Wildlife - Terrestrial

This page contains checklists of animals found within, nearby or that potentially occur within Garland and Montgomery Counties, Arkansas. Windows with interesting facts about certain animals have also been included. Currently checklists for Mammals (Excluding Bats), Bats, Hummingbirds, Fish and Amphibians & Reptiles can be found on this website. A link to a checklist of Birds of the Lake Ouachita region is found at the bottom of this page (from the Hot Springs Village Audubon Society). Additional checklists will be added over time.

Total Approximate Vertebrate Species at Lake Ouachita:

90 Amphibians & Reptiles

483+/- Vertebrates

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Checklist of Mammals of Lake Ouachita, AR

(Excluding Bats)

Order Didelphimorphia

Family Didelphidae

1) Virginia opossum                        Didelphis virginiana

Order Soricomorpha

Family Soricidae

2) Southeastern shrew                  Sorex longirostris

3) Southern short-tailed shrew     Blarina carolinensis

4) Least shrew                               Cryptotis parva

Family Talpidae

5) Eastern mole                            Scalopus aquaticus

Order Cingulata

Family Dasypodidae

6) Nine-banded armadillo             Dasypus novemcinctus

Order Lagomorpha

Family Leporidae

7) Eastern cottontail                     Sylvilagus floridanus

8) Swamp rabbit                           Sylvilagus aquaticus



Order Rodentia

Family Sciuridae

9) Eastern gray squirrel                Sciurus carolinensis

10) Eastern fox squirrel                Sciurus niger

11) Southern flying squirrel         Glaucomys volans

12) Woodchuck                            Marmota monax

13) Eastern chipmunk                  Tamias striatus



Family Castoridae

14) American beaver                    Castor canadensis

Family Geomyidae

15) Baird’s pocket gopher             Geomys breviceps



Family Cricetidae

16) Marsh rice rat                          Oryzomys palustris

17) Fulvous harvest mouse          Reithrodontomys fulvescens

18) North American deermouse    Peromyscus maniculatus

19) White-footed deermouse        Peromyscus leucopus

20) Cotton mouse                         Peromyscus gossypinus

? 21) Texas mouse                       Peromyscus attwateri

22) Golden mouse                        Ochrotomys nuttalli

23) Hispid cotton rat                     Sigmodon hispidus

24) Eastern woodrat                     Neotoma floridana

25) Woodland vole                       Microtus pinetorum

26) Common muskrat                  Ondatra zibethicus


Order Carnivora

Family Canidae

27) Coyote                                   Canis latrans

28) Red fox                                  Vulpes vulpes

29) Gray fox                                 Urocyon cinereoargenteus

Family Ursidae

30) American black bear             Ursus americanus



Family Procyonidae

31) Raccoon                                 Procyon lotor



Family Mustelidae

32) Long-tailed weasel                 Mustela frenata

33) American mink                       Neovison vison

34) North American river otter     Lontra canadensis



Family Mephitidae

35) Eastern spotted skunk           Spilogale putorius

36) Striped skunk                         Mephitis mephitis

Family Felidae

? 37) Cougar                                Puma concolor

38) Bobcat                                    Lynx rufus



Order Artiodactyla

Family Cervidae

39) White-tailed deer                    Odocoileus virginianus

Exotic/Introduced Species:

Family Muridae

40) Roof rat                                   Rattus rattus

41) Brown rat (Norway rat)          Rattus norvegicus

42) House mouse                         Mus musculus

Family Myocastoridae

43) Nutria                                      Myocastor coypus

Bats of

Lake Ouachita

Bats are one of the most ecologically beneficial species on earth. Bats play a critical role in the control of insect populations and one bat can consume up to 3,000 insects in one night! One colony of bats can consume tons of insects in one year. Bats also eat many harmful insects such as mosquitoes that can carry deadly diseases, and agricultural pests such as moths and beetles. The Brazilian free-tailed bat (Tadarida brasiliensis), a common species in Arkansas, consumes approximately two million pounds of insects nightly in the Texas Hill country alone!
Bats are mammals, and are the only ones that can truly fly. They maintain their body temperature, produce milk and significant portions of their bodies are covered with fur. Bats are not blind and have relatively good eyesight. Arkansas native bats are insect eaters. Bats hunt insects using a highly developed type of sonar called echolocation and can detect things as small as a human hair or a mosquito!
In Arkansas, at least 17 species of bats are seasonal or permanent inhabitants of the State. Approximately 14 species of bats are found within or in the vicinity of Lake Ouachita.

A variety of interesting bats can be found around Lake Ouachita ranging from smaller Myotis species (with a body weight as little as .1 oz) to one of the largest types in the U.S., the Big Brown Bat (with a wing-span up to 16 inches). Some species are more solitary and roost in small numbers like Seminole and Red bats, while others can roost in large colonies of thousands to millions of bats like the Free-tailed bat. Hoary bats are even found in such remote islands like Bermuda, Iceland and Hawaii.
Always avoid bats found in the open in daylight hours. Never attempt to touch or pick up a bat with your bare hands as they will bite in self-defense. Do not harass bats or throw rocks or objects at them while they’re flying. Bats do not attack people, and try very hard to avoid humans, but occasionally may swoop over your head to capture flying insects. Remember the many benefits bats provide people daily and learn to appreciate them for their important role in nature.

Hummingbirds of the Lake Ouachita Region, Arkansas

A "?" indicates the species may occur in the region.

Compiled 5 August, 2015

By Karl Studenroth

8 total species and potential species

Source: Peterson Field Guides. Hummingbirds of North America. Sheri L. Williamson. 2001.

Lake Ouachita Bat Checklist:

? Indicates species may occur around the lake or Ouachita region.

Family: Vespertilionidae (Twilight Bats)
1) Big Brown Bat, Eptesicus fuscus
2) Silver-haired Bat, Lasionycteris noctivagans
3) Eastern Red Bat, Lasiurus borealis
4) Hoary Bat, Lasiurus cinereus
5) Seminole Bat, Lasiurus seminolus
6) Southeastern Myotis, Myotis austroriparius
7) ? Gray Bat, Myotis grisescens
8) ? Eastern Small-footed Bat, Myotis leibii
9) Little Brown Bat, Myotis lucifugus
10) Northern Long-eared Bat, Myotis septentrionalis
11) ? Indiana Bat, Myotis sodalis
12) Evening Bat, Nycticeius humeralis
13) Eastern Pipistrelle, Perimyotis subflavus

Family: Molossidae (Free-tailed & Mastiff Bats)

14) Free-tailed Bat, Tadarida brasiliensis

Present	Period/Time Present	Common Name	Scientific Name	Page # – Peterson Guide
Yes	Summer	Green-violet Ear	Colibri thalassinus	118
?	Summer	Magnificent	Eugenes fulgens	174
Yes	Breeding, Winter	Ruby-throated	Archilochus colubris	188
Yes	Winter	Black-chinned	Archilochus alexandri	194
?	Fall, Winter	Anna’s	Calypte anna	199
Yes	Fall	Broad-tailed	Selasphorus platycercus	216
Yes	Summer, Winter	Rufous	Selasphorus rufus	221
?	Fall, Winter	Calliope	Stellula calliope	208