You may have heard of elephants and emus from Africa and Australia. But, did you know there are also plenty of North American animals that start with E? Besides earthworms, read on to learn about 18 animal species living in North America that start with E. Let’s see how many you already knew!
18 animals that start with E
From animals that fly in the sky to those that burrow in soils, read on to learn about 18 North American animals starting with E.
1. Elk
Scientific name: Cervus canadensis
Elks are one of the largest land-dwelling animals in North America, growing up to 4 feet 11 inches tall and 8 feet 10 inches long. Adult males can also jump an impressive 8 feet vertically. These animals prefer living in forests, forest edges, and mountain meadows. There are currently 4 subspecies of elk with an estimated population 1-1.2 million animals living in North America today.
2. Ermine
Scientific name: Mustela erminea
Ermines, sometimes called short-tailed weasels, have luxurious fur that used to be popular for clothing. While they commonly live in temperate and arctic habitats, you can also find them as far south as California. Although they are small, they have a fierce and territorial attitude and will take on animals bigger than them.
3. Eastern box turtle
Scientific name: Terrapene carolina carolina
The Eastern box turtle is native to the eastern U.S but can sometimes be found in other states. They prefer damp forests, marshy meadows, and open woodlands, including shallow waters. Their diet includes mushrooms, berries, earthworms, snails, slugs, and insects
4. Eastern bluebird
Scientific name: Sialia sialis
Eastern bluebirds are found in eastern U.S states, in open country near large trees and patchy vegetation. They also love nesting in birdhouses. However, they don’t eat common bird seeds offered in backyards preferring berries, crickets, grasshoppers, beetles, and mealworms. These sociable birds are also very territorial.
5. Eagle
Scientific family: Accipitridae
Eagles are predatory birds with amazing eyesight and sharp, strong claws. They are solitary animals living by open waters like lakes, rivers, and coastal regions. There are 4 specific species of eagles found in the U.S, with the bald eagles and golden eagles the most common.
6. Emperor angelfish
Scientific name: Pomacanthus imperator
Emperor angelfish are a marine species with bold colors and bright yellow stripes. You can find them at depths between 3.3 and 328 feet in coral reefs in the Pacific oceans, including off the coast of Hawaii. People also keep them in aquariums, however, you need a large tank since they can grow up to 15 inches long.
7. Earthworm
Scientific name: Lumbricina
Earthworm are abundant throughout the world and crucial in aerating soils to help plants grow. They are also decomposers that help add nutrients to the soil. Uniquely, they are hermaphrodites, meaning they have both female and male organs. In North America alone, there are around 180 different earthworm species.
8. Eastern fence lizard
Scientific name: Sceloporus undulatas
The eastern fence lizard has spiny, rough scales with bright blue markings on their body. They got their name back when wooden fences were popular and they could often be seen basking on the fences.
A common spiny lizard species, you can find them throughout the eastern U.S and Mexico. They are also an arboreal species, preferring to hang out in or near trees.
9. Eastern hognose snake
Scientific name: Heterodon platirhinos
Native to North America, the eastern hognose snake is a mildly venomous snake that isn’t dangerous to people or pets. They have upturned snouts and thick bodies reaching around 46 inches long.
When threatened, they are known to flatten their heads and hiss loudly at you. They prefer living in fields with sandy soils, grasslands, and open woodland.
10. Eastern spadefoot toad
Scientific name: Scaphiopus holbrookii
The large eastern spadefoot toad has moister and smoother skin compared to typical toads. You can find them throughout the eastern U.S., from New England to Florida and west to the Mississippi Valley.
They prefer loose, sandy soils with steady rainfall and moderate temperature, including along river floodplains. Their name is inspired by their hind leg’s spade-like projections, which let them dig into sandy soils.
11. Evening bat
Scientific name: Nycticeius humeralis
The evening bat is a small bat and a steady and slow flyer. You can find these native North American bats throughout most of the eastern and midwestern U.S states. They are forest bats, preferring open habitats and roosting in barns and attics instead of caves. These bats are insectivores, feasting mostly on beetles.
12. Eastern red bat
Scientific name: Lasiurus borealis
Eastern red bats are medium-sized, red-orange bats with a white fur patch on their wing joints and shoulder. You can find them widely distributed throughout eastern and central U.S states.
These bats roost in trees and are the most abundant tree-dwelling bat in North America. They are solitary animals, roosting as individuals on branches or in clumps of leaves.
13. Eastern gray squirrel
Scientific name: Sciurus carolinensis
Eastern gray squirrels are very common and native to the mid-western and eastern states of the U.S. They feed on seeds, nuts, buds, and flowers and have an important role in dispersing seeds to support plant growth.
You can typically see them burying their food and using their excellent sense of smell to relocate what they’ve hidden.
14. Eastern spotted skunk
Scientific name: Spilogale putorius
Eastern spotted skunks are known as opportunistic feeders, eating almost anything they can get their hands on. You can find them in Canada, throughout the U.S., and in northeastern Mexico.
They prefer upland prairie grasslands and forest edges, especially with shrub clumps and rock outcrops. Their name comes from the broken pattern of their stripes that make them look spotted.
15. Emperor goose
Scientific name: Anser canagicus
The emperor goose prefers subarctic and arctic habitats and is found mostly in Alaska. They enjoy hanging out along rocky beaches, feeding on eelgrass, mussels, barnacles, and sea lettuce.
Unlike other geese species, they typically only migrate a few 100 miles to wintering areas within Alaska. However, some stragglers do go as far as Hawaii and California.
16. Eastern cottontail
Scientific name: Sylvilagus floridanus
The eastern cottontail is one of the most common cottontail rabbits in North America. You can find them in southern Canada, south-central and eastern U.S., eastern Mexico, Central America, and northern South America.
They prefer shrubby areas, meadows, and woody areas where they eat grass, wild strawberries, garden vegetables, and clovers. For a small animal, they can run up to 18 miles per hour in a zigzag pattern to get away from predators.
17. Eastern tiger salamander
Scientific name: Ambystoma tigrinum
Eastern tiger salamanders are black or dark brown with yellow blotches on their body.
They have the largest range of any North American salamander, spanning from southern Alaska and eastern Canada to throughout the U.S. and Mexico. They prefer wetlands, especially seasonal pools of water, where they live in underground burrows.
18. Elegant quail
Scientific name: Callipepla douglasii
Elegant quails are grayish birds, with the males having a distinctive golden-buff crest. You can find them in the north-western region of Mexico, especially on the Pacific slopes of the Sierra Madre Occidental. They hardly fly and prefer to run away when disturbed.
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