Leer in español

Use this image gallery to learn about the species that are included in our FotoFauna checklist. Plus, check out the captions of each photo for the species’ names, descriptions, and some identification tips.

Species Image Gallery

Sub-Tropical Species

Expand the button below to see images of hog-nosed skunks, hooded skunks, javelinas, Virginia opossums (Mexican subspecies), and white-nosed coatis. Hover over each image to view a short description.

Hog-nosed skunk: Solidly built skunk, with a solid white tail, white back, and hairless ‘hog-like’ nose. / Zorrillo de espalda blanca norteño: Zorrillo de constitución sólida, con una cola blanca sólida, lomo blanco y nariz lampiña como de cerdo.
Hooded skunk: Black and white skunk with a very long tail, patterns variable. Looks similar to a striped skunk but lack a black stripe that breaks up the white at the base of the tail. / Zorrillo listado sureño: Zorrillo blanco y negro con cola muy larga, patrones variables. Se parece a un zorrillo listado norteño, pero carece de una raya negra que rompa el blanco en la base de la cola.
Javelina: Hairy and pig-like with large snouts and short legs. / Pecarí de collar: Peludo y parecido a un cerdo con hocicos grandes y patas cortas.
North Mexican Virginia opossum: Sub-species of the Virginia opossum, looks like a very large rat because of their tail. / Tlacuache norteño: Subespecie del Tlacuache norteño, parece una rata muy grande debido a su cola.
White-nosed coati: Medium-sized mammal with a long tail, a white-patterned snout, and powerful digging paws.

Endemic to the Region

Expand the button below to see images of Antelope jackrabbits, Gila monsters, Gould’s turkeys, Arizona gray squirrels, and black-tailed jackrabbits. Hover over each image to view a short description.

Antelope jackrabbit: Large hare species with white-tipped ears and silver sides. / Liebre antilope: Large hare species with white-tipped ears and silver sides.
Gila monster: Distinctive orange and black marbled lizard. / Mostruo de Gila: Distintivo lagarto de mármol naranja y negro.
Gould’s turkey: Very large ground-dwelling bird with fleshy heads and necks. / Guajolote norteño: Ave muy grande que habita en el suelo, con cabezas y cuellos carnosos.
The Arizona gray squirrel is a tree squirrel native only to the Sky Islands. They have round ears and grayish brown fur.
Smaller and more common than the antelope jackrabbit, the black tailed jackrabbit has black-tipped ears and long tails. Their coat is overall browner than the antelope jackrabbit’s.

Wide-Ranging Species

Expand the button below to see images of black bears, mountain lions, mule deer, pronghorns, white-tailed deer, jaguars, and ocelots. Hover over each image to view a short description.

Black bear
Black bear: Large sturdy animal. Can be brown, blonde, or cinnamon colored as well as black! / Oso negro: Animal grande y robusto. ¡Puede ser de color marrón, rubio o canela, además de negro!
Mountain lion: Large tawny cat with a long tail and no spots. / Puma: Gato grande y leonado con cola larga y sin manchas.
Mule deer: Large deer found lower in elevation. They have a white rump and a black tipped tail. / Venado bura: Los ciervos grandes se encuentran más bajos en elevación. Tienen una rabadilla blanca y una cola de punta negra.
Mule deer (male): Antlers fork as they grow. / Venado bura (macho): las astas se ramifican a medida que crecen.
Pronghorn: Seen in the desert grasslands, they are orange and white with the males having distinctive black horns. / Berrendo: Vistos en las praderas del desierto, son de color naranja y blanco y los machos tienen cuernos negros distintivos.
White-tailed deer: White-tailed deer are smaller than mule deer. Their tails have fluffy white undersides. / Venado cola blanca: El venado cola blanca es más pequeño que el venado bura. Su cola tiene la parte inferior blanca y esponjosa.
White-tailed deer (buck): Antler points branch from single main beam. / Venado cola blanca (macho): los dientes de asta se ramifican de una viga principal.
The jaguar is the largest cat in the Americas and has spots and a large head. This cat is unmistakable to other large cats in the region.
The ocelot is a medium-sized cat with a long tail and round ears. They have spots that often look like chains.

Migratory Species

Expand the button below to see images of elf owls, gray hawks, bats, and turkey vultures. Hover over each image to view a short description.

Elf owl: The worlds smallest owl! It has a short tail and no ear tufts. / Tecolote enano: ¡El búho más pequeño del mundo! Tiene una cola corta y no tiene mechones en las orejas.
Gray hawk: Silver gray raptor with black and white banding on tail and yellow legs. / Aguililla gris: Rapaz gris plateada con bandas blancas y negras en la cola y patas amarillas.
Lesser long-nosed bat: Nectar feeding bat with a long nose and no membrane between the legs. / Murciélago magueyero menor: Murciélago alimentador de néctar con nariz larga y sin membrana entre las piernas.
Turkey vulture: Large brown bird with a bare pink head. / Zopilote aura: Gran pájaro marrón con la cabeza rosada desnuda.

Species Sensitive to Development

Expand the button below to see images of American badgers, beavers, bighorn sheep, North American porcupines, ringtails, and western spotted skunks. Hover over each image to view a short description.

Badger: Strong low-slung animal with powerful digging claws and distinctive striped face. / Tlalcoyote: Animal fuerte de baja altura con poderosas garras excavadoras y distintivo rostro rayado.
A beaver is a very large rodent found near water. They have a brown coat and a large flat tail.
Ringtail: Small tan colored animal with white undersides and a long black and white striped tail. / Cacomixtle norteño: Pequeño animal de color canela con la parte inferior blanca y una cola larga con rayas blancas y negras.
Western spotted skunk: Very small skunk with distinctive black and white marbled coat. / Zorrillo manchado occidental: Zorrillo muy pequeña con un distintivo pelaje de mármol blanco y negro.
Porcupines have blunt heads and distinctive quills that often make them look blurry in camera photos. They are almost always seen at night.
Bighorn sheep are wild sheep with white rumps and small ears. Both sexes have horns, but males have much larger curved horns.

Urban-Adapted Species

Expand the button below to see images of bobcats, Cooper’s hawks, coyotes, cottontails, Gambel’s quails, roadrunners, gray foxes, striped skunks, round-tailed ground squirrels, Harris’ antelope squirrels, rock squirrels, and raccoons. Hover over each image to view a short description.

Bobcat: Medium sized cat with a short tail and tufted ears. Lower body often has spots./Gato montes: Gato de tamaño mediano con cola corta y orejas copetudas. La parte inferior del cuerpo a menudo tiene manchas.
Cooper’s hawk: A smaller raptor commonly seen in cities. / Gavilán de Cooper: Una rapaz más pequeña que se ve comúnmente en las ciudades.
Coyote: Medium sized canine with long legs, and big ears. / Coyote: Canino de tamaño mediano con patas largas y orejas grandes.
Desert cottontail: A common rabbit, small with a fluffy white tail. Ears smaller than a jackrabbit. / Conejo del desierto: Un conejo común, pequeño con una cola blanca esponjosa. Orejas más pequeñas que una liebre.
Gambel’s quail: Small game bird with a comma shaped feather on their head. / Codorniz de Gambel: Ave de caza menor con una pluma en forma de coma en la cabeza.
Gray fox: Small gray canine with orange sides, and a long tail that has a black stripe running along the top. / Zorra gris: Pequeño canino gris con lados anaranjados y una cola larga que tiene una raya negra en la parte superior.
Greater roadrunner: Bird with long legs and tail and crest on it’s head. Often seen on the ground. / Correcaminos norteño: Ave con patas y cola largas y cresta en la cabeza. A menudo visto en el suelo.
Striped skunk: Looks similar to the hooded-skunk but have a black stripe that breaks up the white at the base of the tail. / Zorrillo listado norteño: Se parece al zorrillo listado sureño, pero tiene una raya negra que rompe el blanco en la base de la cola.
Round-tailed ground squirrels are small, tan-colored ground squirrels with white undersides. Their tail is long and skinny and held close to the ground.
The Harris’s antelope squirrel is a small energetic ground squirrel that always carries their tail above their bodies. They have a white eye ring and one white stripe along each side of their bodies.
Rock squirrels are ground dwellers and have low-slung bodies. Their coats have distinctive white and black flecks to help them camouflage against the ground.
Raccoon
Raccoons are fluffy and grayish-brown. They have a black mask over their eyes, and their striped tail is shorter than their body.