Animals Native to Texas



Common Name Group Name Class Notes
Coyote Band Mammal Will eat almost anything, alive or dead
Armadillo Roll Mammal Eats insects
White-tailed deer Herd Mammal Eats weedy plants and shrubs
Pronghorn Band or Herd Mammal Fastest land mammal in North America
American Badger Sett Mammal Have few non-human predators
Great Blue Heron Colony or heronry Bird Largest Heron in Texas
Killdeer Season Bird Calls out its own name
Greater Roadrunner Marathon or race (usually solitary) Bird Hunts grasshoppers, lizards, snakes and rodents
Red-tailed Hawk Kettle Bird Most Common Hawk in Texas
Mourning Dove Bevy, cote, dole, dule or flight Bird They next three or four times during breeding season
Bobcat Clowder, clutter or pounce Mammal Eats small mammals and birds
Ocelot Clowder or clutter Mammal No two ocelot pelts are alike
Copperhead Pit, nest or den (usually solitary) Reptile Venomous. Rarely found in dry areas.
Mottled Rock Rattlesnake Pit, nest or den (usually solitary) Reptile Venomous. Usually 2 feet in length. Found in mountainous areas of West Texas.
Coral Snakes Pit, nest or den (usally solitary) Reptile Venomous. Same family as a cobra.
Mexican Free-tailed Bat Cauldron or colony Mammal August is the best time to watch them. Females usually give birth to one pup each year.
Virginia Opossum Passel Mammal (Marsupial) Active only at night. Females usually have 2 litters a year.
Marbled Salamander Herd or Congress Amphibian Eat earthworms and small insects.
Southern Leopard Frog Army Amphibian Evade predators by jumping into nearby water and swimming underwater for some distance.
Vermillion Snapper School Fish Look like red snapper but smaller. Found year round in the Gulf of Mexico.