White-tailed Deer

White-tails are the most common big game animal in South Dakota. Nearly exterminated by settlers in the 1800s, these deer have made a spectacular comeback. Mainly a creature of the brushlands, the white-tail has adapted to changing conditions. Today it is common throughout the eastern farmlands as well as in the rough breaks, prairies and timbered regions of western South Dakota, including the Black Hills. As its name implies, the white-tail has white hair on the underside of its tail. When the animal runs, the tail is flipped up, looking like a flag which can be seen at long distances. Bucks develop and shed antlers each year.

Mule Deer

Large-eared mule deer are found in the prairie lands of central and western South Dakota and the foothills of the Black Hills. Its tail - narrow, short and black-tipped - is carried down when running. Mule deer bound with a stiff-legged gait as if bouncing up and down on powerful springs. The bucks' tall, wide antlers are shed each winter. A mule deer's antlers are dichotomous, meaning that they have two symmetrical forks on each antler. A white-tails antlers have prongs off one main antler beam.

Pronghorns are native to the prairies of South Dakota. When pioneers settled the plains, the pronghorn population was reduced to near extinction. The name pronghorn comes from the large prong projecting from the horns of the male antelope. The smaller horn of the female lacks the prong. The pronghorn is neither an antelope nor a goat, but is the only remaining species of a hoofed mammal family that originated in North America. Pronghorns possess remarkable endurance and can run 40 miles per hour for some distance.

Mountain Lion

Mountain lions are usually tawny to light cinnamon in color with black-tipped ears and tail. They vary in size and weight, with males being larger than females. Lions are most active from dusk to dawn, although they do travel and hunt in daylight. Their primary prey is deer and elk; however, they will prey on livestock and household pets if given the opportunity. They inhabit sparsely populated areas where deer are plentiful. Most mountain lions are found west of the Missouri River, primarily in the Black Hills.

Raccoon

The nocturnal raccoon is a stocky animal easily recognized by its black mask and ringed, bushy tail. Ideal habitat for raccoons consists of woods with a stream, lake or pond nearby. The omnivorous raccoon spends a great deal of time along waterways in search of food.

Weasels

A weasel is a very slender, short-legged, small carnivore with a flattened head, beady eyes and stubby, round ears. Weasels are chiefly nocturnal, preying on small animals such as mice. South Dakota is home to the long-tailed weasel, found statewide, the short-tailed weasel, found in the Black Hills and northeast counties, and the least weasel, found over the eastern two thirds of the state. The fur of all three turns white in the winter.

Mink

The mink is one of the best-known members of the weasel family. The color of its fur ranges from tawny blond to rich chocolate brown. Mink typically live in riparian habitat bordering waterways where a variety of food can be found year-round. Fish, frogs, crayfish, mice, rabbits, muskrats and birds are part of the varied diet of this nimble, nocturnal predator.

Skunks

Of the two species of skunks in South Dakota, the striped skunk is by far the most common. The other, the spotted, is often called the civet cat. Members of the weasel family, skunks are mainly nocturnal. The striped skunk is a housecat-sized animal with a broad, low-slung body. Its small, wedge-shaped head sports small, round ears, typical of the weasel family. The civet cat is about half its size. Both have long, black fur with white markings, principally on their backs.

Badger

BADGER

This odd-looking member of the weasel family makes its home in dry, open country throughout South Dakota. The badger's coarse pepper-gray fur grows long on the sides, adding to the animal's flat, low-slung appearance. A distinctive white stripe extends from the nose to its powerful shoulders. Digging for rodents is the badger's chief occupation. Its forelegs are short, thick and tremendously strong. Large, heavy claws complete its efficient soil-moving apparatus. Badgers are most active during darkness.

Fox

South Dakota has three fox species: the red, the gray and the swift. The red fox is most at home where small patches of timber are interspersed with pastures, rangeland and farmland. Not all red foxes are red. Black, silver and cross-fox (red-brown with a black cross on the shoulders) are color mutations which may show up in any red fox litter.

Coyote

The adaptable coyote hunts the open prairies and fields over the entire state but occurs in greatest numbers along the Missouri River and its tributaries and in the Black Hills. While coyotes prefer small mammals as food, they'll eat insects, fruits and berries in the summer. The coyote is gray with a pointed nose and drooping bushy tail. The coyote is also the state animal.

THIRTEEN STRIPE GOPHER

Pocket Gophers

South Dakota is home to the plains pocket gopher and the northern pocket gopher. Although they are seldom seen above ground, their presence is easily detected by the mounds of dirt they push out from their tunnels. Their bodies, sporting powerful front legs and large claws for digging, are designed for an underground existence.

Black-tailed Prairie Dog

The black-tailed prairie dog inhabits the dry upland prairie areas of western and central South Dakota. These rodents live in large social groups called towns. The conical mound of dirt, which surrounds each prairie dog hole, helps keep rainwater from running into the burrow and provides an observation post from which the dogs can watch for danger. Prairie dogs are vegetarians, eating grasses and forbs that grow near the colony.

Porcupine

Porcupines are the second largest rodent of the northern Great Plains. The short-legged mammal appears pigeon-toed and bowlegged when walking. They have sharp, barbed quills about 3 inches long on their back, sides, legs and tail which are used as a defensive mechanism toward off predators. Porcupines often inhabit coniferous forests or habitat with abundant vegetation. They are primarily nocturnal mammals, but it is not unusual to see them during the day. They are found in much of the western South Dakota as well as a few counties east of the Missouri River.

Muskrat

Muskrats look like a pint-sized version of the beaver, but its long, thin, naked tail is flattened on the sides instead of the top and bottom. Muskrats spend most of their lives in water, visiting shore to preen, sunbathe and feed on grain crops. Roots and tubers of marsh vegetation are the muskrat's main food supply. A typical den in a pond or stream is a burrow in the side of a steep bank or dam grade. Marsh-dwelling muskrats build mounds of mud and vegetation.

Jackrabbits

The jackrabbit, which is a hare, sports long ears and powerful hind legs with which it escapes its enemies, running as fast as 30-40 miles per hour and clearing 17 feet in a leap. The larger, more common white-tailed jackrabbit is found statewide. The black-tailed jackrabbit is found in south central counties.

Cottontail Rabbits

The dark gray cottontail is found throughout South Dakota in shelterbelts, woodlots and stream bottomlands. Three cottontail species are found in South Dakota. The desert cottontail lives in stream bottomlands of western South Dakota. The mountain cottontail is found in the Black Hills and along the Little Missouri River. The eastern cottontail occurs over much of the state.

Bats

Bats are often mistakenly referred to as rodents, but they are not rodents. They are Chiropterans meaning hand + wing; the wing structure appears as greatly enlarged hands. Bats generally have dark brown wing membranes and short brown or gray fur making it difficult to distinguish between species. There are 12 bat species in South Dakota: three tree-roosting species, eight multi-habitat species and one cave-roosting species. Tree-roosters inhabit trees and include the silver-haired, hoary and red bats. Multi-habitat roosters inhabit buildings, trees, caves, mines and crevices and include the northern and little brown myotis, big brown bat, long-legged and long-eared myotis, evening bat and fringe-tailed and western small-footed myotis. Cave-roosters inhabit caves or mines and include Townsend's big-eared bat. South Dakota's bats eat beetles, moths, mosquitoes and other agricultural pests.

Thanks to South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks for this list.