Animals

Updated: January 30, 2026

There is a large variety of wildlife in Montana and every creature has its own special function within the ecosystem. Ecosystem is the way plant and animal species interact with one another, each one doing its own job to keep nature in balance. Animal species in Montana range in size from the tiny shrew to the huge American bison. There are numerous bird species, which occupy every kind of habitat. Montana is unique in being one of the last places in the lower forty?eight states to have more animals than people. Here are snapshot views of some of Montana's animals.

Across the state, scientists estimate there are more than 550 kinds of land animals, including about 115 different mammals, over 400 bird species, 14 kinds of amphibians, and around 20 reptiles. In the mountains you might spot elk bugling on chilly fall mornings, marmots whistling from rock piles, and mountain goats climbing cliffs that look impossible to you but are everyday ?sidewalks? to them. Out on the prairies, pronghorn race across the open grasslands (they can run over 50 miles per hour), while hawks and eagles soar overhead searching for mice, ground squirrels, and even snakes.

At the very small end of the scale are shrews?tiny insect?eaters that look like mini mice with long noses. Some Montana shrews are only a few inches long, have to eat almost constantly so they don?t starve, and are actually more closely related to hedgehogs and moles than to mice. At the huge end are American bison, which can weigh more than a small car; wild and conservation herds in and around Montana now number in the thousands after the species was nearly wiped out in the 1800s.

Montana?s rivers and lakes add even more life: around 90 species of fish swim in its waters, from tiny minnows and colorful native trout to strange, shark?sized paddlefish in the big prairie rivers. Overhead, migrating flocks of geese and cranes use Montana as a ?flyway rest stop,? pausing to feed and rest on their way between Arctic nesting grounds and winter homes to the south.

Because so many wild animals still live here, people in Montana have to think carefully about how they hike, camp, and drive?hanging up food in bear country, slowing down for wildlife crossings, and giving animals plenty of space. When kids and adults learn these habits, they become part of the ecosystem too, helping keep Montana a place where it?s still normal to see deer in town, eagles over the river, and maybe even bison or bears on a family trip.

• Grizzly Bears
• Bear Facts
• Bighorn Sheep
• Bison
• White-tailed Deer
• Bald Eagles
• Elk
• Lynx
• Moose
• Mountain Goats
• Mountain Lions
• Ravens
• Gray Wolves

Updated: January 30, 2026