Animals

Ozark National Scenic Riverways is home to many animals big and small.

NPS Photo/Shaun Heise

Ozark National Scenic riverways preserves riparian, upland forest, aquatic and subterranean habitats for wildlife. Whitetailed deer and wild turkey delight hunters while at least 198 species of birds are waiting for the avid birder. In the water reside 112 species of fish and the rare Ozark hellbender, which enjoys the cold waters of the Current and Jacks Fork Rivers. Relict glade habitats are home to some of the more unusual animals in the Ozarks, including collared lizards more typical of the US Southwest and even tarantulas and scorpions! A prescribed fire regime keeps these habitats healthy.

For more on animals found in the Ozark National Scenic Riverways:

• Amphibians
• Birds
• Mammals
• Reptiles

 

" Rivers run through our history and folklore, and link us as a people. They nourish and refresh us and provide a home for dazzling varieties of fish and wildlife and trees and plants of every sort. We are a nation rich in rivers. "- (Charles Kuralt, On the Road With Charles Kuralt)