The Wildlife of Arkansas

The southern state of Arkansas borders Oklahoma and Texas to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Mississippi and Tennessee to the west. The state refers to itself as “The Natural State” Arkansas is bordered by the Ozark Mountains on one side and on the other by the Ouachita Mountains. There are lovely deep valleys and rushing mountain streams. The state has densely forested timberland and fertile lowlands. The lower part of the state is on the Mississippi Delta and the Gulf of Mexico. Its wetlands include cypress swamps, headwater swamps, and slope wetlands.

Official State Mammal

White-tailed deer

Official State Bird

Mockingbird

Official State Butterfly

Diana Fritillary

Official State Insect

Honeybee

Official State Fish

Alligator gar

Arkansas has 400 native bird species and over 150 butterfly and moth species. You can see great blue herons, snowy owls, ruby-throated hummingbirds, white ibis, golden-crowned kinglets, and four species of the oriole. Arkansas is home to the red-cockaded woodpecker, one of the rarest endangered birds.

There are 16 native bat species among them the endangered Rafinesque’s big-eared bat, the hoary bat, and the Seminole bat.

In the state coyotes, gray foxes, red foxes, and bobcats are among the predators. There are twelve mouse species, ground squirrels and the southern flying squirrel. River otters, shrews, pocket gophers, cottontail rabbits and opossums are the small mammals that live in the state.

Arkansas is also home to some strange mammals including the nine-banded armadillo and the eastern woodrat.

Unusual rodents that are only found in this state are the thirteen-lined ground squirrel, the southern bog lemming and the Texas deer mouse.

The state is home to two species of skunk, the eastern spotted skunk and the striped skunk, and several shrew species.

Among the reptiles and amphibians found in Arkansas are prairie lizards, Texas horned lizards, bull snakes, eastern garter snakes, and Gulf crayfish. The state is also home to alligators, turtles, and geckos.

Once gone extinct elk has returned in the area surrounding the Buffalo National River in northwest Arkansas. Black bears have also come back.

Dangerous Animals in Arkansas

Animals that are dangerous to humans are mostly snakes and spiders.

Snakes: Arkansas has timber rattlesnakes and the western banded rattlesnake.

Spiders: Arkansas is home to the venomous brown recluse spider.

Endangered Animals in Arkansas

Arkansas has 32 threatened and endangered species. They include:

Ozark big-eared bat
Ozark cave fish

Ozark Hellbender

This is one of the rarest species, the endangered salamander only makes its home in the mountain streams of the Ozarks. Both Arkansas and Missouri are working together to preserve the hellbender.

Curtis pearly mussel
Ivory-billed woodpecker

Rattlesnake Master Borer Moth

One of the rarest moth the rattlesnake-master borer moth exists in only five states – Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, North Carolina and Oklahoma. Its only food source a prairie plant called the rattlesnake-master give this moths its name.

Wildlife in Massachusetts

In the US state of Massachusetts the most common large animals are whitetail deer. Occasionally black bears can be spotted in the western part of the state. Other animals making their home here include foxes, beavers, raccoons, weasels, skunks, woodchucks, muskrats, mice, squirrels, chipmunks, and rabbits.

Piping Plover

The most common birds are the state bird the black-capped chickadee and the robin. Overall there are over 400 species of birds in the state and 185 annually nest here. Among the birds you might see are the great black-backed gull, herring gull, purple martin, night-heron, horned lark, piping plover, sparrow, four species of terns, and marsh hawks are found in the coastal dunes and marshes.

Through the help of the federal endangered species regulations the piping plover has recovered and from 138 breeding pairs there are now over 400. In the deciduous forests of Massachusetts you can find the pileated woodpeckers, warblers, hawks, and owls. Throughout the state you can find the wild turkey.

In the farmlands and meadows are the bobwhite, killdeer, bobolink, eastern meadowlark, and field sparrow.

Loon

During the wintertime there are plenty of loon, grebe, and duck.In the rivers and ponds of Massachusetts there are native species of fish like brook trout, pickerel, shad, sunfish, and perch. Among the popular introduced species are rainbow, brown, and lake trout, small mouth and large mouth bass, black crappie, carp, pike, and tiger muskie. Among the saltwater fish and shellfish are pollack, flounder, haddock, cod, smelt, striped bass, bluefish, clams, scallops, and lobsters.

Cape Ann is a rocky cape in northeastern Massachusetts on the Atlantic Ocean. You can head out there for some white-sided dolphin watching.

You can find boats going out from Gloucester and when whale food is available you can even see some North Atlantic Right Whales with their massive heads and bodies. The season for watching begins in mid-May.

From Cape Cod you can get boat tours and go whale watching along Stellwagen Bank which is one of the best whale feeding grounds found off Cape Cod Bay. Other fund cruises include seal cruises where in season you can watch these adorable mammals at play.

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More About Seagulls

Just hanging out in the garden and thought I’d tell you a story.

The neighbor’s cat who roams much farther than I ever do met up with a gull. He had discovered a container by a store where the neighborhood ladies would leave fresh fish for street cats. Before he could explore further or partake of any of the fish there was that nosy gull already enjoying a meal. So all that was left for him to do was to take a snooze in the warm spring sunshine.

Meanwhile the gull had a great meal and another cat slept while he waited his turn at the fish.

Gull in the Sky

Just some thoughts on seagulls. They rarely if ever fly as far inland as our garden. However one was seen walking on the roof of the garage. He flew away  before we could get acquainted and I thought how wonderful to take wing with the birds.

I saw a gull in the sky

so happy and so free

his cries seemed full of glee

as he spread his wings to fly

I saw a gull upon the river

bobbing so merrily

he seemed so content

being just a gull and being free

never a care or worry

here today, gone tomorrow

to some distant shore

high up in the sky

looking for a better day

he can be most any place

or by the shining sea

we see them at market

hoping to get some fish

love to look at them

then the gulls

just rise up and fly away

oh, to be a gull

high up with the clouds

and so free