American Animals South Dakota and Tennessee

Wildlife of South Dakota

The US state of South Dakota has grassland along with hills with trees, mountains, lakes, and rivers. There are several National Park Service-protected sites, state parks, two national forests, and three national grasslands.

Official State Animal

Coyote

Official State Bird

Chinese ring-necked pheasant

At the Badlands National Park, you can see black-footed ferrets and black-tailed prairie dogs.

Other wildlife include bison, bighorn sheep, pronghorns, mule deer, coyotes, and various birds

At Wind Cave National Park there are bighorn sheep, deer, pronghorn, elk, bison, coyotes, prairie dogs, and birds

In the prairies, you can encounter grouse, prairie chickens, turkey vultures, eagles, pronghorn, mule deer, bison, jackrabbits, foxes, badgers, coyotes, and prairie dogs

In the pine forests animals making their home are raccoons, jays, squirrels, chipmunks, marmots, turkeys, elk, bighorn sheep, mountain goats, deer, and mountain lions

In the Black Hills, you can see elk, mountain lions, prairie dogs, and various birds.

Black Hills Wild Horse Sanctuary has about 600 Mustangs

In Spearfish Canyon there are mountain goats and prairie dogs

At Custer State Park are bison, donkeys, bighorn sheep, mountain goats, elk, pronghorn, white-tail deer, and birds.

Bear Country USA has black bears, reindeer, bison, mountain lions, and elk

There are 400 species of birds in South Dakota among them 200 species that are native to the Badlands and Black Hills. Some of the birds you can see are pheasants, owls, hawks, prairie falcons, turkey vultures, golden eagles, and bald eagles.

Endangered Wildlife

Black-footed ferret

Gray wolf

Swift fox

Endangered birds are the whooping crane

Eskimo curlew

Fish threatened are sturgeon, paddlefish, Blue sucker, and Topeka shiner

Butterflies

Dakota Skipper

Poweshiek Skipperling

Wildlife of Tennessee

The US state of Tennessee has many native animals that make their home in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The state also has state parks, wildlife management areas, and zoos.

Over 75 species of mammals, including native ones, live in the state like black bears, elk, cougars, and bobcats. You can also see creatures like the American beaver, American mink, and big brown bats.

Some of the smallest mammals include the pygmy shrew and water shrew.

Official State Animal

Raccoon

Official State Bird

Northern Mockingbird

Official State Horse

Tennessee walking horse

Official State Butterfly

Zebra swallowtail

Official State Amphibian

Tennessee cave salamander

Other mammals making their home in Tennessee include the Allegheny wood rat, American red squirrel, Appalachian cottontail, nutria, Eastern spotted skunk, and Eastern wood rat.

Smaller ones include the deer mouse, Eastern chipmunk, Eastern cottontail, Eastern gray squirrel, Eastern harvest mouse, Eastern fox squirrel, golden mouse, and Eastern mole.

Birds

There are more than 434 distinct bird species in Tennessee among them common species like the Carolina chickadee and uncommon like the Olive-sided flycatcher.

There are the Eastern Phoebe, killdeer, purple martin, warbler, orchard oriole, pine siskin, Northern parula, blue grosbeaks, rose-breasted grosbeak, and the hermit thrush.

Other Wildlife

At the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, you can see badgers and bobcats.

There are many great hiking opportunities and you might spot white-tailed deer, black bears, raccoons, wild turkeys, and woodchucks.

The Harpeth River is one of the major streams in north-central Middle Tennessee and one of the major tributaries of the Cumberland River. The river and its tributaries are home to many mammal species. All these animals are dependent on riparian zones, the land area adjacent to streams and very important for maintaining healthy stream ecosystems, The mixed native vegetation in riparian areas provides both habitat and food for mammals.

The mammals you can find here are the American beaver, North American river otter, American mink, common muskrat, woodchuck, and the Southern flying squirrel.

Endangered Animals

Piping plovers

Freshwater mussels

Pygmy madtom – a rare fish and the smallest member of the catfish family

Indiana bats

Gray bats

Carolina Northern flying squirrel

Obey crayfish