Missouri Department of Conservation

Although black bears are native to Missouri, they were nearly wiped out during settlement. Now they're making a comeback. Use this section to follow our black bear research project, report bear sightings, camp safely in bear country and control nuisance bears.

There are two species of skunks in Missouri, the more familiar striped skunk and the lesser-known spotted skunk. The spotted skunk is also called a civet cat, but this name is misleading and incorrect because this mammal is not closely related to the true civets of the Old World or to cats.

There are two species of foxes in Missouri. The gray fox is more likely to be seen in the southern half of the state, climbs trees readily and is less desired by both fox hunters and fur trappers.

With the help of responsible citizen reports, the Department of Conservation occasionally confirms the presence of a lone individual, usually a young male, but we have found no proof of breeding populations. Use this section to learn about the history of mountain lions in Missouri and to report sightings.

The common name of this animal, “fox” is the Anglo-Saxon name for this animal and refers to its crafty behavior. In the twenty-first century, hunters still respect and appreciate foxes for their ability to elude.

Among the members of the squirrel family living in Missouri, the eastern gray and fox squirrels are the most common. Their common names are descriptive of the general coat color-the grayish of one, and the "reddish fox" coloration of the other.

The white-tailed deer is aptly named because the white undersurface of its flaglike tail is about all that we see in the fleeting glimpse we get of this superb mammal as it bounds across an opening in the woods.