- Found only here
- The Catalina fox
- Biggest
- American bison
- Comeback
- Bald eagles
- On the trail
- Watch for rattlesnakes
Islands make their own animals. Cut off from the mainland, Catalina’s wildlife has gone its own way: some species exist nowhere else on Earth, some arrived by accident, and some were brought over and stayed. Most of the island is protected by the Catalina Island Conservancy, so the interior is the best place in Southern California to see wild land.
Mammals
Catalina Island foxUrocyon littoralis catalinae
About the size of a house cat, and found only on Catalina. In 1999 a canine distemper outbreak cut the population to around a hundred animals; vaccination and captive breeding by the Conservancy brought it back to an estimated 2,162 in 2025. You may see one at dusk. Never feed them, and keep food and trash sealed.
American bisonBison bison
Bison were brought over in the 1920s for a film shoot and left behind. The herd once grew past 500; today the Conservancy keeps it at about 80. Give them a very wide berth, at least 100 feet: they are big, fast and unpredictable. Jeep tours are the safest way to see them.
Catalina California ground squirrel
A subspecies found only on the island, common in open grassland and around campgrounds.
Catalina Island shrew
One of the island’s rarest animals: a tiny insect-eater so elusive it has only been recorded a handful of times.
Mule deer
Introduced in the 1930s for hunting. They browse native plants, so the Conservancy manages their numbers.
Birds
Bald eagleHaliaeetus leucocephalus
Eagles once nested all around the island but disappeared by the 1960s, poisoned by the pesticide DDT. A reintroduction program began in the 1980s, and eagles now breed on Catalina again.
Catalina California quail
The island’s own subspecies of California’s state bird, often heard in the brush before it’s seen.
You’ll also see ravens, red-tailed hawks, kestrels, hummingbirds in Avalon’s gardens, and plenty of seabirds along the coast.
Reptiles
The southern Pacific rattlesnake lives on the island. Stay on trails, watch where you put your hands and feet, and give any snake space. Harmless gopher snakes and lizards are far more common.
Plants found only on Catalina
Catalina mahoganyCercocarpus traskiae
One of the rarest trees in the world: only a few wild trees survive in a single canyon.
Catalina ironwoodLyonothamnus floribundus
A Channel Islands tree with shaggy bark, surviving in groves on north-facing slopes.
St. Catherine’s laceEriogonum giganteum
A big buckwheat with lacy white flower heads, named for the island.
See them in the Wrigley Memorial & Botanic Garden, which grows plants native to the California islands.
The ones that left
For more than a century, feral goats and pigs stripped the hillsides. The Conservancy removed them, and native plants have been coming back ever since.
Quick answers
Why are there bison on Catalina Island?
Bison were brought over in the 1920s for a film shoot and left behind. The Conservancy manages a herd of about 80 today.
Are there foxes on Catalina?
Yes: the Catalina Island fox, a subspecies found nowhere else. It nearly died out in 1999 and has recovered to well over a thousand.
Are there snakes on Catalina Island?
Yes, including the southern Pacific rattlesnake. Stay on trails and give snakes space.
Beaches & nature on the island
See all →No photo yet - Avalon6 min from the ferry4.6(5)
- Open nowAvalon15 min from the ferry4.6(86)
- Avalon15 min from the ferry3.7(7)
Tours & activities on the island
See all →No photo yet Open nowAvalon8 min from the ferry5.0(7)- Avalon9 min from the ferry4.3(16)
No photo yet Avalon6 min from the ferry- Avalon7 min from the ferry
