Wildlife Fact Sheets
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Amphibians typically are "cold-blooded" vertebrates which change from an aquatic, water-breathing, limbless larva (or tadpole) to a terrestrial or partially terrestrial, air-breathing, four-legged adult. This group includes: frogs and toads, salamanders and newts, and caecilians (limbless amphibians). Learn more about amphibians.
- Barred Tiger Salamander (Ambystoma
tigrinum mavortium)
- Barton Springs Salamander (Eurycea
sosorum)
- Black-spotted Newt (Notophthalmus meridionalis)
- Blanco Blind Salamander (Eurycea
robusta)
- Bronze Frog (Rana
clamitans clamitans)
- Cascade Caverns Salamander (Eurycea
latitans)
- Comal Blind Salamander (Eurycea
tridentifera)
- Houston Toad (Bufo
houstonensis)
- Marbled Salamander (Ambystoma
opacum)
- Mexican Burrowing Toad (Rhinophrynus dorsalis)
- Mexican Treefrog (Smilisca baudinii)
- San Marcos Salamander (Eurycea
nana)
- Sheep Frog (Hypopachus variolosus)
- South Texas Siren (large Form) (Siren sp. 1)
- Southern Leopard Frog (Rana
sphenocephala)
- Texas Blind Salamander (Eurycea
rathbuni)
- White-lipped Frog (Leptodactylus labialis)
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Birds are warm-blooded, air-breathing vertebrates. Their body is covered with feathers. Birds have beaks, wings and scale covered legs. All birds lay eggs that are covered with a calcium carbonate shell.
- American Avocet (Recurvirostra americana)
- American Kestrel (Falco sparverius)
- American Oystercatcher (Haematopus palliatus)
- American Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus anatum)
- Arctic Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus tundrius)
- Attwater's Prairie Chicken (Tympanuchus cupido attwateri)
- Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)
- Black-capped Vireo (Vireo atricapilla)
- Black-chinned Hummingbird (Archilochus
alexandri)
- Black-crowned Night-heron (Nycticorax nycticorax)
- Black-necked Stilt (Himantopus mexicanus)
- Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata)
- Buff-bellied Hummingbird (Amazilia yucatanensis)
- Bufflehead (Bucephala albeola)
- Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicularia)
- Chimney Swift (Chaetura pelagica)
- Downy Woodpecker (Picoides
pubescens)
- Eastern Bluebird (Sialia
sialis)
- Eastern Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis)
- Eastern Screech-Owl (Megascops asio)
- Elf Owl (Micrathene
whitneyi)
- Eskimo Curlew (Numenius
borealis)
- Ferruginous Hawk (Buteo
regalis)
- Golden-cheeked Warbler (Dendroica
chrysoparia)
- Inca Dove (Columbina
inca)
- Interior Least Tern (Sterna antillarum athalassos)
- Long-billed Curlew (Numenius
americanus)
- Mexican Spotted Owl (Strix
occidentalis lucida)
- Mississippi Kite (Ictinia
mississippiensis)
- Muscovy Duck (Cairina moschata)
- Northern Aplomado Falcon (Falco femoralis)
- Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis
cardinalis)
- Northern Flicker (Colaptes
auratus)
- Northern Harrier (Circus
cyaneus)
- Northern Mockingbird (Mimus
polyglottos)
- Painted Bunting (Passerina
ciris)
- Pied-billed Grebe (Podilymbus
podiceps)
- Pine Warbler (Dendroica
pinus)
- Piping Plover (Charadrius
melodus)
- Red-bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes
carolinus)
- Red-cockaded Woodpecker (Picoides
borealis)
- Red-shouldered Hawk (Buteo
lineatus)
- Reddish Egret (Egretta
rufescens)
- Rock Pigeon (Columba
livia)
- Roseate Spoonbill (Platalea ajaja)
- Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus
colubris)
- Scissor-tailed Flycatcher (Tyrannus forficatus)
- Swainson's Hawk (Buteo
swainsoni)
- White-faced Ibis (Plegadis
chihi)
- Whooping Crane (Grus
americana)
- Yellow-billed Cuckoo (Coccyzus americanus)
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Fish are scaled, "cold-blooded" vertebrates found in water environments. They fall into three main groups: agnatha or jawless fish, chondrichthyes or cartilaginous fish and osteichthyes or bony fish. Most fish lay eggs, though a few species give birth to live young. This group includes: Agnatha - lampreys and hagfish, Chondrichthyes - sharks, skates and rays, and Osteichthyes - all other fish.
- Alligator Gar (Atractosteus spatula)
- American Eel (Anguilla rostrata)
- Atlantic Croaker (Micropogonias undulatus)
- Atlantic Cutlassfish (Trichiurus lepturus)
- Big Bend Gambusia (Gambusia
gaigei)
- Bigmouth Buffalo (Ictiobus cyprinellus)
- Black Buffalo (Ictiobus niger)
- Black Bullhead (Ameiurus
melas)
- Black Crappie (Pomoxis
nigromaculatus)
- Black Drum (Pogonias
cromis)
- Blacktail Shiner (Cyprinella
venusta)
- Blue Catfish (Ictalurus
furcatus)
- Bluegill (Lepomis
macrochirus)
- Bowfin (Amia calva)
- Chain Pickerel (Esox
niger)
- Channel Catfish (Ictalurus
punctatus)
- Clear Creek Gambusia (Gambusia
heterochir)
- Cobia (Rachycentron canadum)
- Comanche Springs Pupfish (Cyprinodon elegans)
- Common Carp (Cyprinus
carpio)
- Common Snook (Centropomus undecimalis)
- Crevalle Jack (Caranx hippos)
- Fathead Minnow (Pimephales
promelas)
- Flathead Catfish (Pylodictis
olivaris)
- Flier (Centrarchus
macropterus)
- Florida Pompano (Trachinotus carolinus)
- Fountain Darter (Etheostoma
fonticola)
- Freshwater Drum (Aplodinotus
grunniens)
- Gafftopsail Catfish (Bagre marinus)
- Gizzard Shad (Dorosoma
cepedianum)
- Golden Shiner (Notemigonus
crysoleucas)
- Grass Carp (Ctenopharyngodon
idella)
- Greater Amberjack (Seriola dumerili)
- Green Sunfish (Lepomis
cyanellus)
- Guadalupe Bass (Micropterus
treculii)
- Hardhead Catfish (Arius felis)
- Lane Snapper (Lutjanus synagris)
- Largemouth Bass (Micropterus
salmoides)
- Leon Springs Pupfish (Cyprinodon bovinus)
- Longear Sunfish (Lepomis
megalotis)
- Longnose Gar (Lepisosteus
osseus)
- Paddlefish (Polyodon spathula)
- Pecos Gambusia (Gambusia
nobilis)
- Pigfish (Orthopristis chrysoptera)
- Pinfish (Lagodon
rhomboides)
- Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus
mykiss)
- Red Drum (Sciaenops
ocellatus)
- Red Shiner (Cyprinella
lutrensis)
- Red Snapper (Lutjanus campechanus)
- Redbreast Sunfish (Lepomis
auritus)
- Redear Sunfish (Lepomis
microlophus)
- Redfin Shiner (Lythrurus
umbratilis)
- Rio Grande Cichlid (Cichlasoma cyanoguttatum)
- San Marcos Gambusia (Gambusia
georgei)
- Sheepshead (Archosargus probatocephalus)
- Sheepshead Minnow (Cyprinodon variegatus)
- Shortnose Gar (Lepisosteus
platostomus)
- Smallmouth Bass (Micropterus
dolomieu)
- Smallmouth Buffalo (Ictiobus bubalus)
- Southern Flounder (Paralichthys
lethostigma)
- Spotted Bass (Micropterus
punctulatus)
- Spotted Gar (Lepisosteus
oculatus)
- Spotted Seatrout (Cynoscion
nebulosus)
- Striped Bass (Morone
saxatilis)
- Striped Mullet (Mugil
cephalus)
- Tarpon (Megalops atlanticus)
- Texas Shiner (Notropis
amabilis)
- Threadfin Shad (Dorosoma
petenense)
- Tripletail (Lobotes surinamensis)
- Vermilion Snapper (Rhomboplites aurorubens)
- Walleye (Sander vitreum)
- Warmouth (Lepomis
gulosus)
- White Bass (Morone
chrysops)
- White Crappie (Pomoxis
annularis)
- Yellow Bass (Morone
mississippiensis)
- Yellow Bullhead (Ameiurus
natalis)
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Invertebrates are "cold-blooded" animals with no backbone. They may live on land or in water, and may be covered by a shell or exoskeleton.
- Atlantic Bay Scallop (Argopecten
irradians amplicostatus)
- Bee Creek Cave Harvestman (Texella
reddelli)
- Blue Crab (Callinectes
sapidus)
- Bone Cave Harvestman (Texella
reyesi)
- Coffin Cave Mold Beetle (Batrisodes
texanus)
- Common Green Darner (Anax
junius)
- Eastern Oyster (Crassostrea
virginica)
- Fiddler Crab (Uca
rapax)
- Giant Floater (Anodonta
grandis)
- Hellgrammite (Dobsonfly Larvae) (Corydalus
cornutus)
- Kretschmarr Cave Mold Beetle (Texamaurops
reddelli)
- Lightning Whelk (Busycon
perversum pulleyi)
- Monarch (Danaus
plexippus)
- Stone Crab (Menippe
mercenaria)
- Tooth Cave Ground Beetle (Rhadine
persephone)
- Tooth Cave Pseudoscorpion (Tartarocreagris
texana)
- Tooth Cave Spider (Neoleptoneta
myopica)
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Mammals are warm-blooded air-breathing vertebrates. Their body is covered with hair. All mammals feed their young milk. Most mammals give birth to miniature versions of themselves. This group includes: Monotremes - duckbilled platypus, echidnas, Marsupials - opossums, kangaroos, and Placentals - most other mammals. For more information and additional species, see The Mammals of Texas.
- Atlantic Spotted Dolphin (Stenella frontalis)
- Badger (Taxidea
taxus)
- Big Brown Bat (Eptesicus
fuscus)
- Big Free-tailed Bat (Nyctinomops macrotis)
- Black Bear (Ursus
americanus)
- Black-footed Ferret (Mustela
nigripes)
- Black-tailed Jackrabbit (Lepus
californicus)
- Black-tailed Prairie Dog (Cynomys
ludovicianus)
- Blue Whale (Balaenoptera musculus)
- Bobcat (Lynx
rufus)
- Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops
truncatus)
- Brazilian Free-tailed Bat (Tadarida
brasiliensis)
- California Myotis (Myotis
californicus)
- Cave Myotis (Myotis
velifer)
- Common Raccoon (Procyon
lotor)
- Coues' Rice Rat (Oryzomys
couesi)
- Coyote (Canis
latrans)
- Cuvier's Beaked Whale (Ziphius cavirostris)
- Desert Cottontail (Sylvilagus
audubonii)
- Dwarf Sperm Whale (Kogia simus)
- Eastern Fox Squirrel (Sciurus
niger)
- Eastern Pipistrelle (Pipistrellus
subflavus)
- Eastern Red Bat (Lasiurus borealis)
- Elk (Cervus
elaphus)
- Evening Bat (Nycticeius
humeralis)
- False Killer Whale (Pseudorca crassidens)
- Fin Whale (Balaenoptera physalus)
- Fringed Myotis (Myotis
thysanodes)
- Gervais' Beaked Whale (Mesoplodon europaeus)
- Ghost-faced Bat (Mormoops
megalophylla)
- Gray Wolf (Canis
lupus)
- Hairy-legged Vampire Bat (Diphylla ecaudata)
- Hoary Bat (Lasiurus cinereus)
- Jaguarundi (Herpailurus
yaguarondi)
- Killer Whale (Orcinus orca)
- Little Brown Myotis (Myotis
lucifugus)
- Long-legged Myotis (Myotis
volans)
- Mexican Ground Squirrel (Spermophilus
mexicanus)
- Mexican Long-nosed Bat (Leptonycteris nivalis)
- Mexican Long-tongued Bat (Choeronycteris
mexicana)
- Mountain Lion (Puma
concolor)
- Mountain Sheep (Ovis
canadensis)
- Nine-banded Armadillo (Dasypus
novemcinctus)
- Northern Myotis (Myotis
septentrionalis)
- Northern Right Whale (Eubalaena glacialis)
- Northern Yellow Bat (Lasiurus intermedius)
- Ocelot (Leopardus
pardalis)
- Pallid Bat (Antrozous pallidus)
- Palo Duro Mouse (Peromyscus
truei comanche)
- Piñon Mouse (Peromyscus
truei)
- Pocketed Free-tailed Bat (Nyctinomops femorosacca)
- Pronghorn (Antilocapra
americana)
- Pygmy Killer Whale (Feresa attenuata)
- Pygmy Sperm Whale (Kogia breviceps)
- Rafinesque's Big-eared Bat (Corynorhinus
rafinesquii)
- Red Wolf (Canis
rufus)
- Ringtail (Bassariscus
astutus)
- River Otter (Lutra
canadensis)
- Rough-toothed Dolphin (Steno bredanensis)
- Seminole Bat (Lasiurus seminolus)
- Short-finned Pilot Whale (Globicephala macrorhynchus)
- Silver-haired Bat (Lasionycteris
noctivagans)
- Southeastern Myotis (Myotis
austroriparius)
- Southern Yellow Bat (Lasiurus ega)
- Sperm Whale (Physeter macrocephalus)
- Spotted Bat (Euderma
maculatum)
- Striped Skunk (Mephitis
mephitis)
- Swift Fox (Vulpes velox)
- Texas Kangaroo Rat (Dipodomys
elator)
- Townsend's Big-eared Bat (Plecotus townsendii)
- Virginia Opossum (Didelphis
virginiana)
- West Indian Manatee (Trichechus manatus)
- Western Mastiff Bat (Eumops perotis)
- Western Pipistrelle (Pipistrellus
hesperus)
- Western Red Bat (Lasiurus blossevillii)
- Western Small-footed Myotis (Myotis
ciliolabrum)
- Western Yellow Bat (Lasiurus xanthinus)
- Yuma Myotis (Myotis
yumanensis)
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Plants are multicellular, nonmobile, photosynthesizing organisms adapted to live on land. They consist of leave and/or stems that capture the sun's energy and an underground root system. This group includes: moss and liverworts, ferns, conifers, and flowering plants.
- American Chaffseed (Schwalbea
americana)
- Ashy Dogweed (Thymophylla
tephroleuca)
- Bald Cypress (Taxodium
distichum)
- Black Lace Cactus (Echinocereus
reichenbachii var. albertii)
- Bunched Cory Cactus (Coryphantha
ramillosa subsp. ramillosa)
- Butterfly Weed (Asclepias
tuberosa)
- Cardinal Flower (Lobelia
cardinalis)
- Chisos Mountains Hedgehog Cactus (Echinocereus
chisoensis var. chisoensis)
- Davis' Green Pitaya (Echinocereus
davisii)
- Earth Fruit (Geocarpon minimum)
- Flowering Dogwood (Cornus
florida)
- Hinckley's Oak (Quercus
hinckleyi)
- Johnston's Frankenia (Frankenia
johnstonii)
- Large-fruited Sand-verbena (Abronia
macrocarpa)
- Little Aguja Pondweed (Potamogeton
clystocarpus)
- Lloyd's Mariposa Cactus (Sclerocactus mariposensis)
- Maximilian Sunflower (Helianthus
maximiliani)
- Navasota Ladies'-tresses (Spiranthes
parksii)
- Nellie's Cory Cactus (Escobaria minima)
- Slender Rush-pea (Hoffmannseggia
tenella)
- Sneed's Pincushion Cactus (Escobaria sneedii var. sneedii)
- South Texas Ambrosia (Ambrosia
cheiranthifolia)
- Star Cactus (Astrophytum
asterias)
- Sweetgum (Liquidambar
styraciflua)
- Terlingua Creek Cat's-eye (Cryptantha crassipes)
- Texas Ayenia (Ayenia
limitaris)
- Texas Poppy-mallow (Callirhoe
scabriuscula)
- Texas Prairie Dawn (Hymenoxys
texana)
- Texas Snowbells (Styrax
platanifolius subsp. texanus)
- Texas Trailing Phlox (Phlox
nivalis subsp. texensis)
- Texas Wild-rice (Zizania texana)
- Tobusch Fishhook Cactus (Sclerocactus brevihamatus subsp. tobuschii)
- Walker's Manioc (Manihot
walkerae)
- White Bladderpod (Physaria pallida)
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Reptiles are "cold-blooded" air-breathing vertebrates. A tough leathery skin that has embedded scales covers their body. Most reptiles lay eggs, though some give birth to fully-formed young. This group includes crocodiles, alligators, turtles, snakes, lizards, and tuatara.
- American Alligator (Alligator
mississippiensis)
- Black-striped Snake (Coniophanes imperialis)
- Brazos Water Snake (Nerodia
harteri)
- Bullsnake (Pituophis
catinefer sayi)
- Concho Water Snake (Nerodia
paucimaculata)
- Eastern Box Turtle (Terrapene carolina)
- Green Anole (Anolis carolinensis)
- Green Sea Turtle (Chelonia
mydas)
- Gulf Salt Marsh Snake (Nerodia
clarkii)
- Hawksbill Sea Turtle (Eretmochelys
imbricata)
- Indigo Snake (Drymarchon corais)
- Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtle (Lepidochelys
kempii)
- Leatherback Sea Turtle (Dermochelys
coriacea)
- Loggerhead Sea Turtle (Caretta
caretta)
- Louisiana Milk Snake (Lampropeltis
triangulum amaura)
- Louisiana Pine Snake (Pituophis
ruthveni)
- Mexican Lyre Snake (Trimorphodon vilkinsonii)
- Mountain Short-horned Lizard (Phrynosoma
hernandesi)
- Northern Cat-eyed Snake (Leptodeira septentrionalis)
- Northern Earless Lizard (Holbrookia
maculata maculata)
- Ornate Box Turtle (Terrapene ornata)
- Red-eared Slider (Trachemys
scripta elegans)
- Reticulate Collared Lizard (Crotaphytus reticulatus)
- Reticulated Gecko (Coleonyx reticulatus)
- Scarlet Snake (Cemophora coccinea)
- Smooth Green Snake (Liochlorophis vernalis)
- Southern Copperhead (Agkistrodon
contortrix contortrix)
- Speckled Racer (Drymobius margaritiferus)
- Texas Diamondback Terrapin (Malaclemys
terrapin littoralis)
- Texas Horned Lizard (Phrynosoma
cornutum)
- Texas Tortoise (Gopherus
berlandieri)
- Timber Rattlesnake (Crotalus
horridus)
- Trans-Pecos Black-headed Snake (Tantilla cucullata)
- Western Cottonmouth (Agkistrodon
piscivorus leucostoma)
- Yellow Mud Turtle (Kinosternon
flavescens flavescens)