River and Stream Wildlife

River & Stream Wildlife

Whether it's the Smith River, Redwood Creek, the Klamath River, or any of the area's smaller streams, an impressive array of wildlife has made use of the freshwater habitats at RNSP. Waterfowl, fish, mammals, and smaller creatures are linked strands in the web of life.

Among the creatures you may encounter while visiting a freshwater source at RNSP:

Common merganser (Mergus merganser)
Osprey (Pandion haliaetus)
Red-shouldered hawk (Buteo lineatus)
Great blue heron (Ardea herodias)
Belted kingfisher (Ceryle alcyon)

Great blue heron

Mammals

Raccoon (Procyon lotor)

Mountain lion (Felis concolor)

River otter (Lutra canadensis)

Beaver (Castor canadensis)

Big brown bat (Eptesicus fuscus)

Mountain lion

Fish

Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha)

Coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch)

Steelhead (Salmo gairdnerii)

Coastal cutthroat trout (Salmo clarki)

Pacific lamprey (Lampetra tridentata)

Steelhead trout

Red-legged frog (Rana aurora)

California slender salamander (Batrachoseps attenuatus)

Pacific giant salamander (Dicamptodon ensatus)

Northern rough-skinned newt (Taricha granulosa)

Pacific tree frog (Hyla regilla)

Pacific giant salamander

For a complete list of the parks' wildlife, please see the cooperating associations page

Learn more about the river and stream environment...