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Investigate Alabama’s Native WildlifeAlabama has a variety of terrestrial (land) habitats and several major rivers running through the state. This provides a wide range of habitats for organisms and gives Alabama more biodiversity (the variety of living things in an area) than almost all of the other states in the United States.
Alabama is ranked 4th place for most biodiversity in the United States and has more biodiversity than any other state east of the Mississippi River!
The animals found in Alabama and across the world can be classified into different groups like the ones on this page. Classification is the process of organizing organisms into groups based on similarities. Scientists use basic traits to group organisms into taxonomic classes (groups).
These groupings start broad and are further broken down into more specific groups within the larger group. A species is the most specific category within the classification system.
For a taxonomic classification chart comparing key traits of common backyard wildlife, click here!
Alabama has a variety of terrestrial (land) habitats and several major rivers running through the state. This provides a wide range of habitats for organisms and gives Alabama more biodiversity (the variety of living things in an area) than almost all of the other states in the United States.
Alabama is ranked 4th place for most biodiversity in the United States and has more biodiversity than any other state east of the Mississippi River!
The animals found in Alabama and across the world can be classified into different groups like the ones on this page. Classification is the process of organizing organisms into groups based on similarities. Scientists use basic traits to group organisms into taxonomic classes (groups).
These groupings start broad and are further broken down into more specific groups within the larger group. A species is the most specific category within the classification system.
For a taxonomic classification chart comparing key traits of common backyard wildlife, click here!
To learn more about animals within these classes that you may see in your outdoor classroom, click here!
Phylum
The word amphibian comes from the Greek words “amphi” meaning dual and “bio” meaning life. Many amphibians go through two stages of life in two different habitats, one stage in the water and one stage on land. The term “amphibious” can be used to describe anything that is suited for both water and land.
Frog Life Cycle
Dreamstime
American Toad Egges
Wikimedia – Ryan Hodnett
Frogs:
American Bullfrog
Wikimedia – Will Brown
Salamanders:
Slimy Salamander
Wikimedia – Greg Schechter
Amphibian Diversity
BiodiversityMapping.org – Clinton N. Jenkins
(Florida International University, Saving Nature)
Permission Details
Red Hills Salamander
The Red Hills salamander is only found in Alabama! The term for when an organism is native to and only found in one place is called “endemic“ or “endemism”.
In south central Alabama, there is a region called the Red Hills, characterized by steep ridges, ravines, and rolling hills. The Red Hills salamander can be found in hardwood forests in the Red Hills region.
The Red Hills salamander is brownish purple in color and can reach 10.5 inches in length. It is the largest terrestrial (lives on land) salamander in the U.S.
The Red Hills salamander is Alabama’s state amphibian.
Red Hills Salamander
flickr – John P. Clare
Phylum
Hummingbird
flickr – Steve McDonald
Bird Feathers
Wikimedia – Natubico
Birds of Prey:
Red Tailed Hawk
Wikimedia – Mark Bohn (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Northeast Region)
Waterfowl:
Wood Duck
flickr – DaPuglet
Songbirds:
Northern Cardinal
flickr – Andrej Chudy
Shorebirds:
Sanderling
Wikimedia – Ianare Sevi
420 species of birds
178 species breed in Alabama (remain in Alabama throughout the year)
174 species winter in Alabama (breed in other locations)
80 species migrate through Alabama
Some birds migrate (move as a group from one place to another). In colder months, food and other resources become more scarce, so many species of birds tend to move toward the south where there are more resources available.
Northern Flicker
The state bird of Alabama is the Northern Flicker. The Northern Flicker is fairly large and is brown in color with black bars and black spots on the belly. They are easily recognized by the bright white rump and bright yellow or red under the wings and tail.
They can be found in forests and forest edges throughout the state. They eat ants and beetles and can be found foraging for food on the ground.
Northern Flicker
Wikimedia – Mike’s Birds
Animalia (animals)
Phylum
Chordata: animals that develop a backbone
Salmon Eggs
Pixnio – USFWS
Sharks, Rays, and Chimaeras:
Cownose Ray
flickr – MR.TinDC
Sharks, Rays, and Chimaeras:
Largemouth Bass
Wikimedia – Robert Pos
Amphibian Diversity
BiodiversityMapping.org – Clinton N. Jenkins
(Florida International University, Saving Nature)
Permission Details
Vermilion Darter
The vermilion darter can only be found in Turkey Creek, a side stream that flows into the Balck Warrior River system in Jefferson County.
The vermilion darter is a yellowish olive colored fish with greenish stripes on the back and green and maroon spots along its sides. The underside of the fish is a bright reddish scarlet color called vermilion.
Vermilion Darter
Wikimedia – John P. Friel
Alabama Sturgeon
Tha Alabama Sturgeon is only found in Alabama in the Mobile basin. It has been found in deep, fast moving waters with a rocky or sandy bottom.
It can grow up to around 2.5 feet in length and has an elongated snout with four feelers hanging below the mouth. The back and fins are brownish orange, the sides are yellow, and the underside is cream colored.
Alabama Sturgeon
Wikimedia – U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Fish Endemics
BiodiversityMapping.org – Clinton N. Jenkins (Florida International University, Saving Nature)
Permission Details
Animalia (animals)
Phylum
Chordata: animals that develop a backbone
White Tailed Deer and Baby
Dreamstime
Alabama’s various habitats provide homes for a diversity of mammals including rodents, foxes, bats, deer, and rabbits.
Deer:
White Tailed Deer
flickr – Nicholas_T
Rabbits:
Eastern Cottontail
flickr – U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Northeast Region
Bats:
Little Brown Bat
flickr – J.N. Stuart
Coyotes and Foxes:
Coyote
flickr – Jitze Couperus
62 native species
22 species of rodents
16 species of bats
11 species of carnivores
(meat eaters)
Alabama Beach Mouse
The Alabama beach mouse is a small field mouse that lives in coastal sand dune habitats. They burrow tunnels in the sand and are active at night. They are characterized by having light colored fur, large ears, and large, dark eyes. This species is only found near the Alabama coastline.
Alabama Beach Mouse
flickr – USFWS Endangered Species
American Black Bear
The black bear is Alabama’s state mammal and is the only species of bear found in Alabama. They can be found in the forests in the north eastern part of the state as well as in areas north of Mobile. Black bears range in color from black to brown or beige and are omnivorous (feed on plants and animals).
American Black Bear
National Park Service – Neal Herbert
Animalia (animals)
Phylum
Chordata: animals that develop a backbone
Common Snapping Turtle Eggs
Dreamstime
Turtles and Tortoises:
Eastern Box Turtle
Wikimedia – Stephen Friedt
Alligators:
American Alligator
Wikimedia – Wilafa
Lizards:
Eastern Fence Lizard
flickr – Judy Gallagher
Snakes:
Rough Green Snake
flickr – Todd Pierson
#1 for turtle diversity in
the United States!
31 species of turtles
50 species of snakes
16 species of lizards
Alabama Red-bellied Turtle
The Alabama red-bellied turtle is the state reptile of Alabama and was once thought to be only found in Alabama. However, there are some that live in Southeastern Mississippi. They prefer sandy bottoms of shallow, slow-moving freswater streams, but they can also be found in more brackish (mixture of freshwater and salt water) waters near the bay.
The Alabama red-bellied turtle is characterized by the color of the belly, which is usually light red or orange in color but can range from pale yellow to deep red. The upper shell ranges from brown to green and usually has red, orange, or yellow markings on the sides.
Alabama Red-bellied Turtle
Wikimedia – Bill Summerour
The phylum Arthropoda (arthropods) is a diverse group that contains several smaller groups of recognizable organisms such as insects, crustaceans, scorpions, centipedes, and arachnids such as spiders, mites, and ticks.
Crayfish
Dreamstime
Classification:
Arachnid Characteristics:
Spiders:
Marbled Orbweaver
flickr – Philip Bouchard
Harvestmen:
Eastern Harvestmen
flickr – Dan Mullen
Ticks and Mites:
Lone Star Tick
flickr – Judy Gallagher
Scorpions:
Southern Devil Scorpion
Wikimedia – Marshal Hedin
92 species of spiders
4 species of ticks
2 species of scorpions
Classification:
Crustacean Characteristics:
Crayfish:
Red Swamp Crayfish
Wikimedia – Luc hoogenstein
Crabs:
Blue Crab
Wikimedia – James St. John
Shrimp:
Brown Shrimp
Wikimedia – Smithsonian Environmental Research Center
Woodlice:
Pillbug
Dreamstime
#1 in the United States for crayfish diversity!
60 species of crabs
15-22 species of shrimp
97 species of crayfish
Classification:
Kingdom
Animalia (animals)
Phylum
Arthropoda: invertebrate (no backbone), exoskeleton (hard outer covering), paired appendages, jointed appendages
Class
Insecta (sometimes called Hexapoda): 3-part body, 3 pairs of legs
Insect Characteristics:
There are many different types of insects that are grouped based on similar characteristics.
Butterflies/Moths
Common Buckeye
Wikimedia – Judy Gallagher
Ants/Wasps/Bees
Black Ant
Wikimedia – Pooja opatha
Dragonflies/Damselflies
Spangled Skimmer Dragonfly
flickr – Vicki DeLoach
Beetles
Leaf Beetle
Wikimedia – Cfp
Flies
Grasshoppers/Crickets
American Bird Grasshopper
Wikimedia – Tomfriedel
Not many specifics are known about the insect diversity of Alabama, but there are an estimated 20,000 arthropod (larger group that includes insects, spiders, centipedes, crustaceans, etc.) species present in the state.
157 species of butterflies
The monarch butterfly is the Alabama state insect. It is easily recognized by its bright orange wings with black borders and white spots. The monarch butterfly can be found in Alabama in the spring and summer. In the winter, they butterflies migrate to an overwintering spot in central Mexico.
Monarch caterpillars feed only on milkweed, a wildflower that grows in the eastern United States. Monarch caterpillars can be identified by their bright white, yellow, and black striping.
Monarch Butterfly
flickr – Pete Miller
Biodiversity Mapping Permission Details:
Text and images on the Biodiversity Mapping website are for the personal, not-for-profit use by students, scholars, educational institutions, and the public. Any such use must name “BiodiversityMapping.org” as the source for the material, with acknowledgement of BirdLife International, IUCN, NatureServe, and USGS for their contribution of the species range map data used in producing these derived works. No further permission is needed for educational use.
Commercial use, electronic re-publication, or print publication of text or images is strictly prohibited without prior written permission.
Jenkins, CN, KS Van Houtan, SL Pimm, JO Sexton (2015) US protected lands mismatch biodiversity priorities. PNAS 112(16), pp.5081-5086.
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