Outdoor Alabama: Wildlife
Alabama Biodiversity:
Alabama is one of the most biologically diverse states in the United States and is a global hotspot of diversity for several groups of plants and animals. This diversity is a product of Alabama's climate, geologic diversity, and rich evolutionary past. With more than 6,350 species, Alabama ranks fourth among states in terms of species diversity and is first among states east of the Mississippi River. The large western states of California, Texas, and Arizona lead the nation, respectively, and fellow southeastern states Georgia (fifth) and Florida (seventh) are right behind Alabama. Supporting this diversity are 64 types of terrestrial ecosystems, including 25 forests and woodlands, 11 wetlands, and 7 glades and prairies. The state also has more than 132,000 miles of rivers and streams and several dozen marine ecosystems.
Alabama is number one in diversity for freshwater mussels, freshwater fishes, freshwater snails, crayfish, and freshwater turtles. It is fourth for combined diversity of amphibians and reptiles and fifth for salamanders. Alabama is also first in carnivorous plant biodiversity and is one of the world's hotspots for these unusual organisms. The extensive cave system in the northeastern part of the state harbors the third most biodiverse cave fauna in the temperate world. Considering that only a fraction of these caverns has been explored, Alabama's eventual ranking may be at the very top. (Excerpt from Encyclopedia of Alabama)
Outdoor Alabama Wildlife:
Here are some of the wildlife that are found in Alabama, many can be seen in Alabama State Parks. By no means is this list comprehensive, just an example of species that are listed for the state of Alabama.
