Most of us know that a forest is a "large, densely wooded area" full of trees and plants not to mention a whole world of insects and animals. However, if we were to ask the question as to what types of animals dwelt in the forest, we might be hard pressed to give a correct answer. Bears, perhaps? Or skunks, maybe? Do lions live in the forest or was that just a part of a make-believe children's story book? What kinds of animals really do call the forest their home?
A relatively temperate forest full of deciduous trees is quite different from a rain forest and houses different types of animals. Typical mammals found in this type of forest include the black bear, white-tailed deer, raccoon,coyote, grey squirrel, chipmunk, and other small rodents. Many different types of birds are also found in the temperate, deciduous forest including the Cardinal, Turkey, Eagle, and Goshawk among others.
Different types of snakes can be found in temperate forests such as the Garter Snake or the Rat Snake. If there is nearby water, various types of toads, lizards, and frogs might be seen around as well. Insects of all types love the forest including bumblebees, spiders, and mosquitoes.
Forest animals vary from area to area. Forest animals in the southern hemisphere are quite different than those in the northern. Even forests on the west and east coasts of the United States vary in habitants. The different temperatures, climate changes, and tree coverings attract different types of animals, but this is the general overview of animals living in a temperate, deciduous forest.
Even-toed ungulates
Markhor
Tamaraw
West caucasian tur
Mountain anoa
East caucasian tur
Asian buffalo
Spanish ibex
Okapi
Takin
Collared peccary
Red goral
White-lipped peccary
Chinese goral
Black muntjac
Chevrotain
Goral
Kanchil
Greater mouse deer
Southern chamois
Elk
Water chevrotain
Barasingha
Chousingha
Himalayan tahr
Sharpe's grysbok
Bates' pygmy antelope
Dwarf bharal
Suni
Bharal
Aders' duiker
Peter's duiker
Pygmy hippopotamus
Blackbuck
Bay duiker
Common hippopotamus
Jentink's duiker
White-bellied duiker
Argali
Maxwell's duiker
Bighorn sheep
Banteng
Natal duiker
Grey ox
Cuvier's gazelle
Black duiker
Snow sheep
Gaur
Chinkara
Black-fronted duiker
Pampas deer
Nilgai
African buffalo
Ogilby's duiker
Yellow-backed duiker
Chunyi
Abbott's duiker
Banded duiker
Mountain nyala
Harvey's duiker
Bongo
Carnivores
Indian smooth-coated otter
Little spotted cat
Maned wolf
Tiger
Andean bear
Sloth bear
African wild dog
Margay
Brown palm civet
American lynx
African golden cat
Eurasian lynx
Gray fox
Giant panda
Iberian lynx
Crab-eating raccoon
California channel island fox
Lesser panda
Short-eared dog
Bay lynx
Asiatic black bear
Peruvian desert fox
Malagasy narrow-striped mongoose
Bush dog
Argentine gray fox
Malabar civet
Geoffroy's cat
Malayan sun bear
Falanouc
Andean fox
Serval
African caracal
Cross fox
Chilean cat
Jungle cat
Bushy-tailed olingo
Beddard's olingo
Wild cat
Marbled cat
Little coati
Harris's olingo
Fanaloka
Common fox
Clouded leopard
Chiriqui olingo
Central american cacomistle
Cougar
Brown palm civet
Bay cat
Eyra cat
Brown-tailed mongoose
Liberian mongoose
Asiatic golden cat
Malagasy ring-tailed mongoose
Aquatic genet
Huillin
Spotted hyaena
Tropical weasel
Back-striped weasel
African clawless otter
Cameroon clawless otter
Giant brazilian otter
Fossa
Racoon dog
Broad-striped mongoose
Asiatic wild dog
Giant-striped mongoose
Leopard cat
Flat-headed cat
Rusty-spotted cat
Nilgiri marten
Fishing cat
Asiatic jackal
Wolverine
American jackal
Hose's palm civet
Arctic wolf
Owston's banded palm civet
African lion
Red wolf
Common otter
Speckle-throated otter
Cozumel island raccoon
Jaguar
Side-striped jackal
Everett's ferret-badger
Hairy-nosed otter
Guadeloupe raccoon
Ocelot
Leopard
Black-backed jackal
Dolphins, porpoises, and whales
Chinese white dolphin
Atlantic hump-backed dolphin
Irrawaddy dolphin
Bats
Caroline flying fox
Dar-es-salaam pipistrelle
Indian roundleaf bat
Egyptian slit-faced bat
Trident bat
White-bellied free-tailed bat
Sombre bat
Negros naked-backed fruit bat
Greater mascarene flying fox
Percival's trident bat
Aellen's roundleaf bat
Peterson's free-tailed bat
Ornate flying fox
Noack's roundleaf bat
Philippine tube-nosed fruit bat
Spurrell's free-tailed bat
Canary big-eared bat
Schneider's leaf-nosed bat
Railer bat
Bonin flying fox
Seychelles sheath-tailed bat
Lesser great leaf-nosed bat
New zealand lesser short-tailed bat
Trevor's free-tailed bat
Little golden-mantled flying fox
Fischer's pygmy fruit bat
Natal free-tailed bat
Mindanao pygmy fruit bat
Rodrigues flying fox
Hildegarde's tomb bat
Madagascan rousette
Madagascan flying fox
Comoro rousette
Samoa flying-fox
Veldkamp's bat
Asian barbastelle
Long-haired rousette
Seychelles flying fox
Hog-nosed bat
Tanzanian woolly bat
Heart-nosed bat
Peter's tube-nosed bat
Hayman's dwarf epauletted fruit bat
Philippine gray flying fox
St. aignan's trumpet-eared bat
Pel's pouched bat
Dark flying fox
Greater long-nosed bat
Copper woolly bat
Peter's dwarf epauletted fruit bat
Pemba flying fox
Southern long-nosed bat
Lesser woolly bat
Short-palated fruit bat
Red fruit bat
Australian false vampire bat
Fly river trumpet-eared bat
Duke of abruzzi's free-tailed bat
Small-toothed fruit bat
Moloney's flat-headed bat
Bismarck's trumpet-eared bat
Ansorge's free-tailed bat
Lesser long-fingered bat
Spurrell's woolly bat
Gland-tailed free-tailed bat
Gallagher's free-tailed bat
Straw-coloured fruit bat
Nigerian free-tailed bat
Large-eared free-tailed bat
Little free-tailed bat
Russet free-tailed bat
Long-tailed fruit bat
Halcyon horseshoe bat
Luzon fruit bat
Ridley's leaf-nosed bat
Azores noctule
Ega long-tongued bat
Talaud flying-fox
Geoffroy's horseshoe bat
Aba roundleaf bat
Moss-forest blossom bat
Sao tomé collared fruit bat
Desert yellow bat
Golden-capped fruit bat
Andaman horseshoe bat
Benito roundleaf bat
Bate's slit-faced bat
East african little collared fruit bat
Pohle's fruit bat
Lesser dawn bat
Palawan fruit bat
Little japanese horseshoe bat
Ryukyu flying-fox
Salim ali's fruit bat
Chestnut sac-winged bat
Sundevall's roundleaf bat
Gambian slit-faced bat
Little collared fruit bat
Zenker's fruit bat
Decken's horseshoe bat
Nicobar flying fox
Lesser dog-faced fruit bat
Yellow-winged bat
Kuhl's pipistrelle
Short-tailed roundleaf bat
Large slit-faced bat
Daubenton's free-tailed bat
Schreber's yellow bat
Eloquent horseshoe bat
Banks flying fox
Common pipistrelle
Cyclops roundleaf bat
Hairy slit-faced bat
Bini free-tailed bat
Nut-colored yellow bat
Rüppell's horseshoe bat
Intermediate slit-faced bat
Lesser angolan epauletted fruit bat
Guinean horseshoe bat
Ontong java flying fox
Mt. gargues pipistrelle
Sooty roundleaf bat
Javan slit-faced bat
Scott's mouse-eared bat
Gambian epauletted fruit bat
Imaizumi's horseshoe bat
Chuuk flying-fox
Large-eared slit-faced bat
Mandelli's mouse-eared bat
Sierra leone free-tailed bat
Wahlberg's epauletted fruit bat
Forest horseshoe bat
Woermann's bat
White-winged flying fox
Comoro black flying fox
Endo's pipistrelle
Jones's roundleaf bat
Ja slit-faced bat
Welwitch's bat
Medje free-tailed bat
Buettikofer's epauletted fruit bat
Swinny's horseshoe bat
Marianas flying fox
Tiny pipistrelle
Hammer-headed fruit bat
Lamotte's roundleaf bat
Dwarf slit-faced bat
Dwarf free-tailed bat
Franquet's epauletted fruit bat
Western naked-backed fruit bat
Dasyuroid marsupials and marsupial carnivores
Chuditch
Kangaroo island dunnart
Northern quoll
Butler's dunnart
Eastern quoll
Chestnut dunnart
Spotted-tailed quoll
Short-furred dasyure
Broad-striped dasyure
Speckled dasyure
Atherton antechinus
Cinnamon antechinus
Long-nosed antechinus
Lesser antechinus
Black-tailed antechinus
Tasmanian tiger
Red-tailed phascogale
Brush-tailed phascogale
Three-striped dasyure
Red-bellied dasyure
Narrow-striped dasyure
Banded anteater
Flying lemurs
Flying lemur
American marsupials
Aceramarca gracile mouse opossum
Agile gracile mouse opossum
Wood sprite gracile mouse opossum
Pale-bellied woolly mouse opossum
Emilia's gracile mouse opossum
Northern gracile mouse opossum
Brazilian gracile mouse opossum
Three-striped short-tailed opossum
Southern short-tailed opossum
Emilia's short-tailed opossum
Ihering's short-tailed opossum
Pygmy short-tailed opossum
Western woolly opossum
Marajó short-tailed opossum
Bare-tailed woolly opossum
Osgood's short-tailed opossum
Little rufous mouse opossum
Central american woolly opossum
Chestnut-striped short-tailed opossum
Tyler's mouse opossum
Black-shouldered opossum
Long-nosed short-tailed opossum
Water opossum
Shrewish short-tailed opossum
Theresa's short-tailed opossum
One-striped short-tailed opossum
Bushy-tailed opossum
Kangaroos, possums, wallabies, and relatives
Black dorcopsis wallaby
Macleay's dorcopsis
Lesser forest wallaby
Long-footed potoroo
Black-spotted cuscus
Doria's tree kangaroo
Green ringtail possum
Goodfellow's tree kangaroo
D'albertis ringtail possum
Huon tree kangaroo
Goldon ringtail possum
Lemuroid ringtail possum
Scott's tree-kangaroo
Bernard's wallaroo
Parma wallaby
Bear cuscus
Prosperine rock wallaby
Dusky pademelon
Koala
Northern hairy-nosed wombat
Great-tailed triok
Leadbeater's possum
Fergusson island striped possum
Hyraxes
Eastern tree dassie
Western tree dassie
Hares, pikas, and rabbits
Volcano rabbit
Arctic hare
Yarkland hare
Sumatran rabbit
Tres marias cottontail
Omilteme cottontail
Mexican cottontail
Elephant-shrews
Golden-rumped elephant shrew
Black and rufous elephant shrew
Checkered elephant shrew
Four-toed elephant shrew
Monito del monte
Monito del monte
Monotremes
Long-beaked echidna
Shrew opossums
Chilean shrew opossum
Bandicoots and bilbies
Golden bandicoot
Ceram bandicoot
Striped bandicoot
Mouse bandicoot
Papuan bandicoot
Eastern barred bandicoot
Giant bandicoot
Clara bandicoot
Raffray's bandicoot
Common echymipera
Long-nosed echymipera
Bilby
Horses, rhinoceroses, and tapirs
Baird's tapir
Asian tapir
Andean tapir
Brazilian tapir
Javan rhinoceros
Sumatran rhinoceros
Primates
Ashy black titi
Crested mangabey
Collared mangabey
Lesser slow loris
Golden bamboo lemur
Gorilla
Long-haired spider monkey
Indri
Diana guenon
Broad-nosed gentle lemur
Black-handed spider monkey
Crowned lemur
Diademed sifaka
White-whiskered spider monkey
Red-bellied lemur
Verreaux's sifaka
Milne-edwards's sportive lemur
Dryad monkey
Black spider monkey
Elegant galago
Light-necked sportive lemur
King colobus
Orang-utan
Red-bellied guenon
Northern needle-clawed bushbaby
Bear macaque
Aye-aye
Greater sportive lemur
Black colobus
Red-eared guenon
Bearded saki
Ruffed lemur
Avahi
Allen's swamp monkey
Assam macaque
Lesser weasel lemur
L'hoest's guenon
Red howler monkey
Hairy-eared dwarf lemur
Crab-eating macaque
Preuss's guenon
Golden-mantled howling monkey
Guatemalan black howler monkey
Rhesus macaque
Sclater's guenon
Long-nosed monkey
Pig-tailed macaque
Sun-tailed guenon
Eastern red colobus
Lion-tailed macaque
Cotton-headed tamarin
Barbary ape
Pennant's red colobus
Agile gibbon
Black-crowned central american squirrel monkey
Dwarf gibbon
Bald uakari
Black squirrel monkey
Douc langur
Common gibbon
Black uacari
Doubtful titi monkey
Javan gibbon
Andean titi monkey
White-faced langur
Bornean gibbon
Garnett's greater galago
Atlantic titi
Gray leaf monkey
Capped gibbon
Goeldi's marmoset
Mitred leaf monkey
Brazilian bare-faced tamarin
Buffy-tufted-ear marmoset
Long-tailed langur
Fork-marked dwarf lemur
Buffy-headed marmoset
Allen's bushbaby
North sumatran leaf monkey
Geoffroy's marmoset
Colombian night monkey
Drill
Andean night monkey
Ma's night monkey
François's langur
Black-headed night monkey
Gee's golden langur
Ring-tailed lemur
Douroucouli
Bonobo
Bonneted langur
Common langur
Slender loris
Red colobus
Black-faced lion tamarin
Night monkey
Chimpanzee
Muriqui
Olive colobus
Black lion tamarin
Black howler monkey
Golden lion tamarin
Black-faced black spider monkey
Golden angwantibo
Angwantibo
Elephants
African elephant
Rodents
White-spined spiny rat
Long-eared flying squirrel
Lesser ranee mouse
Hispaniolan edible rat
Ruanda mole rat
Garrido's hutia
Japanese dormouse
Kluchor birch mouse
Kaiser's rock rat
Lemke's hutia
Gorgona spiny rat
Cuvier's hutia
Pygmy scaly-tailed flying squirrel
Complex-toothed flying squirrel
Rudd's mole rat
Chapman's prehensile-tailed hutia
Sulawesi soft-furred rat
Namaqua rock rat
Cabrera's hutia
Eared hutia
Mentawai long-tailed giant rat
Bishop's fossorial spiny rat
Samana hutia
Svynnerton's bush squirrel
Embi mole rat
Black-tailed hutia
Nyika rock rat
Brazilian spiny tree rat
White-toothed brush mouse
Mentawi flying squirrel
Alexander's bush squirrel
Delacour's marmoset rat
East african mole rat
Isla de la juventud tree hutia
Dusky spiny tree rat
Boehm's bush squirrel
Marmoset rat
Palmer's chipmunk
Cochabamba grass mouse
Secretive dwarf squirrel
Yellow-crowned brush-tailed rat
Cooper's mountain squirrel
Bioko hybomys
White-tailed olalla rat
Heavenly hill rat
Gray-footed chipmunk
African brush-tailed porcupine
Woolly flying squirrel
Weber's dwarf squirrel
Plain brush-tailed rat
Black and red bush squirrel
Eisentraut's hybomys
Greedy olalla rat
African smoky mouse
Fraternal hill rat
Slender-tailed squirrel
Hartwig's praomys
Mt. pirri isthmus rat
Red bush squirrel
Moon striped mouse
Heinrich's hill rat
Idaho ground squirrel
Forest giant squirrel
African wading rat
Delectable soft-furred mouse
Sody's tree rat
Green bush squirrel
Liberian forest hybomys
Mutable sun squirrel
Long-headed hill rat
Brown hairy dwarf porcupine
Golden atlantic tree rat
Long-footed water rat
Jackson's praomys
Vincent's bush squirrel
Temminck's striped mouse
Striped ground squirrel
Small sun squirrel
Lord derby's flying squirrel
White-faced tree rat
Fly river water rat
Dinagat bushy-tailed cloud rat
Least praomys
Peters' hybomys
White-bellied luzon tree rat
Alfaro's rice rat
Red-legged sun squirrel
Bunting's thicket rat
Toad mouse
Pel's flying squirrel
Painted tree rat
Giant bushy-tailed cloud rat
Misonne's praomys
Short-footed luzon tree rat
Hildegarde's broad-headed mouse
Bolivar rice rat
Ruwenzori sun squirrel
Guinea gerbil
Kemp's gerbil
Mozambique thicket rat
Gray-tailed narrow-headed rat
Servant mouse
Jungle palm squirrel
Dwarf scaly-tailed squirrel
Peruvian tree rat
Ilin bushy-tailed cloud rat
Musser's shrew mouse
Cameroon praomys
White-eared pocket mouse
Cameroon scaly-tail
Macconnell's rice rat
Zanj sun squirrel
Woodland thicket rat
Mahomet mouse
Carruther's mountain squirrel
Mindoro climbing rat
Kondana soft-furred rat
Giant atlantic tree rat
Rümmler's brush mouse
Muton's soft-furred mouse
Eurasian beaver
Michoacan pocket gopher
Elegant rice rat
Loring's rat
Forest thicket rat
Large-toothed hairy-tailed rat
Target rat
Pygmy mouse
Thomas's rope squirrel
Giant rat
African groove-toothed rat
Forest soft-furred mouse
Talamancan rice rat
Charming thicket rat
Giant thicket rat
Lesser hamster-rat
Brooke's squirrel
Phillips's mouse
Lady burton's rope squirrel
Gambian rat
Bushy-talied woodrat
Tullberg's praomys
Hodgson's giant flying squirrel
Yungas rice rat
Goldman's spiny pocket mouse
Kemp's thicket rat
Ruwenzori thicket rat
Greater hamster-rat
Jentink's squirrel
Peter's mouse
Ribboned rope squirrel
Caucasian squirrel
Palm rat
Mt. kahuzi climbing mouse
Golden mouse
Bhutan giant flying squirrel
Nelson's spiny pocket mouse
Idaho pocket gopher
Macmillan's thicket rat
Hairy-footed flying squirrel
Northern palawan tree squirrel
Thomas's pygmy mouse
Red-cheeked rope squirrel
Arizona gray squirrel
Indian giant squirrel
Greater big-footed mouse
Remarkable climbing mouse
Crested rat
Celebes shrew rat
Marsh rice rat
Komodo rat
Siberut flying squirrel
Blazed luzon shrew rat
Mountain spiny pocket mouse
Greater cane rat
Shining thicket rat
Culion tree squirrel
Gray-bellied pygmy mouse
Fire-footed rope squirrel
Richmond's squirrel
Asian garden dormouse
Grizzled giant squirrel
Kivu climbing mouse
Northern luzon shrew rat
Mt. oku rat
Baer's hylomyscus
Dent's vlei rat
Christy's dormouse
Namdapha flying squirrel
Palawan montane squirrel
Sanborn's squirrel
Major's tufted-tailed rat
Cansdale's swamp rat
Brant's climbing mouse
Russian flying squirrel
Gray brush-furred rat
Bocage's mole rat
Four-striped ground squirrel
Lesser hylomyscus
Beaded hylomyscus
Typical vlei rat
Jentink's dormouse
Brazilian shrew mouse
Samar squirrel
Eurasian red squirrel
White-tipped tufted-tailed rat
Rushi's rat
Edward's swamp rat
Congo forest mouse
Smoky flying squirrel
Medium-tailed brush-furred rat
Damara mole rat
Niobe ground squirrel
Allen's hylomyscus
Kellen's dormouse
Oriente cave rat
Southern palawan tree squirrel
Webb's tufted-tailed rat
Big-eared swamp rat
Defua rat
Rahm's brush-furred rat
Mentawai three-striped squirrel
Angolan hylomyscus
Lorrain dormouse
Torre's cave rat
Ivory coast rat
Yellow-spotted brush-furred rat
Chibchan water mouse
Montane hylomyscus
Muennink's spiny rat
Woodland dormouse
Harrington's rat
Yellow-bellied brush-furred rat
Caucasian snow vole
Stella hylomyscus
Ryukyu spiny rat
Savanna dormouse
Long-tailed field mouse
Chinese jumping mouse
Asia minor spiny mouse
Fire-bellied brush-furred rat
European snow vole
Rosevear's lemniscomys
Robert's snow vole
Particolored flying squirrel
Silent dormouse
Long-nosed luzon forest mouse
Ebian's palm squirrel
Crete spiny mouse
Pacarana
Rusty-bellied brush-furred rat
Peruvian bamboo rat
Typical lemniscomys
Bartel's flying squirrel
Brown's hutia
Baifran palm squirrel
Cyprus spiny mouse
Guinea multimammate mouse
Crump's mouse
Woosnam's brush-furred rat
Dollman's tree mouse
Koopman's pencil-tailed tree mouse
Palawan flying squirrel
Bangs's mountain squirrel
African pygmy squirrel
Bahamian hutia
White-footed vole
Groove-toothed flying squirrel
Natal multimammate mouse
Gray-bellied pencil-tailed tree mouse
Sipora flying squirrel
Voalavoanala
Audacious mole rat
Swan island hutia
California red tree mouse
Northern birch mouse
Selinda veld rat
Arboreal soft-furred spiny rat
Montane shaggy rat
Sumatran flying squirrel
Slender-tailed deer mouse
Demon mole rat
Mt isarog shrew-mouse
Long-tailed birch mouse
Bocage's rock rat
Red crested tree rat
Isarog striped shrew-rat
Malagasy giant rat
Jico deer mouse
Betsileo short-tailed rat
Naivasha mole rat
Cape mole rat
Kazbeg birch mouse
Red rock rat
Ryukyu long-tailed giant rat
Luzon striped rat
Ranee mouse
Gregarious short-tailed rat
King mole rat
Gray birch mouse
Hinde's rock rat
Tree shrews
Nicobar tree shrew
Bornean smooth-tailed tree shrew
Madras tree shrew
Edentates
Hairy long-nosed armadillo
Brazilian lesser long-nosed armadillo
Six-banded armadillo
Northern naked-tailed armadillo
Chacoan naked-tailed armadillo
Greater naked-tailed armadillo
Cabasu
Screaming hairy armadillo
Large hairy armadillo
Giant armadillo
Southern long-nosed armadillo
Greater long-nosed armadillo
Common long-nosed armadillo
Read more at the list of biomes of the world...