Endemic Animals of the Olympic Peninsula

The Olympic marmot is one of the Olympic Peninsula's endemic species that resulted from ice age isolation.

Ken and Mary Campbell

What is now Olympic National Park was at one time isolated by geological barriers like the massive glaciers moving through. This changed and influenced the park we know today and what inhabits it. This isolation gave evolution enough time to blockade species to the Olympic Peninsula, giving rise to species that only occur here. These species, which are found only here and nowhere else in the world, are called endemic species. The following animal species are endemic to the Olympic Peninsula:

Endemic Animals

Mammals

Destruction Island Shrew - Sorex trowbridgii destructioni
Olympic chipmunk - Tamias amoenus caurinus
Olympic ermine/ short-tailed weasel - Mustela erminea olympica
Olympic marmot - Marmota olympus
Olympic pocket gopher - Thomomys mazama melanops
Olympic snow mole - Scapanus townsendii olympicus

Amphibians

Olympic torrent salamander - Rhyacotriton olympicus

Fish

Beardslee trout - Oncorhynchus mykiss beardsleei
Lake Crescent cutthroat trout - Oncorhynchus clarkii crescenti
Olympic mudminnow - Novumbra hubbsi

Invertebrates: Lepidoptera (Butterflies and Moths)

Hulbirt's skipper - Hesperia comma olympica
Makah Copper - Tharsalea mariposa
Olympic arctic - Oeneis chryxus valerata
Taylor's Checkerspot - Euphydryas editha taylori (Endangered)

Invertebrates: Orthoptera (grasshoppers)

Olympic grasshopper - Nisquallia olympica

Invertebrates: Coleoptera (beetles)

Mann's gazzelle beetle - Nebria danmanni
Quileute gazelle beetle - Nebri acuta quileute
Tiger beetle - Cicindela bellissima frechini

Invertebrates: Diplopoda (millipedes)

Leonardesmus injucundus
Mircolympia echina

Invertebrates: Mollusks

Keeled jumping slug - Hemphillia burringtoni

Invertebrates: Opiliones (harvestmen)

Acuclavella makah

ENDEMIC PLANTS

Olympic mountain fleabane - Erigeron flettii
Olympic mountain groundsel/ ragwort - Senecio neowebsteri
Olympic mountain milkvetch - Astragalus cottonii
Olympic mountain synthyris - Synthyris pinnatifida var. lanuginosa
Olympic rockmat - Petrophyton hendersonii
Olympic violet - Viola flettii
Piper's bellflower - Campanula piperi

Updated August 2024

 

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