This article seeks to serve as a field-guide, central repository, and listing for the flora and fauna of North Carolina and surrounding territories.
State ecology
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North Carolina's geography is usually divided into three biomes: Coastal, Piedmont, and the Appalachian Mountains.
North Carolina is the most ecologically unique state in the southeast because its borders contain sub-tropical, temperate, and boreal habitats. Although the state is at temperate latitudes, the Appalachian mountains and the Gulf Stream influence climate and, hence, the vegetation (flora) and animals (fauna).
Coastal Region
Located in eastern North Carolina, the coastal region is much warmer and more humid.
- Climate: Humid Subtropical
- Geography: Flat Coastal Plain
Piedmont
This region includes the [urban area] and urban biomes of Raleigh and Durham, as well as a large area of semi-mountainous, rolling hills.
- Climate: Humid Subtropical
- Geography: Rolling, gentle hills and flat valleys. The Piedmont ranges from about 300â€"400 feet (90â€"120 m) elevation in the east to over 1,000 feet (300 m) in the west
Mountains
- Climate: Humid Continental
- Geography - The Appalachian Mountains with elevations between 1500 and more than 6000 feet.
Animal life
Mammals
E - endangered
Common opossums:
- Virginia opossum, Didelphis virginiana
Armadillos:
- Nine-banded armadillo, Dasypus novemcinctus
Rodents:
- North American beaver, Castor canadensis
- Eastern gray squirrel, Sciurus carolinensis (state mammal)
- Fox squirrel, Sciurus niger
- Northern flying squirrel, Glaucomys sabrinus (Carolina northern flying squirrel, G. s. coloratus E)
- Groundhog, Marmota monax
- Muskrat , Ondatra zibethicus
- White-footed mouse, Peromyscus leucopus
Lagomorphs:
- Eastern cottontail, Sylvilagus floridanus
Eulipotyphlans:
- Northern short-tailed shrew, Blarina brevicauda
Bats:
- Gray bat, Myotis grisescens E
- Indiana bat, Myotis sodalis E
- Townsend's big-eared bat, Corynorhinus townsendii (Virginia big-eared bat, C. t. virginianus E)
Carnivorans:
- Bobcat, Lynx rufus
- Red fox, Vulpes vulpes
- Gray fox, Urocyon cinereoargenteus
- Coyote, Canis latrans
- Red wolf, Canis rufus*
- American black bear, Ursus americanus
- Raccoon, Procyon lotor
- Long-tailed weasel, Mustela frenata
- Least weasel, Mustela nivalis
- North American river otter, Lontra canadensis
Even-toed ungulates:
- Elk, Cervus canadensis
- White-tailed deer, Odocoileus virginianus
Introduced animals:
- House mouse, Mus musculus
- Banker horse, a breed of feral horse, Equus ferus caballus
- Feral pigs or wild boar, Sus scrofa
In the mountains, there are small populations of bobcats and bears. Rocky Mountain elk (C. c. nelsoni) has been used to reintroduce elk to where the now extinct eastern elk (C. c. canadensis) once lived. Beaver, whose pelt trade was an important part of the North Carolina economy well into the 1800s, were hunted to extinction in 1897. Reintroductions began in 1939 and now beaver have returned to the entire state.
Birds
Reptiles
Amphibians
Frogs are common in the marshy and wet regions of the Piedmont. The frog pictured at left is a Cope's gray treefrog (Hyla chrysocelis) or gray treefrog (H. versicolor). These two species cannot be differentiated except by their call or genetic analysis. However, H. versicolor is rare in the state and likely to not be pictured here. They are most abundant in some northern Piedmont counties. Other frogs of North Carolina include spring peepers, Pseudacris crucifer or Hyla crucifer. Common among Carolina forests, this frog lives in high branches of trees, although it is also seen on the ground and commonly on roadways.
Some common amphibians in North Carolina: two-toed amphiuma, common mudpuppy, dwarf waterdog, eastern lesser siren, greater siren, red-spotted newt, Mabee's salamander, spotted salamander, marbled salamander (state salamander), mole salamander, eastern tiger salamander, southern dusky salamander, dwarf salamander, four-toed salamander, Wehrle's salamander, eastern spadefoot, southern toad, Pine Barrens treefrog (state frog), Cope's gray treefrog, green treefrog, squirrel treefrog, gray treefrog, little grass frog, ornate chorus frog, upland chorus frog, American bullfrog, bronze frog, pickerel frog, southern leopard frog, wood frog
Fish
Freshwater: bodie bass, Roanoke bass, largemouth bass, rock bass, smallmouth bass, spotted bass, striped bass, white bass, blue catfish, channel catfish, flathead catfish, white catfish, brown bullhead, white perch, yellow perch, chain pickerel, redfin pickerel, American shad, hickory shad, pumpkinseed, redear, bluegill, flier, green sunfish, redbrest, warmouth, brook trout, rainbow trout, brown trout, garfish, bowfin, carp, crappie, freshwater drum, grass carp, kokanee salmon, muskellunge, tiger muskellunge, northern pike, sauger, eastern mosquitofish, smallmouth buffalo, walleye, the endemic Cape Fear shiner.
Saltwater: albacore, amberjack, Atlantic bonito, bank sea bass, barracuda, bigeye tuna, blackfin tuna, black drum, black sea bass, blacktip shark, bluefish, bluefin tuna, blue marlin, blueline tilefish, bull shark, butterfish, cobia, croaker, dolphin, flounder, gag, gray triggerfish, gray trout, hammerhead, hickory shad, hogchoker, hogfish, humping mullet, king mackerel, knobbed porgy, lizardfish, little tunny, mako shark, menhaden, northern puffer, oyster toadfish, pigfish, pinfish, pompano, red drum, red grouper, red snapper, sailfish, scamp, sea mullet, searobin, sheepshead, silver perch, silver snapper, skate, skipjack tuna, spadefish, Spanish mackerel, speckled hind, spottail pinfish, spot, speckled trout, stingray, striped bass, swordfish, tarpon, tiger shark, vermillion snapper, wahoo, white marlin, white grunt, yellowfin tuna, yellowedge grouper, yellowtail snapper
Invertebrates
Various insects, jellyfish, millipedes, centipedes, freshwater crayfish, and freshwater mollusks.
Spiders:
- Northern black widow, Latrodectus variolus
- Southern black widow, Latrodectus mactans
- False black widow, Steatoda grossa
- Common house spider, Parasteatoda tepidariorum
- Yellow garden spider, Argiope aurantia
- Leafy cob weaver, Theridion frondeum
- Spiny-backed orbweaver, Gasteracantha cancriformis
- White sac spider, Elaver excepta
Mantises:
- Carolina mantis, Stagmomantis carolina
Hymenoptera:
- European honey bee, Apis mellifera (state insect)
- American bumblebee, Bombus pensylvanicus
- Eastern carpenter bee, Xylocopa virginica
- Red paper wasp, Polistes carolina
- Eastern cicada killer, Sphecius speciosus
- Red velvet ant, Dasymutilla occidentalis
- Red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta
Odonata:
- Eastern pondhawk, Erythemis simplicicollis
Lepidopterans:
- Monarch butterfly, Danaus plexippus
- Red-spotted purple, Limenitis arthemis
Plant life
External links
General interest:
- North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission
- The North Carolina Gap Analysis Project -- Vertebrate Predicted Distribution Mapping
- Carolina nature
Birds:
- North Carolina Birding Trail
Reptiles and amphibians:
- Herps of NC
- the Savannah River Ecology Laboratory Herpetology Program
Butterflies:
- Butterflies of North Carolina
Spiders:
- Common Spiders of North Carolina
References
