Meet some of America's wildlife treasures found in Georgia!

There are hundreds of bird species, including the wild turkey, quail, prolific varieties of song birds, wood peckers and owls. Georgia also witnesses visits of migrating birds such as, humming birds, Canadian geese, and ducks, (some native species are here too).

Reptiles and amphibians are also abundant,including snakes, lizards, tree frogs, salamanders and a variety of turtles. Aquatic life abounds as well in the freshwater streams, manmade ponds and lakes. These areas are teeming with mollusk, mussels, crustaceans, (such as crayfish) and fish. Insects, (like the praying mantis pictured above), and arthropods also flourish here.

Our wildlife is not limited to landlocked species, as Georgia has over 160 miles of coast line. Sea animals such as sand sharks, stingrays, jellyfish, shrimp, oysters, bluecrab and a number of other species can be found within our seas shores.

Georgia's Climate & Topography

Our mild climate and geographical location allows for great variation of indigenous (native) wildlife species. Georgia begins in the foothills of the Appalachian mountains where black bear still roam free and trout only have to be stocked on the cold streams to meet the demands of human pressure. Native trout do abound in the more remote locations.

The middle of the state, referred to as the piedmont, is compromised of rolling hills of forest and farmland and supports heavy wildlife numbers, especially the whitetail deer.

The lower third of our state is a combination habitat of flat farmland, grasslands and swampy marshes called the Plains. Black bears, coral snakes, cottonmouths, rattlesnakes and alligators are some of the animals known to inhabit these areas. The majority of our east coast is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean, except the northern portion, where the Savannah River divides us from South Carolina. Our coastal marshlands and beaches are home to loggerhead turtles (emperiled) and eastern diamond back rattlesnakes to name a few.

Georgia has a special wildlife place called the Okefenofee Swamp. Here wildlife thrives under the protection of the federal government, as the swamp is a designated a National Wilderness Area.

Georgia's Wildlife in Peril

Unfortunately, we also have much wildlife in peril. The following are some species listed as endangered in Georgia. The Eastern Indigo Snake is on the federal list of endangered species. A beautiful, large, long, black glossy snake that is harmless to humans. Man’s fear has all but eliminated this snake. Probably because it is so large and long, people assume it’s dangerous. Wrong answer, it is actually a friend, keeping rodent populations in check as well as other pest. ***Any large black snake in Georgia should be left alone.

Yes, Georgia has venomous snakes, six species to be exact, the copperhead, coral snake, timber/canebrake rattlesnake, pygmy rattlesnake, eastern diamondback rattlesnake and cotton mouth, a.k.a. water moccasin.

Only the timber rattler and water moccasin can resemble a black snake, like the Indigo. But hey, the rattler let’s you know he’s a rattler and the cotton mouth is rarely over 3’ and is very thick bodied. It will open it’s mouth and hiss, showing you where it’s name came from, the cotton look inside it’s jaws. Both of these posionous snakes have a triangular head. Indigo’s have a rounded pencil like head.

Either way, why not just leave all the snakes alone. More people are bitten by trying to kill a snake than any other way in the USA. After all it’s not their fault they were born a snake, now is it? We consider the snake pictured below to be a friend, not an enemy.

The Eastern Hellbender salamander is found only in the cold mountain streams. It can reach up to 2 ½ feet long and is harmless.

The Map turtle is found in streams throughout Georgia. It has a spiny ridge in the middle of its back. Unlike the snapping turtles it rarely gets that large and snapper's ridges run near the bottom of their shells. The Alligator Snapping turtles are very large turtles, really big, they can weigh over a 100 lbs. They have ridges from front to back along the shell, a long tail, a hook and curved looking face and powerful jaws. Honestly, this is the only turtle that looks plain mean and dangerous. It’s best to avoid any turtle that even looks like it might be him.

All together, according to the DNR, Georgia has 55 fish, 7 salamanders, 14 mussels and 12 turtles on the protected species list of aquatic animals. We are currently researching the birds and mammals listed as endangered, threatened and/or protected and will update you on them soon, here in this section.

Two Ga. Wildlife Short Stories

The Black Bear Encounter

Our family participates and enjoys a multitude of outdoor activities that afford us opportunities to view a host of wildlife, in addition to the creatures around our home. We are avid sportsmen and fishermen (women too). On a recent spring camping and trout fishing excursion to the Chestatee Wildlife Management Area, located in the North Georgia mountains within the Chattahoochee National Forest, we encountered a black bear.

We had hiked into a remote area to try our luck at catching the highly crafty and skittish native brook trout. The guys (spouse & son) had gone upstream through some thick cover, leaving us gals behind on an outcropping of rocks at streamside. Our two girls were wading and splashing in the shallow water when we heard a low moaning growl coming from across the creek in the direction the guys had taken off too. Well, we thought it was them trying to sneak around and scare us, so we pretended to not hear the noise.

A few minutes later we heard it again, but closer. I looked up to see a very large shadow walking parallel to the stream about 100 yards off. Okay, I froze, partly in awe, partly in overwhelming fear. I couldn't take my eyes off the creature. It moved so gracefully, slowly, methodically, with a such an unthreating, haphazard gait. I whispered to the girls to look up at the bear. We were all awestruck and a little scared. Mostly though we were just plain mesmerized, until it turned more towards us.

The youngest girl, picked up two large rocks from the stream, and just as I was going to holler not to throw them, she began banging them together real loud and hollering, "NO bear, NO." That did the trick. The bear snorted at us and continued back on his path down the ridgeline of it's habitat. The guys hearing the commotion came running. They were mad they didn't get to see the bear. It is now a wonderful memory me and my girls have of a weekend getaway to the mountains. They have told others this story with the same enthusiasm, over and over again, many times. These are the wildlife moments that remind me why I love living in Georgia.

Black bears have limited range in Georgia. They are found primarly in the Appalachain mountains, Ocmulgee River Basin or Okefenokee swamp. Black bears eat berries, fruits, roots, honey and new growth of plants. Occasionally, they eat birds and small animals. They do not eat people, but will protect their cubs and themselves if threatened by attacking. But as you see from our story above, they are not the big aggressive monsters of stories and legends.

Our Largest Turtle Sighting

On another family outing, this time closer to home at the Charlie Elliott WMA, we were fishing under some large pines, on the dam of one of the larger of twenty two ponds. We heard rustling heading up from the pond below on the backside of the dam. Since seeing whitetail deer, wild turkeys, quail and rabbit were common around the ponds, we paid little heed to the rustle, save an occasional glance backwards. What seemed like twenty minutes later, and probably was, the largest turtle we have ever seen outside a zoo came ambling up atop the dam. No exaggeration, the turtle was the size of your average truck tire. Now that's not a member of wildlife you see everyday.

The kids excitedly ran straight towards it, but fortunately a neighbor between us and them intervened. He warned them this turtle could snap their feet off at the ankles with one quick bite. Of course they didn't believe that. So he took a limb, about 3 inches thick and sturdy, not dead and brittle mind you, and put it in front of the turtle. Pow! wow! with lighting fast speed the turtle snapped it like a twig. Our friend proceeded to point out to the kids the ridges along the bottom back of it's shell and it's long tail. This was our first up close and personal with a large snapping turtle. He had our respect and was given plenty of distance to venture on into the pond. Snapping turtles eat frogs, ducks, snakes and other aquatic animals.

As stated previously, deer, rabbits and bobwhite quail are common wildlife day sightings here. Yet we still all get excited at the sight of spotted fawns with their mama doe or a large antlered whitetail buck grazing mid day in our clover. The latter took some time in convincing the youngest one they were not reindeers. Reindeers or caribou are rarely found in the lower 48 states of the USA, except very far northern territories, where grizzly bears, moose, mountain lions, wolves and elk roam free.

We do, however, have friends in Montana who see such wonderful wildlife in their backyard. We hope to visit there soon and see all things wild Montana has to offer for ourselves. Georgia however does not have any of those animals here.

Another fun animal to view on a nice outdoor day is cottontail rabbits. Georgia has an abundance of rabbits. Rabbits can be fun to watch as they will jump over each other and play and appear to fight like a bunch of rowdy brothers and sisters. We have wondered why the infamous children’s game of leap frog wasn't really called leap rabbit after seeing these antics.

Rabbits like to live in briars, thickets and grasslands. They forage on fruits, fresh green growth and even woody bark of trees and shrubs. Rabbits make little burrows in thick pinestraw, grass or under logs and stumps. They might make little burrows where there's high grass in your yard when having their young. We have constructed many wildlife brushpile homes just for them.

A rare but fun daytime treat is witnessing a covey of quail on the move. If you haven't seen this, you have missed a rather humorous event. Bobwhite Quail, who look kind of like small chickens, are really fun to watch. They will walk in a single file line and if they encounter an open area, driveway or the like, one by one, they will stretch their necks, raising their heads and look both ways before rushing across the area. Yes, all one at a time. It's a hoot to watch them.

Quail habitat in Georgia has been diminished and the numbers are down significantly. However, due to the efforts of wildlife enthusiast and sportsmen, they're coming back. Quail like grassy thickets and thinned pines.

House cats and feral cats are serious predator threats that have affected the quail populations around our home. These birds we enjoyed often, are now rarely seen or heard here.

If you are out around midday, especially in heavy forested areas, an animal to be on the look out for is the fox squirrel. Fox squirrels get their name because of the large bushy tail they have, which is similar to a fox's. Fox squirrels come in amazing color patterns as well, ranging from solid oranges, black, grey and even tri - or multi- colors. The identifying mark of a fox squirrel, beyond the bushy tail, is the white mask like features on the face. If the ear tips or face have any white markings and the tail is bushy, you have a fox squirrel. To the best of our knowledge, all orange colored squirrels are fox squirrels.

Fox squirrels are very inquisitive and will often watch you and seem to play hide-and-seek, running to the back of the tree, only to reappear again. Fox squirrels will often bark at you, with a deep throaty bark unlike the chirpy chatter of the samller Eastern grey squirrels. Fox squirrels prefer mature pine and hardwood forest to resdie.

While you're in the forest areas also keep an out for wildlife, such as hawks, owls, ducks and woodpeckers, of which the largest is the Pileated Woodpecker. An awesome bird that if you see will instantly bring to mind the infamous cartoon character Woody Woodpecker.

Red tail and redshouldered hawks hunt small mammals, reptiles and aquatics often from the air. The barred owl and the largest owl, the great horned owl hunt from perches within the forest. They too eat aquatic animals, small mammals, insects, reptiles and other birds.

A special little threatened woodpecker, the Cockaded woodpecker, relies heavily on mature, thinned pine forest. Efforts are underway to assist the recovery of population numbers of this small woodpecker. Actually, some of the largest population numbers are found at the Ft. Benning Army base here in Georgia, where their efforts to aid this little bird have received national acclaim.

Wildlife at Night

We have found dusk to be a great time to wait and watch for wildlife. Whitetail deer seem to move more at this time. Grey squirrels are clamoring loudly up the trees to their nest for the night.

If you have bird feeders, be on the lookout for incoming flying squirrels. These tiny little creatures look more like a small mouse mixed with a little bat than a squirrel. They actually glide, not fly. But don't tell them, we're not sure they know that as they come soaring in from the tree tops for a meal of sunflower seeds. Flying suirrels eat small nuts, like pin oak acorns and beech nuts. They keep the nuts in their nest. Grey squirrels do not. Grey squirrels bury and hide nuts, such as acorns and hickory nuts, for collecting later.

The red fox is much smaller than the medium dog sized grey fox. Foxes live in dens, like brushplies and cavities left by uprooted trees. Foxes eat small mammals, aquatics and fruit and are found throughout Georgia.

Foxes, bobcats, opossums and raccoons are usually found in close proximity to streams and/or lakes. Raccoons are attracted to streams, as they favor aquatics for food, such as crayfish and mussels. Bobcats prefer raoming streams in heavily forested bottomlands. Bobcats eat small mammals, birds, aquatics and are even known to eat wayward house cats.

Warning!!Any fox that doesn't appear cautious or unnerved to the point of retreat in your presence, should be heeded with caution, especially in daylight hours.

Rabies, a serious affliction of wildlife, will cause them to behave aggressively. It is a disease that can be transferred to humans and domestic pets if bitten by an infectee, resulting in a painful series of shots to treat.

Same goes for the ever mischievous raccoon. They can be fun to watch at dusk and nightfall, but beware ones seen during the day. Don't let this warning deter you from seeking to go wildlife viewing, just be aware, after all, a person being bitten is still a rare occurrence.

We have seen many of Georgia's wildlife members up close while hiking and fishing in the mountains and around the lakes and reservoirs near home, such as the box turtle pictured above. Everything from river otters whom are very playful and seem to like humans sightseers, the unfortunate run in with a hornets nest and seeing a copperhead flee in a hurry at our approach has resulted in fun memories.

The kids are not scared of snakes or other wildlife because they have been exposed to them all their life. We actually had quite a time with the youngest girl, every year on her Christmas list was the same thing, a beaver. We could not make her understand why she couldn't have a beaver. Even the fact we lived in the city at the time was no valid argument in her little mind. Her idea was to keep it in the bathroom with a tub full of water. Even now as a young adult, she has a stuffed beaver on her bed and a pet rabbit in her room.

Beavers by the way, are excellent architects. They build dams to create the habitat they desire. Clearing the trees for dam building lets sunlight in to grow the plant life they eat. Beavers, like us, are family oriented. They live as single families in each den they build.

Yes, we have had many animals at our Gerogia home, beyond the usual cat and dogs, we have had pet lizards, turtles, hamsters or mice and several aquariums of fish, (salt waters and fresh species from an uncles pond).

The kids were always thrilled watching the bream pop crickets at feeding time. Of course, they like most folks, don't like finding common scorpions in their shoes or any spiders in their room. After all, very few people want wild animals, much less bugs, of any kind loose in the house.

Our now grown children still enjoy wildlife so much, they help us around here with our gardening and landscaping for wildlife projects. Outdoor hobbies are still much a part thier life.

Wildlife Viewing tips

We have only scratched the surface here on the abundant wildlife in Georgia. We hope we have intrigued you to get out and go sightseeing for yourselves to meet some of your wildlife. Take along a bottle of water, a camera, and head to the great outdoors. There are many local, state and federally operated parks, refuges and National Forest areas available to explore. Contact your Department of Natural Resources, County Extension office or State Tourism office for recommendations in your area.

Even if you live in a big city, you can enjoy the pleasures of having some wildlife around by putting flowering plants on a rooftop, deck or patio and hanging a humming bird or song bird feeder close to a window.

Take note that many large cities have reintroduced the Peregrine Falcons and similar predator birds to balance out pigeons and rats naturally. Such measures are an environmentally sound and safe control measures.

So, keep looking up, down and all around wherever your day to day travels take you. You never know what surprise awaits you. And please, if wildlife already inhabits your surroundings, take time to enjoy all of it and encourage proliferation by gardening-and-landscaping-for-wildlife.

Come back soon, as we will be adding pages that take an in depth look at Georgia's wildlife.