Wildlife

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  Louisiana black bear

  The Louisiana black bear is the state mammal for Louisiana, and it is one of 16 subspecies of the American black bear. While the American black bear can be found across North America, the Louisiana black bear subspecies is only known to occur in Louisiana, East Texas and western Mississippi. Compared to other black bears, the Louisiana black bears skull is longer, narrower and flatter, with larger molar teeth. Visit the species profile...

  Louisiana black bear. Credit: Pam McIlhenny, used with permission.

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  West Indian manatee

  Manatees are large, elongated marine mammals with paired flippers and a large round or spoon-shaped tail. They can reach lengths of over 14 feet and weights of over 3,000 pounds Visit the species profile...

  A Florida manatee calf sticks close to its mother in shallow water. Photo: Keith Ramos, USFWS