89% of People Can't Name All of These Common American Animals! Can You?
By: Jody Mabry
4 min
Image: Shutterstock
About This Quiz
The United States is a vast land of diverse climates and animals that have adapted. See how many of these common American animals you can identify from an image!
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Which common American animal is shown in this image?
Wolverine
White-tailed Deer
The White-tail deer is the most common large animal in the United States, as well as the most popular animal to hunt. The name "white-tail" comes from the adaptation of the deer to raise its tail, revealing white fur, when it senses danger. This serves as a warning to other deer in the area.
Which common American animal is shown in this image?
Burmese Python
Burmese Pythons may not be what you'd expect as an American animal. They began showing up in the Florida Everglades regularly in the 1980s. By 2000, the snake was identified as a reproducing animal in the wild. Scientists suggest that there are now somewhere between 30,000 and 300,000 in South Florida. The Burmese Python was likely introduced to Florida as released pets. With few competing predators and an ideal environment, they are expected to grow in population.
Which common American animal is shown in this image?
Musk Ox
Musk Ox are common to Alaska and the frozen tundra. Due to their size and strength, they have been used throughout the centuries as a work animal to pull heavy loads. Their hooves are actually strong enough to smash through frozen ice in order to get to the water.
Which common American animal is shown in this image?
Bobcat
Golden Eagle
Norway Rat
Coral Snake
Coral snakes are the second most venomous snake behind the black mamba. Although, due to a poor venom delivery system, they are considered less dangerous than American rattlesnakes. Still, you probably don't want to get too close to this colorful creature.
Which common American animal is shown in this image?
Alligator
Weasel
Weasels may look as cute as a bunny, but they are notorious killing machines. Their bloodlust is instinct due to an extremely fast metabolism which requires weasels to eat at least half their body weight every day.
Which common American animal is shown in this image?
Cow
Flying Squirrel
Elk
Elk are native to America and well-known to native Americans who called them "wapiti" - light-colored deer. They often live in massive herds of 200 to 400.
Which common American animal is shown in this image?
Western Diamond Rattlesnake
The Western Diamondback is the largest and heaviest of 32 rattlesnake species, although it is not the longest. They are common to the southeastern United States. They are in fact so common that they served a prominent role to Americans in the fight for freedom, notably on America's first flag, the Gadsen.
Which common American animal is shown in this image?
Flamingo
Opposum
Fox
American Badger
Badgers live in both the United States and the United Kingdom. They are considered nocturnal and can grow to be quite large at over a meter in length and weigh up to 30 pounds. Due to their feisty behavior, they are a common school mascot, most notably for the University of Wisconsin.
Which common American animal is shown in this image?
Bobcat
Bobcats are named for their small "bob" of a tail. They hunt both at dusk and dawn and are highly aggressive killers. While they tend to survive on rabbits, birds, and rodents, they have been known to regularly hunt animals many times their size, such as deer, by going for the throat.
Which common American animal is shown in this image?
Salmon
Coyote
While coyotes prefer the open and forested wilderness, human population growth has pushed them closer to the city where they have adapted to life. While often considered a carnivore, coyotes are actually omnivores who eat fruit, vegetables, and grass along with smaller animals and insects when they don't have larger prey, such as deer, available.
Which common American animal is shown in this image?
Golden Eagle
Golden eagles have a wingspan up to seven feet and can live for as many as 30 years. While they prefer high jagged peaks, they are widely distributed and can be found in fields and prairie as well as mountains and bluffs.
Which common American animal is shown in this image?
Moose
Wolverine
Alligator
Alligators are known as living fossils as they have been on Earth for millions of years. While they have a powerful bite, their mouths can be easily held closed with a human's bare hands. Temperature dictates the sex of their eggs - male in warm temps and female in cooler temps.
Which common American animal is shown in this image?
Burmese Python
Musk Ox
Weasel
Moose
Moose are big. Like, really, really big. They can grow to 1200 pounds and up to 6.5 feet at the shoulder. However, with head raised and antlers up they can tower well over eight feet tall.
Which common American animal is shown in this image?
White-tailed Deer
Bat
Bats use echolocation to "see" in the dark and can eat hundreds of insects each night making them a great animal to have around if you have mosquitos. While they can glide, they are the only mammal capable of continued flight.
Which common American animal is shown in this image?
Great Horned Owl
The Great Horned Owl is one of the most distributed animals in North America. They tend to mate for life, laying between one and five eggs every winter. They are a dominating animal known for their regal stance and wispy flecks of feathered ear tufts.
Which common American animal is shown in this image?
American Crocodile
Black Bear
Coyote
Norway Rat
While named a Norway rat, these rodents are not from Norway. They originated from Asia and came to America on Norwegian ships. They thrive on garbage and can grow up to 18 inches long. In America, they are commonly found in wet coastal areas such as the West Coast and Southeast.
Which common American animal is shown in this image?
Flamingo
Wild Boar
Wild Boar are a close relative to domestic pigs. They are found throughout the middle and southern United States. Due to their frequent reproduction abilities, the spread of disease and ability to destroy large agricultural fields, many states don't have restrictions on wild boar hunting.
Which common American animal is shown in this image?
Bald Eagle
The bald eagle is one of the largest raptors in the world with wingspans over seven feet. They have been the symbol of American freedom since 1782. Despite this, they saw a dramatic population decline in the mid-20th century and were on the endangered species list for several decades.
Which common American animal is shown in this image?
Rabbit
Prairie Dog
Black Bear
Black bears are the smallest of the United States' three bears and are found throughout much of the country. They are good swimmers and excellent climbers, often using tree branches as a safe haven for their young.
Which common American animal is shown in this image?
Mountain Lion
Bison
Much like the bald eagle, the bison is a symbol of the United States. Also, similar to the bald eagle, the bison nearly went extinct due to hunting. Bison are the largest mammals in North America at over six feet tall and they can weigh up to 2000 pounds.
Which common American animal is shown in this image?
Weasel
Elk
Great Horned Owl
Grey Wolf
Grey wolves are one of the most widely distributed mammals in the world with a highly adaptive eating schedule. While they can eat up to 20 pounds of food in one sitting, they have also been known to go two weeks without food and seemingly without consequence.
Which common American animal is shown in this image?
American Crocodile
American Crocodiles have a small population left in the southeastern United States. They are considered one of the most complex and biologically perfect animals. Much of this is due to their millions of years of evolution which have produced an amazing swimmer with a powerful bite and near-perfect immune system.
Which common American animal is shown in this image?
Wolverine
Dall Sheep
Mountain Lion
The mountain lion used to be found all over the United States, but now is primarily seen in the western U.S. An endangered subspecies of mountain lion also remains in Florida.
Which common American animal is shown in this image?
Wolverine
Wolverines are tough and stubborn and tend to need a lot of roaming land to find adequate amounts of food - traveling up to 15 miles in a single day. While they are frequently found in colder climates where food is scarce, they can also be found in warmer dense areas.
Which common American animal is shown in this image?
American Crocodile
Robin
Cardinal
Grizzly Bear
Male grizzlies are solitary animals. Despite their size, their diet is mainly comprised of berries, leaves and nuts. However, as omnivores, they also eat fish, rodents and even moose.
Which common American animal is shown in this image?
Grey Wolf
Skunk
Skunk are probably most known for their stinky defense mechanism. They can spray their scent and hit a target up to 15 feet away with a high degree of accuracy.
Which common American animal is shown in this image?
Robin
Robins are a common songbird in the United States and likely the first bird you see in the spring. They can have up to three broods per year, which is likely due to the fact that many younglings and eggs don't survive since their attractive blue color welcomes predators.
Which common American animal is shown in this image?
Bison
Racoon
Racoons are notorious thieves. Much of this is due to their black "mask." They have fingers like humans and have the ability to grip and climb with ease as well as grasp and open doors.
Which common American animal is shown in this image?
Cow
Chicken
Beaver
Beavers used to be massive at over eight feet long and 200 pounds. Now they are the cute creatures who cause problems on navigable waterways with their dams. An interesting note that few people know is that beavers secrete a goo that smells like vanilla and is actually an FDA-approved natural flavoring.
Which common American animal is shown in this image?
Cardinal
The Northern Cardinal is the state bird of seven states. It is also a common school and professional sports mascot. When a female cardinal sings, she likely isn't testing out her vocal chords as much as she is telling her companion that she needs more food.
Which common American animal is shown in this image?
Wild Boar
Wolverine
Cardinal
Dall Sheep
Dall Sheep may look like a simple grazing animal, but evolution has provided them unique attributes. A split in their upper lip helps them to pick preferred leaves off plants, while their hooves and horns can be used to eliminate spines from cacti while the animal extracts the juice from the plant.
Which common American animal is shown in this image?
Burmese Python
Goat
Goats are playful and intelligent creatures. They were one of the first domesticated animals over 11,000 years ago. Their domestication is likely due to the ease in which they can be congregated. As social animals, they need to be surrounded by other goats or else they become depressed. They can also be taught their name and can be called like a dog. Their rectangular-shaped pupils provide 320-340 degrees of vision and excellent night vision.
Which common American animal is shown in this image?
Salmon
When traveling upstream to spawn, most salmon don't eat, and can jump two yards into the air which helps maneuver large objects and dips in small waterfalls. Some will travel as far as 3,500 miles to spawn. This all results in exhaustion and often death when spawning is complete.
Which common American animal is shown in this image?
Western Diamond Rattlesnake
Coyote
Turkey
Turkeys, also known as gobblers, were once considered a symbol of America and are officially the bird of Thanksgiving. If you love eating turkey, however, you may want to forget this fact: You can tell a turkey's sex by its poop. Males have spiral-shaped poop, while the females' poop is shaped like the letter "J".
Which common American animal is shown in this image?
Squirrel
The stereotype of a squirrel hiding its food is true. Known as scatter hoarders, squirrels will often have multiple hoards of food. They often lose up to 25 percent of their food because they forget where their hoards are located, or they lose it to fellow squirrels. They have an excellent sense of smell which enables them to find nuts in nearly a foot of snow.
Which common American animal is shown in this image?
Beaver
Rabbit
Rabbits may look cute and cuddly, but due to quick reproduction and large litters, they can be a pest to many farmers or people who have personal gardens. More than half of the world's rabbits live in North America.
Which common American animal is shown in this image?
Chicken
Opposum
Chipmunk
Chipmunks are the slowest member of the squirrel family and, much like larger squirrels, they spend the winter hiding underground and much of the summer searching for and storing food for the upcoming colder months. They have a habit of keeping their burrows extremely clean and are excellent at hiding the entrance to their hideaways.
Which common American animal is shown in this image?
Rabbit
Black Bear
Weasel
Prairie Dog
Prairie dogs are social animals that live in tight-knit family groups. They also have a complex language and one of the most descriptive of any animal outside of humans. For example, instead of saying something is approaching, they can communicate that a tall human wearing blue is approaching.
Which common American animal is shown in this image?
Blue Jay
Blue Jays are one of the few birds which will hang around most of the winter. While omnivores, they tend to eat berries, acorns and other vegetation over insects. They are also known to eat the eggs of other birds, although this behavior is rarer than initially thought.
Which common American animal is shown in this image?
Pronghorn Antelope
Pronghorn antelope are great escape artists with one exception. The pronghorn has great eyesight and can see movement as far as three miles away. They are also the fastest mammal in the world, having the ability to escape cheetahs, not only by speed but endurance. However, they are not big jumpers. If they come to a fence, a pronghorn is more likely to try to slide under it rather than jumping over it.
Which common American animal is shown in this image?
Bat
Flamingo
Flamingos have developed a "straining" style of eating. They will use their feet to stir up mud in a water area and dip their head to scoop up a beakful of mud and water. Their beaks are designed to operate as a strainer which allows the water to leave, but their food to remain.
Which common American animal is shown in this image?
Bison
Catfish
Most catfish are raised in freshwater ponds where they are "taught" to eat pellets floating on the water which is contrary to their bottom-feeding habits. Nearly 95 percent of catfish are raised in four southern states - Arkansas, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana.
Which common American animal is shown in this image?
White-tailed Deer
Coyote
Salmon
Horse
Horses have had a long-standing relationship with humans since the animals were first domesticated over 5,000 years ago. Horses provide both a social and working relationship with humans. While modern horses are not native to the Americas, descending from European horses, they did at a time live here prior to the Europeans but disappeared around 8,000 years ago before being re-introduced.
Which common American animal is shown in this image?
Road Runner
Most Americans have grown up knowing the raging battle which exists between a coyote and the fast and intelligent road runner. However, in a battle of speed, it is unlikely that a roadrunner would be as lucky as in the cartoons. However, roadrunners are amazing at killing snakes, especially the rattlesnake. While they can do it individually, most road runners will work together to kill a snake for an afternoon snack. One will create a distraction while the other uses its beak to snatch the snake by its head and smash it on the ground or a surrounding rock to kill it.
Which common American animal is shown in this image?
White-tailed Deer
Musk Ox
Fox
Unlike other canines, the fox tends to be a solitary animal. Common in the wild, they can also be found in wooded areas and suburban environments. With whiskers on their faces and legs, they have the ability to navigate well during the day and night. They also have "night-vision" eyes similar to cats.
Which common American animal is shown in this image?
Texas Longhorn
Cattle have never been native to the Americas. Most cattle were introduced to the Americas mainly by the Spanish and English well before the 1700's. The Texas Longhorn, for example, comes from the domestication of Middle Eastern wild aurochs and Indian zebu (humped cattle). When cattle were introduced to the New World by Christopher Columbus in 1493, it took years of domestication and evolution before the distinct features of the Texas Longhorn would appear. According to various sources, the Texas Longhorn came about due to a mixing of Mexican cattle and eastern cattle.
Which common American animal is shown in this image?
Turkey
Chicken
Chickens are the preferred meat of Americans. In a study from 2003, there were an estimated 24 billion chickens worldwide, making it the most common bird in the world. Unlike most birds, mother chickens lead their chicks to food rather than feeding them.
Which common American animal is shown in this image?
Skunk
Flying Squirrel
Flying squirrels don't actually fly, but rather they glide using membranes to spread as they jump from one tree or branch to another with heavy cushioned feet for comfortable landings. Despite not "flying," they can turn up to 180-degrees mid-glide and have been observed gliding as far as 300 feet.
