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Boar
Did You Know? Wild boars can run up to 30 miles per hour
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Moose
Did You Know? Moose can swim for miles without tiring.
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Beaver
Did You Know? Beavers build dams using sticks and mud.
The Eastern Region is the most geographically, ecologically, and socially diverse area in the United States. Rich in water, it includes over 10,000 lakes, 15,000 miles of streams, and 2 million acres of wetlands. Its 12 million acres of National Forest lands are biologically diverse with boreal forests, tall grass prairies, pine barrens, shorelines along three Great Lakes, Central hardwood forests, glades, bogs, Appalachian foothills, the White Mountains, and some of the most extensive virgin forests in the country.
Fun Fact:
An alligator can go through 2,000 to 3,000 teeth in its lifetime! As their teeth wear down or break, new ones grow in—like a built-in conveyor belt of replacements.
The region supports a variety of wildlife including American toads, birds, box turtles, black bears, red and grey foxes, squirrels, and white-tailed deer, as well as endangered species such as eastern pumas (cougars), key deer, leatherback sea turtles, Louisiana black bears, Mississippi sandhill cranes, North Atlantic right whales, piping plovers, red wolves, and West Indian manatees.
The Eastern Region is rich in Native American history and culture—both French voyagers and English explorers began missions, fur trading, and timbering there while traveling along the region's huge bodies of water.
Encompassing 20 U.S. states, it contains over 40% of the U.S. population and 9 of the top 20 metropolitan areas. With over 24 million acres of land in its boundaries, 1 of every 2 acres is National Forest land—that is 12 million acres of forest across 12 National Forests. Keep your eye out for alligators, boars, foxes, moose, and black bears!
Meet the Eastern Region’s Native Species
