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Learn the wildlife of national parks

Learn the wildlife of Cape Breton Highlands National Park

Nova Scotia · Canada

1,703 species have research-grade observations inside Cape Breton Highlands National Park on iNaturalist. KnowKi turns the most recorded into short lessons with real photos, so you know what you're looking at before you go.

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Most recorded here

The species with the most research-grade observations on iNaturalist, and how many each has. Most recorded doesn't mean native.

Birds

  1. Spruce Grouse Canachites canadensis141
  2. Yellow-rumped Warbler Setophaga coronata80
  3. Ruffed Grouse Bonasa umbellus76
  4. Great Black-backed Gull Larus marinus76
  5. Dark-eyed Junco Junco hyemalis72
  6. White-throated Sparrow Zonotrichia albicollis64
  7. American Robin Turdus migratorius62
  8. Bald Eagle Haliaeetus leucocephalus49
  9. Cedar Waxwing Bombycilla cedrorum49
  10. Downy Woodpecker Dryobates pubescens41

Plants

  1. Purple pitcher plant Sarracenia purpurea489
  2. Canadian bunchberry Cornus canadensis451
  3. Canadian burnet Sanguisorba canadensis297
  4. Sheep laurel Kalmia angustifolia245
  5. Bluebead lily Clintonia borealis202
  6. Northern wild raisin Viburnum cassinoides192
  7. White-fringed Orchid Platanthera blephariglottis185
  8. Striped maple Acer pensylvanicum172
  9. Twinflower Linnaea borealis164
  10. Wild sarsaparilla Aralia nudicaulis163

Mammals

  1. Moose Alces alces197
  2. American Red Squirrel Tamiasciurus hudsonicus128
  3. Eastern Chipmunk Tamias striatus57
  4. American Black Bear Ursus americanus49
  5. Snowshoe Hare Lepus americanus40
  6. Grey Seal Halichoerus grypus34
  7. American Beaver Castor canadensis17
  8. Coyote Canis latrans13
  9. White-tailed Deer Odocoileus virginianus7

Insects

  1. Tricolored Bumble Bee Bombus ternarius142
  2. Two-striped Grasshopper Melanoplus bivittatus78
  3. White-spotted Sawyer Monochamus scutellatus56
  4. Red-spotted Admiral Limenitis arthemis52
  5. Virginia Ctenucha Moth Ctenucha virginica45
  6. Canadian Tiger Swallowtail Papilio canadensis43
  7. Atlantis Fritillary Argynnis atlantis39
  8. Chalk-fronted Corporal Ladona julia34
  9. Northern Crescent Phyciodes cocyta33
  10. Perplexing Bumble Bee Bombus perplexus25

Spiders and kin

  1. Zebra Jumping Spider Salticus scenicus15
  2. Striped Fishing Spider Dolomedes scriptus13
  3. Goldenrod Crab Spider Misumena vatia12
  4. Crimson Erineum Mite Aceria elongata12
  5. Cross Orbweaver Araneus diadematus11
  6. Maple Bladdergall Mite Vasates quadripedes11
  7. Bronze Jumping Spider Eris militaris10

Reptiles

  1. Common Garter Snake Thamnophis sirtalis179
  2. Smooth Greensnake Opheodrys vernalis18
  3. Ring-necked Snake Diadophis punctatus15
  4. Red-bellied Snake Storeria occipitomaculata8

Amphibians

  1. American Toad Anaxyrus americanus126
  2. North American Green Frog Lithobates clamitans76
  3. Eastern Red-backed Salamander Plethodon cinereus65
  4. Wood Frog Lithobates sylvaticus47
  5. Spotted Salamander Ambystoma maculatum26
  6. Spring Peeper Pseudacris crucifer18
  7. Pickerel Frog Lithobates palustris17
  8. Eastern Newt Notophthalmus viridescens14
  9. Northern Leopard Frog Lithobates pipiens8

Fish

  1. Brook Trout Salvelinus fontinalis43
  2. American Eel Anguilla rostrata20
  3. Atlantic Salmon Salmo salar19
  4. Banded Killifish Fundulus diaphanus9
  5. Alewife Alosa pseudoharengus8

Mollusks

  1. White-lipped Snail Cepaea hortensis17
  2. Western Dusky Slug Arion subfuscus8
  3. Common Periwinkle Littorina littorea7

How a trip works

A trip has its own trail of lessons: meet six species, match them to new photos, then practice with four choices. Species you learn go into your Fieldbook, and starting a trip earns its Passport stamp. Your home place stays as it is.

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Species lists and counts from research-grade observations on iNaturalist, as of October 2026. Parks outside the U.S. are from the World Database on Protected Areas (UNEP-WCMC and IUCN, Protected Planet). KnowKi is not affiliated with the National Park Service or any park's managers. Free, with no ads, no account, and no purchases.