Olympic Marmot
Marmota olympus
Lives nowhere else on Earth but the Olympic Peninsula.
Roosevelt Elk
Cervus canadensis roosevelti
Keystone grazer — the world's largest unmanaged herd lives here.
Black Bear
Ursus americanus
Feeds on salmon, berries, and forest plants.
Black-tailed Deer
Odocoileus hemionus columbianus
Common browser of the shadowy understory.
River Otter
Lontra canadensis
Hunts fish in the cold, glacier-fed Hoh River.
Cougar
Puma concolor
The forest's apex predator, also called mountain lion.
Bobcat
Lynx rufus
A solitary mid-size cat that hunts at dawn and dusk.
Northern Spotted Owl
Strix occidentalis caurina
Needs old-growth forest to survive — scientists watch it closely.
Marbled Murrelet
Brachyramphus marmoratus
A seabird that flies inland to nest on giant old-growth branches.
Bald Eagle
Haliaeetus leucocephalus
Patrols the river, scavenging salmon.
Steller's Jay
Cyanocitta stelleri
Bold, loud, blue-and-black — the forest's town crier.
Pacific Wren
Troglodytes pacificus
Tiny bird, giant song — listen for it in the understory.
American Robin
Turdus migratorius
A familiar face at the forest's edges.
Sitka Spruce
Picea sitchensis
The largest spruce in the world — a true canopy giant.
Western Hemlock
Tsuga heterophylla
Washington's state tree; thrives in deep shade.
Coast Douglas-fir
Pseudotsuga menziesii
Tall, tough, and long-lived — an old-growth pillar.
Western Redcedar
Thuja plicata
The "tree of life" for coastal tribes for thousands of years.
Bigleaf Maple
Acer macrophyllum
Its trunks wear thick coats of moss and ferns.
Red Alder
Alnus rubra
A pioneer tree that feeds the soil along riverbanks.
Vine Maple
Acer circinatum
A sprawling little maple of the understory.
Sword Fern
Polystichum munitum
Room-sized clumps fill the shady forest floor.
Licorice Fern
Polypodium glycyrrhiza
Grows ON other plants — high up on mossy trunks.
Lady Fern
Athyrium filix-femina
Lacy fronds that die back and regrow each year.
Cat-tail Moss
Isothecium myosuroides
Drapes the trees in hanging green curtains.
Stair-step Moss
Hylocomium splendens
Carpets the forest floor and fallen logs.
Lungwort Lichen
Lobaria pulmonaria
A leafy lichen that only grows where the air is clean.
Witch's Hair Lichen
Alectoria sarmentosa
Pale ghostly strands hanging from conifer branches.
Olympic Torrent Salamander
Rhyacotriton olympicus
Lives in icy, fast streams — and nowhere else on Earth.
Pacific Banana Slug
Ariolimax columbianus
The forest's slimy recycling crew — a key decomposer.
Coho Salmon
Oncorhynchus kisutch
Carries ocean nutrients deep into the forest when it spawns.
Chinook Salmon
Oncorhynchus tshawytscha
The largest Pacific salmon spawns right here in the Hoh.
Bull Trout
Salvelinus confluentus
Needs very cold water — climate change is shrinking its home.