Animals

The canal travels from the coastal plain of Washington, DC, to the mountains of western Maryland. The many habitats along that journey from sea level to the mountains rank C&O Canal among the most biodiverse national parks.

 

Birds

From tiny kinglets to bald eagles, find a wide variety of birds in the woods and waterways along the canal.

Reptiles and Amphibians

Turtles, frogs, toads, snakes, skinks and more live in the park.

Butterflies and Dragonflies

Learn more about these common winged insects you can find in the park.

Deer

Whitetail deer browse on plants throughout the park.

Bats

Bats are an important part of the food chain, feeding on insects at night.

Freshwater mussels

Find out why these underwater filter feeders are important indicators of ecosystem health.

 

Raccoon peeking out of tree

NPS/Gerald Elkin

Keep wildlife wild! Please enjoy and observe wild animals from a distance. Photograph all wildlife from a safe distance. Use telephoto lenses and observe quietly. Animals can be very protective of their young and can become aggressive if cornered.

Keep your pets safe around wildlife with these tips

It is dangerous and illegal to feed wild animals, including ducks and geese, in national parks. Wildlife can become dependent on handouts and lose their ability to forage for food. Such animals can lose their fear of humans and become threatening.

Some animals found in the Park can carry rabies. If you encounter an animal that is acting strangely (for example, a nocturnal raccoon seen during the day) or an animal has attacked you, immediately report it to our emergency Dispatch Center, at 866-677-6677. Please visit the CDC website to learn more about rabies.

 

Species checklist

 

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Species Attribute Definitions

Definitions

Occurrence

Occurrence values are defined below. One or more Occurrence Tags may be associated with each Occurrence value.

Present: Species occurs in park; current, reliable evidence available.

Probably Present: High confidence species occurs in park but current, verified evidence needed.

Unconfirmed: Species is attributed to park but evidence is weak or absent.

Not In Park: Species is not known to occur in park.

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Occurrence Tags

Adjacent: Species is known to occur in areas near to or contiguous with park boundaries.

False Report: Species was reported to occur within the park, but current evidence indicates the report was based on misidentification, a taxonomic concept no longer accepted, or other similar problem of error or interpretation.

Historical: Species' historical occurrence in park is documented. Assigned based on judgment as opposed to determination based on age of the most recent evidence.

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Abundance

Abundant:

• Animals: May be seen daily, in suitable habitat and season, and counted in relatively large numbers.
• Plants: Large number of individuals; wide ecological amplitude or occurring in habitats covering a large portion of the park.

Common:

• Animals: May be seen daily, in suitable habitat and season, but not in large numbers.
• Plants: Large numbers of individuals predictably occurring in commonly encountered habitats but not those covering a large portion of the park.

Uncommon:

• Animals: Likely to be seen monthly in appropriate habitat and season. May be locally common.
• Plants: Few to moderate numbers of individuals; occurring either sporadically in commonly encountered habitats or in uncommon habitats.

Rare:

• Animals: Present, but usually seen only a few times each year.
• Plants: Few individuals, usually restricted to small areas of rare habitat.

Occasional:

• Animals: Occurs in the park at least once every few years, varying in numbers, but not necessarily every year.
• Plants: Abundance variable from year to year (e.g., desert plants).

Unknown: Abundance unknown

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Nativeness

Native: Species naturally occurs in park or region.

Non-native: Species occurs on park lands as a result of deliberate or accidental human activities.

Unknown: Nativeness status is unknown or ambiguous.

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List Differences

The Checklist contains only those species that are designated as "present" or "probably present" in the park.

The Full List includes all the checklist species in addition to species that are unconfirmed, historically detected, or incorrectly reported as being found in the park. The full list also contains species that are "in review" because their status in the park hasn't been fully determined. Additional details about the status of each species is included in the full list.

The checklist will almost always contain fewer species than the full list.

Select a Park:

Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park

Select a Species Category (optional):

All Amphibians Birds Fish Mammals Reptiles Vascular Plants

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Species attribute definitions

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Visit NPSpecies for more comprehensive information and advanced search capability. Have a suggestion or comment on this list? Let us know.