American Animals Utah and Vermont

Wildlife Of Utah

The word for the US state of Utah comes from the word Ute which means "people of the mountains" in an indigenous language. The state is comprised of three main geographical regions - the Rocky Mountains stretching through the northeast border near Idaho and Wyoming, the Great Basin along the border with Nevada and Arizona, and the Colorado Plateau near the eastern border with Colorado. To the north is the Great Salt Lake which is the largest saltwater lake in the entire Western Hemisphere.

Official State Animal

Rocky Mountain Elk

Official State Bird

California gull

Some of the most interesting wildlife can be found in Utah's five national parks:

Zion National Park is home to cougars, bobcats, badgers, bighorn sheep, ring-tailed cats, rodents, and deer.

There is a successful breeding program for one of the rarest birds in the country, the condor.

Antelope Island State Park is near Salt Lake City and is the largest island in the Great Salt Lake. It is home to pronghorn antelope and is known for its heard of bison.

Other animals making their home here are bobcats, mule deer, coyotes, wild sheep, and migratory birds.

The Great Salt Lake is the destination for many migratory birds and waterfowl among them stilts, plovers, gulls, sandpipers, ducks, and geese.

The Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area lies on the border between Utah and Wyoming. It is popular with fishermen for trout, salmon, bass, and burbot. Animals living here include cougars, eagles, elk, moose, bears, and antelopes.

The Red Fleet State Park to the south of the Uinta Mountains, a sub-range of the Rocky Mountains had red slick rock formations and a fossil track of dinosaur footprints, The animals living here include hawks, golden eagles, vultures, ospreys, owls, bobcats, coyotes, and deer.

The Dixie National Forest in south-central Utah is the largest national forest in the state. There are pinyon and pine forests and sparse desert-type plants.

Animals making their home here are cougars, bobcats, antelopes, prairie dogs, eagles, and turkeys.

Endangered Species in Utah

Prairie dogs are endangered due to the loss of suitable prairie habitat and poisoning by farmers for eating crops and digging holes, Only about 1000 members of this species remain in the wild.

The Black-footed ferret is a nocturnal animal from the weasel family. There is a black mask around its eyes and feet. It is threatened by the decline of its main food source prairie dogs and the fur trade.

The Gray Wolf is one of the rarest animals in the state.

The Canadian Lynx is a medium-sized feline with long ear tufts, dense fur, and big padded feet, It is very rare in Utah.

California Condor is one of the largest and rarest birds in North America. Endangered due to habitat destruction, poisoning, and poaching. They are surviving in southwestern Utah due to strong conservation efforts.

The Southwestern Willow Flycatcher is a small migratory bird with a green body. Endangered due to habitat loss and a decline of its native nesting trees. Only a few hundred breeding pairs remain in the wild.

Mexican Spotted Owl with white spots on its body. Threatened by habitat loss due to the logging industry.

Desert Tortoise native to the arid Mohave Desert in southwestern Utah. Diminishing in number due to human activity and disease.

Wildlife of Vermont

Wetlands

The state of Vermont has less than 5% of wetlands today. The wetlands that are left provide a habitat and food for waterfowl such as ducks, mergansers, loons, and wading birds.

Among the wading birds that make their home here are herons, bitterns, and egrets.

The wetlands are also home to mammals like moose, black bear, otter, mink, and beaver.

There are amphibians such as frogs, toads, and salamanders. Among the reptiles making their home here are turtles, snakes, and skinks. Completing the picture are interesting plants such as jack-in-the-pulpit, pitcher plants, and sundews.

The Champlain Valley

The Champlain Valley is in lower elevation and warmer all year long. There are extensive wetlands bordering Lake Champlain. This provides a habitat for waterfowl, wading, and migrating birds.

It is also home to turtles, amphibians, and mammals such as beaver and mink.

Above these wetlands are agricultural fields and adjacent forests where you can find animals such as wild turkeys, deer, foxes, hawks, owls, rodents, and songbirds.

The Taconic Mountains

Glacial action formed the Taconic Mountains and they are rich with underground sources of freshwater and rich soil. The mountains are a source of slate and other stones. On the lower slopes are rich oak-hickory forests and northern hardwood forests.

This area provides homes for black bears, deer, bobcats, amphibians, bats, and birds.

The Vermont Valley

The Vermont Valley is a narrow region that lies between the two mountain ranges in Vermont - the Green Mountains to the east and the Taconic Mountains to the west. In this valley, two major rivers start the Otter Creek and the Batten Kill with many wetlands including fens and swamps. It is home to mammals, birds, and amphibians.

The Green Mountains National Forest

Both the Northern Green Mountains and the Southern Green Mountains are part of the Appalachian Mountian system.

The forest provides a habitat for various wildlife among them beaver, moose, coyote, black bear, white-tailed deer, wild turkey, and ruffed grouse.

Northern Vermont Piedmont

There are lakes, rivers, and wetlands in the Northern Vermont Piedmont. Also northern hardwood and hemlock forests, The wetlands are fens and northern white cedar swamps with some floodplain forests.

This provides a habitat for large mammals requiring larger territory such as deer, moose, coyote, beaver, fox, mink, otter, and wild turkey.

Southern Vermont Piedmont

The Southern Vermont Piedmont includes rolling hills, streams, and rivers with the largest river being the Connecticut River. There are northern hardwood and mixed forests that offer habitat to mammals, birds, and amphibians such as red-backed and spotted salamanders.

Northern Highlands

The Northern Highlands is a cold and remote area in Vermont, The Connecticut River flows through this region providing a river valley with wetlands, floodplains, and oxbow lakes. In this cold region, forests are more boreal.

Animals who make their home here are gray jay and spruce grouse, but bear, bobcat, deer, moose, beaver, mink, otter, and fisher.