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