Ohio Habitats, Mammals, Birds, Amphibians, Reptiles

The last great Ice Age ended 10,000 years ago. It covered 2/3 of Ohio with glacial ice for two million years. The glaciers scoured and shaped Ohio's landscape and when they retreated, they left the state covered in thick layers of glacial till, made up of sand, gravel, and clay. The 1/3 of the state untouched by glacial ice is a very different landscape with rugged, furrowed land. Humans have also affected Ohio's landscape by clearing, draining, and re-shaping the land for farms, industries, and communities.

Ohio is now considered to have five distinctly different physical geographies or physiographic regions each with its own geological profile and its own distinct communities of plants and animals. They include the Lake Plains, Glaciated Appalachian Plateau, Till Plains, Unglaciated Appalachian Plateau and Bluegrass.

The Lake Plains Region is a very flat plain in a narrow strip along the Lake Erie coast in northeastern Ohio that expands as you travel westward. It is made up of sandy beach ridges and dunes along the shores of Lake Erie. In the northwestern area of the region it has rich, black soils and poor drainage forming a wetland called the Great Black Swamp. An example of Lake Plains is found in the 321 acres of Goll Woods State Nature Preserve in northwestern Ohio with old-growth forest featuring some of the largest trees remaining in the state.

The Glaciated Appalachian Plateau was carved by glaciers into flatter, less rugged terrain with bogs, kettle lakes, small hills of sand and gravel called kames and forested areas. An example of Glaciated Appalachian Plateau is found in the 42 acres of Kent Bog State Nature Preserve featuring the largest, southernmost stand of tamarack in the continental U.S. – over 3,500 tamaracks. There is also gray birch. Both trees are considered "potentially threatened species" in Ohio.

The Till Plains is a fertile region south of the Lake Plains with gently rolling hills made up of glacial moraines that are mounds of rock and soil up to 100 feet high and 6 miles wide left by the retreating glaciers.The glaciers also created terraces along the valley sides where the Ohio River now flows. This region also includes the highest point in the state, called Campbell's Hill which is a hilly belt of bedrock that rises 1,549 feet above sea level. An example of Till Plains is found in the 37 acres of Siegenthaler-Kaestner Esker State Nature Preserve that protects remaining glacial landforms including eskers, kames, an outwash valley and kettle pond.

The Unglaciated Appalachian Plateau was untouched by the glaciers so maintains its deep valleys, high hills and winding streams. It is located in southeastern Ohio and features a long belt of high hills on the eastern edge, sandstone cliffs, gorges, natural bridges and waterfalls and many forested areas. An example of Glaciated Appalachian Plateau is found in the 202 acres of Rockbridge State Nature Preserve featuring a natural arch or bridge that is more than 100 feet long and up to 20 feet wide. It arches 50 feet across a ravine and is considered the largest natural bridge in Ohio.

The Bluegrass Region is a small, triangular area in the center of the southern border of the state with flat-topped hills and gentle slopes that rise into steep cliffs. There are also chalk sink holes and rock depressions. An example of Bluegrass Region is found in the 67 acres of Chaparral Prairie State Nature Preserve with a limestone prairie of little bluestem prairie grass and many wildflowers including spider milkweed, prairie false indigo, pink milkwort, American blue hearts, prairie dock and spiked blazing-star. There is also post and blackjack oak and a population of rattlesnakes.

badger
bat (big brown)
bat (Brazilian free-tailed)
bat (eastern pipistrelle)
bat (eastern small-footed myotis)
bat (evening)
bat (gray)
bat (hoary)
bat (Indiana myotis)
bat (little brown myotis)
bat (Rafinesque's big-eared)
bat (red)
bat (silver-haired)
bear (black)
beaver
bobcat
chipmunk (eastern)
coyote
deer (white-tailed)
fisher
fox (gray)
fox (red)
ground squirrel (thirteen-lined)
hare (snowshoe)
jumping mouse (meadow)
jumping mouse (woodland)
lemming (Southern bog)
marten
mink
mole (Eastern)
mole (hairy-tailed)
mole (star-nosed)
mountain lion
mouse (deer)
mouse (eastern harvest)
mouse (house)
mouse (golden)
mouse (white-footed)
muskrat
nutria
otter (river)
porcupine
rabbit (Eastern cottontail)
raccoon
rat (black)
rat (Norway)
shrew (least)
shrew (masked)
shrew (pygmy)
shrew (short-tailed)
skunk (striped)
squirrel (eastern gray)
squirrel (fox)
squirrel (red)
squirrel (southern flying)
vole (meadow)
vole (pine)
vole (prairie)
vole (Southern red-backed)
vole (woodland)
weasel (least)
weasel (long-tailed)
weasel (short-tailed) - ermine
wolf (gray) - endangered
wolverine
woodchuck
woodrat (eastern)

Amphibians
bullfrog
chorus frog (Western)
frog (Eastern cricket)
frog (green)
frog (mountain chorus)
frog (Northern leopard)
frog (pickerel)
frog (Southern leopard)
frog (wood)
hellbender
mudpuppy
red eft
salamander (blue-spotted)
salamander (cave)
salamander (Eastern tiger)
salamander (four-toed)
salamander (green)
salamander (Jefferson)
salamander (longtail)
salamander (marbled)
salamander (midland mud)
salamander (mountain dusky)
salamander (northern dusky)
salamander (northern red)
salamander (northern slimy)
salamander (northern two-lined)
salamander (ravine)
salamander (redback)
salamander (smallmouth)
salamander (spotted)
salamander (spring)
salamander (streamside)
salamander (Wehrle's)
spadefoot (Eastern)
spring peeper (Northern)
toad (American)
toad (Fowler's)
treefrog (Cope's gray)
treefrog (gray)


Reptiles
black racer (northern)
blue racer
copperhead (northern)
earth snake eastern smooth)
eastern black kingsnake
eastern fence lizard
eastern massasauga
eastern worm snake
garter snake (Butler's)
garter snake (eastern)
garter snake (plains)
greensnake (rough)
greensnake (smooth)
Kirtland's snake
Lake Erie water snake
lizard (common wall)
Midwestern wormsnake
Queensnake
ratsnake (eastern)
rattlesnake (timber)
ribbon snake (common)
skink (broad-headed)
skink (common five-lined)
skink (little brown)
slider (Red-eared)
snake (eastern fox)
snake (eastern hog-nosed)
snake (eastern milk)
snake (Midland brown)
snake (northern brown)
snake (northern red-bellied)
snake (northern ring-necked)
turtle (Blanding's)
turtle (eastern box)
turtle (eastern musk)
turtle (eastern spiny softshell)
turtle (Midland painted)
turtle (Midland smooth softshell)
turtle (northern map)
turtle (Ouachita map)
turtle (snapping)
turtle (spotted)
turtle (wood)
water snake (common)
water snake (copper-bellied)

avocet (American)
bittern (American)
bittern (least)
blackbird (red-winged)
blackbird (yellow-headed)
blackbird (rusty)
black duck (American)
bluebird (Eastern)
blue jay
bobolink
bobwhite (Northern)
bufflehead
bunting (indigo)
Canada goose
canvasback
cardinal (Northern)
catbird (gray)
chat (yellow-breasted)
chickadee (black-capped)
chickadee (Carolina)
chimney swift
coot (American)
cormorant (double-crested)
cowbird (brown-headed)
crane (sandhill)
crossbill (red)
crossbill (white-winged)
crow (American)
cuckoo (black-billed)
dickcissel
duck (ring-necked)
duck (ruddy)
eagle (bald)
eastern wood peewee
egret (cattle)
egret (great)
egret (snowy)
falcon (peregrine)
flicker (Northern)
flycatcher (Acadian)
flycatcher (alder)
flycatcher (great-crested)
galdwall
godwit (marbled)
goldeneye (Barrow's)
goldeneye (common)
goldfinch (American)
goose (Canada)
goose (greater white-fronted)
goshawk (Northern)
gnatcatcher (blue-gray)
goose (snow)
grackle (common)
grebe (eared)
grebe (horned)
grebe (piping)
grebe (pied-billed)
grosbeak (blue)
grosbeak (rose-breasted)
grouse (ruffed)
gull (Bonaparte's)
gull (Franklin's)
gull (laughing)
gull (ring-billed)
hull (herring)
harlequin duck
harrier (Northern)
hawk (broad-winged)
hawk (Cooper's)
hawk (red-shouldered)
hawk (red-tailed)
hawk (rough-legged)
heron (black-crowned night)
heron (great blue)
heron (little blue)
heron (green)
heron (yellow-crowned night)
horned lark
house finch
hummingbird (ruby-throated)
junco (dark-eyed)
kestrel (American)
killdeer
kingbird (Eastern)
kingfisher (belted)
kinglet (golden-crowned)
king rail
kittiwake (black-legged)
loon (common)
mallard
meadowlark (Eastern)
merganser (common)
merganser (hooded)
merganser (red-breasted)
moorhen (common)
mourning dove
nighthawk (common)
nuthatch (red-breasted)
nuthatch (white-breasted)
oriole (Baltimore)
osprey
ovenbird
owl (barn)
owl (barred)
owl (great owl)
owl (great horned)
owl (northern saw-whet)
owl (screech Eastern)
owl (short-eared)
partridge (gray)
pelican (American white)
phalarope (Wilson's)
pheasant (ring-necked)
phoebe (Eastern)
pine siskin
pintail (Northern)
pipit (American)
plover (American golden)
plover (black-bellied)
plover (semipalmated)
purple finch
purple martin
rail (black)
rail (yellow)
raven
redhead
redstart (American)
robin (American)
ruddy turnstone
sandpiper (Baird's)
sandpiper (buff-breasted)
sandpiper (least)
sandpiper (purple)
sandpiper (semipalmated)
sandpiper (solitary)
sandpiper (spotted)
sapsucker (yellow-bellied)
scaup (greater)
scaup (least)
scoter (black)
scoter (surf)
scoter (white-winged)
shrike (loggerhead)
shoveler (Northern)
snipe (common)
sparrow (chipping)
sparrow (field)
sparrow (grasshopper)
sparrow (Henslow's)
sparrow (house
sparrow (lark)
sparrow (savannah)
swallow (bank)
swallow (barn)
swallow (cliff)
sparrow (Lincoln's)
sparrow (song)
sparrow (tree)
sparrow (vesper)
sparrow (white-crowned)
sparrow (white-throated)
sora
swallow (tree)
swan (mute)
swan (trumpeter)
tanager (scarlet)
teal (blue-winged)
teal (green-winged)
teal (cinnamon)
tern (black)
tern (caspian)
tern (common)
tern (Forster's)
towhee (Eastern)
thrasher (brown)
thrush (hermit)
thrush (wood)
titmouse (tufted)
turkey (wild)
veery
vireo (blue-headed)
vireo (red-eyed)
vireo (warbling)
Virginia rail
vulture (black)
vulture (turkey)
warbler (black and white)
warbler (blue-winged)
warbler (black-throated)
warbler (cerulean)
warbler (golden-winged)
warbler (hooded)
warbler (Kentucky)
warbler (prairie)
waxwing (cedar)
warbler (chestnut-sided)
warbler (palm)
warbler (pine)
warbler (yellow-throated)
warbler (yellow)
waterthrush (Northern)
whip-poor-will
widgeon (American)
willet
woodcock (American)
wood duck
woodpecker (downy)
woodpecker (hairy)
woodpecker (pileated)
woodpecker (red-bellied)
woodpecker (red-headed)
wood-pewee (Eastern)
wren (Carolina)
wren (house)
wren (marsh)
wren (sedge)
yellowlegs (greater)
yellowlegs (lesser)
yellowthroat (common)