Animals in California

California is the most populous state in the country, with about 39 million people, and the third largest by area. Most people live along the coast, from San Diego and Los Angeles to the San Francisco Bay Area, which leaves huge areas of mountains, forest and desert almost empty. The state holds both extremes of the contiguous United States: Mount Whitney, at 4,421 meters, is the highest peak, and Badwater Basin in Death Valley, 86 meters below sea level, is the lowest point in North America, and the two lie less than 140 kilometers apart. Much of the coast has a Mediterranean climate, with mild, rainy winters and long dry summers, while the Sierra Nevada gets deep snow and the Mojave and Colorado deserts bake in summer heat. In between are foggy redwood forests on the north coast, golden oak hills, the farmland of the Central Valley, volcanic peaks in the north and more than 1,300 kilometers of rocky shoreline and sandy beaches.

The land shaped the way Californians live. The Gold Rush that began in 1848 brought people from all over the world, and the Central Valley grew into one of the richest farming regions on Earth, producing much of the country's fruits, nuts and vegetables. California also helped invent the idea of protecting nature: in 1864 President Lincoln signed the Yosemite Grant, the first time the federal government set aside land for public enjoyment, and today Yosemite and Redwood are UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Tourism reaches every corner of the state. Visitors drive the Big Sur coast, cross the Golden Gate Bridge, walk among the giant trees of Yosemite and Sequoia, tour the wine country of Napa and Sonoma and take boats into Monterey Bay, where migrating whales pass in winter and spring. Wildlife follows these contrasts: whales, seals and sea lions on the coast, bears and wild cats in the mountains, and birds of prey soaring over the deserts and valleys.

Wild animals in California injure very few people, but a few deserve respect. Venomous snakes are the most common risk. All of the state's dangerous snakes are rattlesnakes, and most bites happen when someone steps near one, reaches into rocks or tries to handle it. Stay on trails, watch where you put your hands and feet in spring and summer, and give any snake plenty of room. Bites are treated with antivenom and are rarely fatal when people get to a hospital quickly.

Wild cats live close to many towns, yet verified attacks on people are very rare. In 2024 a man was killed in El Dorado County, the first fatal attack in the state in 20 years. When hiking in their territory, keep children close, never run if you meet one, and make yourself look big. Bears are much more of a nuisance than a threat: they break into cars, cabins and coolers in search of food, so use the bear lockers in parks and never leave snacks in a vehicle.

At sea, large sharks are behind the few bites recorded in California, which are rare for the number of surfers and swimmers in the water. Avoid areas with many seals and sea lions, which attract them. On Catalina Island, a herd of bison roams free and can charge if people get too close, and wild pigs can turn aggressive when cornered. As a general rule, keeping your distance and never feeding wild animals prevents almost every problem.

California's best known animals live on land and at sea, and the coast is the easiest place to start. The blue whale, the largest animal that has ever lived, feeds off the state in summer and fall, with good chances on boat trips from Monterey Bay, the Santa Barbara Channel and San Diego. Orca is seen most often in Monterey Bay, where groups of them hunt marine mammals close to shore. The great white shark gathers each fall around the Farallon Islands, west of San Francisco, to hunt young elephant seals, although these waters are best watched from a boat or a cliff.

On land, the cougar is present in most of the state but very shy, and it is far more common to see its tracks on a dusty trail than the cat itself. The American black bear is easy to find in Yosemite and around Lake Tahoe, where bears often visit campgrounds. The bald eagle has returned to the Channel Islands after a reintroduction that began in 2002, and a nesting pair at Big Bear Lake is followed by thousands of people on a live camera. On Catalina Island, the American bison herd brought over for a film shoot in the 1920s still roams the hills. Coyote and bobcat are common in parks across the state, and beaver is slowly coming back to rivers in the north and center.