Though it’s thought of as a desert state, Arizona has a surprisingly wide variety of climates that support a wide variety of wildlife from rodents to reptiles, birds and large predators be they common and familiar or the rarest and the strange. Here is information about some of the animals in Arizona.
The Official Animals of Arizona
Arizona doesn’t have an official animal per se, but the official mammal is the ringtail cat, which isn’t a cat at all but is related to the raccoon. Also called the bassarisk, it is smaller than a pet cat, and its tail with its diagnostic black and white rings can be as long as its body.
Animals in Arizona: Official State Bird
Arizona’s state bird is the cactus wren. This bird is only found in the deserts of the southwest and upper Mexico. It’s the United States’ largest wren at 7 to 7.5 inches long. Its plumage is rather a drab brown with white and black patterning, and it has a song like a car engine that won’t turn over. It gets its name because it is perfectly at home among the prickles of saguaro and cholla plants.
By the way, the phoenix, which gives its name to the state capital, is a mythological bird that burns itself to ashes after some long number of years, then is reborn from its own ashes. The city was given the name Phoenix by settlers who built their city on the ashes of an earlier one built by native Americans.
Animals in Arizona: Official State Amphibian
The state amphibian is the Arizona tree frog, also called wright’s mountain tree frog. Pale olive green with a paler ventral area, it can be found in the marshes and around the rivers of Arizona.
Animals in Arizona: Official State Butterfly
Arizona’s state butterfly is the two-tailed swallowtail butterfly. This gorgeous insect has pale Naples yellow wings with black tiger stripes, delicate tails, blue patches, and orange eyespots on the hindwings.
Animals in Arizona: Official State Fish
The official state fish is the Apache trout. This golden trout lives only in the streams and lakes of White Mountain. Though other species of trout have been introduced into Arizona, the Apache is one of only two that is actually native to the state. A popular gamefish, it can grow to 20 inches long but is usually much smaller.
Animals in Arizona: Official State Reptile
Arizona’s state reptile is the Arizona ridge-nosed rattlesnake. Found in the “sky island” just where Arizona meets Mexico, this is a small rattlesnake that grows to only 1 to 2 feet in length. It gets its name from the ridged scales along its nose.
Where To Find The Top Wild Fauna in Arizona
Much of Arizona’s wildlife can be found in its state parks and trails. The state parks include Catalina, Cattail Cove, Lyman Lake, Lost Dutchman, Patagonia Lake, Lake Havasu, the San Rafael State Natural Area, Tonto Natural Bridge, and the Verde River. These parks are found mostly in the central, southern, and western areas of the state.
Animals in Arizona: Small Mammals
Arizona’s small mammals include kinds of skunks and species of shrew. Some rodents found in Arizona are the American beaver, the North American porcupine, gophers, pocket mice, and kangaroo rats, voles, wood rats, cotton rats, and deer mice. The state is also home to the nutria, a largish, introduced rodent that’s a bit of a pest because of its voracious appetite for vegetation. Other rodents are types of chipmunks, squirrels, and prairie dogs.
Besides the ring-tailed cat, there is also the raccoon and the white-nosed coati. Mustelids are the river otter, weasels, ferrets, and the American badger. The collared peccary or javelina can also be found in Arizona’s state parks.
Animals in Arizona: Deer and Other Ungulates
Mule deer, named for their large ears, and a subspecies of white-tail deer called the Coues whitetail occupy different habitats in Arizona. The mule deer, which is a bit more acclimated to the desert, can be glimpsed at Lost Dutchman and Picacho Peak State Parks, while the whitetail deer can be found in Patagonia State Park and Kartchner Caverns as well as Oracle State Park.
Arizona is also home to the Sonoran pronghorn, bighorn sheep, the American bison, and elks.
Animals in Arizona: Predators
Arizona’s top predators include the coyote, the black bear, mountain lions, three types of foxes, lynxes, and ocelots. A visitor might even glimpse a rare Mexican wolf, a subspecies of the gray wolf, or a jaguar. Black bears are seen in Tonto Natural Bridge as well as Slide Rock.
Animals in Arizona: Birds
Arizona birds include the state bird, the cactus wren. Birds are of course not confined to the state parks and can be found in city parks and backyards. They include hummingbirds, woodpeckers, warblers, goldfinch, grackles, phoebes, and sparrows. Birds that are found in places such as Dead Horse Ranch and Lyman Lake include waterfowl such as blue herons, black ibis, grebes, egrets, ducks, and geese. Roadrunners, quail, and owls can be glimpsed at Kartchner Caverns. Birds of prey include ospreys and several species of hawk.
The California condor is also seen in Arizona. Though much effort has been put into its conservation, this huge and magnificent bird is still endangered.
Animals in Arizona: Reptiles
The chuckwalla is a type of iguana and can be commonly seen in most of Arizona’s state parks. It’s an herbivore that can grow to 16 inches in length and change color to camouflage itself.
The famous Gila monster is known for the lovely patterns on its beaded skin and for being a rare venomous American lizard. It is difficult for a human to be envenomated by one of these robust-bodied lizards since the animal has to hang on and chew, but the venom is used to paralyze its prey. Dinner for the Gila monster includes birds, smaller reptiles, and small mammals such as mice. Gila monsters also eat carrion and eggs.
Arizona has several species of rattlesnake, with the Arizona ridge-nosed rattlesnake being the state reptile. The western diamondback rattler can also be found in most state parks. They get their name because of the keratinous rattles at the ends of their tail that they shake when they feel threatened.
Animals in Arizona: Insects
Arizona insects are of course found throughout the state. Besides the beautiful two-tailed swallowtail butterfly is the assassin bug, which has a fang to “assassinate” other insect prey and even prick human skin. Still, people welcome it in their garden as it hunts insect pests. Another insect is the ambush bug, which lies in wait on sunflowers and ambushes bugs that come too near. Other insects are the backswimmer, an aquatic bug that swims on its back, the broken-backed seed bug, a pest whose strange wing formation gives it its name, aphids, stinkbugs, squash bugs, ants, antlions, and water striders. There are many species of flies, wasps, bees, and dragonflies
Lovelier insects include the anise swallowtail butterfly, the Aphrodite fritillary butterfly, the candy-striped leafhopper, the Calleta silkmoth, mourning cloak, and monarch butterflies, the Carolina mantis, the dogbane leaf beetle with its iridescent green carapace, katydids, the goldsmith beetle, and the mottled tortoise beetle. Velvet ants, which are really wasps, are pretty but deliver a powerful sting.
Other Arizona arachnids include many types of spiders, including sac spiders, crab spiders, orb weavers, tarantulas, black widows, house spiders, wolf spiders, the parson spider, and jumping spiders. There are also ticks, centipedes, sowbugs, and scorpions.
Animals in Arizona: Fish
The Apache trout is not the only trout found in Arizona’s rivers, streams, and lakes. Others include the brook trout, the brown trout, the rainbow trout, and the cutthroat trout, named for the slash of bright red beneath its lower jaw. Other fish found in Arizona are the Redear sunfish, the roundtail chub, tilapia and bass, walleye and white crappie, Arctic grayling, and bigmouth buffalo.
Other fishes are species of dace, suckers, pupfish, spinedace and spikedace, mullet, topminnows, pikeminnows, and woundfin.
Zoos in Arizona
Besides its many state parks, people can also see animals in its zoos. They include the Phoenix Zoo, the Wildlife World Zoo, Aquarium & Safari Park in Litchfield Park which has exotic animals such as big cats, antelopes, sea lions, wobbegong sharks, piranhas, and a strange and wonderful albino alligator. Reid Park in Tucson houses leopards, giant tortoises, and African elephants, and Heritage Park Zoological Sanctuary has animals found in Arizona such as black bears, peccaries, scorpions, pronghorns, and mountain lions.
Wild Animals in Arizona
Besides the animals already named, Arizona is home to the northern Mexican garter snake and the bony-tailed chub which, like most chubs, is endangered. Other wild animals include the Sonora tiger salamander, the southwestern willow flycatcher, the masked bobwhite, and the desert tortoise. The greater roadrunner is actually a type of cuckoo and is common in the state parks. Bats include the pallid bat, the big brown bat, the little brown bat, the Arizona myotis, the western red, and species of long-nosed and free-tailed bats.
The Most Dangerous Animals In Arizona Today
- American black bear – Though not as aggressive as the grizzly, which has been extirpated in Arizona anyway, the American black bear is still a creature to be careful around. Black bears who have gotten used to humans indirectly or directly feeding them are sometimes aggressive towards them.
- Bark scorpion – This scorpion is considered the most venomous scorpion in all of North America. It’s common in Arizona, and its venom can kill a human if antivenin isn’t administered in time. It looks like its less venomous cousins but is more slender. It’s simply a good idea to avoid handling scorpions altogether.
- Rattlesnakes – The rattlesnakes of Arizona can also deliver a bite that can send an adult human to the hospital. As with the bark scorpion, antivenin has saved many a life or prevented long-lasting complications.
- Mountain lions – Mountain lion attacks are uncommon, but they are increasing as more and more humans move into the big cat’s territory. Most people killed by mountain lions are children.
- Bison – Though they are not nearly as aggressive, bad-tempered or vindictive as their cousins the African buffalo, American, and Plains bison can be unpredictable and can charge for no reason and without warning. This is especially true during the rut, which happens in the summer.
Endangered Animals In Arizona
Like every other state, Arizona is home to creatures that have become endangered due to overhunting, pollution, climate change, and habitat disruption. They include:
- The black-footed ferret – This little weasel is one of the rarest animals in North America, and is, surprisingly, the only ferret that’s native to the continent.
- The Mexican spotted owl – This big owl is the largest in North America and is threatened. It can be identified by its large size, barred gray and brown feathers, and unnervingly large, wholly black eyes.
- The Mexican gray wolf – This wolf is endangered, even though it was reintroduced into Arizona in the 1990s.
- Jaguars – Many people are surprised to know that there are jaguars in Arizona. It is still one of the rarest of the big cats in North America and is considered endangered.
Arizonan Animals
Arizona Bark Scorpion
Under UV light they glow a bright blue or green, making them easy to spot.
Blue Belly Lizard
This species can detach its tail to escape from predators
Burrowing Owl
The burrowing owl lives in underground burrows
Cactus Mouse
In hot temperatures, they lower their metabolism and become inactive to reduce the amount of water they need to survive
Flea
Adult fleas can jump up to 7 inches in the air
Harris Hawk
Their vision is eight times better than a human's
Mealybug
They have a symbiotic relationship with ants.
Orb Weaver
Females are about four times the size of males
Rooster
Will mate with the entire flock!
Arizonan Animals List
Animals in Arizona FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)
What animal is Arizona known for?
If Arizona is known for an animal, it is most likely the roadrunner, a bird known for its preference for running on land as opposed to flying. Some of these birds can run faster than 20 miles per hour. The bird is an omnivore famous for subduing and eating rattlesnakes, and the subject of a long-running Warner Brothers cartoon.
What animals in Arizona can kill you?
Unfortunately, there are a few animals in Arizona that are so dangerous that they can kill you. Among them are the bark scorpion, the mountain lion, the jaguar, though jaguars are rare, the American bison, rattlesnakes, and the black bear. People are also stung to death by bees and wasps every year.
What big animals are in Arizona?
Big animals that live in Arizona include black bears, pronghorn deer, elk, bison, and bighorn sheep.
What exotic animals live in Arizona?
The exotic animals that don’t live in Arizona’s zoos were introduced into the state. Some of them are the Ring-necked pheasant, species of trout, the chukar, which is a type of quail, the common snapping turtle, and the Rocky Mountain elk.
What is the most dangerous animal in Arizona?
The most dangerous animals in Arizona are hymenopteran insects such as hornets, wasps, and bees. They are responsible for more deaths in the state than even the hungriest large predators. Death usually comes when a person is allergic to the insect’s sting, is stung many times, and can’t find medical help in time when they go into anaphylactic shock.
