Fauna of West Virginia facts for kids
West Virginia, often called the "Mountain State," is a fantastic place for animals! It has many different types of habitats, from big farming valleys with forests and meadows to high mountain ridges and thick woodlands. This variety means lots of different animals can call West Virginia home.
You can find at least 56 types of mammals here, along with over 300 kinds of birds and more than 100 species of fish. Many common insects from the eastern United States also live here, like 15 types of beetles and over 70 types of dragonflies. There are also about 18 kinds of spiders and more than 70 species of animals that live in caves!
The West Virginia Division of Wildlife (WVDNR) helps protect these animals and their homes. They use money from hunting and fishing licenses to keep the habitats healthy.
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Animals in Mountains and Lowlands
West Virginia's wild places, from remote mountain forests to farms and meadows near towns, are full of life. You might spot whitetail deer, chipmunks, raccoons, skunks, groundhogs, opossums, weasels, field mice, flying squirrels, cottontail rabbits, gray foxes, red foxes, gray squirrels, red squirrels, and different kinds of bats.
Even animals like bobcats, snowshoe hares, wild boars, and black bears aren't just found in the deepest forests. They can sometimes be seen closer to developed areas. However, animals like mink and beavers are much harder to spot, especially near farms. The eastern cougar (a type of mountain lion) is almost never seen anymore.
Special Natural Areas
Deep in the mountains, there's a special place called Cranberry Glades Botanical Area. It's home to very rare plants, including unique northern plants, several types of orchids, and even carnivorous plants (plants that eat insects!). You might also see mink, beavers, snowshoe hares, and black bears there. Some northern birds, like the purple finch and the northern waterthrush, also come here to breed.
On the western side of West Virginia, along the Ohio River, there's another amazing spot: the Ohio River Islands National Wildlife Refuge. These islands are a safe home for birds like great blue herons, wood ducks, cormorants, Canada geese, and migrating loons and tundra swans.
Types of Animals in West Virginia
Mammals
West Virginia is home to at least 70 different kinds of wild mammals. Long ago, much larger animals like elk, bison, and mountain lions lived here, but they disappeared in the 1800s.
Today, common mammals include whitetail deer, chipmunks, raccoons, skunks, groundhogs, opossums, weasels, field mice, flying squirrels, cottontail rabbits, gray foxes, red foxes, gray squirrels, red squirrels, and many types of bats. In more remote forests, you can find bobcats, snowshoe hares, and black bears. Mink and beavers are seen less often.
Some mammals have actually done well even with human activity. For example, the opossum is now found in more places. Animals that like farms and open areas are also thriving. The coyote has spread across the state. There's also a small group of wild boars in the southern part of the state, which were released in 1971 for hunting.
You can see many of West Virginia's current and past large mammals at the West Virginia State Wildlife Center, which is like a small zoo for native animals.
Birds
Many birds that migrate from North America, like the tufted titmouse, scarlet tanager, brown thrasher, American robin, and hummingbird, live in West Virginia during the warmer months. Some blackbirds, hermit thrushes, and wood thrushes also visit.
You can often see the American goldfinch, northern cardinal (West Virginia's state bird!), bluejay, catbird, northern mockingbird, American sparrow, some wrens, and even crows in yards, meadows, and fields.
Important game birds (birds that are hunted) include ducks, geese, bobwhite quail, ruffed grouse, and wild turkeys. You might spot turkey vultures flying high over highways. The sandhill crane can be seen flying over large rivers. Sometimes, osprey and golden eagles are seen hunting fish on remote lakes. Hawks and owls are the most common birds of prey.
Reptiles
West Virginia has over 20 species of lizards, skinks, turtles, and snakes. While the cottonmouth moccasin can be seen near rivers, the timber rattlesnake lives among rocks in mountain forests. The copperhead is the most common venomous snake in the state.
Many non-venomous snakes, like green snakes, rat snakes, and garden snakes, are found in valleys and along major rivers, often sharing space with copperheads. Painted turtles live in most ponds and brooks. Larger rivers also have snapping turtles, which some people hunt. The box turtle can be found in almost every meadow and wood.
Some common snakes include:
- Queen snake
- Common water-snake
- Northern brownsnake
- Northern red-bellied snake
- Common ribbonsnake
- Eastern gartersnake
- Eastern smooth earthsnake
- Mountain earthsnake
- Eastern hog-nosed snake
- Northern ring-necked snake
- Eastern wormsnake
- Northern black racer
- Rough greensnake
- Smooth greensnake
- Cornsnake
- Black ratsnake
- Northern pinesnake
- Eastern kingsnake
- Black kingsnake
- Eastern milksnake
Venomous snakes include:
- Northern copperhead
- Timber rattlesnake
Fish
West Virginia's waters are home to 24 families of fish! These include trout, minnows, carp, catfish, and pikes. Three special hybrid sport fish are the Hybrid Striped Bass, Hybrid Saugeye, and Hybrid Tiger Musky. The candy darter is a unique fish found almost only in West Virginia.
A fun fact: in the early 1900s, the West Virginia Department of Resources accidentally hatched a somewhat golden rainbow trout. This led to efforts to create the special West Virginia "golden rainbow trout" we see today. These fish are known to be strong fighters and taste great!
Here are some of the sport fish you can find:
- American eel
- Black crappie
- Bluegill
- Brook trout
- Brown trout
- Bullhead catfish
- Burbot
- Channel catfish
- Flathead catfish
- Freshwater drum
- Green sunfish
- Hybrid striped bass
- Lake trout
- Largemouth bass
- Longear sunfish
- Muskellunge
- Northern pike
- Pumpkinseed
- Rainbow trout
- Redear sunfish
- Rock bass
- Sauger
- Saugeye
- Smallmouth bass
- Spotted bass
- Striped bass
- Walleye
- Warmouth
- White bass
- White crappie
- White perch
- Yellow perch
Amphibians
West Virginia has about 21 species of amphibians. These include hellbenders (large salamanders), other salamanders, and various toads and frogs like the northern leopard frog and mountain chorus frog.
Insects
Many common insects from the eastern United States live in West Virginia, including those that live in water. There are about 15 types of beetles, over 70 types of dragonflies, and about 12 types of stoneflies. You can also find about 17 types of moths.
In meadows, you might find a burrow of yellowjackets, and in forests, a hornet hive hanging from a branch. Sweat bees and mosquitoes are common in wet, shady areas. The West Virginia burrowing mayfly is a special insect that trout love to eat. During the warmer seasons, West Virginia's flowers sparkle with about 30 different kinds of butterflies.
Other Invertebrates
Snails, slugs, leeches, earthworms, and grub worms (insect larvae) are common invertebrates in West Virginia. The state's streams and lakes are home to about 54 types of mussels, which are protected.
There are eight different types of crayfish in streams, both above and below ground. The cave crayfish is special because it only lives in caves in certain parts of West Virginia. Overall, there are over 70 types of cave-dwelling invertebrates in the state. For example, the Madison Cave isopod is a threatened species that lives near the Shenandoah and Potomac rivers.
West Virginia also has eleven types of land snails. The flat-spired three-toothed land snail is a very rare and threatened species, with only about 84 of them estimated to be living in the Cheat Mountain Watershed.
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