Animal Identification Guide

Updated March 2020

(Modified from UWIN training docs for the St. Louis Wildlife Project)

When you are tagging photos, you may come across an animal that you have never seen before or that is difficult to identify. This guide will serve as your main resource for some handy tricks to identify wildlife that you might see in our trail camera photos. However, since wildlife show huge amounts of variation in their appearance, and our photos do not always catch animals at their most recognizable angle, please contact a staff member of St. Louis Wildlife project for help if you are having trouble identifying an animal. 

Species List (specific for St. Louis area)

This list is not comprehensive and may be updated as needed, but will serve as a starting point for identification of animals that we typically see or could see. Please do not write in new species before you consult with a staff. 

When tagging check the details tab to see if there are extra observations to add.
Click on the green headings for species specific info and example photos.

Non-Animal Options

• Empty

• Unknown

• Lawn mower

Most Commonly Seen Animals

• Human

• Gray squirrel

• Fox squirrel

• Domestic dog

• Domestic cat

• Raccoon

• Virginia opossum

• Coyote

• White-tailed deer

• Striped skunk

• Red fox

• Wild Turkey

• Armadillo