What Types Of Animals Did Lewis And Clark Find

Wild animals Through the Eyes of Lewis and Clark

The research on this page was washed by Kelly Heitkamp for her Girl Sentry Golden Award Projection and was sponsored by the Dakota Zoo Crew.

As you lot walk through the Dakota Zoo, be on the sentry for animals seen by the Lewis and Clark Expedition.Lewis and Clark collected data on 122 mammals, fish, reptiles and birds. Run across how much yous can acquire near what Lewis and Clark saw.

Other Lewis and Clark sites include:

www.bismarckmandancvb.com

world wide web.fortmandan.com

American Annoy	Prior to Lewis and Clark'southward journey, Thomas Jefferson and other American naturalists who were associated with him were not enlightened that the badger was native to this country. "I take in 2 instances outrun this fauna and caught information technology. In this rispect they are not much more fleet than the porcupine." - Meriwether Lewis
American Bison	Lewis and Clark'southward diaries include many entries which conspicuously signal their astonishment at finding buffalo on the plains of the Dakotas and Montana in such numbers that they could but estimate at the size of the herds. I ascended to the loftier Land and from an eminance I had a view of a greater number of Buffalow than I had ever seen before at once. I must have seen nearly 20,000 of those animals feeding on this plain." - Meriwether Lewis
American Elk	Elk were seen and killed ofttimes in the Dakotas, Montana and western Oregon. During the winter of 1804-05 in the Fort Mandan area north of Bismarck, the trek killed l elk. "The buffalow and elk is astonishingly noumerous on the depository financial institution of the river on each side, particularly the elk which lay on nigh every point in large gangs, and are so jentile that we frequently pass within 20 or 30 paces of them without their beingness the least alarmed." - William Clark
American Gilt Eagle	The explorers, in referring to this bird, chosen it either the Grey Hawkeye or the Calumet Hawkeye. Lewis' first contact with the Golden Hawkeye evidently occurred during the winter at Fort Mandan. Nether the engagement of Apr 8, 1805, he wrote equally follows: The only birds that I observed during the winter at Fort Mandan was the Missouri Magpie, a bird of the Corvus genus, the raven in emmence numbers, the pocket-sized woodpecker or sapsucker equally they are sometimes called, and the beautiful Calumet bird, and so called from the circumstance of the natives decorating their pipe stems with its plume." - Meriwether Lewis
Bald Hawkeye	Higher up the Little Missouri River, and near the rima oris of the Yellowstone bald eagles were abundant enough to control attention. "We go along to see a great number of baldheaded Eagles, I assume they must feed on the carcases of dead animals, for I run across no fishing hawks to supply them with their favorite nutrient." - Meriwether Lewis
Bighorn Sheep	Those animals feed on the grass which grows on the sides of this mount and in the narrow bottoms of the water courses near the steep sides of the mountains which they can brand their escape from pursuit of wolves, bear, etc. "The places they generally select to lodg is in the crannies or crevices of the rocks in the faces of inaccessible precepices notwithstanding these anamals leap from rock to rock and stand apparently in the most careless fashion of many hundred feet." - Meriwether Lewis
Black-Tailed Prairie Dog	Lewis and Clark start observed the prairie canis familiaris, before long after entering Southward Dakota. This remarkable rodent appears to take challenged their interest and marvel to a greater caste than any other ground squirrel that inhabited the plains of the Missouri. "When at rest above ground their position is more often than not cock on their hinder feet and rump; thus they will generally set and bark at you lot as you arroyo them. Their note being much that of trivial toy dogs, their yelps are in quick succession and at each they give a motion to their tails upwards." - Meriwether Lewis
Canada Goose	Goose shooting for sport was not permitted. Waterfowl and other birds were killed merely when the big game was deficient, or when specimens were wanted for study. "Saw many gees feeding on the tender grass in the praries and several of their nests in trees; nosotros have not in a single case constitute the nest of this bird on or well-nigh the ground." - Meriwether Lewis
Canada Lynx	The Canada Lynx is not uncommon in northern Due north Dakota in the winter months and specimens accept been taken in many other parts of the land. "I lined my gloves and have a cap fabricated of the skin of the Louservia of (the wild cat of the north) the fur near 3 inch long." - William Clark
Coyote	We take been unable to determine whether or not Lewis and Clark were the first explorer-naturalists to telephone call attention to the coyote, merely certainly they were amidst the first to written report on its full general appearance, habits and distribution. "Several wolves visited our camp today, I fired on and wounded i of them very badly, the modest species of wolf barks like a dog, they oft salute us with this note every bit we laissez passer through the plains." - Meriwether Lewis
Grey Wolf	They were an important factor in the ecologic complex of the continent earlier the white man took over. They eliminated the weak, diseased and hapless individuals among casualty species; they helped to prevent over-population from developing within the ranks of many species. "The state in every direction effectually us was one vast manifestly in which innumberable herds of Buffalo were seen attended by their shepherds the wolves." - Meriwether Lewis
Corking Horned Owl	The great horned owl is a common permanent resident of the Missouri valley in Due north Dakota. "I saw two large owls with remarkable long feathers on the sides of the caput which resembled ears; I take them to be the big hooting owl tho' their colours brighter than those of the U' States." - Meriwether Lewis
Grizzly Bear	Tracks of "white" bear were seen at the mouth of the Moreau River, in South Dakota, on October vii, 1804, but no grizzlies were encountered until the party reached the oral cavity of the Center River near Bismarck, Due north Dakota. "Our hunters killed 10 deer and a goat today and wounded a white deport, I saw several fresh tracks of those animals which is 3 times as large as a man's rails." - William Clark
Moose	Here Lewis and Clark led all naturalists, as usual; for the American Moose, had no scientific continuing in their 24-hour interval. No moose were killed, probably because then few of them were seen by the hunters. "Saw some mooce Deer which was much larger than the mutual deer." - Sergeant Ordway
Mule Deer	Well-nigh authorities, including Coues and Seton, credit Lewis and Clark with having written the first accurate descriptions of the mule deer. "The Indians pursued a mule buck near our camp. I saw this chase for near 4 miles; it was actually entertaining, at that place were virtually twelve of them in pursuit of it on horseback, they finally rode it down and killed it." - Meriwether Lewis
North American River Otter	It was mentioned for the first time by Clark on October 22, 1804, when the party arrived at the oral fissure of the Center River, most the present site of Bismarck, N Dakota. "The fur of both the beaver and otter in this land are extreemly good; those animals are tolerably plenty about the sea coast, but are by no means as much so as on the upper part of the Missouri." - Meriwether Lewis
Northern Bobcat	The explorers saw more skins than live specimens. Only 1 of these wild cats was killed by a fellow member of the trek during the winter and leap of 1805-06. "The natives of this country brand great apply of the skins of this cat to course the robes they wear; three whole skins is the complement usually employed and sometimes four in each roab." - William Clark
Porcupine	Near the archway of the river mentioned in the 10th course of this day, we saw an unusual number of porcupines from which we determined to telephone call the river after this anamal, and accordingly denominated it Porcupine River. "I walked out a niggling distance and met with two porcupines which were feeding on the young willow which grow in great affluence on all of the sandbars; this animal is exceedingly clumsy and not very watchful." - Meriwether Lewis
Pronghorn Antelope	Such an animal was never yet known in the United States. The skins were stuffed in order to ship back to the city of Washington, the bones and all. "We found the Antelope extreemly shye and watchful insomuch that nosotros had been unable to get a shot at them; and every bit they are watchfull and extreemly quick of sight and their sense of smelling very accute, they volition often discover and abscond from y'all at the distance of iii miles." - Meriwether Lewis
Raccoon	Since Lewis and Clark were thoroughly familiar with the raccoon of Eastern United States they gave it merely slight attention. "The raccoon is found in the woody country on this coast in considerable quantities – the natives have a few of them in snares and dead falls, tho' appear non to vallue their skins much, and simply seldom prepare them for ropes." - Meriwether Lewis
Cherry-red Fox	The big red play a trick on of the plains, and the kit play a joke on are the same which we met with on the Missouri and are the inhabitants nearly exclusively of the open up plains, or of the copse of bushes within the plain state. "I saw near those bluffs the most beautiful fox that I ever beheld, I endeavored to kill this anamal but he discovered me at a considerable distance, and finding that I could go no nearer, I fired on him as he ran and missed him." - Meriwether Lewis
Rocky Mountain Goat	This is the kickoff reference in the journals to the Rocky Mountain Goat not technically described until 1816: "The Indians inform me that they finde this animate being on the high mountains to the West and SW of them. It is white and that it'south horns are lunated comprest twisted and bent backward as those of the mutual sheep." - Meriwether Lewis
Sandhill Crane	At present the species does not appear to be in whatsoever danger of extinction despite the fact that their numbers have been greatly reduced since the early years of the present century. "The hunters brought in a living immature sandhill crain; it has almost obtained its growth but cannot fly. Its colour is precisely that of the carmine deer. This young animate being is very trigger-happy and strikes a severe blow with its beak." - Meriwether Lewis
Snowfall Goose	The white brant is very mutual in this country peculiarly beneath tidewater where they remain in vast quantities during the winter. They feed like the swan, gees, etc. on the grass, roots and seeds which they find in the marshes. "There is no other difference betwixt them and the mutual or gray brant only that of their color. Their note and habits are the same and they are frequently seen to acquaintance together." - Meriwether Lewis
Sparrow Militarist (American Kestrel)	On April 13, 1805 while in the vicinity of the Trivial Missouri River, information technology was recorded that the sparrow hawk was found there. The smallest and near beautiful hawk found in N Dakota. Insects such equally grasshoppers are an important function of its nutrition. "Saw the small-scale hawk, often called sparrow militarist, which is mutual to most parts of the U. States." - Meriwether Lewis
Swift (Kit) Fox	Formerly arable in the Missouri valley and other parts of Due north Dakota swifts are friendly and confiding animals and as a result they take practically disappeared from the state. "It burrowed in the basis somewhat like the small-scale wolf and its tallons appear longer than any species of trick I always saw and seem therefore prepared more amply by nature for the purpose of burrowing." - Meriwether Lewis
Western Pocket Gopher	Although Lewis and Clark did not actually see the Dakota pocket gopher, Lewis described the mounds of globe thrown up past this rodent: I accept observed in many parts of the plains and praries, the work of an anamal of which I could never obtain a view. Their work resembles that of a salamender common to the sand hills of united states of america of South Carolina and Georgia, and similar that animal also it never appears above ground." - Meriwether Lewis
Whistling Swan	Lewis and Clark must be awarded the distinction of having coined the pop proper noun, Whistling Swan, for the most abundant and widely distributed swan in America. "We start saw them below the great narrows of the Columbia almost the Chilluckkittequaw nation. They are very abundant in this neighborhood and have remained with us all winter. In number they are fully five for one of the large species." - Meriwether Lewis
Whitetailed Deer	A few deer did not go far with 45 hungry men. If allowed they could have easily consumed 4 or five in a unmarried day. "By 10 am they had all returned to camp having killed 7 deer. These were all of the common fallow deer with the long tail. I measured the tail of one of these bucks which was upwards of 17 inches long." - Meriwether Lewis
Wild Turkey	Lewis and Clark in 1804 reported wild turkeys in western Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska and South Dakota. Their notations are of interest because they are amidst the earliest accurate records dealing with the distribution and abundance of the species in the Missouri valley above the Platte River. "A greater quantity of turkeys than we had before seen, a circumstance which I did non much expect in a country so destitute of timber." - Meriwether Lewis