American Animals Oregon and Pennsylvania

Oregon Wildlife

The US state of Oregon on the West Coast has mountains, deserts, and thick forests. A large variety of wildlife has made their home here among them 139 species of mammals with 4 species native to Oregon. These four species include Baird's shrew, Pacific shrew, camas picket, gopher, and the red tree vole.

Official State Animal

American Beaver

Beavers help the environment and their habitats include rivers, streams, and lakes where they love to build dams. The dams slow down the flow of water and create floodplains and ponds which then serve as habitats for other animals, Beavers also cut down on excessive soil erosion.

Among the best-known animals in Oregon are elk, black bears, burrowing owls, gray wolves, and beavers.

The area around and near the Willamette River is the place where many animals make their homes among them beavers, black-tailed deer, mink, and otters.

The fish that can be found in the river include rainbow trout, walleye, crappie, and catfish among others.

In the desert region of Oregon, you can find such mammals as mule deer, cottontail rabbits, elks, red foxes, and cougars.

Some of the birds include yellow warblers, sage grouse, quail, swallows, and Western meadowlarks.

Desert rodents include Ord's kangaroo rat, canyon mouse, and the California vole.

In the forests, there are black bears, coyotes, Western toads, Douglas squirrels, mountain lions, hoary bats, Western rattlesnakes, and Northern spotted owls among others.

Endangered Animals in Oregon

Oregon silverspot butterflies have been decreasing in population since 1980. They are rust-brown butterflies with distinctive silver spots. Their decrease is due to habitat loss.

Taylor's checkerspot butterflies are black butterflies with orange and white checkered patterns on their wings. Decreasing also due to habitat loss.

Short-tailed albatrosses are seabirds with strange, curved beaks and huge wingspans. They are categorized as vulnerable. These birds become entangled in commercial fishing nets and die as a result.

Lost River Suckers were the first fish categorized as endangered in 1988. The reasons are water pollution and habitat loss.

Oregon giant earthworms are among the rarest earthworms. In Oregon, they can be found in the Willamette Valley. They are endangered due to habitat loss.

Wildlife Living In Pennsylvania

Forests

The US state of Pennsylvania has forests covering over half of the state. A great many of the forests are deciduous and have many oak- hickory trees.

The animals making their homes in the forests include black bears, cottontail rabbits, wild turkeys, nuthatches, warblers, bluejays, red-eyed vireos, ovenbirds, sparrows, red squirrels, barred owls, northern goshawks, red-shouldered hawks, pileated woodpeckers, and pine martens.

Grasslands

About 1/4 of the state is covered by different kinds of grasslands and open areas. A great many of the grasslands are agricultural farms but also include parks, golf courses, sports fields, and lawns.

Many birds rely on grasslands for nesting among them are ring-necked pheasant, short-eared owl, wild turkey, northern harrier, whip-poor-will, prairie warbler, ruffed grouse, field sparrow, common yellowthroat, bobwhite, and woodcock.

Also sharing the grasslands are rattlesnakes, butterflies, and small mammals such as mice, voles, and shrews.

Wetlands

The state of Pennsylvania has many areas with count as wetlands such as lakes, streams, bogs, marshes, ponds, and wet meadows.

All of these provide habitat for wildlife. Among the wetland species, you'll find beaver, ducks, bittern, bog turtles, muskrats, herons, green frogs, spring peepers, rails, and other frogs and salamanders.

The wetlands are also a good place for black bears, black ducks, wood ducks, wood frogs, and American woodcocks to find their home. Unfortunately, much of the wetlands appear to be declining.