California is home to many forests and national parks, including Cabrillo National Park, Lava Beds National Park and Redwood National Park. In these parks and their forests, there are a variety of wildlife species, ranging from amphibians, birds, mammals and reptiles.
Amphibians tend to be scaly and crawl on all fours. Those found in California forests include the Pacific slender salamander, the hellbender and the bullfrog. The Pacific slender salamander is unique to California. They are mostly sedentary and do not move much throughout their life span. The body sizes and lengths vary. The hellbender is the largest salamander in North America. They grow up to two feet long and can weigh up to 100 pounds. Hellbenders are quickly becoming endangered, due to streams not being adequately protected from sediment run-off. The bullfrog is a common frog found across the United States, including California. Bullfrogs are greenish brown and grow between three to six inches. Their diet consists of anything they can swallow, including other frogs, birds and small mammals.
A variety of birds live in the forests of California, including the mallard, the common loon and the American white pelican. The mallard is a green duck with a yellow bill which prefers calm, shallow, fresh water. The common loon is a symbol of the wild North. It is a large, black and white water bird with a long, pointed bill. It prefers to sit low in the water. The American white pelican is a large, white water bird. Its primary source of nourishment is fish. The population of the American white pelican has been on the decline since the 1950s.
Mammals which can be found in the forests and national parks in California include the red bat, the bobcat and the porcupine. The red bat is a small bat, only 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 inches in length. It is fast and often hunts for food at night. The red bat is typically seen at forest edges feasting on their meals in the evenings. The bobcat is a nocturnal creature and is not likely to be spotted during the day by a human. Most bobcats are brownish-red and have a bobbed tail. They are carnivores and grow to 25 to 41 inches, weighing 11 to 30 pounds. Porcupines are herbivores which grow to 25 to 36 inches and weigh 12 to 35 pounds. They have pointed quills all over their bodies, which allows them to protect themselves from predators. They are good climbers and spend most of their time secluded in trees.
If you are traveling through a forest in California, it is likely that you will see a reptile or two. Some common reptiles there include the western skink, the milk snake and the pigmy rattlesnake. The western skink is a snake which has a secretive nature and is usually not spotted during the day. Young skinks have blue tails which fade upon maturity. The western skink usually only grows to 100 to 200 millimeters in length. The milk snake is a larger snake which can grow to 32 to 56 inches in length. It is gray and lightly patterned with reddish-brown spots all over its body. It is commonly confused with a rattlesnake, since its tail rattles. The pigmy rattlesnake usually only grows to about 18 inches. When coiled on the floor of a forest, it resembles small pine cones. They are rarely spotted during their day. Their rattle sounds similar to that of an insect buzzing; therefore, they tend to go unnoticed by humans.
