The Western meadowlark is one of the most characteristic birds in the North American grasslands. Its throat, chest, and belly are yellow with a black "v" across the chest. These birds can often be found singing atop fence posts.
The grizzly bear is a subspecies of the brown bear. They are considered a threatened species and are protected by law. The bears hibernate during the winter and during this time the females give birth, usually to twins.
The cutthroat trout has a dark olive back with sides that vary between silvery, olive and reddish to yellow-orange. They have a red to red-orange slash mark on each side of the throat, which gives them their name.
The mourning cloak butterfly is purple-black with a bright yellow border and a row of iridescent blue spots at the inner edge of the border. Adults emerge in June or July from the pupae. They will feed briefly and then estivate until fall, at which time they will re-emerge to feed and store energy for hibernation in the winter.
Whereas other states have official state amphibians, reptiles, and bats, Montana does not have any of these.
