Wanderlust World Wanderlust World Virginia's diverse habitats—coastal plain, Piedmont, Blue Ridge, Valley & Ridge—support rich native fauna:
White-tailed deer, gray squirrel, opossum, raccoon, red fox, beaver, muskrat, bobcat, black bear, river otter, mink, coyote (expanding), bats (9+ species).
Wild turkey, northern cardinal (state bird), blue jay, eastern screech-owl, great horned owl, mourning dove, red-tailed hawk, bald eagle (recovered), osprey, wood duck, pileated woodpecker, cerulean warbler (breeding), tundra swan (winter).
Largemouth/smallmouth bass, yellow perch, black crappie, bluegill, chain pickerel, striped bass (anadromous), flounder, spot, Atlantic sturgeon (endangered), brook trout (native, cold streams).
Eastern box turtle, mud turtle, spotted turtle, green frog, bullfrog, spring peeper, eastern garter snake, northern copperhead, timber rattlesnake (mountains), eastern ratsnake, five-lined skink.
Blue crab (Chesapeake Bay icon), eastern oyster, horseshoe crab (spawning beaches), monarch butterfly (migration), carpenter bee, bald-faced hornet, crayfish (multiple species), freshwater mussels (many endangered).
Habitat loss, invasive species (snakehead, blue catfish), road mortality, and climate change threaten many. Virginia DWR manages 40+ Wildlife Management Areas for protection and access.