaver, but never chipmunks. My mom lives about 45 minutes south of me and I see them ALL the time in her yard.
GracieNoodle@reddit
They're pretty elusive where I live, in deep woods - but they're there...
terra_technitis@reddit
While I llime them and agree they're cute, they're far from harmless. They love to eat the insulation on electrical wiring. They've cost me hundreds of dollars fixing my cars and have been implicated in many house fire. Just last spring, one severed the wiring harness connecting to my alternator, which I didn't discover until my power steering cut out on me while going around a curve.
GracieNoodle@reddit
Wow, OK. I know there have been mice in the workings of my car, but never a chipmunk. I wouldn't have guessed.
luckydragon8888@reddit (OP)
Ok they are cute 🐿️
RightYouAreKen1@reddit
Hummingbirds. They are amazing physics defying little nature drones.
MrsBeauregardless@reddit
80% of their diet is insects. If you hate mosquitoes, plant native flowers that attract hummingbirds: monarda didyma (scarlet beebalm), lobelia cardinalis (cardinal flower), pickerelweed, Asclepius tuberosa (butterfly weed), Red buckeye….
QuirkyCookie6@reddit
They eat insects??? Why are we feeding them sugar water??? Are we giving the nature drones diabetes???
catherine_tudesca@reddit
If I read about a hummingbird in a SciFi novel, I'd say "well that's too unrealistic, even for fiction." Hummingbirds have INSANE biology. Clint's Reptiles recently did a video on them that dove deeper into hummingbirds than I had ever heard before and it's wild
Photon6626@reddit
Mountain lions. I saw one once on a mountain creek a little ways from my house. My friend and I went to check out the creek and there was a juvenile the size of a large dog alone on the other side, about 30 yards downstream, drinking from it. We all watched each other for about a minute until they finished. It was like seeing a unicorn. Neither we or they were scared. We all just sorta said hey what's up and went on our way.
Western-Passage-1908@reddit
Pronghorn
Fast as fuck boi
stangAce20@reddit
Raccoon
stangAce20@reddit
Mustang
Pernicious_Possum@reddit
The opossum obviously. They’re just super neat
Vegetable-Star-5833@reddit
Striped Skunk
oligarchyreps@reddit
white tailed deer
big_data_mike@reddit
White tail deer because they are tasty
Typical-Machine154@reddit
Racoons. Fat, greedy little bastards with thumbs and burglars masks. Do they crave violence? No. They crave trash.
Just like us.
Keyairs@reddit
Elk.. because they taste grate!!!
BitterestLily@reddit
I love wild cats, so mountain lions are a favorite. Odd though this may be, I also find skunks kind of endearing. I get a kick out of how they waddle along and their bold, fluffy tails. I have no interest in being on the receiving end of a warning shot from one, though, of course.
For birds, California scrub jays are high on my list. They have tons of personality and are pretty damn smart.
Ok-Truck-5526@reddit
Purple coneflowers. They are hardy and pretty and attract bees and butterflies.
bananapanqueques@reddit
Ocelots. I'm a dog person but I love cats. Ethics aside, dog-sized cats would be ideal pets.
MisterCarlile@reddit
The coyotes.
They’re like a lullaby every night. Never gets old.
When they get a rabbit or squirrel it can a bit wild, though. But no complaints.
bananapanqueques@reddit
They're a problem in Seattle outside of downtown-- stalking people walking their pets, picking off dogs and cats. But they ARE lovely singers.
einsteinGO@reddit
They’re a public nuisance in these parts.
Bright_Ices@reddit
Coyote song really is hauntingly beautiful.
Schlawiner24@reddit
Sea lions and seals. They're just cute and very entertaining to watch.
Lumpy-Marzipan-857@reddit
Orca whales, jackrabbits (freaking adorable ears), wolves, raccoons (underrated)
wanderful_soul22@reddit
Mountain lion, cougar, puma, whatever you want to call them. Followed second by the mustang. Then the northern saw whet owl. I love every single animal here tho.
OYSW@reddit
Carolina Dog, the American dingo.
Handsome yellow fellows with fascinating behavior.
CardStark@reddit
We got a dog from the pound years ago that I’m pretty sure was a Carolina dog, but we never got her tested. She was a great dog.
Gold-Leather8199@reddit
Bald eagle, so big and graceful and the elk, big, bold, and really loud
Raynafur@reddit
Ringtails are probably the cutest thing in North America
Bright_Ices@reddit
That was a wonderful video. Thank you
Raynafur@reddit
Glad to be of service.
NintendogsWithGuns@reddit
I’ve only ever seen two in my life. One was randomly in my garage, the other was crossing the street near a bunch of historic wood cabins. When I bring them up, most people are unaware they even exist.
Raynafur@reddit
I've seen them in a zoo a few times. But, it's not the same as seeing them in the wild. You're lucky!
Itchy_Pillows@reddit
I can't choose just one....but Eagles are solid.
HighFiveKoala@reddit
American badger because they're tough little mean animals that personify FOAO
West-Improvement2449@reddit
Coyote
Bvvitched@reddit
Raccoons. Opossums. American alligators. Moose, Americas only megafauna. Cougars, a cat that holds the record for the most amount of names with 40 just in English. Atlantic horseshoe crabs.
Snoo_50786@reddit
butterfly
dragonfayng@reddit
Bobcats! I feel like i run into them a lot, and Ive just come to appreciate them
Dingbat2022@reddit
Manatees. They're so gentle.
MTHiker59937@reddit
Grizzly Bears or bison- majestic, cool as heck and will mess you up.
cschoonmaker@reddit
Western Diamondback Rattlesnake. Some animals will kill you. Some will sing you a song. The rattlesnake will do both.
brian11e3@reddit
Bumblebees. They are fat, gravity defying bees with disproportionate bodies that look ridiculous. They also get full and take naps in the flowers.
Lightning bugs. During the summer, they light up the backyard like it's the night sky. Unfortunately, they are getting harder to find thanks to urban sprawl and light pollution.
Hawk Moths. They are large moth versions of humming birds.
Agile_Property9943@reddit
I had a bunch last summer! It was so much fun letting them land on my finger! I also had the biggest bumble bee I’ve ever seen in my life too! And the bee would stay around in my yard for like a week!! He/she kept coming back! Then there was two! They were some chunkers too!
redvinebitty@reddit
The biggies - bison, grizz, cougar, caribou, bald eagle, alligators, bull snake, manatees
Spirited-Mess170@reddit
Pine squirrels in the PNW. Much cuter than the furry tailed rat that pushes them around.
Hopeless_Ramentic@reddit
Jackalope.
tog20@reddit
Devils Hole Pupfish. The rarest fish in the world. Just chillin' by themselves in a natural hot tub enjoying life under government protection.
luckydragon8888@reddit (OP)
I have to look them up !
S_Wow_Titty_Bang@reddit
Bald Eagles. Their population is growing in my area and I get SO stoked when I see one.
luckydragon8888@reddit (OP)
Great to read of a few places certain animals are returning to.
FriendIndependent240@reddit
Bison 🦬
luckydragon8888@reddit (OP)
Bison have been mentioned a lot - I’ll have to look them up on you tube !
TieDye_Raptor@reddit
Sorry, but I can't pick just one. I'm a bird lady, but I have favorites of other types of animal, too.
Birds: Red-tailed hawk, golden eagle, American kestrel (any bird of prey, really), turkey vulture, western meadowlark, western tanager, blue jay, steller's jay, cardinal, mockingbird, hummingbird, sandhill crane
Mammals: bison, grizzly bear, black bear, opossum, coyotes, wolves
Reptiles: American alligator, garter snake, turtles in general
Fish: I think trout are really beautiful
Amphibian: Not sure what my favorite is, but I think frogs are pretty cute
Insects and spiders: Bees (esp. bumblebees), moths, butterflies, anything that helps with my gardens, jumping spiders, orb weaver spiders
crispyrhetoric1@reddit
California sea otters. They’re resilient and tenacious. They’re great to watch cruising by in the water.
luckydragon8888@reddit (OP)
I have to see these sea otters they have been mentioned a lot!
ktsquirrel@reddit
Skunks are neat
Mushrooming247@reddit
Foxes are just so beautiful and graceful and soft.
JadeHarley0@reddit
Coyote. I just think they are cute and I admire how clever and adorable they are
luckydragon8888@reddit (OP)
Wile. E. Coyote comes to mind
adriennenned@reddit
Buffalo
annaoze94@reddit
We don't have Buffalo we have bison
OldRaj@reddit
Chupacabra
annaoze94@reddit
I prefer mothman
GroundedSatellite@reddit
You know what really gets my goat?
OldRaj@reddit
Perfect answer! 🤣
Professional_Mood823@reddit
Sasquatch
ScreamingLightspeed@reddit
If I really really really really had to pick: American robin, northern cardinal, garter snake, and corn snake.
criticalvibecheck@reddit
I have lots of favorites but this time of year it must be Spring Peepers! Adorable little frogs that make a very loud peep sound. During mating season in the spring you’ll hear a chorus of hundreds and hundreds outside at night if you’re anywhere near fresh water. More officially they’re a type of chorus frog, both names are very apt. It’s incredibly relaxing to sit outside and watch the sunset and listen to the peepers for a while.
hermitzen@reddit
I love falling to sleep to the peepers! During cold weather, I loop a recording of peepers all night, as white noise to help me sleep. In the Summer, I just have to open the window. Love them!
CupBeEmpty@reddit
Moose.
Those things are mildly terrifying.
But my true favorite is any kind of hummingbird. My grandma loved them. They are God’s own creature and so beautiful.
jesuspoopmonster@reddit
Fun moose fact. One of their only predators are Orcas
CupBeEmpty@reddit
Yeah just because our native Americans killed all the megafauna predators. Thanks to those industrious people we don’t have to worry about dire wolves and saber toothed tigers.
hermitzen@reddit
Moose! They're so ugly, they're cute! Saw one walking up the road last Summer, all casual like. I was weeding the garden and thought someone was riding by on a horse when I caught him in my peripheral vision. I stood up to say Hi and it took a moment to register what I was looking at. He was so close! He looked at me and it took him a moment as well, to decide what to do. He walked away slowly and stopped a couple of times to turn around to see if I was tracking him. He walked slowly up the road about a hundred yards and took three steps into the woods and disappeared. Amazing creatures!
stevebobeeve@reddit
I always love to see a California Scrub Jay. We have some nesting in the trees around the parking lot of my office. One of my coworkers named it Charlie (not sure if it’s the same bird or several birds. They all look the same) and has been feeding it peanuts
Fox_Supremacist@reddit
Vulpes lagopus (artic fox), Vulpes macrotis (kit fox), Vulpes velox (swift fox), and Vulpes vulpes (red fox).
You ask why? I fail to see how one could even ask that question. As it is plainly obvious that they are inherently superior to all other inferior animals which should only exist to serve their glorious and serene betters.
jesuspoopmonster@reddit
You might like the books Pax and Pax Journey Home. Half of each one is from the perspective of a fox
Ceorl_Lounge@reddit
They really are Fantastic.
Stunning-Track8454@reddit
Otters or bison.
GotWheaten@reddit
Gila Monster!
Moist-Consequence@reddit
So under appreciated and also threatened by fungal growth as the planet warms
No-Profession422@reddit
Ducks. Cuz they're cool.
Deer. They're cute, and I love Venison jerky.
crispyrhetoric1@reddit
Cute and delicious.
jesuspoopmonster@reddit
Bunnies! Buns are the best. They are cute. I see them in my yard and I use to have some as pets. They learned how to open a raison container. A bunny I babysay also would wrestle my cat.
Second is the fox that lives down the road. She doesnt know it but we are best friends. I sometimes throw moldy bread around where she lives. She has two kits but I've only seen one since they went independent. It led to an awkward exchange with some neighbors after I followed it down their driveway
jshifrin@reddit
Bison
airbear13@reddit
The black bear
LukasJackson67@reddit
Bald eagle
This is the only answer! 😀
HazelEBaumgartner@reddit
There's a pair of bald eagles that's been nesting in the cliffs near my house every summer for the past two years. They should be showing back up basically any day now and I've been keeping my eye out. You used to never see them in Missouri, now I see a couple every year it seems. It's nice seeing their comeback.
LukasJackson67@reddit
🤞🏼
EstelSnape@reddit
Cardinals
thegmoc@reddit
It's not everyday an Ohioan says something I agree with so take this upvote.
EstelSnape@reddit
Thank you, not everyone in Michigan is bad. I miss the Au Sable River.
eyetracker@reddit
Pronghorn antelope, the second fastest land animal on earth.
Billthepony123@reddit
Beavers, they make the best dams
MrsBeauregardless@reddit
I was going to say river otters, then opossums, then blue-tailed skinks (bless them for being where Lyme disease goes to die), but I am going to have to say delicious blue crabs.
SchlommyDinglepop@reddit
American Alligator. I grew up as a dinosaur fanatic. I still love reptiles. So, that's probably why. But, they're truly an incredible animal that is such an impressive species.
Key-Heron@reddit
Manatees. So many animals though, hard to pick just one.
Maxpowr9@reddit
Florida man.
Leecypoo@reddit
Javelina. Stinky, snorting menaces. But seeing a herd running around the city is sooo entertaining.
Ignorred@reddit
Mountain goats! They are such a treat to see in the wild, they have such a distinctive look
VisualNo2896@reddit
Our only marsupial. The Virginia Opossum. I love them because they are just funny and weird little dudes.
mybelovedbubo@reddit
Ringtail cat! They are soooo cute. To see them is to be blessed.
notyogrannysgrandkid@reddit
Bison
Unreasonably-Clutch@reddit
Coyotes and raccoons because they're smart, highly adaptable, and live amongst humans.
Ok-Waltz-1019@reddit
Woodcocks or pronghorn.
anneofgraygardens@reddit
the California quail. They're so stinking cute.
Someone__Cooked_Here@reddit
Snipe. We used to go running into the woods in the evenings and seeing if we can go catch one. They are fast hairy little boogers.
CalmRip@reddit
Meadowlarks. Such a pretty song--always makes me think of summer daybreak.
ZombiePrepper408@reddit
Red Tailed Hawks are beautiful they way they soar. I've seen one catch a pigeon mid air and debowl it in a tree and throw it towards me.
Seen one dive bomb a ground squirrel too.
Really cool raptors.
vcamm61@reddit
Prarie dogs
ilikebison@reddit
Bison! 🦬
terra_technitis@reddit
The Red Tail Hawk. They're fierce, inteligent, and manage the local rodent population from getting out of hand.
Hot-Energy2410@reddit
I'm very particular to blondes of the female variety.
JakeVonFurth@reddit
Extinction Modern: Smilodon (Saber Tooth Tiger)
Extrant Herbivore: American Buffalo
Extant Carnivore: Mountain Lion (Jaguar would be technically correct since it's native range goes to Texas, but I'm not counting it for obvious reasons.)
mahgretfromqueens@reddit
Opossums. They're adorable and eat ticks.
moemoe8652@reddit
Well, where I’m from in Ohio, we have black squirrels. I remember when we first moved here thinking….. did we just see a black squirrel?! I forget they’re not everywhere now.
Lootlizard@reddit
The Loon. I grew up in Minnesota, so I have a soft spot for them. Super pretty water birds that carry their babies around on their backs. Their calls are also very beautiful and creepy at the same time.
Deep-Internal-2209@reddit
I love beavers 🦫. They are really fascinating and adorable animals. I especially love the sounds the babies make.
Kyle81020@reddit
Sasquatch, obviously.
rockstoneshellbone@reddit
Coyotes. They are clever, curious, and survivors. Sing beautifully, legendary tricksters, chaos on four legs.
CrustyBubblebrain@reddit
Musk Oxen. Their method of protecting their young is pretty interesting; the adults of the group form a ring around the calves and move together as the threat (such as a pack of wolves) moves around them. Apparently they'll do this when approached by a helicopter, too
Rogers_Razor@reddit
Moose. I've seen thousands of moose, but I still stop and watch when I see one. How something can be so majestic and so dopey at the same time (seriously, watch one run) is amazing.
Also, they're bigger than people think. I used to do some guiding in the woods. The reaction to someone's first moose sighting is almost always some variation of "Holy shit, that's huge."
mrpointyhorns@reddit
Jaguar are cool but they're just coming back
kibbeuneom@reddit
Bison look so majestic in their native habitat.
Raccoons are funny. They've always been my 5 year old's favorite. I don't want to get too close and have one scratch or bite though. I found that they can be super bold trying to get your food while camping. You can't scare them by walking toward them or by making any kind of noise. They only respond to being sprayed with a water hose.
CreepyOldGuy63@reddit
Deer. I love venison.
filkerdave@reddit
Bison.
Do not pet the fluffy cows.
AggressiveCommand739@reddit
Black bears and mountain lions are among the coolest. The fact that we have large, adaptable predators roaming around is something that reminds me that North America is still wild.
Hyperdragoon17@reddit
Grackles
DL_HCIlab_FIMUNI@reddit
I've been living in Europe for the last few years, and I never thought I'd miss the loud, beady-eyed, HEB parking lot flocks. And yet, I do. Whenever I visit, I can't help but be happy to see those piles of iridescent feathers and audacity strutting around. Almost makes me want to give them some fresh tortilla
GlockHolliday32@reddit
Goats.
IrianJaya@reddit
Hummingbirds are my favorite animals. Whenever I see one, I will always stop to look. It's unbelievable that a bird can flap its wings that fast and yet still be so graceful. And the vrooming sound they make as they swoop by is so adorable.
ABelleWriter@reddit
Black bears. I get so excited when I see one of the little fellas (black bears in South eastern Virginia are small, like 5 feet standing up) I was really confused the first time I saw one.
River otters. So much bigger than you would expect!! And so cute, I love the hump way that they hop.
For extra credit: I'm terrified of moose. I have nightmares about them. I worry when I drive down a road with woods on both sides that a moose will come out.
I do not, and never have, lived or been anywhere with moose. I live in VIRGINIA, ffs. Still so scared of them that this is a regular concern of mine
AuggieNorth@reddit
The California Sea Otter
SecretaryBubbly9411@reddit
Bigfoot for sure, and yes bigfeet are real.
SecretaryBubbly9411@reddit
Jaguar, and yes they are native.
TehLoneWanderer101@reddit
Bison and California sea lions.
Never seen a bison in real life but they seem majestic as fuck.
Sea lions are so cool. I've seen the Pier 39 lions in San Francisco. They're loud, stinky, lazy, and fat. Just like me!
Sorry-Government920@reddit
Turkey because what would Thanksgiving be without them
Rezboy209@reddit
Grey Wolves. It makes me so happy that we have wild wolves in California again
IthurielSpear@reddit
Armadillos are surprisingly cute for how destructive they can be
Adnan7631@reddit
Sea otters!
They tie themselves up with kelp and hold hands while they sleep! And they are a keystone species
tiger0204@reddit
The Guess Who had a famous song about them.
MuffinR6@reddit
Possum
tacobellgittcard@reddit
Definitely wolves. Standing in the woods in the middle of the night and hearing a pack howling is like nothing else
PoolSnark@reddit
Cougar.
booyashaka935@reddit
A dog
G00dSh0tJans0n@reddit
Bison beautiful, majestic, and delicious
CODENAMEDERPY@reddit
I can’t choose. There are way too many that I love.
Kindergoat@reddit
Mountain Lion. Beautiful.
Beaker_B@reddit
American Woodcock. They do a funny little dance
bird dance
cherrycokeicee@reddit
and they do a little MEEP: https://youtu.be/bY436JiiCjg?si=d3dK1zeyOwNaWH-S
luckydragon8888@reddit (OP)
Never knew of these birds !
11b87@reddit
Whitetail Deer, never get tired of watching them. And as bonus, Whitetails are delicious.
tooslow_moveover@reddit
Pika. I’m not usually one for cute, but it might be the cutest thing ever
gonsec@reddit
It's a trap, don't answer.
luckydragon8888@reddit (OP)
Eh no trap here ! I’d say mine is the hummingbird.
Mrcoldghost@reddit
Wolves. A wolf howl is very haunting.
Sutcliffe@reddit
Eastern gray squirrel
So damn cute!
puddyspud@reddit
Graybanded kingsnake
Comfortable-Owl-5929@reddit
Bison
WolfLosAngeles@reddit
Rattle Snake