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11+ years
Animals of the American West
Track down the real predators and wildlife of the American West — from grizzly bears to coyotes — and learn the facts behind the legends.
What is in this deck
- 8 Collectable
- 4 Question
- 1 Checkpoint
A taste of the art
3 cards from this deck, drawn at random.
The cards
- Trailhead Your wildlife survey begins here. Scan each animal card you find and answer the ranger's questions along the way.
- Grizzly Bear North America's largest land predator in the Lower 48. Grizzlies (a subspecies of brown bear) once ranged across the whole West but today survive mainly in the Northern Rockies — Yellowstone, Glacier National Park, and parts of Montana, Wyoming, and Idaho. They can weigh over 700 pounds and are recognized by the muscular shoulder hump used for digging.
- Mountain Lion Also called cougar, puma, or catamount — all the same animal. Mountain lions live throughout the western U.S., from California to Texas, and are the most widespread large cat in the Americas. They are solitary, mostly nocturnal, and rarely seen despite living near many western towns.
- Coyote A highly adaptable member of the dog family found in deserts, mountains, forests, and even cities across the entire West. Coyotes are smaller than wolves, run in loose family groups rather than large packs, and their yipping howl is one of the most recognizable sounds of the American West at night.
- Jaguar The jaguar is mostly a Central and South American cat, but it has a real — if rare — history in the American Southwest. A few individual jaguars, usually male, still cross into southern Arizona and New Mexico from Mexico. They are the largest cats in the Americas and have the strongest bite (relative to size) of any big cat.
- Bobcat A small wildcat about twice the size of a housecat, named for its short 'bobbed' tail. Bobcats live throughout the West in nearly every habitat, from desert scrub to forest, and are far more common than mountain lions — though just as rarely seen.
- Gray Wolf Once hunted to near extinction across the Lower 48, gray wolves were reintroduced to Yellowstone in 1995 and now live in parts of the Northern Rockies and Pacific Northwest. They hunt in family packs led by a breeding pair and can travel over 30 miles in a single day.
- Bald Eagle The United States' national bird nests near rivers and lakes across the West, from Alaska down through the Rockies. Adults have the iconic white head and tail, a wingspan up to 7 feet, and mostly eat fish caught in dramatic dives.
- American Bison The largest land animal in North America. Bison once numbered in the tens of millions across the western plains before being hunted to near extinction in the 1800s. Conservation efforts, especially in Yellowstone, have brought wild herds back — a bull can weigh over 2,000 pounds despite being surprisingly fast.
- Bear ID Quiz A quiz. Answer right and the card pays.
- Big Cat Names Quiz A quiz. Answer right and the card pays.
- Coyote Calls Quiz A quiz. Answer right and the card pays.
- Jaguar Range Quiz A quiz. Answer right and the card pays.