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Species guides

198 animals people most often ask about in the US, each with identification features, lookalikes, what official sources say about danger, a range map by state and when it is active.

On this page
  1. Snakes
  2. Spiders
  3. Lizards
  4. Frogs and Toads
  5. Turtles
  6. Scorpions
  7. Insects and Bugs
  8. Birds
  9. Mammals
  10. Sharks and Marine Life
  11. Alligators and Crocodiles
  12. Ticks
  13. Other Arachnids
  14. Mites and Chiggers
  15. Snails and Mussels
  16. Centipedes and Millipedes
  17. Salamanders
  18. Fish

Snakes

Black Racer
Photo: Everglades NPS from Homestead, Florida, United States · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Black Racer

Coluber constrictor

Non-venomous

Coral snakes
Photo: Court Harding · CC BY 4.0 · iNaturalist

Coral snakes

Micrurus and Micruroides (family Elapidae): US coral snakes Micrurus fulvius, Micrurus tener, Micruroides euryxanthus

Venomous

Massasauga rattlesnake
Photo: NPS photo · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Massasauga rattlesnake

Sistrurus catenatus (eastern massasauga) and Sistrurus tergeminus (western massasauga, including the prairie and desert massasaugas)

Venomous

Milk Snake
Photo: Tom Norton · CC BY 4.0 · iNaturalist

Milk Snake

Lampropeltis triangulum (eastern milksnake); some agencies now also list Lampropeltis gentilis (western milksnake), formerly part of L. triangulum

Non-venomous

Ribbon snake
Photo: Rstanton13 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · resized

Ribbon snake

Thamnophis saurita (eastern ribbonsnake) and Thamnophis proximus (western ribbonsnake); some sources spell the first Thamnophis sauritus

Non-venomous

Rubber Boa
Photo: NPS Staff · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Rubber Boa

Charina bottae (northern rubber boa). California also recognizes the southern rubber boa, Charina umbratica (listed by CDFW as Charina bottae umbratica), which is treated here as a related species with its own status.

Non-venomous

Spiders

Cellar Spider
Photo: Gavin Slater · CC BY 4.0 · iNaturalist

Cellar Spider

Pholcidae (cellar spiders); most common US species Pholcus phalangioides (longbodied cellar spider)

Venomous

No confirmed photo of False widow spiders

False widow spiders

Steatoda (US false widows: Steatoda grossa, S. nobilis, S. borealis; also S. triangulosa)

Venomous

Trapdoor spiders
Photo: Leila Dasher · CC BY 4.0 · iNaturalist

Trapdoor spiders

Mygalomorph trapdoor spiders: mainly Halonoproctidae (Ummidia, Bothriocyrtum), Euctenizidae (Myrmekiaphila, Aptostichus, Eucteniza), Antrodiaetidae (Antrodiaetus); in Hawaii, Barychelidae (Nihoa)

Not stated

Lizards

Alligator Lizard
Photo: River Ahlquist · CC BY 4.0 · iNaturalist

Alligator Lizard

Elgaria and Gerrhonotus (US alligator lizards: Elgaria coerulea, E. multicarinata, E. kingii, E. panamintina; Gerrhonotus infernalis)

Not stated

Glass Lizard
Photo: Peter Paplanus from St. Louis, Missouri · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Glass Lizard

Ophisaurus (genus; US species: O. attenuatus, O. compressus, O. mimicus, O. ventralis)

Not stated

Horned Lizard
Photo: Gabriel Campbell-Martinez · CC BY 4.0 · iNaturalist

Horned Lizard

Phrynosoma (horned lizards; about eight US species, e.g. P. cornutum, P. platyrhinos, P. solare, P. hernandesi, P. blainvillii)

Not stated

Frogs and Toads

Cane Toad
Photo: Maximilian Paradiz from Amsterdam, Netherlands · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Cane Toad

Rhinella marina (formerly Bufo marinus); native south Texas toads are now treated by USGS as Rhinella horribilis

Not stated

Leopard Frog
Photo: Michelle W. （鍾偉瑋） · CC BY 4.0 · iNaturalist

Leopard Frog

Lithobates (Rana) pipiens species group: leopard frogs. US species include Lithobates pipiens (northern), L. sphenocephalus (southern), L. blairi (plains), L. berlandieri (Rio Grande), L. chiricahuensis (Chiricahua), L. yavapaiensis (lowland), L. onca (relict) and L. kauffeldi (Atlantic Coast)

Not stated

Turtles

Desert Tortoise
Photo: Wendy St. John · CC BY-SA 4.0 · iNaturalist · resized

Desert Tortoise

Gopherus agassizii; Arizona south and east of the Colorado River has the separate Sonoran Desert Tortoise, Gopherus morafkai

Musk Turtle
Photo: Curtis Meyers · CC BY-SA 4.0 · iNaturalist · resized

Musk Turtle

Sternotherus (genus); the species most people meet is the Eastern Musk Turtle or stinkpot, Sternotherus odoratus

Scorpions

Insects and Bugs

Carpenter bee
Photo: beewonder · CC0 1.0 · iNaturalist

Carpenter bee

Xylocopa (genus); main species in the eastern US: Xylocopa virginica (eastern carpenter bee)

Venomous

Mud dauber
Photo: Hlgu1 · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons · resized

Mud dauber

Sphecidae and Crabronidae (two wasp families); main US species: Sceliphron caementarium, Chalybion californicum, Trypoxylon politum

Venomous

Velvet Ant
Photo: Judy Gallagher · CC BY-SA 4.0 · iNaturalist · resized

Velvet Ant

Mutillidae (velvet ants); best-known US species Dasymutilla occidentalis (eastern or red velvet ant, "cow killer")

Venomous

Birds

Mammals

Sharks and Marine Life

Lionfish
Photo: Kristof Zyskowski · CC BY 4.0 · iNaturalist

Lionfish

Pterois volitans and Pterois miles (two nearly identical species treated together)

Venomous

Alligators and Crocodiles

Ticks

Other Arachnids

Mites and Chiggers

No confirmed photo of Chiggers

Chiggers

Trombiculidae

Not stated

Snails and Mussels

Centipedes and Millipedes

Salamanders

Fish