Animals

It's important to remember that we are guests in the home of these animals like this deer. Always keep your food to yourself, stay on designated trails, and observe wildlife from a distance!

NPS/ Jace Ritchey

Redwood forests are quiet and deeply shaded places in which wildlife may seem rare or absent entirely. After all, it's easy to remain unseen in this dense forest. Many of the forest creatures are nocturnal while others live high in the forest canopy or in the soil or deep duff on the forest floor. In truth, redwood forests are surprisingly lively places. This page outlines some of the commonly-observed wildlife.

Birds

Birds are some of the most-noticed animals in the park. The most common include the clever common raven, bright blue Steller's jay, and dark-eyed junco. Take a moment to be quiet and listen for bird calls during your visit. The tiny Pacific wren has a remarkable and melodious song, while pileated woodpeckers can be heard hammering on decaying wood as they search for food. Marin also is home to one of the few stable populations of the old-growth forest dwelling spotted owls, at least some of whom live in Muir Woods and the Mount Tamalpais watershed area. At least 69 bird species occur within Muir Woods, the majority of which are small neotropical migrants.

Mammals

Among the larger mammals, black-tailed deer can be observed grazing on redwood sorrel or moving through the forest. A type of mule deer, they are smaller than most other deer in North American. In terms of predators, the coyote helps control populations of small animals such as rodents, rabbits, and some birds. Healthy coyotes tend to avoid humans, but often leave scat, or poop, on trails to mark their territory. The park also has bobcats, mountain lions, and black bears, though they are exceptionally rare to observe.

 

This image of a bat flying through Muir Woods was captured using a trail camera. These devices allow researchers to observe wildlife behavior without people present. After all, humans have a big impact on those who call this forest home.

NPS

Smaller mammals like the Sonoma chipmunk live in burrows and disperses seeds. The Western gray squirrel eats the seeds from pine cones and lives in coniferous trees. Both are active year-round and contribute to the local food chain. Nocturnal rodents, such as woodrats and deer mice, help break down plant material and contribute to seed dispersal. Pocket gophers are also important to the park’s ecology, as their tunneling aerates the soil, benefiting plant growth.

Other nocturnal animals like raccoons and skunks thrive in the park, foraging along trails and around trees. Although rarely seen, the gray fox regulates small mammal populations, while opossums help control insects and small animals, playing an important role in maintaining the park's biodiversity. Like birds, several species of bats live in the forest, using echolocation to swoop over the stream and between trees to catch insects. They often live in cavities in the tree trunks. While it may be tempting to enter the tree hollows, please always remain on trail and do not disturb these habitats.

 

Fish, turtles, and other animals all benefit from natural creek conditions. After decades of the stream being altered to be fast and shallow, scientists have worked to restore features like log jams in the water to slow the flow and improve habitat.

NPS/ Carolyn Shoulders

Fish

Redwood Creek is critical habitat for a number of fish species. The most notable - and observable - are the coho salmon and steelhead trout. Both species of salmonid use the creek as a nursery for young fish, who spend their first year of life in the cool shade of the redwoods. The next spring, the young fish leave the creek for the ocean, where they grow much larger. After decades of prioritizing human needs, park managers are now working extensively to improve habitat conditions in the creek. Look for the finger-length young fish year-round in deeper pools and slow-moving water, like underneath the bridges that cross Redwood Creek. Lucky visitors may also observe adult salmon and trout return in the winter to spawn, or reproduce. After spawning, the coho salmon adult die & their bodies decompose in the forest, bringing nutrients from the ocean back to the forest that raised them.

Amphibians & Reptiles

The least-observed animals are amphibians & reptiles, in part due to the chilly forest being inhospitable to many animals with cold blood. While no frogs are found at Muir Woods, elusive California giant salamanders are occasionally seen crossing trails. Like the fish, their young also benefit from the habitat improvements in redwood creek. Other salamanders, ensatinas, and newts, who are typically brown with bright red undersides, also inhabit the leaf litter and eat small insects. Perhaps unexpectedly, at least one amphibian lives in the forest canopy: the arboreal salamander, who uses its strong tail to grab onto branches.
Reptiles are similarly uncommon in the redwood forest. Snakes and lizards tend to prefer the sunnier and drier slopes of plant communities above the park. Harmless to humans, garter snakes are a species that tolerates cold and can be found throuout the watershed. Western pond turtles, long absent from Redwood Creek, have also been observed in Redwood Creek.

 

Many visitors come to the forest with childhood memories of kissing banana slugs, resulting lips numb from chemicals in the sticky slime. For those tempted, please don't! Consider blowing a kiss to the slugs - and other wildlife - instead of touching them.

NPS/ Veida Cruz

Invertebrates

The most remarkable animal associated with coast redwood forests is the slimy, slow, and yellow banana slug. Possibly the slowest animal on the planet, they use sticky slime as both locomotion and defense. They can reach ten inches long and are typically observed under vegetation in cool, moist areas of the forest. The slugs, as well as redwood sideband snails and other invertibrates are important as decomposers, consuming animal droppings, leaves, and whatever else falls to the forest floor then excreting waste that feeds plants as fertilizer.

From the massive, rare black bears to the slimy, slow slugs, each animal plays a role in the health of the whole forest. Together with the plants, they form a complex ecosystem that visitors come from around the world to witness. As you visit, think of the responsibility we have in helping protect this place. From the Coast Miwok people who long cared for these lands to local community organizers who activated their networks to create Muir Woods National Monument & the Golden Gate National Recreation Area - people play a role here, too!