Learning More

Research and practice are important. Reading and studying pictures, visiting zoos and game farms, and watching television programs or films will help you learn to identify wildlife, but practice in the field is essential to develop the necessary skill of wildlife identification. Take opportunities to go out and identify animals and tracks at different times of the year, in different habitats and different weather conditions. Practice with someone who is experienced in identifying wildlife.

Wildlife handbooks, especially ones with color pictures, can be very useful items to take when you go hunting or viewing wildlife. You can refer to them when you are uncertain or want to confirm your identification, improving your skill. You will find that many animal and bird identification manuals give both the biological name and common name of the species. The biological classification system works in this pattern: order, family, genus, species and sub-species. For example the Vancouver Island marmot (Rodentia sciuridae Marmota vancouverensis) is in the rodent order, squirrel family, marmot genus and Vancouver species.

Learn how to identify over 100 common game and non-game animals through these Wildlife Fact Sheets!

Important: The "next" arrow below takes you to the final quiz on wildlife identification!

If you want to see the wildlife fact sheets, you must click on the link above. The quiz in this section is based on basic information about wildlife identification that you've just read. Your state or province may want you to learn how to identify some species. Check for specific requirements through your local hunter education office.