KnowKi

Learn the wildlife of the U.S. national parks

Learn the wildlife of Yosemite National Park

CA

2,431 species have research-grade observations inside Yosemite 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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Āki the kiwi, KnowKi's guide

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. Steller's Jay Cyanocitta stelleri2,346
  2. Common Raven Corvus corax1,304
  3. American Robin Turdus migratorius705
  4. Dark-eyed Junco Junco hyemalis658
  5. Brewer's Blackbird Euphagus cyanocephalus621
  6. Sooty Grouse Dendragapus fuliginosus607
  7. White-headed Woodpecker Leuconotopicus albolarvatus493
  8. Acorn Woodpecker Melanerpes formicivorus307
  9. Pileated Woodpecker Dryocopus pileatus306
  10. Yellow-rumped Warbler Setophaga coronata285

Plants

  1. Giant sequoia Sequoiadendron giganteum1,773
  2. Snowplant Sarcodes sanguinea1,401
  3. Pacific Dogwood Cornus nuttallii1,353
  4. Mountain Pride Penstemon newberryi1,288
  5. California incense-cedar Calocedrus decurrens1,032
  6. Leichtlin's Mariposa Lily Calochortus leichtlinii1,022
  7. Canyon live oak Quercus chrysolepis901
  8. California black oak Quercus kelloggii850
  9. Showy milkweed Asclepias speciosa819
  10. Mountain Misery Chamaebatia foliolosa666

Mammals

  1. California Ground Squirrel Otospermophilus beecheyi2,357
  2. Mule Deer Odocoileus hemionus2,126
  3. American Black Bear Ursus americanus922
  4. Yellow-bellied Marmot Marmota flaviventris880
  5. Common Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel Callospermophilus lateralis608
  6. Douglas's Squirrel Tamiasciurus douglasii546
  7. Belding's Ground Squirrel Urocitellus beldingi535
  8. Western Gray Squirrel Sciurus griseus531
  9. Coyote Canis latrans360
  10. American Pika Ochotona princeps329

Insects

  1. California Sister Adelpha californica599
  2. California Tortoiseshell Nymphalis californica276
  3. Convergent Lady Beetle Hippodamia convergens269
  4. Shasta Blue Icaricia shasta252
  5. Pale Swallowtail Papilio eurymedon227
  6. Cobalt Milkweed Beetle Chrysochus cobaltinus209
  7. Yellow-faced Bumble Bee Bombus vosnesenskii207
  8. Clodius Parnassian Parnassius clodius186
  9. Silver-spotted Tiger Moth Lophocampa argentata178
  10. Echo Azure Celastrina echo176

Spiders and kin

  1. Western Forest Scorpion Uroctonus mordax120
  2. Koch's Wolf Spider Alopecosa kochi66
  3. Johnson's Jumping Spider Phidippus johnsoni31
  4. Western Black Widow Latrodectus hesperus29

Reptiles

  1. Western Fence Lizard Sceloporus occidentalis1,118
  2. Common Sagebrush Lizard Sceloporus graciosus450
  3. Western Rattlesnake Crotalus oreganus285
  4. California Mountain Kingsnake Lampropeltis zonata190
  5. Gilbert's Skink Plestiodon gilberti186
  6. Northern Alligator Lizard Elgaria coerulea122
  7. Western Terrestrial Garter Snake Thamnophis elegans117
  8. Sierra Garter Snake Thamnophis couchii105
  9. Western Whiptail Aspidoscelis tigris77
  10. Southern Alligator Lizard Elgaria multicarinata66

Amphibians

  1. Pacific chorus frog Pseudacris regilla652
  2. Sierra Newt Taricha sierrae159
  3. Yosemite Toad Anaxyrus canorus157
  4. Sierra Nevada Yellow-legged Frog Rana sierrae117
  5. Ensatina Ensatina eschscholtzii74

Fish

  1. Brook Trout Salvelinus fontinalis175
  2. Brown Trout Salmo trutta87
  3. Rainbow Trout Oncorhynchus mykiss76

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. KnowKi is not affiliated with the National Park Service. Free, with no ads, no account and no purchases.